Cross

Title: Cross

General Information about Item:

  • Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Origin: Dartmouth College
  • Informant: Anonymous
  • Date Collected: March 8, 2018

Informant Data:

  • The informant is from the Bay Area in California. He lives with his two parents and younger sister in a middle-class home in the suburbs of San Francisco. He was raised Christian. He is currently a fifth-year senior at Dartmouth College, aged 22. The informant has requested anonymity for this collection.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Growing up in a Christian household brings with it all the superstitions of the faith, and the informant was exposed to these from an early age. The idea of crossing himself at church, in athletics, at school, and in life in general, was imparted on him through the actions of his family members, and the act itself became commonplace and ritual.
  • Cultural Context: Christians cross themselves during prayers, which are often recited or exercised in times of stress, before and after important events, and in everyday life. The sign is associated with giving thanks to God, and in ways as a ward of protection against evil and a request for strength to succeed.

Item:

  • The informant crosses himself before starting an exam.

Informant’s Comments:

  • I have been crossing myself for a very long time because of the religious background I have. Many other people I know also perform this action.

Collector’s Comments:

  • This type of folklore is well known and has been around for a very long time. This goes along with the transition from magic to religion to science for phenomena explanation.

Collector’s Name: Spencer Ross

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition
  • Cross

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