Tag Archives: umbrellas indoors

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. 

Umbrellas indoors

Nationality: Italian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: California, USA
Performance Date: 4/30/13
Primary Language: English
Language: Italian

You are not supposed to open an umbrella indoors because it will bring you bad luck. I remember my mom would get all freaked out if me or my brothers ever did that because she was very superstitious so she would think we were going to die or something! So then growing up I always had a fear of like opening the umbrella indoors because even though I didn’t really believe it, I was still hesitant cause like you know I grew up with that belief.

After analyzing this story I realize that there are a lot of these superstitions or stories in which parents will create bad luck or bad events in order for the children to obey them. In this case although she did not believe the stories were true she still avoided the umbrella indoors because its the folklore she grew up with and whether one likes it or not, it becomes a part of our everyday lives.  In the same way that each of us have morning rituals that we are unaware of these little superstitions too become a part of our routine that we off-handedly learn to avoid or do in order to get this “good luck” or in order to in the same way avoid this said “bad luck” that comes with it.