Tag Archives: Superstition

Black Crows and Traffic Jams

Nationality: Ethiopian
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: 04/21/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Amharic

The informant is a good friend from one of my clubs. We had met up for lunch and she shared many of her Ethiopian traditions and customs with me, as well as some superstitions of her people.

 Original Script

Informant: “If a black crow has crossed the street, don’t. You have to wait until someone else does, ’cause… then you’ll die. So like if you see, umm-”

Me: “Well then what if they see it too? Then you’re never going to cross the street!”

Informant: “Literally in Ethiopia, people will stop driving. Like no one would go. If you come to a road where no one has crossed yet, that means something suspicious has gone down, and they’ll just wait for a foreigner to cross, so that everyone else can continue about their business. It’s like an actual thing, if a… like a a black, I think it’s just crows, yeah. They hate crows. If a black crow is in the middle of the road, then no one should walk on that road, ’cause the next person to walk on that road, something terrible is going to happen to them. It’s going to be awful.”

Me: “Wait. So let’s say you saw a crow and you stopped, and I was like driving up and I didn’t see the crow-”

Informant: “If  you didn’t see the crow, you’re good. But if I know there’s a crow there…”

Me: “Oh, so like other people, if they see you stopped, if they didn’t see the crow they’ll keep going?”

Informant: “If  you’re really, really superstitious, if people are stopped, you’ll wait too! You know, just in case.”

Me: “I can imagine lot of traffic jams because of one bird!”

Informant: “Oh yeah! Those stupid birds, they stop a lot of things!”

Me: “What does the crow represent?”

Informant: “Death.” (laughs)

Me: “Death?”

Informant: “But I don’t know what else it represents!”

Me: “Yeah it’s interesting! ‘Cause with Native Americans, it’s like a trickster.”

Informant: “Yeah… My mom is not down for the black crows. My grandpa will literally stop the car. He’ll just not go. He’s like ‘I can’t! I can’t!’ Like anywhere he was he would just stop. I don’t know what the-”

Me: “Do you stop?”

Informant: “No!” (laughs)

Me: “Like what about here? There’s crows, like, everywhere!”

Informant: “I mean, it’s not often here that crows stop on the middle of the highway, like before I go.”

Me: “What if it just flies over then?”

Informant: “No, if a crow has landed… That’s a big deal. You see a crow land, don’t walk in that direction, like just leave that crow alone! Like, that whole area is off limits. Like I don’t know what it is, but they don’t like crows.”

Me: “But, so you have a thing against them too now? Because of this culture thing?”

Informant: “No I’m… I don’t care about crows. But my mom, like, will not-”

Me: “Are there ravens whee you are?”

Informant: “Probably. I don’t know. But there are definitely crows.”

Me: “So like, would it be ravens too? Because they’re black birds.”

Informant: “I mean, I’m sure no one is real, like, specific about it if you see a strange black bird stopped. I’m sure that’s just enough, but I’ve only heard it with crows.”

Background & Analysis

The informant learned this omen from both her mom and her grandpa. Her grandpa lived in Ethiopia all his life, and when she would visit him, every time he saw a crow while driving, he would stop.

The informant is a student here at USC as well, and although her mother is from Ethiopia, she was born and raised here in California. However, she often goes back to Ethiopia with her mom to visit friends and family.

As I listened to this superstition, I could definitely see why people would think it a bad omen if a crow, which is the color of death, landed in the middle of a road out of nowhere. This type of superstition can also be easily perpetuated, if one were to just link some bad or unfortunate event with the crossing of a road that a crow had just landed on. It’s interesting to see this flip side belief about the crow, since for Native Americans, the crow is often seen as good luck, or at the very least, a trickster along with the raven.

Black Moths

Nationality: American/Guatemalan
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Boston, MA
Performance Date: 04/25/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

The informant is a student from my folklore class, and we ended up meeting and exchanging stories and superstitions one night.

Script

“It’s really bad luck to kill a black moth, especially the large ones that will land on the wall. They are a sort of bad omen , since the seem to attract death. If you see one in your house, just leave it be and don’t try to scare it away, because it is the spirit of someone who has died, or who is going to die, and the appearance of the moth is either a premonition of a death, or a sign that a death has occurred.”

I asked whether the moth was necessarily a bad spirit, or just a bad omen if you were to mess with it.

“One time when my mother was thirteen years old, she saw a black moth land on the wall of her room. She didn’t disturb it and just left it there, since her mother had told her the same omen. Literally an hour letter, they received a phone call saying my uncle died in a motorcycle accident.”

I asked if the moths visit someone that has a relationship with the spirit.

“Yeah, it kind of solidifies the idea that the moth is supposed to symbolize.”

I asked if her mom knew about the moth’s significance before the encounter described previously.

“No, and then coincidentally enough the death happened. But I’ve encountered moths and I just leave them be.”

Background & Analysis

When I asked if other colored moths are also bad omens, the informant said it is only the black ones, since the color black is associated with death. Also, she described them as somber creatures that always travel alone, and tend to be very frightening and intimidating since their size is so tremendous.

The informant’s mother is from a small, secluded town that is surrounded by mountains called Monjas in Guatemala. Although the town has become more modernized over the past few decades, many of the traditions and superstitions still circulate. The informant is from Boston, MA, but attends USC, and she often travels to Guatemala to visit family.

Present in folklore across many cultures are animals or other figures that represent death. Death is universal, and even though cultures and traditions can be very different, one of the things that binds everyone together is the cycle of life. Over time, humans have become more and more obsessed with death, whether it be the fear of it or the fascination with it. The black moth is just another example among countless others.

‘Ohi’a Lehua

Nationality: American
Age: 14
Occupation: Student
Residence: Hawaii
Performance Date: 03/15/15
Primary Language: English

The informant is my younger sister, and over Spring Break, she and her friend had stayed with me. This is one of the legends she told me while we were getting ready for bed.

 

There was a man named ‘Ohi’a and a woman named Lehua, and they were in love. But the goddess of fire, Pele, was also in love with the man. Out of jealousy towards the Lehua, and to punish ‘Ohi’a for not returning her affections, Pele cursed ‘Ohi’a into a tree so that the couple could no longer be together. Lehua was devastated, and would cry day after day next to her lover who was now a tree. Out of pity for Lehua, Pele turned her into a blossom on the tree, so the couple could be reunited. To this day, if you pick a flower from an ‘Ohi’a Lehua tree, it will start to rain, because you have separated Lehua from her lover, and the rain is her tears of grief.

Background & Analysis

The informant was raised in Hawaii, and she had heard the legend from friends and teachers at school, as well as from the guides when taking tours of different Hawaiian gardens. The informant does believe in the legend and the superstition of Lehua blossom picking, so she will not pick any flowers from the tree. In the past, a classmate of hers had done so once on a field trip, and within the hour, what was a sunny day, became cloudy and rainy.

This legend has a hint of Romeo and Juliet to it, in that the lovers cannot bear to be separated from one another. It’s also a bit tragic, given how when one goes down, so does the other. This legend is very widespread throughout Hawaii, and this particular variation illustrates the power of Pele, as well as the power of love.

*For another version of this legend, see <http://www.lovebigisland.com/big-island-mythology/ohia-lehua/> or <http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/10/peles_revenge.html>

Hungarian Superstition

Nationality: Hungarian
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC
Performance Date: 4/13/15

Background about Informant:

Anna is a 22-year-old exchange student from Hungary, studying business at USC. She was born and raised in Budapest and has knowledge of many facts and traditions of Hungary.

General Description from Informant:

“There’s this superstition some people in Hungary believe – if a girl sits at the corner of the table that means she will never get married.”

Follow-up Questions:

  • Where/who did you learn this superstition from?
    • “My friends, girls in general. I think in elementary school, maybe while sitting in the cafeteria or something.”
  • What does it mean to you? Do you believe it’s true?
    • “I don’t believe it’s true and no one believes it’s true, but no one does it because you feel uncomfortable if you do it, because you never know – it could happen. Like, you know it’s a superstition, but you don’t know, why not be safe anyways.”
  • Where did it come from? What’s the history behind it?
    • “I’m assuming something from the countryside but I don’t know exactly what. Most of these superstitions come from the countryside.”
  • What do you think it symbolizes?
    • “Since it probably comes from countryside – and everyone wanted to get married early, and it’s all about the girl, it was a big shame to not get married, so came from the fear of not being married.”
  • Why is it only girls and not guys that can get the bad luck?
    • “Because guys were not afraid of not getting married.”

Analysis from Collector:

This is just one Hungarian superstition, which is also found in other Europian countries as well. The way Anna explained people’s thoughts about the superstition is in line with many superstitions – which is that usually they don’t explicitly believe in it, but they do acknowledge it enough to not do. The idea is, “why take any chances” with these superstitions.

I think Anna is right in thinking that it comes from the fear that women will not get married and where guys did not worry about not getting married. Through further research, I discovered this superstition is prevalent in many countries, but the exact meaning behind it is unclear.

Snow Day Magic Tricks

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Chicago, IL
Performance Date: 04/19/15
Primary Language: English
Language: none

Informant is a 20 year old college student at the University of Chicago. She is a creative writer, activist, and political science major. She grew up in Highland Park, Illinois with her two parents and two younger brothers.

 

Informant: “So here in Chicago, we have a thing called snow. It actually gets quite cold if you remember.”

Interviewer: “I remember!”

Informant: “Just wanted to remind you since now you live in sunny, always blue-skied, 70 degree Cali. Anyways, there are times that so much snow accumulates that school is canceled. Not very often, but every now and then. Usually ever year, but sometimes just once every two or three years.”

Interviewer: “I totally remember those! They were the best…”

Informant: “They were! Do you remember what we all used to do in the hopes there would be a snow day?”

Interviewer: “Sort of, but not entirely.”

Informant: “Okay, let me refresh your memory. We would put a spoon under our pillow before going to bed—some people put it under their bed, and some people didn’t put a spoon but a fork—and that was supposed to make a snow day happen. But not just out of the blue. IT had to already be pretty snowy, or supposed to snow heavily.”

Interviewer: “Do you remember who told you to do that? Or who told you that worked?”

Informant: “No specific person that I remember. I think we all just sort of knew to do it. Like everyone talked about it working, or having worked.”

 

Thoughts:

I can’t figure why a spoon was the object placed under one’s bed or one’s pillow to conjure a snow day, but I do remember doing this once in the hopes of a snow day. I can’t say for sure if it was my having placed the spoon under my bed or Mother Nature, but we did in fact have school canceled the next day…

I actually googled the practice and found several articles as well as some other ways to conjure snow days! For more snow day “magic,” see http://www.grandhaventribune.com/article/strange-grand-haven/265096.

The notion of “conjuring up snow days”, talked about in the article, brings to mind Voodoo. It’s fascinating that magic or voodoo was so looked down on for so long, and even to an extent is now in the very hyper-scientific society in which we live, but that it holds such an important role for people. This again speaks to belief, and how strong it is despite changing times or new scientific discoveries.