Tag Archives: Superstition

“死鱼正口，收杆就走” —Chinese Angler’s Superstition

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19

Text:
“死鱼正口，收杆就走”
Translation: Grab the rod and go if you got a dead fish.

Context:
This is a superstition that Chinese anglers believe in. The informant is an angler, and he learned this saying on the Chinese online forum of fishers. The dead fish is believed to be attached to the fishing rod by the water monsters(水鬼). If the angler keeps fishing, he will be the next water monster. To protect oneself, the angler must burn the paper money and prepare meat for the water monster, a ritual to appease the water monster. Although the informant does not believe in monsters, he still respects and shares this term with others. The informant is also sure that all anglers in China know this term as it’s a general term.

Analysis:
As a well-known term, the saying has some practical meaning, while the ritual is a common way Chinese people deal with creatures that are not human beings. The saying itself, which warns anglers about dead fish, might be a cautionary saying. When one catches a dead fish, it might mean the water is contaminated, which causes the death of the fish. Thus one should stop fishing at that location and avoid eating the fish. The ritual of appeasing the water monster involves the Chinese superstition of offering food and money to things in another world. Burning paper money is a way to provide money to the dead, and it is believed that supernatural creatures can consume the food humans provide them. By “worshiping” the water monster, anglers can avoid being harmed by the water monsters.

“Knock On Wood” — Bad Luck Protection

Nationality: American (Jewish)
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: USC
Performance Date: April 24th, 2023
Language: English

Context :

JF is a 22 year old college student at USC from Rhode Island. Growing up, his family would knock on wood to prevent bad luck.

Text :

“If I want something good to happen, and I speak it into existence, I always get a little nervous it might not come true because I vocalized it so I always knock on wood to counter it.”

Analysis :

It’s interesting that JF grew up hearing “knock on wood” from his family because he is Jewish, and some say that the phrase originates from Christians linking it to Christ’s crucifixion. However, it has spread throughout much of the United States and is now a common saying, despite the origins. For JF, he continues to perform the action because usually there is no bad luck associated with what he is speaking into existence. In a way, he is experiencing the placebo effect because he associates bad luck blocks with knocking on wood, and when he doesn’t knock on wood and something bad happens, that’s why.

Wish Upon A Star

Nationality: American
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Residence: Utah
Performance Date: April 20th, 2023
Language: English

Context :

W is my 17 year-old brother. He was born and raised in Utah, like me. He wishes on shooting stars because they are so rare. By wishing on such a rare thing, your wish will come true. But you can’t simply make a wish, you must also recite a specific phrase. W believes he first heard the phrase from his mother, who got it from her mother. The phrase has been passed down through generations as a positive superstition for getting wishes granted.

Text :

“Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.”

Analysis :

There are many different ways to make wishes, like blowing out birthday candles or loose eyelashes. Wishing upon a star has been around for centuries, and like the other wishing ways, originated because of the rarity of the event. Everyone has wishes, but wishes rarely come true. By wishing your wish on something as equally rare, there is supposedly a higher chance of the wish coming true. The saying itself seems to speak to a higher existence, unlike other wishing spells, which are just spoken internally. Because of that, wishers are not just saying their wish to anyone, but to what they think will grant the wish.

Visited By a Passed Relative

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Occupation: Actor
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: March 25th
Primary Language: English

Context :

JH is 23 years old and from San Francisco, CA. They are a USC graduate I met a few months ago. They lived in San Francisco for a majority of their life before moving to Los Angeles for school. They consider themselves very superstitious. Growing up, they were really close with their grandmother, and it was very hard on them when she passed away.

Text :

“I meditate a lot, and I think that there have been times in my meditation experience—especially when I was dealing with grief, like the loss of my grandma and such—that I felt like a presence was there. And I remember, I was like on a family vacation and I was like sitting in the living room having a horrible day in this like rental house and I was meditating and I was really grieving my grandma because it was only a couple months earlier. Then, all of the sudden, I literally felt like two hands on my shoulders. At first, I thought it might have been creepy, but I didn’t feel a creepy presence, I felt a comforting presence. It felt like my grandma was reminding me that she was there.”

Analysis :

When people hear the phrase ghost stories, they immediately associate that with bad thoughts or bad omens. But that isn’t always the case. For example, as seen with my informant, encounters with the divine can actually be a good thing, and a sign that it is okay. Lots of ghost stories have to do with these supernatural beings keeping people out of what they consider their homes, but for JH, their grandma is keeping her close. On a deeper level, this is a way that people can justify the emotions their having or find closure. Since JH was so close with their grandma, believing they encountered her after she passed away and was reminded of her presence goes to show how affirming ghost stories can be. Looking at ghost stories through that lens can give us a different perspective on how they are being interrupted, and stray away from painting ghosts in such a negative light.

“Steve is Acting Up Again” — The Made-Up Ghost

Nationality: American
Age: 35
Occupation: Grad Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: March 24th, 2023
Primary Language: English

Context:

J is a 35 year old woman from The Bay with three young siblings. She is my co-worker and a graduate student at USC. When anything unexplainable happened in her house growing up, her family would blame it on a ghost named Steve. Although she has never seen a ghost or had a divine encounter, she believes they are real.

Text:

J: “My mom and I had this thing where we would say there was a ghost named Steve in the house for a long time. And anytime something would happen, we’d be like, there’s Steve. Oh, Steve’s acting up again. If a light flickered or if you heard a sound or if you couldn’t find anything, like that kind of stuff. Unexplainable things that no body wanted to take responsibility, we’d blame it on Steve. We didn’t ever see him, or anything, though.”

Analysis:

Many people use encounters with the divine as ways to explain what they deem the unexplainable. By doing so, they can find an answer for everything. In terms of the way J was using Steve, it was a bit similar. She and her mother blamed “unexplainable” things on Steve as a joke, even when those things could be explained. The reason they did this was comfort humor. By attributing everything to Steve, responsibility was lifted from their shoulders. It was also a way for J to take a break from carrying the blame for everything her siblings did.