Tag Archives: Superstistion

If I stand like this my sportsbet will hit!

AGE

20

Date of performance

5/1/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

Student

Primary Language

Aramaic

Residence

San Diego, CA

Superstition: Where I sit, stand, or how I move affects all sports bet I have. 

Context + Text: The individual is my brother, and he used to be an avid sport better. He used to watch any professional league, from any professional country, as long as he could put a bet on it. He always believed it made games more interesting, and funny enough he developed his own superstition for how he would watch these games. “Sometimes, the team I had money on would be getting killed, so I’d get up to make myself a sandwich, and instantly my team begins to score like they’ve never scored before”. He continued to say he believed that because he got up and made a sandwich, he was changing the luck for his team. “I would literally just sit with my sandwich and not move, and it’s crazy how it works because my bet would get closer to cashing”. According to the individual, he claims that when similar situations like this have happened and he did not stay in the same spot, his team would start losing again. He has continued to hold this superstition for years, and it has led to many funny stories with the individual having his shirt half off standing on the arm of a couch because “his team was playing better”. 

Analysis: This superstition is similar to that of fans wearing jerseys or pants to ‘make’ their team win, but it is a lot more hectic and uncommon. The idea that sports bettors believe the angle at which they watch the game truly determines the outcome is absurd, but can we really classify it as absurd if so, many sports bettors have adopted this ‘strategy’? While it may seem ridiculous to those around them, there has been a community built on weird sport betting scenarios. Some of the funniest examples include not watching the game for my team to win, only watching on my phone or tv (no laptops), and even having to stand in obscure places to make the game more thrilling. While many argue that these superstitions are only adding thrill for the individual, and therefore they believe that they are more involved in the game, I have seen it work for numerous individuals and am getting close to trying out these superstitious rituals. 

Folk Ritual: Funeral Custom – Saranta

  1. Text: It is custom in the culture of Greek people to practice an extended window of mourning after a loved one dies. This window lasts 40 days and is called Saranta. It is the belief of the Greek people that during this window of time, the soul continues to stay within the earth and navigate within it. It has not passed on to heaven, but remains wandering for a period of time in order to complete and review lingering tasks from its time in life. This concept has been colloquially believed in by Greek people for centuries. It is at the basis of their concept of mourning, becoming something almost as equally important as the very funeral service itself. By participating in a continued mourning during this time, the family becomes adjacent to the spirit of their loved one as it exists around them.
  2. Informants Context: The Saranta is very important in our culture. For 40 days after the death, we continue to mourn. This is because we believe that the spirit continues to walk the earth for 40 days after passing. After my husbands death, I wore black for 40 days. This was to recognize and signal my own mourning. For the first three days after the death, they say the spirit remains near where they lived. I believe this – I felt him around the house, I heard him around where his bed was. After that, its said that they begin to explore the world, go back to places where they used to spend lots of time. Maybe he went back to Greece for a few days, I don’t know. But then in the final few weeks, he has to be with God, or so they say. Then on the 40th day, he gets to be free. He goes to heaven. We do little things in that time so to watch over him as he wanders. Mirrors are covered during the 40 days, my grandmother used to say that souls get trapped in the glass if they go into it. During the funeral, we make sure a small window is open in case his spirit wants to leave, to wander. Other little things are part of the 40 days. For example, very little cleaning and no renovation to the house after the death so not to disturb the soul if it wants to visit. The most important thing is that we light the Kantili (oil lamp) everyday to assure that he is guided back to us when he wants to visit. If the candle burns, it will also in part assure that his spirit will be eternal. These rituals were passed down to us by our families when we used to still live in Greece. They showed us how to practice these things when there were deaths in the community. I was there during the second world war when I was very young, and then during the civil war. So even though I left at an early age, we attended many funerals before I officially departed from the country.
  3. Collectors Interpretation: Both the 40 day period and the superstitious rituals that occur during this period reflect certain distinct values on the part of the Greeks. Firstly, these superstitions clearly reflect a value for the concept of the eternal. Specifically as it applies to the burning light, Greeks want to assure that the spirit remains forever in existence despite bodily death. This is consistent with the superstitious fear of windows as well. Juxtaposing the hope for eternal paradise is the fear of eternal purgatory that could arise from getting trapped in these reflective surfaces. The Greek concept of 40 days of mourning clearly evolves into a folkloric concept in and of itself, as it is born out of and coupled with many of the superstitious concepts surrounding it.

Fields

AGE: 85

Date_of_performance: May 5, 2025

Informant Name: Confidential (EZ)

Language: Greek/English

Nationality: Greek/Canadian

Occupation: Retired

Primary Language: Greek

Residence: Canada

Black eyed peas for good luck on New Year’s

Text: 

“Every year for New Year’s, my grandma comes over and cooks black eyed peas for us and we eat them with our lunch. She always said it’s for good luck and wealth in the next year and she makes us finish all of them that day, which is crazy because she makes a lot, and I don’t even like them that much.”

Context:

My informant is from Chicago and claims that her grandmother has done this every year without missing a single year since she has been alive. She does not think it makes a difference with her luck or prosperity. 

Interpretation:

This is an example of how traditions and superstitions can overlap. Her grandmother makes the black eyed peas annually on the same holiday with the same people out of fear that she will have bad luck and poor prosperity if she does not. It shows how traditions and superstitions can bring groups of people together over a common belief and/or activity. This is also an example of how food can be symbolic for something else and, therefore, become associated with superstitions. After a quick Google search, it seems that many people believe black eyed peas symbolize coins and, therefore, eat them on New Year’s Day for good luck and prosperity in the new year. 

Don’t open an umbrella indoors

Text: 

“Growing up, my mom always told us not to open umbrellas indoors because it gives you bad luck. She wasn’t that serious about it, though, it’s just something that she said. Like if it’s raining really hard she will open it inside so she doesn’t have to get wet.”

Context:

My informant is from LA, but her mom is from Michigan and learned this superstition from her own mother. My informant says that even though she and her mom don’t follow this superstition strictly, she does think about it every time she opens an umbrella. 

Interpretation:

This superstition, like many others, proves the common human fear of giving yourself bad luck. It also shows how superstitions can be passed down through generations, as my informant learned this one from her mother, she learned it from her own mother. This especially works if a superstition is taught at a young age, as young children are taught to obey what their parents teach them without questioning why. In addition, this is an example of how superstitions can be followed loosely. This family talks about this superstition and teaches it to each other, but only follows it when it is convenient for them. 

Stepping on a crack will break your mom’s back

Text: 

“I think it was at my kindgarten, where all the kids would say ‘stepping on a crack will break your mom’s back.’ Back then, the teachers would make us walk together as a class in line everywhere we went, so you could see everyone in front of you stepping over cracks in the sidewalk to save their moms, I guess. It was a big deal, too. Other kids would call you out if they saw you step on one, and I think some people even cried over it.”

Context:

My informant is from Austin and first learned this superstition in Kindergarten. She remembers following the superstition for approximately two years before stopping. She guesses that she either forgot about it or decided it was false. 

Interpretation:

This superstition is an example of how folklore can be spread at schools, particularly elementary schools or preschools. It reminds me of the cheese touch or cooties, as each of these are pieces of folklore that are turned into games by young children. This superstition specifically involves other people and reveals a deeper common anxiety about hurting loved ones. It also is an example of how rhyming can be used to define a specific superstition and help people remember it.