General Information about Item:

• Customary Folklore: Greek Superstition (Bad luck)
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: Greece
• Informant: Gregory Angelos
• Date Collected: November 1, 2018

Informant Data:

• Gregory Angelos is 43 year-old man from Allentown, PA. Gregory’s adopted father was born in Greece, where he attended medical school before moving to the United States. His father’s family still resides in Chania, Greece. As a child, Gregory often traveled to Greece to visit his father’s family and explore the country. His adopted mother has roots in central Europe, but she enjoys practicing many Greek traditions shared by her husband and their family. Despite being adopted in the United States, Gregory’s parents have raised him to practice many Greek traditions and customs. Gregory does not know the cultural origins of his biological parents, but he hopes they were both Greek.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: The informant was interviewed over FaceTime regarding the cheers with coffee superstition. He said that he first learned the superstition from his parents. It is commonly passed from older to younger generations. Avoiding cheering with coffee may be done in any situation where coffee is being consumed.

• Cultural Context: In 2011, Greece was ranked 15th among all countries, despite its small size, in annual coffee consumption per capita. Drinking coffee is a daily event that can be enjoyed alone or in the presence of friends to relax and reflect. Coffee has been celebrated and endowed in Greek culture. Traditional Greek coffee, “ellinkós kafés” is similar in consistency, richness, and serving style to Turkish coffee. The strong, black coffee is served in a small cup and is meant to be consumed slowly during congenial conversations. Conversely, Greeks drink alcohol, wine, or beer at a fast pace, and begin their consumption by saying cheers, “Gia mas!” The practice of drinking the two types of beverages is vastly different. Coffee is meant to be respected and savored.

Item:

• Clinking two glasses together and saying “cheers” is a common tradition to celebrate an event, relationship, or moment; however, it is bad luck to cheer with cups of coffee.

Associated file:

(“Ellinikos Kafes” – traditional Greek coffee)

• Gregory is currently living at home in Pennsylvania. He was interviewed over FaceTime.

Transcript of Associated File:

• “I never really noticed the superstition until I went to cheer cups with my brother, and my father scolded us and explained it was bad luck…. Growing up, my family ate every meal together at the dinner table. At dinner, my family would always clink cups and say “Cheers!” We have never once did that while drinking coffee in the morning or after dinner.”

Informant’s Comments:

• “Coffee is a big part of Greece’s culture. It is a means of casual socializing. You will often see people sitting in cafes for hours sipping on a two ounce cup of coffee.”

Collector’s Comments:

• Gregory has really assumed many aspects of Greek culture despite having no biological relation to Greece.

Collector’s Name: Kira Koehler

Tags/Keywords:

• Greek. Superstition. Coffee. Cheers. Customary Folklore. Magic Superstitions.