Background: 

The informant is my aunt from my mother’s side of the family. She is a second generation American citizen and is the oldest of six children. After high school, she paid her own way through college and supported herself at the same time. As a result of her hard work, she has worked as an RN for almost 30 years at LA County Hospital. 

Informant: 

At work my coworkers are really superstitous. Many of them are Chinese. One day they were talking about the relationship between the proximity of a front door and a stair case and it’s affect on a person’s financial stability. The belief is that if stairs of a two story house lead directly to the front door, then you are always losing money because it is constantly going out the door. The idea is that it is nearly impossible to save money and that it is constantly being spent. It is ideal to have a house where the stairs don’t lead directly to the front door. Ever since hearing this I have come to the conclusion that is the reason that I am always low on money and that my bills are always outrageously high.

Analysis 

This is an interesting belief. Although I would not give it any truth value whatsoever. What I’m curious about is why it is particularly stairs and the front door? What is the symbolism behind the stairs? maybe because they are decending as they approach the front door which can allude to a persons amount of money descending as well. The Chinese are very cautious and conservative when it comes to their money. So to them this is a very serious matter and can really impact someone’s life.