No Cuts Allowed! (Jack Cameron)

Title: No Cuts Allowed!

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

GA is a 20-year-old male Dartmouth student in the class of 2023. He was born in Manhattan and raised in a New Jersey Suburb. George is a member of the Men’s Varsity Soccer team at Dartmouth. Both of George’s parents are Lebanese immigrants. George is an Economics major, and plans on entering the finance industry after Dartmouth. During his time at Dartmouth, Kyu enjoys playing the bassoon in the orchestra. In his time away from Dartmouth, Kyu has hiked part of the Appalachian Trail (AT). His plans after Dartmouth include working as a consultant.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: Soccer players and teams have their own superstitions, but so do different countries. George’s superstition comes from his father, who brought it to him from his native Lebanon. Haircuts and hair in general are viewed differently in many Middle Eastern countries, and the connection between a severed part is well renowned in folklore.
Social Context: This specific superstition was mentioned when the interviewee was asked about superstitions that he had before coming to Dartmouth. Immigrants often bring parts of culture that are scarcely seen in America, as is the case with George’s father.

Item:

George does not cut his hair for the duration of his soccer season. He said that his father has told him from a young age that it is very bad luck in Lebanon to get rid of a piece of you while you strive towards your goals. George adds that his father and grandfather followed the same superstition while growing up in Lebanon, as did all of their teammates.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:

“I’ve never really cut my hair during the season. My dad always said that growing up in Lebanon it was really bad luck to lose a part of you as you move onwards, so I usually go for a haircut before the season and then one to end it. When I was young my grandfather would keep warning me about cutting my hair during the season because that’s the way they do it over in Lebanon. I have no idea where it came from, but it has been around my entire career. ”

Informant’s Comments:

I really like it, I like getting my pre-season and post-season haircuts. I feel like they act as a distinct beginning and end of a season, and like that knowing that when I go through struggles during the season I am not losing a part of me.

Collector’s Comments:

I found this contagious superstition to be very interesting. Not only was the superstition rooted deeply in his Lebanese family, but he also brought it over to America. This reminds me of the playoff beard superstition that often happens in my sport (hockey), but I found it interesting that his grandfather would call him to make sure he hadn’t cut his hair.

Collector’s Name:

Jack Cameron

Dartmouth College

Russ013 21F

Prof. Apresyan and Prof. Gronas

Dartmouth Folklore Archive