Title: Everything in Threes

General Information: 

1. Place of collection: Hanover Fire Department – Hanover, NH
2. Date of Collection: November 6, 2019
3. Informant: Captain Gilbert
4. Genre: Customary Folklore – Superstition

Informant Information:

Michael Gilbert is a firefighter for the Hanover, New Hampshire fire department. He is currently 50 years old and lives in Hanover. However, Michael was born and raised in Franconia, New Hampshire. He is currently a captain at the Hanover Fire Department. Captain Gilbert is not particularly religious.

Context:

There is a commonly held belief throughout the Hanover Fire Department that “everything comes in threes” meaning that, if they get one call, they believe they will get two more immediately following the first call. All of the firefighters that we spoke with hold this belief. They were unsure who they learned it from, but it has been a foundational belief in the fire department for as long as they can remember. 

Item:

If the firefighters get one call, then they will get two more (i.e. the belief that everything comes in threes). 

Meaning and Interpretation:

At a certain point in the history of the fire department, it is possible that they had a long span of calls/incidents supporting this notion of everything coming in threes. Hence, it is likely that, following this, this belief took hold and has remained a part of their belief systems ever since. This is an example of a sign superstition, as the format of the belief is sign and effect – if they get a call/something happens, then two other calls/events will inevitably follow this initial call. While there is no apparent explanation as to why these firefighters believe that “everything comes in threes”, they did mention that it just seems to be the coincidental pattern of how their job works – especially when dealing with certain events like a car accident. (i.e. 3 accidents in a row would most likely take place according to their superstitions).