Slovakian Lucky #3

Title: Lucky #3 in Slovakia

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

Matus Petrovski was born on April 12, 1997 in Slovakia. Both of his parents grew up in Slovakia and are currently living and working there today. However, Matus attends Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire where he is a member of the Beta Alpha Omega Fraternity and is majoring in economics with the goal of working in finance after graduation in 2019.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: I was able to speak with Matus on February 26, 2018 in the Dartmouth College Library. The lucky number that Matus discussed with me was the number 3. He originally learned the folklore behind this number from his parents and their Slovakian cultural background.
Social Context: In Slovakia, the number 3 is very lucky, and he was taught this when his mother would read fairytales to him as a child in order to put him to sleep at night. Matus has grown up with his mother telling him how lucky this number is, so it has been engrained in him and he will always believe that luck is associated with 3.

Item:

In Slovakian fairytales, movies, theater plays, or even songs, the numbers 7, 12, and most notably 3, appear very often and are associated with a magical significance. This is because there are usually 3 characters or a character must decide between three routes or options during the tale. Usually one of the three characters or one of the options that are available has a magical significance associated with it.

Collector’s Name: John Lazor-Hanover, NH

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive