General Information about Item:
- Superstition
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: Poland
- Informant: EW
- Date Collected 11/07/21
Informant Data: EW is a Senior at Dartmouth College from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He attended Liggett Academy in Michigan and is the son of Polish parents.
Contextual Data: EW has always been very studious but very scatterbrained at the same time. One way that his Polish parents helped tame his scatterbrain was by teaching him a Polish superstition. They shared with him that before every exam or question that you do not understand, simply close your eyes and count to ten. This is a Polish superstition that is known for helping with things that you forget. When counting, you must go in increasing order, not decreasing. If you go in decreasing order, it is a sign of you losing the knowledge that you already had.
Item: Before taking a test, a student sits down at their desk, counts 1-10. This is viewed as helping those who have scattered brains and need help with decreasing that.
Interpretations: I believe that this is a very popular superstition that many people, even those that are not Polish, seem to do. It really calms others down and makes them seem gather their bearings prior to an important exam.
Collector’s Name: Isabel Robinson
Tags/Keywords:
- Superstition
- Counting
- Poland