Category Archives: FA21-Grp-04

Topic: Superstitions/Customs surrounding tests

Breaking of Pencil in Ukraine Culture (Isabel Robinson)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

  • Material lore 
  • Superstition
  • Language: English 
  • Country of Origin: Ukraine 
  • Informant: BC
  • Date Collected: 11/05/2021

Informant Data: BC is a sophomore at University of Southern California (‘24) from Woodside, California. Her father is Ukrainian and her mother is Armenian. BC’s parents shared many superstitions with her and her younger sister.

Contextual Data: BC obtained this superstition when she was in seventh grade. Her father is a very competitive person, and taught her to attack her fears. A superstition she learned was to use the exact same pencil that she used studying on the test, and, once the test was over, to break the pencil in half. She said that this helps her relieve her stress and anxiety after a test, and helps reassure herself that she worked hard to do well on the exam. She started to do very well on her exams when she began doing this, and continues to do so at University. I witnessed this the first time, after an exam we each had in seventh grade. She explained that her Ukrainian father taught her this, and that his parents shared this piece of folklore with him when he was in middle school in Ukraine. Her father not only shared this piece . I originally collected this piece of folklore in middle school and then re-collected it via a FaceTime interview. 

Item: In Ukrainian households, it brings one good luck on an exam to use the same pencil that you used when studying during the exam itself. After you are done with the exam, you then break the pencil in half as a sign that you have just attacked and overcome your fears. 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is download-1.jpg

Interpretations: I believe that this superstition is very important to BC because it allows her to really focus on the exam, and look forward to doing well on the test. She puts classwork as her number one priority, and it often stresses her out too much. By doing this routine, she is able to calm herself down and understand that everything will be okay, and if she is frustrated after the exam, she can look forward to breaking the pencil. 

Collector’s Name: Isabel Robinson

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition 
  • Material lore 
  • Ukraine

1-10 Count in Polish Culture (Isabel Robinson)

Leave a reply

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

Using a Harry Potter Themed Pencil – United States (Jea Mo)

Leave a reply

Title: Using a Harry Potter Themed Pencil (United States)

General Information:

  • Customary folklore: Pre-test custom, superstition
  • Interview language: English
  • Location of origin: New York, United States
  • Informant: MK
  • Date collected: 11/5/2021

Informant:

  • MK is a sophomore at New York University who is from Concord, Massachusetts. He described himself as a “huge Harry Potter fan” who has an obsession with Harry Potter items. He also said that his Harry Potter house was Ravenclaw, the house known for its intellect and wits.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The Harry Potter series, both book and movie, have been very popular among children and young adults for many years. It has been a trend for fans of the series to do the Harry Potter Sorting Hat test and collect relevant items such as socks, pencils, hats, scarves, etc.
  • Social Context: The item was conducted over a zoom call with the informant. The informant mentioned that the item is a superstition that is endorsed not only by himself, but also by his close circle of middle school friends who are all fans of Harry Potter.

Item:

  • When taking an important test, the informant would use his Harry Potter themed pencil that has the markings of the house Ravenclaw.

Associated File:

Amazon.com : Set of 6 Genuine Harry Potter House Pride Wooden Pencils Erasers Gift Boxed : Office Products
This picture shows a set of Harry Potter themed

Transcript:

  • “I always use my Harry Potter pencil when I take a test. I know some people think it’s, um, a little childish. But I think it helps me a lot. I think it’s maybe because I’m in Ravenclaw. You know, Ravenclaw is known to be smart and all that. I feel like if I’m using my Ravenclaw pencil, I somehow think I’m enhancing my intellect.”

Informant’s comments:

  • “My favorite color and my lucky color also happens to be blue. So, it kind of matches. Also, if I don’t have a Ravenclaw pencil at hand, I’d use a Hufflepuff pencil because it’s the next house I identify with.”

Collector’s comments:

  • I thought it was interesting that using an object of a certain identity that one identifies with boosts one’s sense of confidence.

Collector’s name: Jea Mo

Tags/Keywords

  • American
  • Customary Folklore
  • Pre-test ritual

Posting a Picture of the Amur Carp on SNS – China (Jea Mo)

Leave a reply

Title: Posting a Picture of the Amur Carp on SNS (China)

General Information:

  • Customary Folklore: Pre-test custom, superstition
  • Interview Language: English
  • Location of Origin: Chengdu, China
  • Informant: MM
  • Date Collected: 10/25/2021

Informant:

  • MM is a sophomore (’24) at Dartmouth College who is from Chengdu, China. Apart from attending elementary school in Korea, she has experience attending boarding schools in countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, and the U.S.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The informant mentioned that many students in China tend to be ambitious overachievers who aim for the highest grades in their schools or regions. Consequently, if there is a certain superstitious ritual that is rumored to bring good luck on a test, many students tend to endorse that ritual, turning it into a society wide phenomenon. The item first turned into a superstition when Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group Holding, posted a picture of the Amur Carp on his social media. Because Jack Ma is such a successful individual, students started to post similar pictures of the same fish on their social media platforms in the hopes that they may also become successful as him someday. The act of posting the Amur Carp has furthermore evolved into an act that symbolizes good luck and success.
  • Social Context: This item was conducted during an in-person interview with the informant. The informant brought up that because she spent so much time outside of the Chinese mainland, she is not aware of too many Chinese superstitions surrounding tests.

Item:

  • Before a student takes an important exam, such as a national exam, they will post a picture of a fish called “Koi” (Amur Carp) on their social media for good luck.

Associated File:

Amur Carp (A guide to the fishes of Austin and Travis County, TX; USA) · iNaturalist
A picture of Amur Carp (“Koi”), rumored among Chinese students to bring good luck.

Transcript:

  • “Like, I don’t know, like, too much about this. But something that I heard from my friend is that you post a picture of this fish – I’ll search up the name. Yeah, it’s called the Amur Carp? You post this on your Instagram or your Facebook or Weibo, just like any social media that you use. It’s like a good luck thing that everyone does. So, when it’s exam season or a big examination happening, you can see all the social media platforms covered with pictures of this fish.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “I think I’d personally go for good luck things that are more traditional, like a red pouch that has the Chinese character for good luck (福) on it. But I mean, I guess everyone has their own thing.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • It was interesting to see that the informant brought up a superstition that was generated relatively recently yet very widespread among a folk group. It was also fascinating to see how social media may play a role in the birth of a folklore.

Collector’s Name: Jea Mo

Tags/Keywords

  • Chinese
  • Customary Folklore
  • Pre-test ritual

Red Underwear (China – John Zavras)

Leave a reply

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)

Leave a reply

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)

Leave a reply

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)

Leave a reply

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)

Leave a reply

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)

Making contact with a Classmate with the Best GPA (South Korea)

Leave a reply

Title: Making contact with a Classmate with the Best GPA (South Korea)

General Information

  • Customary Folklore: Pre-test custom, superstition
  • Interview Language: English
  • Location of Origin: Seoul, South Korea
  • Informant: SM (currently a junior in high school)
  • Date Collected: 10/26/2021

Informant

  •  SM is currently a junior in an international school in Seoul, South Korea. She describes herself as an “overachiever” when it comes to grades and said that she tends to get very nervous before important tests such as midterms and final exams. Prior to entering an international school in 10th grade, she studied at a Korean middle school and high school where she experienced a lot of cut-throat competition.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: The informant’s experience of attending a Korean middle school and high school has led her to endorse this superstition. Unlike how students are assessed and graded based on their individual performance in the American education system, the Korean education system forces some schools to assess students based on how well they do compared to other students. Only the top one or two percent of students are allowed to get an A on their transcript. This creates extra competition as well as an intense and almost toxic environment in which students must study harder to do better than their classmates. Consequently, Korean students, especially those in middle and high school, tend to endorse unscientific superstitions that may help them to feel better when taking an important test. Some of these superstitions, such as the item below, involve contagious magic. The informant did emphasize that this is not something that most Korean students would typically do.
  • Social Context: This item was collected inevitably over a scheduled zoom call due to the 13-hour time difference between Hanover and Seoul, South Korea. The informant noted that she would usually do this ritual the day before she takes an important test and that she started doing it because one of her friends told her about it.

Item

  • Before taking a test, students may approach the classmate with the best GPA and request that they hold a pencil or pencil case in their hand. Doing this is said to make the students taking the test feel better. In some cases, students may even ask for a strand of hair from the classmate. They would then place the hair inside their mechanical pencils and use them to take the test.

Associated File

Review : KBDMania - 국민 샤프 JEDO 다시는 돌아올 수 없는 영광?
This is an image of some typical mechanical pencils that Korean students might use. The lid can be separated from the main part of the pencil, showing a tiny empty space where a loose hair may be placed.

Transcript

  • “I know this sounds, like, super weird, but I try going to a classmate with the best GPA and ask for them to hold my pencil for a bit. Then I’d take it back and use that pencil to take the test – I don’t really use another pencil. Sometimes I ask them to just hold my pencil case. I don’t do this, trust me, but I also know that some students would ask for a strand of loose hair from the best person in the class and put it inside their mechanical pencils when they take the test.”

Informant’s Comments

  • “I know that the hair part is, like, super weird. And I’m trying not to do something like this in general. I don’t want to rely on stuff like this. But sometimes it just makes me feel a little better.”

Collector’s Comments

  • I can empathize with the informant’s concerns regarding how bizarre this superstition may look. I went to a Korean middle school, and the competition was definitely intense enough for a student to resort to measures such as this.

Collector’s Name: Jea Mo

Tags/Keywords

  • Korean
  • Customary Folklore
  • Pre-test ritual