Title: Adding a Rupee to a Gift
General Information about Item:
- Genre and Sub Genre
- Verbal Folklore: Superstition
- Language: English
- Country where Item is from: India
Informant Data:
- Informant is currently a sophomore at Dartmouth College from San Jose, California. He identifies as Indian. His family is technically Hindu, but does not practice heavily. He does weightlifting in his free time.
Contextual Data:
- Social Context: Like all of my informants, he learned this superstition from his family at a young age.
- Cultural Context: This superstition comes from the general belief that it is good luck to give money in general in Indian culture. The single rupee symbolizes good luck and prosperity in the future. Adding the the rupee makes the gift symbolize a new beginning for wealth and fortune.
Item:
- Good Luck Superstition: Adding a rupee to a gift brings good luck to the recipient.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript of Associated File:
Informant’s Comments:
- The informant didn’t exactly know why this superstition existed, but he said that he would be willing to do it, if he had rupees with him.
Collector’s Comments:
- The connection between giving money to bless others with prosperity seems to be a common superstition around the world. I think it’s interesting that such a superstition doesn’t need much more of a reason than that.
Collector’s Name: Mitchell Tang
Tags/Keywords:
- Indian/Good Luck/Superstition/Rupee/Gift