Tag Archives: Superstition

No Whistling in Theatre Spaces

Folk Belief / Superstition
Occupational Folklore – Theatre / Behavioral Taboo

1. Text

JP, a theatre major at American University, described a well-established superstition within theatrical environments: the belief that whistling inside a theatre invites bad luck or misfortune. According to JP, this is not merely a stylistic or aesthetic preference, but a behavioral taboo actively enforced in rehearsal and backstage settings, especially backstage. “You might be whistling without thinking, and someone will stop you immediately,” she noted. “People treat it as disruptive, even dangerous,” JP noted that she can’t whistle either way, but believes the superstition is a little dramatic.

JP recounted watching someone in her college program reprimanded for whistling during her first year in university theatre. “I didn’t know it was a problem. This girl was humming and then started to whistle backstage during tech week, and someone cut him off — not angrily, but urgently. They told her, ‘That’s something we don’t do here.’ I laughed. I thought it was so crazy and comical, but the girl who whistled had the biggest look of shame.”

Although JP does not personally attribute supernatural consequences to the act of whistling, she adheres to the custom out of respect for the collective understanding. “I don’t believe something bad will happen, but I know it’s part of the culture. You don’t want to violate the space or distract people, especially when the stakes are high. Additionally, I don’t want conflict with other people, so even if I could whistle, I still would not.”

2. Context

JP learned this superstition informally during her early involvement in university theatre. The belief was not introduced through any institutional channel or training, but rather through peer correction, a method common in the transmission of occupational folklore. The reprimand she saw another student experience served as an entry point into the implicit behavioral norms that govern theatrical spaces — rules which are often unspoken but widely upheld. Additionally, her unfamiliarity with the superstition prior to entering this particular theatre context highlights the localized nature of folklore transmission and how such beliefs can vary significantly across different performance communities.

The belief in the danger of whistling in a theatre is historically grounded. JP informed me that in the 19th and early 20th centuries, stage riggers — many of whom had maritime backgrounds — used a system of coded whistles to signal cue changes for scenery, rigging, and fly systems. An unintentional whistle could therefore result in mistimed or hazardous movements backstage. While modern stagecraft no longer relies on such signaling systems, the associated taboo persists as a form of cultural residue, maintained more for its symbolic weight than its practical relevance.

JP explained that even though the original rationale is no longer operational, the custom remains widespread and now it has now become a very looming superstition. “People treat it as disrespectful,” she said. “It’s not just about the sound. It’s about what it implies — that you’re not actively engaged and focused in the way you should be.” As such, the act of whistling violates more than etiquette; it breaches a collectively upheld boundary of theatrical conduct.

3. Interpretation

The prohibition against whistling in a theatre functions as a behavioral taboo within the occupational folk group of stage performers and technicians. Its persistence, despite the disappearance of its original practical necessity, is a testament to the role of tradition as a mechanism of cultural continuity. In this context, the act of whistling is not inherently harmful, but it becomes symbolically charged within a space where control, precision, and attentiveness are paramount.

From a folkloristic perspective, this taboo aligns with other examples of ritual avoidance behavior — prohibitions enacted not because of empirical risk, but because of their perceived symbolic danger. The theatre, as a liminal space in which transformation and performance occur, is often surrounded by customs that reinforce spatial and emotional boundaries. Whistling, an unsolicited and uncontrolled auditory act, is viewed as an intrusion upon the ritual environment of rehearsal or performance.

Moreover, the belief plays a significant role in group boundary maintenance. Through mechanisms of correction and social enforcement, practitioners reaffirm their identity as members of a professional tradition. The act of stopping someone from whistling, particularly a novice, is both a disciplinary and didactic act: it reasserts collective values while initiating the newcomer into the shared culture of theatrical practice.

Even among those who do not interpret the act superstitiously, the continued observance of the rule suggests a broader understanding of folklore’s functional value. Customs such as this one provide structure and coherence within an otherwise unpredictable environment. The taboo against whistling operates not merely as a superstition but as a ritualized gesture of respect toward the space, the craft, and the community of practitioners who maintain it.

In sum, JP’s account illustrates how occupational folk groups preserve behavioral norms through informal transmission, even when the original rationale has been obscured or rendered obsolete. In doing so, these traditions help define the emotional architecture of performance spaces and maintain a shared sense of discipline, identity, and continuity.

Bourbon Street Tradition

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Full-Time College Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

I interviewed MW who is from New Orleans. Although born in Ohio, his family moved to New Orleans when he was 4 years old, and has lived there since.

M talked about Bourbon Street and the spirituality in New Orleans. He works at a bar on Bourbon Street and he always has to be careful. Along the street there are vendors that may tell you they can tell you your future if you tap his elbow. M emphasized that you’re never supposed to tap elbows as this induces destiny swapping. He doesn’t know the exact reason why it has to be the elbow, but he says it stems from voodoo, and that these vendors are out to get you if they sense you have “good” energy.

The folk belief that you can swap destinies is very apparent here. We see the role of the trickster at play in this situation. The power of the vendor on Bourbon Street is something that’s respected or feared. Even his everyday behavior seems to be shaped by this idea as he is cautious about running into people like that vendor. The fact that he also doesn’t know why the elbow is important indicates that he is following oral tradition without knowing where it comes from. He believes it and passes it on, something very natural in folklore.

Folk Ritual: Superstition – Kafemanteia

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  1. Text: In Greek culture, it is extremely common that people practice a superstitious form of fortune-telling known as Kafemanteia. The way it works is extremely simple. Firstly, Greek coffee is prepared, which is different from American coffee. This Greek drink is brewed in a briki (steel pot) but isn’t filtered, ultimately causing the grounds of the coffee to remain stuck to the bottom off the cup once you’ve finished drinking it. Once the drinking is done, the Greek places the saucer on top of the cup, makes a wish to themselves, then flips it over. While it’s flipped, the ground stuck at the bottom of the cup is forced to slide down, creating certain patterns. A reader than analyzes the symbols and interprets the future of the coffee drinker. The reading is often conducted by a normal Greek, even the drinker themselves, as the practice is so common, but oftentimes a studied reader is needed to interpret the sign at the cups bottom. That said, certain symbols mean different things about what is in store for the drinkers future – circles could mean something is completed or unified, numbers could reflect dates, direct lines imply a journey of some kind. There are a multitude of variations, but each of these reflect a fortune for the individual.
  2. Participants Context: This is a practice my mother used to engage in all the time. In fact she still does it to this day. My mother was from a small village in Greece – they weren’t educated or anything like that. They immigrated to Canada in the 60s, but these were the pieces of culture they brought with them. It might sound very cute and interesting, but I actually take it very seriously. I fully believe in it, totally. My grandmother was what was known as a kafetzou, she was fully capable of reading the fortune of any cup. She knew the different symbols, how they interrelated and what it reflected for your future. I don’t know them, all the signs, so sometimes I’ll put the symbol into ChatGPT and ask for its analysis. And then of course, my grandmothers mother before her practiced this way of fortune-telling, and so on and so forth. It almost feels partly religious to me, a way of talking to the Panagia (Virgin Mary) or perhaps other saints. That or perhaps it was something born during the Ottoman occupation – I think the wishful quality of it might’ve been something that Greeks developed during that period of darkness, when they were super restricted and were under this nasty regime. Greeks were looking for something hopeful.
  3. Collectors Interpretation: I personally believe this superstition emerged as a means of addressing anxiety, difficult questions and long-term planning. Kafemanteia in Greek culture is largely practiced in the company of other people. The actual act of drinking coffee at a cafe, like in many parts of Europe, is key to social life in Greece. Where in America people often take their coffee to go, Europeans, especially Greeks, actually make a point of drinking a single cup of coffee over the course of 2-3 hours. By creating a fortune-telling practice with coffee, Greeks give themselves the opportunity to discuss amongst others what might be in store for their futures, perhaps projecting their subconscious concerns onto the symbols of the ground coffee. It’s a practice that, perhaps through subconscious influence, allows Greeks to annex the anxieties that are plaguing them. In this way, the superstition is a very healthy practice. It’s clearly a form of social therapy that is intertwined with mythic and folkloric undertones. Sometimes discussing ones problems in the context of a greater divine spirit or supernatural force is comforting. It may even be a way to help make sense of the world when it seems to not be making sense at all. Additionally, I’ll note that this form of magic is clearly homeopathic – in order to achieve the outcome of the fortune, the Greek must drink the coffee, place the saucer over the cup, make a wish and then flip it, waiting for symbols to develop. Anecdotally, this is surely what I’ve observed by watching my family practice this fortune-telling. It’s an opportunity to address the problems of their future that they haven’t yet solved. Juxtaposing that hypothesis is the fact that it’s also an opportunity to manifest what good things people believe might be in store for their future. For example, if the coffee has numbers forming in it, that might mean the drinker has riches in their future. Ultimately, I believe that the value of Kafemanteia is rooted in community.

AGE: 53

Date_of_performance: May 5, 2025

Informant Name: Confidential KT

Language: English

Nationality: Canadian/Greek

Occupation: Lawyer

Primary Language: Greek

Hair and the Moon

Nationality: American/Ecuadorian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Washington, DC
Language: English

TEXT: “Whenever my older sister needs a haircut, she asks my mom since she knows how to cut people’s hair pretty well. I remember my sister asking my mom to trim her hair down a little bit, but my mom said no since the moon wasn’t full. Confused, I asked her why she couldn’t cut my sister’s hair if there weren’t a full moon, and she told me that her hair wouldn’t grow back fast or evenly if it wasn’t trimmed during a full moon day.”

CONTEXT: This story was shared by the informant, A.J, during a conversation about family traditions and superstitions passed down through generations. A.J talked about a moment when their older sister asked for a haircut, but their mother refused because it wasn’t a full moon. When A.J asked why, their mom explained that hair grows back better, that is faster and more evenly, if it’s cut during a full moon. A.J mentioned that their mother is Hispanic, and this belief appears to be common among many Hispanic families.

ANALYSIS: This is an example of a folk belief connected to nature and timing, specifically involving the lunar cycle. In many Hispanic cultures, it’s believed that the moon has an influence on natural processes, including hair growth. Even though it’s not scientifically proven, the belief continues to be passed down and practiced. It shows how traditions and superstitions can shape everyday routines like haircuts, and how cultural wisdom combines natural observation with caregiving habits in the home.

Kapre Ghost Story

Date of Performance: 04/03/2025

Nationality: American

Primary Language: English

Residence: South Bend, Indiana

My informant describes a supernatural experience he had when he was very young, one he does not remember himself but was told to him later in life by his grandparents. He grew up in a very old house in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. He says he was a “sensitive kid”, and was noticeably silent until he grew older – therefore, it was unusual when, while looking out a window, he exclaimed in surprise to his grandmother that he saw a large humanoid creature, as big as the banana tree outside the window, looking inwards at the house. His grandmother looked outside, but could not see the giant – which matched perfectly the description of a kapre, a traditional Filipino tree giant that stands at ten feet tall and is known for smoking cigarettes. Her being a very religious, superstitious woman, was dismayed by my informant’s observation and immediately called a priest to bless the house and his backyard with holy water. After this, he was asked if he saw anything in the backyard, to which he said that he didn’t. My informant, when asking his family if they believed in supernatural beings, was told this story roughly fifteen years after it happened, and had no recollection of it. 

My informant doesn’t seem to take this story very seriously – “superstitious people see things”, he says, and him seeing a tree giant in the yard could just be the overactive imagination of a two or three year old. It’s “not super difficult to see how a banana tree moving in the wind could look like a giant monster to a little kid”, he notes, but remarks that if any house were to be haunted, it would be the one he grew up in, which according to him had been there since Spanish colonizers still ran Manila. 

As the source of the story is relatively direct, only going from his grandmother to my informant, I think the details are likely pretty accurate to how it actually happened, regardless of if the tree giant was really there or not. I do find it interesting how common supernatural stories are amongst my friends (like my informant) who grew up internationally or in strong cultural/ethnic enclaves as opposed to those who were raised in more diverse or I guess “modern” communities in which folk creatures/stories take up less space. It makes sense that a strong cultural influence in one’s childhood household could affect the perceptions of a young child, leading to stories like this one.