Text: My family informant told me about a long-standing superstition among Koreans, in which having a dream about a pig is viewed as an omen for good luck, particularly for money.
Context: This superstition was told to me by my father over the phone when the topic of dreams came up. He mentioned having a dream with a pig appearing in our apartment, and regretted not being able to buy a lottery ticket the next day, as the dream slipped his mind as he carried on throughout his day with work and other responsibilities. He explained that in Korean culture, a pig dream is seen as a good omen for financial success, and it can be deduced from his regret that he shared this same interpretation. While he could not recall where he first heard this superstition, he said that most people who were born and grew up in Korea know about this superstition. Later on, he sent a Korean blog post that explained the origins of the superstition, with the blog explaining the linguistic background of the pig superstition. Before Korean (Hangul) was created, Koreans used Chinese letters (Hanja), and they noticed that the Chinese word for pig (don) sounded just like the word for money (also don) in Korean.
Analysis: This is an example of a traditional folklore in which its origin cannot be pinpointed to a specific person or time, and is transmitted orally from my informant to me. At a surface level, beyond the language explanation, I could see why a pig dream could be interpreted as fortune. With Korea having a history of famines among the commons, the physical traits of a fat and well-fed pig naturally makes it a symbol of prosperity. In fact, in North Korea, where its aspects like famines and strict social hierarchies mirror previous Korean kingdoms, beauty standards share themes with this pig superstition. While South Korea obsesses over skinny figures, a round face and “healthy” body is seen as beautiful in North Korea, as it signals the individual as well-fed and wealthy. Overall, I believe this pig superstition’s origins offers an interesting cultural and historical insight of Korean communities from its origin that came from a wordplay between two languages, and symbolisms that stemmed from a struggling society.
Tag Archives: Superstition
Anhui Province Legend
TEXT
Interviewer: “Okay, would you like to introduce yourself?”
MC: “Yeah, hi, my name is ANONYMOUS, and I’m a freshman student at USC University.”
MC: “My story is set in a park in my hometown, and in the park, there’s a trail and along the trail there’s a cave called the cow nose cave. This cave has two holes that are kind of shaped like a cow’s nose, and there’s a legend about how it’s dangerous if you put your arm or fingers into the hole, as there might be a very mysterious force that basically sucks your whole arm in and it can be very dangerous. So kids are advised not to put their arms into the hole.”
Interviewer: “Was that a story, or like a legend that was always around or more of a family legend?”
MC: “It’s known in our region and it started like – actually I don’t know when it started but I heard it from my parents.”
Interviewer: “Ohhh I see.”
MC: “Yeah they told me not to put my arms in there, yeah.”
CONTEXT
My relationship with this informant is that she is my classmate for this anthropology lecture. My informant is an international freshman student at USC, originally from China. As mentioned in the text, her relationship to this piece stems from her hometown, in which a notable landmark has a surrounding legend that was passed down to her by her parents.
ANALYSIS
Considering this piece is set in the real world and tied to a real location, this is a legend that functions as a cautionary tale for children. In my opinion, it’s plausible that this legend started from a worried parent who could not supervise their curious children 24/7 – rather than explaining all the actual dangers of sticking your arm into an unknown hole, like injuries from getting stuck or getting bit by creatures that may be inside, replacing this with a supernatural force is a more vivid and memorable warning to children. As this legend spread informally to other children and generations after, a cultural value that may come specifically for this region in China is that an ordinary cave is now enshrined forever as a supernatural landmark with a distinct legend.
Camp Song
Informant: Let me sing it for you—it’s actually really good. I mean, it’s like a real song with a melody… kind of.
It goes something like:
“Announcements, announcements, announcements—
a horrible way to die,
a horrible way to die,
a horrible way to start the day,
a horrible way to die…”
And then it turns into this chant where everyone joins in—like, “Marshmallow! Shut up! Throw them in the lake, throw them in the lake!” or sometimes the pool.
There’s a whole other part of it that I can’t totally remember, but I swear there was more. And then at some point it just turns into random stuff—like people shouting “Mickey Mouse! Lego!”
It’s very chaotic, but that’s kind of what makes it fun.
Context: The informant learned this song at her sleepaway summer camp located in the Berkshires. The first part of the song was sung whenever someone said the word “announcements.” The second part of the song would be sung, and depending on if they were closer to the lake or pool, the individual who said the word would then be thrown in that body of water. Announcements not happening when they were scheduled to (at breakfast) were seen as bad luck in the camp, thus not wanting the word to be said by campers and counselors during the day.
Analysis: The word “announcements” acts as a kind of trigger word, activating the performance or, in a sense, conversion superstition. This connects the song to a belief system within the camp, that saying the word at the wrong time is associated with bad luck (since missed announcements disrupt routine). The second part of the tradition, throwing the person into the lake or pool, turns it into more of a ritual. Though somewhat of a punishment, it reinforces group norms (don’t say “announcements” casually) within the folk group (campers).
College theater beliefs
Informant: I know we did this in college, but you always have to leave what’s called a “ghost light” on stage. I think the idea is that if all the lights in the theater go out, it’s bad luck, like they won’t come back on the next day, so you leave one light on.
It’s literally just a single light bulb on a pole that rolls, and you place it on the stage when everything else is off.
Context : Informant has participated in main stage theater productions at the university and has experienced this superstitions themself. Informants knew about this superstition when they were in high school, but did not practice it until they were in college. Informant attends school in Southern California.
Analysis: This is quite classic theater-based superstition. Traditions like the ghost light are widely recognized within theater communities and are passed down informally rather than taught in any official way. The ghost light functions as both a practical object and a symbolic one. While it may have a safety purpose (preventing accidents in a dark theater), it is also tied to a belief that leaving a light on wards off bad luck or ensures the theater will function properly the next day. This, while not a conversion superstition, is more of a ritual meant to prevent misfortune, even if participants don’t fully believe in the consequence.
College Theater Macbeth Superstition
Informant: Yeah, actually—when I got to college, there were a lot fewer theater traditions. But one thing we usually still do before shows is kind of tied to theater superstitions, especially around Macbeth. You’re not supposed to say “Macbeth” in a theater, and if you do, there’s this whole ritual you’re supposed to follow to undo the bad luck.
I think what we do comes from that idea. Before a show, we all chant together:
“Shit, damn, motherfucker, motherfucker, damn, this dumb bitch just stole my man, gotta find another fucker better than the other fucker—shit, damn, motherfucking motherfucker, damn.”
And then we repeat it a couple more times, getting louder each time.
It’s kind of our way of shaking off nerves and maybe warding off bad luck.
Context: Informant has participated in main stage theater productions in university and has experienced these superstitions themself. Informant did not learn about this conversion superstition until they came to university. Informant attends school in southern california.
Analysis: The knowledge about the superstition around saying “Macbeth” during the production of a show is fairly widespread. However, the conversion superstition performed in this entry is not as common. It represents how niche folk groups can make their own beliefs. This performance of a conversion superstition is not something the informant was familiar with when they participated in theater in high school across the country, so it could possibly be evidence of more regionally folk belief as well. This conversion superstition is performed to comfort the actors in a show and help them fight back against any fear they might have at their production being harmed by an individual saying the words “Macbeth.”