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Introduction

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Many of our superstitions relate to daily routines – what food we eat, what clothes we wear, and what actions or activities do we partake in (e.g. stepping out the door with your right foot on the day of an exam). This is likely due to the fact that our everyday routines are subject to change and are within our control, unlike the result of our actions (exam performance). Also, as expected, many of our superstitions exhibited elements of both homeopathic and contagious magic. Both terms were defined by Sir James George Frazer when he coined the term “sympathetic magic.” Homeopathic magic draws on the “Law of Similarity” of “like produces like” while contagious magic draws on the “Law of Contact” which states that there is a connection between a severed part and the original body that it was a part of. A superstition that we collected that draws on contagious magic is the Turkish tradition of swallowing a grain of rice draws on notions of contagious magic; the grain of rice makes “contact” with the prayer spoken by the parent, and this prayer is carried into the student when it is consumed. An instance of homeopathic magic would be avoiding wearing the color yellow in Spain because it is associated with the devil. The color yellow might not have directly come into contact with the devil himself, it is still associated with dark forces and would hence bring bad luck. While these two examples illustrate separate instances in which homeopathic and contagious magic are manifested in superstitions, many other items that were collected showed a combination of the two types of magic. 

In addition, we observed a few repeated pieces of collected folklore. One example of this was the superstition of eating kitkats before exams to channel good luck. This led us to conclude and see with our own eyes that many cultures and communities have similar superstitions, and that some of our superstitions are used by many different folk groups all over the world. Perhaps its possible that many of our collected superstitions originate from similar ancestral folk groups, or that the internet and other forms of communication have led to increased cultural diffusion of folklore around the world. 

Thank you for taking the time to review our collected folklore!

Red Underwear (China – John Zavras)

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Title: Red Underwear (China)

General Information about Item:

  • Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: China
  • Informant: MK (friend from Dover, MA)
  • Date Collected: 10-20-21

Informant Data:

  • MK is a friend from home (Dover, MA) and a College Student. He is Chinese and was born in China. MK, his family, and most of his extended family moved to the United States near when he was born. Although MK is not in China anymore, his family kept many of their Chinese rituals, folklore, and traditions. This is one of those traditions.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In China, the color red is a sign of good luck. It is the color that symbolizes the Chinese Communist Revolution, which led to the Communist party’s takeover in China. It is a color of great honor and pride, and it along with yellow are two lucky colors in China. Red is also the main color of the Chinese flag.
  • Social Context: Just like in my folklore that I collected from my Japanese friend, exams are a very important and stressful part of East Asian culture. So much weight is placed on standardized exams, and the need for folklore and superstitions to channel luck and relieve anxiety is crucial.

Item:

  • The informant claims that he wears red underwear every time he has a big exam. The superstition is as follows: If he wears red underwear on the day of an exam, he will earn a great score; if he does not wear red on the day of an exam, he will do very poorly and earn a failing grade. This is an example of the law of similarity – the red color symbolizes Chinese nationalism and good luck.

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

2020 New 2 Pcs/lot Boys Girls Red Boxers Underwear Children Youngster 5 12T| underwear children|boys underwear boxer lotgirl boxer lot - AliExpress

Transcript:

  • “One of my favorite superstitions is always wearing red underwear when I take an exam. I even have a lucky pair that are super bright red that I always wear. Red is the color of China – it symbolizes our government and our proud nation. It is a lucky color for all of us Chinese-Americans, and with the power of China on my side, I can get a good grade on my exams. I first learned about this superstition from my older cousins, who also used to wear red underwear when they took exams. ”

Informant’s Comments:

  • The informant is very passionate about wearing your country of origin proudly. He recommended that everyone finds some way to honor their ethnicity and country of origin and let your connection with your roots bring you good luck and prosperity.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I found this superstition inspiring, and it made me want to be more appreciative of Greece and the United States (my countries of origin).

Collector’s Name: John Zavras

Tags/Keywords:

  • Material Lore
  • Superstitions
  • Red
  • Student
  • Exam

“Calcă Cu Dreptul” – Step Right (Romania – John Zavras)

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Title: “Calcă Cu Dreptul” – Step Right (Romania – John Zavras)

General Information about Item:

  • Superstition
  • Language: Romanian
  • Country of Origin: Romania
  • Informant: TM (’23)
  • Date Collected: 10-6-21

Informant Data:

  • TM(‘23) is a Romanian Dartmouth student. He speaks Romanian and is deeply ingrained in Romanian culture. In our in-person interview, he recalled a phrase and superstition that he actively practices but does not know the origin of. It was passed down from his family from generation to generation. 

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: There are many superstitions in Romanian culture. This culture has a lot of folklore and rich culture, as he described, and he grew up in a very traditional fashion with lots of rules and superstitions in his household. This particular folklore is an adaptation of a traditional Romanian folklore: if you step outside of the house with your right foot, you will be rewarded with good luck. If you don’t step with your right foot, you will have bad luck.
  • Social Context: This folklore is very prevalent in many social groups around Romania and around the world. It has even made appearances throughout the United States, particularly in areas with a lot of Romanian immigrants.

Item:

  • The piece of folklore is called “Calcă Cu Dreptul.” in Romanian it is translated to “step right” (meaning step with your right foot). The informant mentioned that he does not do this every day, but he always remembers to step outside with his right foot the day of a big exam in the hopes of securing a good grade.

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

2,061 Walking Out Front Door Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

Transcript:

  • “Whenever I step outside of my house, I don’t really pay attention to what foot I use to take the first step, except for when it’s the day of a big exam. It’s one of the most important superstitions.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • The informant felt very passionately that all people should abide by this superstition, as he swears that every time he walked out the door with his right foot, he aced the exam. Once, the informant didn’t walk out the door with his right foot and he got a C.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I personally had never heard about this superstition until now. It reminds me of the superstition some people have when walking on the sidewalk when they actively try not to step on the cracks in the cement.

Collector’s Name: John Zavras

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstitions
  • Romania
  • Student

Kit Kat – “Surely Winning” (Japan – John Zavras)

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Title: Kit Kat – “Surely Winning” (Japan – John Zavras)

General Information about Item:

  • Material Lore, food
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Japan
  • Informant: RM (friend from home)
  • Date Collected: 10-03-21

Informant Data:

  • RM is a friend from home (Boston, MA) who is Japanese. He has a lot of family and many cousins that live in Japan. His family in general takes superstitions very seriously. He and his family are very high-achievers, and they place a lot of stress and importance on school.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In Japan, exams and grades are taken very seriously. The entrance into university is much more dependent on placement in standardized tests than in the United States, for example. 
  • Social Context: This folklore was recorded in a FaceTime interview. Since exams are taken so seriously, there are many forms of folklore and superstitions revolving around good performance and good luck. When you only have one opportunity to take an exam, the stakes are high, and the demand for superstitions and good luck increases.

Item:

  • The superstition is to eat a kitkat the day of a large exam for good luck. This superstition is a modern interpretation of a more traditional superstition, which is Katsudon. Katsudon is a warm bowl of rice, egg, and deep-fried pork. It is eaten before or on the day of an exam for good luck. Katsudon in Japanese is similar in wording to Kit Kat – Katsudon is pronounced“Kitto Katsu” in Japanese, which means “Surely winning.” Kit Kats are pronounced “kitto katto” in Japanese, which is very similar to the Japanese for Katsudon. This superstition utilizes the law of similarity – if one consumes a kitkat, which is similar in name to Katsudon (the sacred dish that means winning), then they will succeed on their exam. 

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

Why Kit Kats Are Good Luck For Japanese Students

Transcript:

  • “I always eat a lucky KitKat before an exam. It’s my go-to snack”

Informant’s Comments:

  • The informant says that he was very quick to catch onto this recent superstition, even though he learned about it when he was in the US and its mainly only found in Japan.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I found this fascinating, the fact that just because KitKat sounds like Katsudon, it’s also used as a superstition to forge good luck. This provides a great point about folklore – it can evolve in many ways and is always molding to modern culture.

Collector’s Name: John Zavras

Tags/Keywords:

  • Material Lore
  • Food
  • KitKat
  • Superstitions

Greek Idol (Greece – John Zavras)

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Title: Greek Idol (Greece – John Zavras)

General Information about item:

  • Material lore, religious emblem
  • Language: English
  • Country of origin: Greece
  • Informant: John Zavras
  • Date Collected: 11-10-21

Informant Data:

  • JZ (myself) is a sophomore (‘24) at Dartmouth and is from Boston. He was born in Greece and lived there for a few years before moving to the U.S. He is ethnically and culturally Greek, and his family has many Greek traditions which have been passed down from generation to generation. He also is Greek Orthodox Christian and his family is religious. 

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural context: In Greek Orthodox Christianity, idols are often used to represent Jesus Christ. Holding these idols enables Jesus Christ to be “with you” or “on your side,” which leads to good luck. Idols are often thought of as embodiments of things, and this is a prime example of this. 
  • Social context: Idols can signify many things, but in this social context, it signifies good luck on an exam. Idols come in many forms. They can be apparel, pins that one can put on a piece of clothing, various forms of jewelry (a cross/bracelet), etc.. The Greek-Orthodox religion is very beautiful and devotes a lot of artwork and jewelry to create idols. 

Item: 

  • The item is a little wool/cotton cross on a pin that one can put inside or on the outside of their shirt. The informant’s (my) family wears these little crosses whenever they have big exams, and it signifies good luck and Jesus’ protection and oversight. If one does not wear the idol to the exam, Jesus is no longer with this person and they cannot be protected from a bad grade. This is a prime example of the law of similarity and homeopathic magic – the item (the cross that Jesus died on) is similar to and represents Jesus Christ, who is a holy entity of hope and good fortune. 
Greek Orthodox Filakto Protection Charm Christian Amulet | Etsy

Transcript: “This is one of our most sacred family superstitions. We have a box in my living room full of these little emblems, and we only open it up during special occasions (like big exams).”

Informant’s Comments: There are many other religions that use idols to resemble or signify things that are intangible or supernatural. This is one of the informant’s example of the law of similarity in regards to channeling good luck.

Collector’s Name: John Zavras

Tags/Keywords:

  • Material Lore
  • Superstitions
  • Religious Idol
  • Greek Orthodox Religion
  • Cross

Chinese Red Envelope of Cash (Taiwan – John Zavras)

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Title: Chinese Red Envelope of Cash (Taiwan – John Zavras)

General Information about Item:

  • Material Lore, Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: China
  • Informant: Erik Teunis (’24)
  • Date Collected: 11-19-21

Informant Data:

  • ET is a sophomore (’24) at Dartmouth College who is from Taiwan. He lives in Massachusetts and has visited Taiwan 5 times before, with two years ago being the last time he visited. He claims that he is not particularly superstitious, but his family and culture is. He has experienced this collected piece of folklore. 

Contextual Data:

  • Social context: The informant said that this piece of folklore stems from his Chinese/Taiwanese culture. In Chinese/Taiwanese culture, being financially stable is something that is heavily sought after. Whether that’s performing well in academics as a student in school, performing well in an interview in hopes to land a job, or celebrating a new year full of happiness and financial stability, this piece of folklore is present in the informant’s culture in many different settings and occasions. However, in traditional chinese/taiwanese culture, this piece of folklore primarily occurs near Chinese New Year. 
  • Cultural Context: This item was collected in an in-person interview. The informant said that he collects the red envelopes whenever he receives them and keeps them in a box in his closet, as a lot of them mark important times in his life in which he prospered. He credits this superstition a lot for those successes. The item also exists in many variants; some families will use burning incense in hopes of achieving financial stability. 

Item:

  • The item is a red envelope filled with cash that is passed from parent to child, employer to employee, friend to friend, etc. The most common is parents giving it to their children/nieces/nephews. When you give the red envelope to someone, you say “恭喜發財/ Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái,” which in Chinese means “I hope you get rich.” The item mostly is given on Chinese new year, but also the informant remarked that it is given before stressful situations that might result in richness, like a big exam or interview. For the purposes of this collection project, I focused on the red envelope being given in the context of a student preparing for an exam. The superstition is as follows: if a child receives the envelope, then he will succeed in his exam and be rewarded with richness in the future. However, if a child does not receive the envelope, he will do poorly on the exam. 

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

The Significance of Red Envelopes in Chinese Culture

Transcript:

  • “One of my family’s superstitions is about giving red envelopes before exams. My parents gave one to me before the SAT, and I credit my success to the red envelope”

Informant’s Comments:

  • The informant recommends incorporating this superstition, as it brings him great joy and happiness knowing he’s doing something proactive to ensure good luck.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I found this superstition really cool and different from a lot of the rest, which are usually wearing an article of clothing or eating something before a big exam.

Collector’s Name: John Zavras

Tags/Keywords:  (4-5 tags)

·  Superstition

·  Chinese

·  Male

·  Student

·  Cash (richness)