Author Archives: Clayton Han

Chopsticks in Rice

Leave a reply

Title: Chopsticks in Rice

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Korean Superstition (Bad luck)
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea
  • Informant: A.A.
  • Date Collected: November 10, 2018

Informant Data:

  • A.A. was born in Seoul, South Korea where he lived with his grandparents in the middle of the country. When he was three years old, J. moved to Tijuana, Mexico, before eventually immigrating to the United States and settling down in the Los Angeles, California area. Currently, J. is Junior undergraduate student at Dartmouth College. He is double majoring in Psychology and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:

    Whenever J. and his family would get together for dinner, one of the foods that they would consume often is rice. As J. finished his meal, he put down his chopsticks and placed them upright in the bowl in front of him. His mother, who noticed this, quickly grabbed the chopsticks out of the bit of rice left in the bowl and placed them on the table. She scolded J. for his actions and told him to never put his chopsticks in his rice bowl in the upright position. Confused, J. asked his mother why she did that. She explained that by putting the chopsticks upright, he was attracting ghosts and other unclean spirits into the house because it is reminiscent of incense that gets laid out for the dead. Frightened, J. never puts his chopsticks in a rice bowl in the upright position.

    Cultural Context:

    Korean cultures focus a lot on life after death and the soul of a person. This superstition is one that is true to belief as many Koreans still believe this today. Koreans believe that even after death, spirits and ghosts have the ability to come back to earth and live amongst living humans. Incense is one of the ways that spirits can come back to the world and communicate with people.

Item:

  • One is cursed with evil ghosts and spirits as a result of putting chopsticks in a bowl of rice in the upright position. This is thought to be symbolic of incense, which is used to attract spirits and ghosts back to the world. By doing this improper action, the person is inviting unclean spirits and ghosts into their home, and causing bad luck to themselves.

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

Chopsticks in a Rice Bowl

Collector’s Comments:

  • The superstition of the evil eye is the most common Korean superstition that is still believed and practiced today. It resembles a deep spiritual belief in the afterlife. This is also an example of magic superstition.

Collector’s Name: Clay Han

Tags/Keywords:

  • Korean. Superstition. Chopsticks. Rice Bowl. Magic Superstition.

Blabbermouth

Leave a reply

Title: Blabbermouth

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Korean Superstition (Bad Luck)
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea
  • Informant: A.A.
  • Date Collected: November 10, 2018

Informant Data:

  • A.A. was born in Seoul, South Korea where he lived with his grandparents in the middle of the country. When he was three years old, J. moved to Tijuana, Mexico, before eventually immigrating to the United States and settling down in the Los Angeles, California area. Currently, J. is Junior undergraduate student at Dartmouth College. He is double majoring in Psychology and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:

    As a child, J. tended to be extremely sassy and talk a lot. As a means of getting J. to talk less, his mother told him that if he kept talking as much as he did, and did not quiet down when told to, a frog would jump out his mouth. J. did not believe this. One night, though, when J. was 5 years old, his mother made a traditional Korean dish that was comprised mainly of spinach. As usual, J. was talking his mother’s ear off, when she asked him to quiet down. When he did not do so, his mother reminded him about the frog, but this did not work either. Suddenly, his mother turned to him and spit out a clump of spinach, which J. thought was a frog. Freaked out by the incident which he had just witnessed, J. was permanently scarred from the incident and did not speak out against his mother again.

  • Cultural Context:

    Korean cultures are very communalists, and respect is a large part of society. Listening to ones elders and being respectful of their rules and traditions is taken very seriously in Korean, as well as most Asian cultures. This superstition is one that is used to control a child’s behavior and have them learn to respect their elders, as well as reinforce these values.

Item:

  • One is cursed with the a frog in the mouth if that person refuses to be quiet or talks back to an elder. In this case, the frog is bad luck and caused by such actions if the person does not change their attitude.

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

Blabbermouth MP4

Informants Comments:

  • “You don’t want to speak out when a teacher is talking especially, or when your parents are talking because you don’t want to be talking over them. You want to show some level of respect.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This is a common superstition utilized by Korean parents to discipline their kids. This is an example of a sign superstition.

Collector’s Name: Clay Han

Tags/Keywords:

  • Korean. Superstition. Frog. Sign Superstition. Blabbermouth. Talking.

Touching Butterflies, Touching Your Eye

Leave a reply

Title: Touching Butterflies, Touching Your Eye

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Korean Superstition (Bad Luck)
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: South Korea
  • Informant: Jamie Park
  • Date Collected: November 5, 2018

Informant Data:

  • Jamie Park was born in New York City, New York on October 22, 1997. Jamie lived in New York for a short time with her parents and sister, until they moved to Seoul, South Korea, where her parents initially immigrated from. The Park’s time in Seoul was brief and eventually they moved back to the United States, settling down in Rancho Palos Verdes, where Jamie grew up until she graduated from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Currently, Jamie is a Junior undergraduate student at Dartmouth college, majoring in Studio art, with the hopes of going to medical school upon graduating. In addition, Jamie makes frequent visits to South Korea, as her parents moved back to Seoul in August 2018.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:

    As a young girl, Jamie would often go around her yard and chase the butterflies that were flying around the gardens. Jamie’s grandma would yell at her in Korean to stop trying to catch the butterflies, because by touching the butterfly’s wings, if she were to touch her eye thereafter, she would go blind. Jamie’s grandmother would warn her that the butterfly’s wing contained a sort of magical dust that would spread into her eyes, and thus cause her to go blind.

  • Cultural Context:

    This superstition is one that has been around for centuries. This superstition has lost popularity, though, especially in recent years, but is still practiced in Korean culture today. In addition to being bad luck and causing blindness, the practical implication of this superstition has been to discourage eye infections by not touching your eye after putting your fingers on a foreign object. Thus, this superstition is not only to avoid bad luck, but also to avoid real health risks.

  • One can become blind by touching the wings of a butterfly and then proceeding to touch their eye. Koreans believe that this magical dust on the butterfly’s wings had the ability to cause blindness in people if it found its way into the human eye.

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

Collector’s Comments:

  • The superstition of the evil eye is not as popular as most other superstitions in Korean society. The superstition still has a roll in promoting good health. This is an example of magic superstition.

Collector’s Name: Clay Han

Tags/Keywords:

  • Korean. Superstition. Butterfly. Eye. Magic Superstition.

Ugly Dumplings

Leave a reply

Title: Ugly Dumplings

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Korean Superstition (Bad luck)
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea
  • Informant: Jamie Park
  • Date Collected: October 17, 2018

Informant Data:

  • Jamie Park was born in New York City, New York on October 22, 1997. Jamie lived in New York for a short time with her parents and sister, until they moved to Seoul, South Korea, where her parents initially immigrated from. The Park’s time in Seoul was brief and eventually they moved back to the United States, settling down in Rancho Palos Verdes, where Jamie grew up until she graduated from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Currently, Jamie is a Junior undergraduate student at Dartmouth college, majoring in Studio art, with the hopes of going to medical school upon graduating. In addition, Jamie makes frequent visits to South Korea, as her parents moved back to Seoul in August 2018.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:

    Whenever Jamie get together with her entire family, whether it be for the holidays or social gatherings, they always make mandu, which are Korean dumplings. This traditional Korean dish is made with a beef or pork filling, with the outer dumpling pressed together by hand. Whenever Jamie would make this with her grandmother or mother, they would always remind her to make sure that she paid special attention to the ways in which she was making the dumplings. Both Jamie’s mother and grandmother informed her that the dumplings needed to look nice, as the appearance of the dumplings would have an effect on the appearance of her future children. They would tell her that if her dumplings looked good, her kids would be pretty, but if the dumplings were poorly made, her children would be ugly. Jamie took heed of this warning, and to this day, although she does completely believe in the superstition, still jokingly practices the idea of making pretty dumplings for the sake of her future children.

  • Cultural Context:

    This superstition is one that is not only common amongst Koreans, but many Asian cultures around the world. Like many Korean superstitions, the superstition surrounding the making of mandu is one that is handed down to children from elders. This superstition is also used as a means of disciplining children, as to not rush the process of making dumplings, but rather to take their time and pay attention to details.

Item:

  • If someone does not properly prepare their dumplings when making mandu, the product of their dumplings will have an effect on the development of their children. So, if one makes an good-looking dumpling, their children will be good looking, but if they make an ugly dumpling, their children will be ugly.

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

Informants Comments:

  • “I don’t really believe in this superstition now like I did when I was a child, but I still remember it whenever I make mandu.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • The superstition of the making of dumplings is still active amongst many Asian cultures today. It is passed down from elders to children and is an example of magic superstitions.

Collector’s Name: Clay Han

Tags/Keywords:

  • Korean. Superstition. Ugly Dumplings. Magic Superstition.

The Number 4

Leave a reply

Title: The Number 4

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Korean Superstition (Bad luck)
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea/Chinese
  • Informant: Sunglim Kim
  • Date Collected: November 5, 2018

Informant Data:

  • Sunglim Kim was born and raised in Seoul, Korea until the age of 17. Her family origins are Korean. When she was a junior in high school she moved to the United States, and went to high school in Seattle, Washington. She then went to UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree, went back to work in Korea for a few years, and then came back to the United States to get her masters degree at the University of Kansas, and then went back to Berkeley for PHD. Currently, she is a professor of Korean Art and Culture, in the department of Art History at Dartmouth College. This is her 7th year teaching at Dartmouth College. 

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:

    As a young girl growing up in South Korea, Sunglim noticed that many of the elevators in buildings were missing the number 4 on the buttons that are to be pressed to go up to different floors. In place of the number 4, Sunglim noticed that many elevators either used the letter “F” or omitted the number all together. She was told by her mother that the number 4 was bad luck, and would not be used in places like elevators, or in buildings to denote the fourth floor. She was told that any use of the number 4 would bring upon her bad luck and even death.

  • Cultural Context: The bad omen surrounding the curse of the Evil eye is undoubtedly one of the most popular and commonly-practiced Greek superstitions. The origins of the Evil Eye date back to 100 AD with the works of Plutarch, a Greek biographer. He claims that the eyes are the primary source of the deadly spells cast by evil individuals. While Plutarch struggled to explain the phenomenon, Pliny the Elder stated that some individuals have the, “power of fascination with the eyes and can even kill those on whom they fix their gaze.” Today, the evil eye superstition exists in distinct variations across cultures, and it is common for believers to make efforts to protect themselves and their families against the curse.

Item:

  • One is cursed with the Evil Eye as a result of another person’s stare, comments, or praises. It is most commonly placed upon someone through a malevolent glare; however, it is possible for an individual to curse himself by looking at his reflection or acting a certain way. The Evil Eye is thought to cause harm, misfortune, and bad luck.

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

Collector’s Comments:

  • The superstition of the number 4 is one that is common in not only Korean culture, but also in Chinese culture. This is a superstition that is still practiced in Korean society today. This is an example of sign superstitions.

Collector’s Name: Clay Han

Tags/Keywords:

  • Korean. Superstition. The Number 4. Bad Luck. Sign Superstition.