General Information about Item:

• Customary Folklore: Greek Superstition (Bad luck)
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: Greece
• Informant: Rachel Kouris
• Date Collected: October 30, 2018

Informant Data:

• Rachel Kouris is a 23 year-old woman from Saucon Valley, PA. She recently graduated from Bloomsburg University with a degree in Secondary Education. Her parents were both born and married in Corinth, Greece. Growing up, her parents worked hard to earn enough money to immigrate to America. In 1991, her parents left their families in Greece and came to the United States in hope of a better life. Rachel and her two younger brothers enjoy practicing countless Greek traditions. Her family actively participates in their local Greek Orthodox church. She is a fluent Greek speaker, and she has visited her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Greece once during her life. Rachel enjoys being raised with strong Greek influences in the United States. She is thankful for her parents who left their families and homes in an effort to give her and her siblings a better life in America.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: The informant was interviewed over FaceTime regarding the leap year wedding superstition. Rachel says her parents told her about this superstition through their own experience. She claims she heard the story relating to the leap year superstition surrounded by her extended family while on her trip to Greece. Her grandparents specifically passed down this superstition by advising against the marriage of her parents during a leap year.

• Cultural Context: Leap years have always been cause for concern within the Greek culture. In the first century BC, Julius Caesar invented leap years in an effort to coordinate the calendar with the seasons. The modern calendar was composed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Since the introduction of today’s calendar, Greeks have held superstitions relating to the introduction of a new event, practice, or contract during a leap year. The only superstition that remains in practice relates to new relationships and marital contracts formalized during a leap year.

Item:

• It is bad luck for couples to marry during a leap year, especially on a leap day. It is thought that leap year engagements and marriages will end in one of two possibilities: divorce or the death of one’s spouse.

Associated file:

• Rachel is currently living at home in Pennsylvania. She was interviewed over FaceTime.

Transcript of Associated File:

• “Before my parents got married in Greece, they had dated for five years. My father often tells a story about how he was ready to propose after four years of dating, but his parents did not support the idea of him proposing because it was a leap year. My mom said she was wondering what was taking him so long to propose. It’s always a funny story they tell. ”

Informant’s Comments:

• None

Collector’s Comments:

• She doesn’t claim to believe in the superstition, but she recited the story relating to the superstition with excitement.

Collector’s Name: Kira Koehler

Tags/Keywords:

• Greek. Superstition. Leap Years. Customary Folklore. Magic Superstitions.