Weather Superstitions Across Cultures

WEATHER SUPERSTITIONS ACROSS CULTURES

Collectors: Frances Pool-Crane, Emily Sun, Hank Knez, Kirill Lanski.

Russian 13, Prof. Somoff. Fall 2019.

Introduction:

Our group is comprised of students with very diverse cultural backgrounds, social identities, and upbringings. We wanted to explore the commonalities (as well as the unique aspects and differences) among our cultures. We decided to dive into the topic of weather, more specifically, weather sign and magic superstitions. Across the globe, all people experience variability or oddities in weather  in many ways. Whether it be rain, snow, heat waves, or even lunar events, adjusting to weather conditions is a fundamental aspect of any society. Since weather is inherently an international experience, every culture has their own perspective on weather, its causes, effects, and significance. Many signs have meaning: from animals lying down in a pasture to a small and rather insignificant rainbow seen in the morning. It was with this idea in mind that we were prompted to learn about and discover weather superstitions, to compare and contrast them across cultures around the world.

 

Presentation: Weather Superstitions

Link to Google Document.

SUPERSTITIONS

Title: Bird Cherry Bloom

Informant Data: Alona Lanski was born on September 24, 1966, in the village of Slovechna, in Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. Her parents were both field geologists, so she spent the formative years of her life traveling from all over Ukraine and Russia, especially throughout the Altai Mountains. Since the majority of Alona’s childhood was spent moving around in very rural environments, her family (consisting of herself, her mother and father, and her younger brother, Maxim) spent a sizable portion of their day outside, often hunting for game or gardening for sustenance. 

Text and Analysis: 

Original script: “Черёмуха цветет, к холодам.” 

Phonetic transcription: “Cheromuha tsvetyot, k holodam.”

Literal translation: “Bird cherry blooms, to cold.”

English translation: “When the bird cherries bloom, there will be cold.”

The structure of this phrase follows is very similar to the other sign superstitions that I collected from Russian speakers. However, the major difference is that the conditional is not “if,” but rather “when.” Because the bird cherry blooms every spring, the superstition predicts that the weather will get colder whenever that happens. It is not a question of whether they will bloom or not; instead, the superstition concerns itself with what time this will occur at. When the bird cherries start blooming, the superstition predicts a drop in temperature during the spring. This is unique among other weather superstitions that are relevant in earlier months of the year because it implies a “backwards” reversal of the weather. Instead of a continuation of warmer weather, the phrase predicts that it will revert back to coldness. Although blooming flowers are usually associated with the coming of spring and more desirable weather, this superstition is “negative” in its relation to earlier, more unpleasant weather.

Alona Lanski learned this phrase from дачники (“dachniki”), or cottagers, who lived in her villages when she was young (circa 1975). These cottagers, just like Alona’s family, had to grow many of their own crops for food. As Bronislaw Malinowski conjectures, this sign superstition was most likely an effort for such cottagers to supplement their scientific understanding of crops with an element of magic. Bird cherries are a staple in Russia, as well as other countries with similar climates and biomes. They have prominent white flowers, and round black berries that are often used for culinary purposes. This superstition stood out to Alona in particular because she recalls how her one of her favorite desserts as a child was a cake baked with a special paste of bird cherries. 

Hypothetical context: The use of this superstition would occur almost exclusively in the spring. This is because the bird cherry usually blossoms in the months of May through June. 

Collector: Kirill Lanski, son of Alona Lanski. 

 

Title: Configuration of Crescent 

Informant Data: Amina Ospan is a current student of Dartmouth College. She was born on October 14, 2000, in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She moved to Astana (now Nur-Sultan) when she was ten years old. Amina is fluent in Kazhak, Russian, and English, although she primarily speaks in Russian with her family. Since Russian (officially the Russian Federation) and Kazakhstan (officially the Republic of Kazakhstan) are both former members of the Soviet Union, Amina’s family culture is a mixture of both Russian and Kazakh cultures. 

Text and Analysis: 

Original script: “Mесяц лежит на спине, к холоду. Mесяц выгнул спину, к теплу.”

Phonetic transcription: “Myesats lezheet na speeneh, k holodu. Myesats vignul speenu, k tehplu.”

Literal translation: “Crescent lies on back, to cold. Crescent arches back, to warmth.”

English translation: “If the moon’s crescent lies on its back, there will be cold. If the moon’s crescent arches its back, there will be warmth.”

This sign superstition personifies the moon’s crescent as having a back, and being able to arch it in the same way living things can. Essentially, if a crescent lies on its back this means that it is concave up, opening upwards. Similarly, if a crescent arches its back this means that it stands more upright, perhaps opening either downwards or to its side. 

This superstition is also unique in that is a binary prediction: it forecasts the future either way, no matter the configuration of the crescent. This is different from the other sign superstitions that I collected because all of them (with the exception of this one) involve a chance of some event occurring. In this case, the moon must face either upwards, downwards, or to one side. Thus, there is a dual nature in its prediction: with (almost) one-hundred percent certainty, the moon will be in the sky at night and face a particular direction.

Amina learned this superstition in Russian. When she was young, her mother used to look up at the dark sky and muse about the weather for the next month. When the crescent faced upwards, she would tell Amina that she should dress up warmly. Likewise, she would feign relief at the prospect of the weather finally getting “nicer,” when the moon wasn’t concave up. Amina’s mother, Batyk, learned this superstition from her mother. Amina believes that is was most likely passed down through her mother’s progenitors. 

Hypothetical context: This superstition can be used any day during the night, when the moon is visible in the sky. Usually, it is used more in the later months of the year because the weather is more variable during those months.

Collector: Kirill Lanski, acquaintance of Amina Ospan.

 

Title: Curled Up Cat

Informant Data: Tamara Losyuk (Russian: “Тамара Лосюк”) was born on January 31, 1947 in Kyrgyzstan (officially the Kyrgyz Republic, then part of the Soviet Union). Professionally, she was a geologist, and thus moved around the Soviet Union many times, before settling in Novosibirsk, Russia. Growing up, she had many animals, including cats, dogs, and even a pet raven. Her most recent companion was a cat by the name of Lyalya, (Russian: “Ляля”). 

Text and Analysis: 

Original text: “Кошка спит калачиком, к морозам.”

Phonetic Transcription: “Koshka speet kalachikom, k morozam.”

Literal translation: “Cat sleeps curled up, to frost.” 

English translation: “If a cat sleeps curled up in a ball, there will be frost.”

This superstition perfectly exemplifies the structure of a typical Russian sign superstition. Semantically, instead of following an “If A, then B,” (where A and B are two events) structure, the superstition follows an “A, to B.” In other words, it does not introduce a conditional before the occurrence of A; it simplify states that B will follow A whenever B occurs. This differs from traditional superstition structure, which specifically indicate that A is an event that has a chance of occuring, and that B is strictly conditional on A. 

Sir James Frazer’s laws of sympathetic magic are involved in this sign superstition. More specifically, the phrase deals with the law of similarity; it draws parallels between a cat preserving its warmth by taking up as little space as possible (thus forming a ball shape), and humans having to preserve their warmth, due to the incoming cold weather. 

Tamara learned of this superstition in her childhood, when her mother noticed one day that their cat was sleeping in a ball. Since she has had cats ever since, she remembered what her mother told her in her youth, and still pays homage to it to this day. The superstition was collected because she noticed that her cat, Lyalya, was sleeping in a ball-like shape. 

Hypothetical Context: This superstition can be applied to any time a cat is seen curled up in a ball like shape. Because of the variable nature of the conditional, there is not a specific time of day or year that this is more likely to occur. 

Collector: Kirill Lanski, grandson of Tamara Losyuk.

 

Title: Low-Flying Swallows

Informant Data: Alona Lanski was born on September 24, 1966, in the village of Slovechna, in Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. Her parents were both field geologists, so she spent the formative years of her life traveling from all over Ukraine and Russia, especially throughout the Altai Mountains. Since a lot of her childhood was spent outside, she was particularly interested in wildlife. She loved watching birds, hunting game, and observing different species of plants and trees. 

Text and Analysis: 

Original Text: “Ласточки летают низко, к дождю.”

Phonetic Transcription: “Lastochki lyetayut hiska, k dozhdyu.”

Literal Translation: “Swallows fly low, to rain.”

English translation: “If swallows are flying low to the ground, then it will rain.”

As with the other sign superstitions, the full translation into English is much longer than the original text in Russian, reflecting the concise nature of Russian sign superstitions. When asked whether or not this superstition has a basis in a scientific phenomena, Alona was not able to answer. However, upon further research, it appears that there is a logical explanation for why swallows (and other creatures) fly lower to the ground. According to WeatherOnline*, “If bad weather arrives and conditions are turning cooler and windy, insects will rather seek the protection of trees and structures on the ground and are consequently flying lower. Eventually the swallows will follow their food, flying nearer to the ground as well.” In other words, birds follow their prey; when there are changes in thermal activity, winds, and air pressure, their prey (primarily insects) take refuge in shelters close to the ground. Thus, swallows end up lowering their flying height. Upon further investigation, there are many superstitions across many cultures that reflect some natural phenomenon. However, because those who believe in (or, more generally, those who pay homage to) these sign superstitions are not usually familiar with these scientific explanations unless they become aware of them later on through probing, the superstitions are still in the realm of folklore. 

Alona learned of this superstition from her father, Vladimir Losyuk. As with the other collected superstitions, she heard it first when she was a child, and was playing outdoors and noticed a flock of birds. A the same time, it was getting cloudier, and so her father told her about the superstition.

Hypothetical context: Although this can be used when referring specifically to swallows, the superstition applicable to all birds. As mentioned previously, swallows are not unique in their flying habits. Thus, anytime birds are flying low to the ground, this is a (realistic) predictor of a change in the weather.

Collector: Kirill Lanski, son of Alona Lanski. 

* https://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/weatherlore/High-flies–fair-weather-swallows.htm

 

Title: Rain and the Empty Pail 

Informant: Ilia Lanski was born on January 14, 1966, in Novosibirsk, Russia. He grew up in Akademgorodok, the academic center of Siberia. He graduated from Novosibirsk State University with a PhD in Theoretical Physics, and moved to the United States in 1996. 

Text and Analysis:

Original Text: “Если дни стоят сухие, то во двор выставляют пустой кувшин — чтоб Бог дождя дал.”

Phonetic Transcription: “Yeslee dnee stoyat sukheeye, toh voh dvrop veestavlyayut pustoy kuvsheen — shtob Bog dozhdya dal.”

Literal Translation: “If days stand dry, then in yard is placed empty pail — so God rain gives.”

English Translation: “If there is a drought, then an empty pail in placed in the yard — so that God gives rain.”

This is the only weather magic superstition that I collected from Russian speakers internationally. The superstition is an attempt to bring more desirable weather weather conditions when they are initially unfavorable. Like with the “curled up cat,” there are parallels to Sir James Frazer’s law of sympathetic magic: just as it is a pail’s “duty” to hold or contain a substance, usually liquid, it can be proposed that God’s “duty” is also to provide for his people. In this case, there are analogies drawn between the two duties in an effort for God to fulfill his duty and provide his people with better weather, perhaps indirectly helping people prosper by influencing crop production. 

Ilia first heard this superstition as a child. However, he lived in an apartment in Akademgorodok for the majority of his youth. Only sometimes did he have access to a yard; over the summer, his family would periodically commute to their dacha (Russian: “дача”), or country house. There, he learned about this superstition. 

Hypothetical context: This superstition can be used whenever there has been a period of time without rain, especially if rain is desired. Thus, it usually makes more sense to enact the superstition during summer, when threats of droughts are the highest. 

Collector: Kirill Lanski, son of Ilia Lanski

 

Title: The Moon Will Cut Off Your Ear

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore
  • Type: Superstition (magic)
  • Country of Origin: Taiwan
  • Informant: Anna Sun
  • Date Collected: November 10, 2019

Informant Data:

Anna was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1941. She moved to the United States in 1980 with her three children, and began working in a diner in inner city LA. She learned of this superstition from her older brother.

Superstition: If you point at a full moon, the moon goddess, Chang’e, will enact revenge for your impoliteness by cutting off your ear.

Contextual Data: There is a story that provides context to the superstition. There was once a heroic archer who was rewarded for his bravery in battle and combat by an immortal. He was given a vial of liquid, that was meant to grant him immortality. He had a wife, Chang’e, whom he loved and did not want to leave. Therefore, he gave her the liquid for safe keeping. One day, an evil man broke into their house and tried to steal the liquid. Chang’e, in a panic, drank the liquid to protect it from going into the wrong hands. She then flew up to the sky and became the moon. Her husband, in his sorrow, displayed cakes and treats out as a sacrifice to his beloved wife. To this day, each year when the moon is full, cakes are laid out in memory of her. Chang’e is said to punish children for rudeness, due to the fact that she never had the opportunity to have children herself.

Notes: These traditions aid in bringing the community together under a shared superstitious fear and helping to educate children on issues of politeness. The informant says that it taught her, not only to not point at the moon, but also not to point at her elders for fear of disrespecting them. It essentially is a teaching method for not being impolite to adults or those to whom you’d like to show respect. It is also a fun and entertaining way for children to scare one another, similarly to the “got your nose” game in American culture.

Collector Notes:

Collector’s Name: Emily Sun ‘23

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore
  • Magic Superstitions
  • Moon Superstitions
  • Taiwanese Folklore
  • Childlore

 

Title: Beating a Bucket of Water

General Information About Item:

  • Customary Lore
  • Type: Superstition (sign)
  • Country of Origin: Taiwan
  • Informant: Anna Sun
  • Date Collected: November 10, 2019

Informant Data:

Anna was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1941. She moved to the United States in 1980 with her three children, and began working in a diner in inner city LA. She learned of this superstition from her older brother.

Superstition:

During a full moon, putting out a bucket of water for the moon to reflect off of during the night and then beating the water with a branch will encourage fertility.

Cultural Context: Fertility is very important to Asian women in general, particularly Taiwanese women. Women in Taiwan desire to be as fertile as possible, and desire to be able to birth male children historically in order to produce an heir for the family or a helping hand for the estate. The belief that the moon will promote fertility is a notion originating from the idea that the lunar cycles align or mimic a woman’s menstrual cycle. Water, too, is said to be connected to women and their fertility. In fact, in some Asian countries, menstrual cycles are referred to as a woman’s “lunar water.” The roundness of the moon and the ways in which the moon moves from a crescent to a full moon also is seemingly connected to the ways in which a woman’s body changes as she progresses in pregnancy.

Informant Notes: Although she never actually practiced this superstition, she certainly had heard of it from family members and was told of it from her friends in school early on. It was encouraged for her to have children early, so fertility was very much valued in the culture. Therefore, much lore was told about different methods of becoming pregnant or increasing chances of having a boy.

Collector’s Name: Emily Sun ‘23

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore
  • Magic Superstitions
  • Moon Superstitions
  • Taiwanese Folklore

 

Title: Harvest Festival

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Lore
  • Country of Origin: Taiwan
  • Informant: Anna Sun/Paul Sun
  • Date Collected: November 10, 2019

Informant Data:

Paul Sun was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1966 and moved to Southern California at age 12. He maintained his own cultural practices throughout his childhood, but when he moved to college he began to incorporate more and more into American culture. However, he still engages in traditional celebrations from Taiwan, and passes these traditions on to his three children as well.

Anna was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1941. She moved to the United States in 1980 with her three children, and began working in a diner in inner city LA. She learned of this superstition from her older brother.

Tradition: The tradition of the Harvest Festival occurs three times a year, in the months of July, August, and September. It is held to celebrate the harvest and pray to the ancestors for a successful and fertile season. However, in recent decades it has been used primarily to take part in festivities such as feasting, dancing, camp-fire parties, and games. The festival is held on the day of the full moon during these periods. The festival is often held to commence the gathering of a grain, specifically rice. The dancing in the festival is also a way in which women can approach men whom they are interested in as romantic partners. Women will stand idly by the men as the music plays to indicate their interest, and he will reciprocate if interested by asking her to dance. The priest responsible for the blessing of the crops must be knowledgeable about the weather and how to communicate with the ancestors about the coming conditions. The dress is typically red and colorful, so as to accentuate the beauty and liveliness of the dancing.

Food: Mooncakes were traditionally eaten in the informant’s house, along with oranges and other colorful, fancy dishes that they wouldn’t normally eat.

Notes: Although there is significant historical background to this ritual, it is often disputed as fakelore because of the tourist attraction that it has become. The idea of bringing in tourists to these remote areas of the island is extremely prevalent and profitable for partakers. The informant revealed that the red coloring of the dress allows for a more significant tourist revenue, because of the brightness and the attractive memorabilia that can be sold.

 

Collector’s Name: Emily Sun ’23

Tags/Keywords:

  • Harvest Festival
  • Taiwanese Folklore
  • Customary Lore

 

Title: Aching Joints means Bad Weather is Coming

General Information about the Item:

  • Customary Lore
  • Type: Magic Superstition
  • Place of Origin: St. Louis, MO
  • Informant: Carolyn Finder
  • Date Collected: November 9, 2019

Informant Data:

Carolyn Finder was born in 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up, she lived in a low-income household until she was married at age 18. Her husband was almost sent to the army prior to their marriage, but due to a bad knee, was denied entry to the training program. Therefore, they started a family in rural Missouri, where her husband became employed in a large brewery and she stayed at home with her children. They also owned a small farm where they cared for farm animals, birds, and a pond. She and her husband remained happy and well at the farm until their second child graduated high school, at which point they both moved to a small house in a more urban area of Missouri. They sold the farm soon after and lived with their children in a more conventional way.

Deborah Finder was born in 1971 in Missouri. She had three siblings: one older sister and two older brothers. She was raised on a rural farm with cows, pigs, and a fishing pond. There, she learned from her father how to fish, milk a cow, and tend to the animals. She moved out of her house to attend nursing school, where she met her husband. When she was in her 30s, she moved to Southern California with her husband and daughter. She still keeps in contact with her friends and family in St. Louis.

Superstition: If your joints are aching, it means bad or wet weather is on the way.

Contextual Data: My informant said that, on the farm, whenever her mother’s joints or back would ache, it would rain or be cold the very next day. She discovered this because her mother would always complain of aches and pains, which seemed to be attributed to house and farm work in general. However, the pains were known in the house to be indicative of bad weather approaching, every time her mother would lament about an aching hip or joint, all of the siblings of the home would scream and laugh because they knew it would be a rainy day the next day. It was also seen as a bonding activity for the siblings and children of the house, as it was a way for them all to share a personal joke about their mother and to scare one another about bad weather.

Notes: Some of the lore could be attributed to the fact that, before a rainy day, crops are being harvested and animals are being tended to in natural preparation for what’s to come. Therefore, farm work is greater and more taxing than usual, likely causing the farmhands’ joints to ache and back to have pain. Therefore, there is more of a correlation between the two, rather than a causation of one for the other.

Collector’s Name: Emily Sun ’23

Tags:

  • Folkore
  • Childlore
  • American Folklore
  • Farmlore

Title: Cows Lying Down is Indicative of Rainy Weather Coming

Informant Data:

Carolyn Finder was born in 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up, she lived in a low-income household until she was married at age 18. Her husband was almost sent to the army prior to their marriage, but due to a bad knee, was denied entry to the training program. Therefore, they started a family in rural Missouri, where her husband became employed in a large brewery and she stayed at home with her children. They also owned a small farm where they cared for farm animals, birds, and a pond. She and her husband remained happy and well at the farm until their second child graduated high school, at which point they both moved to a small house in a more urban area of Missouri. They sold the farm soon after and lived with their children in a more conventional way.

Deborah Finder was born in 1971 in Missouri. She had three siblings: one older sister and two older brothers. She was raised on a rural farm with cows, pigs, and a fishing pond. There, she learned from her father how to fish, milk a cow, and tend to the animals. She moved out of her house to attend nursing school, where she met her husband. When she was in her 30s she moved to Southern California with her husband and daughter. She still keeps in contact with her friends and family in St. Louis.

Superstition: If the cows are seen lying down in the field, it indicates that rainy weather is coming the next day.

Context: The informant described how whenever she, growing up on a farm, would notice that the cows in the field were lying down on their sides rather than standing and grazing like they usually do. In these situations, the informant would always know that wet weather was coming. She heard this piece of folkore from her mother, who had heard it from her great aunt. The superstition was, similarly to the rain association with aching joints, a bonding agent for the family that lived on the farm, especially the children. Children, especially, love to make observations and, based on those observations, make predictions. The idea of a cow laying down was always funny to the children in the informant’s house, as it was a strange and unusual sight that gave a break to everyday occurrences. Therefore, since the sign was noticeable, the result was more noticeable. However, the informant states that there wasn’t always a correlation between the wet weather and the cow’s behavior. Since the folklore is so old and not related to any actual observances by the family, it could be that the results depended upon the region and the climate.

Notes: The informant stated that the folklore wasn’t spoken of much in her house, but it was more of a funny story with an interesting history attached to it. She stated that, although the superstition proved to not have much truth, it was nevertheless believed in the house due to the old saying that convinced them of its legitimacy.

Collector’s Name: Emily Sun ’23

Tags:

  • Childlore
  • Folklore
  • Farmlore
  • Sign Superstition

Title: Onion Skins

Informant:

Carolyn Finder was born in 1930 in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up, she lived in a low-income household until she was married at age 18. Her husband was almost sent to the army prior to their marriage, but due to a bad knee, was denied entry to the training program. Therefore, they started a family in rural Missouri, where her husband became employed in a large brewery and she stayed at home with her children. They also owned a small farm where they cared for farm animals, birds, and a pond. She and her husband remained happy and well at the farm until their second child graduated high school, at which point they both moved to a small house in a more urban area of Missouri. They sold the farm soon after and lived with their children in a more conventional way.

Text:

Onion skins very thin

Mild winter coming in;

Onion skins thick and tough

Coming winter cold and rough

Superstition: The superstition goes as such: when there is thin skin around the onion, almost translucent and easily peeled, the winter will not be so cold and unbearable. However, when an onion has very think and tough skin, such that it is difficult to peel and cut, there will be a snowy and cold winter ahead that is difficult to bear.

Context: The context of this item is interesting, as it is presumed that one would feel the onion skin of fresh onions picked from a garden to determine weather based on natural sources, as weather is. However, my informant usually will used the piece of folklore when she’s feeling onions in the supermarket. Her mother would teach her to feel the onion skins in the supermarket in order to determine the weather in the next few days. She heard this item of folklore from her sister, who had been taught it by their mother.

Notes: I found it interesting that there was a sort of non-natural way of practicing a natural ritual and superstition. The practice has been slightly modernized because of the new cultures and regions that it has been exposed to and involved with. The interests of different, modern cultures will inevitably influence folklore and change the ways in which it is practiced and perceived.

Collector’s Name: Emily Sun ’23

Tags:

  • Folklore
  • Sign Superstition
  • Farmlore
  • Customary Lore

 

Title: Red Skies

Informant: Alison Pool

Collected by: Frances Pool-Crane

Collected during a phone call on November 2nd, 2019. This is a saying which enforces a sign superstition. 

Informant Info: I collected this saying is from my mother, Alison. She was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1961, and says that she learned the superstition from her mother. She currently lives in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. The superstition relates to rain, and specifically its relevance to travel, and I chose to collect it because it seems to come up in many cultures in quite similar forms. While I chose to collect the context from my mother, friends of mine from both Los Angeles and Essex, England, who chose to remain anonymous, agreed to having heard it in similar forms. However, the second sentence of “red sky at night, sailor’s delight” seemed somewhat more unique to my mother’s recording of it – I believe that this may be due to generational rather than location-based differences in learning of the superstition.  

Text: “Red Sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.” The saying is a sign superstition which says, essentially, that if the sky is red at sunrise, then the weather will turn rainy/windy later in the day. But if the sky is red at night, the next day will have pleasant weather and either minimal or consistent wind. As heavy wind or rain would be problematic to sail in, the superstition singles out sailors as being warned by the skies of the impending storms. While my mother learned it while living in the Southern United States, discussion with others showed me that this saying has spread as far as the United Kingdom, and does have an amount of validity to it in roughly predicting weather. This is because when clouds come in from the west, where the sun rises, it often signals that rain will come as the clouds near. However, there doesn’t seem to be as clear of a scientific explanation for the second half of the recorded superstition. 

Context: I most often heard this phrase said to me by my mother when the sun would rise as I left for school and the sky would be red. It would sometimes be followed-up with a suggestion to take an umbrella with me. 

Hypothetical Context: This saying would be used when watching a sunrise or sunset and observing the colors of it, using them to predict what the coming day’s weather would be.

Meaning/Interpretation: This superstition seems in line with Malinowski’s interpretation of magic – we can use magical elements along with genuine observation to explain what once seemed to be unexplainable. Whether or not the original observers of this superstition knew the scientific reasoning for skies predicting storms is irrelevant – they used logic along with laws of magic to gain a greater understanding of the world around them. 

Tags/Keywords:

  • Sign Superstition
  • Saying
  • Verbal Lore

Title: Pets before Hurricanes

Informant: Myself (Frances Pool-Crane)

Collected from myself in November, 2019. This is a sign superstition that seems to be Florida-specific, relating to signs that a hurricane is approaching.

Informant Information: This superstition is related to hurricanes in Florida. I have lived in Tampa Bay, Florida for my entire life, and hear this superstition whenever there is talk of a hurricane or tropical storm hitting. This usually happens every few years. Because two hurricanes have hit where I live in the past three years, though, I’ve heard this superstition much more often in the past few years than I ever did before. However, I remember hearing talk of it before tropical storms while I was in elementary school. I am currently a first-year at Dartmouth.

Text: While even my most superstitious neighbors rely on the Weather Channel to predict hurricanes most reliably, I still hear older neighbors claiming that their pets start acting odd a few days before the weather channel starts telling us that a hurricane is coming. Specifically, I heard stories of cats and dogs trying to run away up to a week before the storm, which they claimed was a predictor of the hurricane. I have heard this attributed to pets being able to feel a ‘shift’ in the air before machines or satellites are able to pick up that a storm is approaching. Therefore, this is a sign superstition which says that if lots of pets suddenly try to run away, a hurricane will soon arrive. In my experience, though, in both hurricanes that have hit recently, our cats didn’t act oddly beforehand. That being said, the superstition has remained heavily referenced in times of storms in southern/central Florida. 

Context: The last time I heard this superstition was last September, before hurricane Dorian hit. My neighbor told me, soon after news of the hurricane broke, that his dog, Queenie, had been acting oddly and trying to break out of their house for the past few days. He cited this superstition by saying something along the lines of “Your pets know that a storm’s coming before any of us do – if they are acting weird, then a hurricane may well be coming.”

Hypothetical Context: This would be used to explain animals’ odd behavior after news of a storm is broken. 

Meaning/Interpretation: I think there is some validity to this superstition – it’s entirely possible that animals can feel something in the air that foreshadows a storm. That being said, I think the ‘weirdness’ of animals’ actions may be partly confirmation bias. My pets, for example, always seem to be acting weird – so if I hear about an impending storm, I may attribute our cats’ weird actions to the storm coming, even if it’s how they’d be acting either way. 

Tags/Keywords:

  • Weatherlore
  • Sign Superstition
  • Customary Lore

Title: Rain Before Easter

Informant: Kennedy Hamblen

Collected by: Frances Pool-Crane

Collected during a conversation on November 10th, 2019. This is a two-part sign superstition relating to rain and its relation to the Christian celebrations of Good Friday and Easter. However, it is not a religious superstition itself, it only relates to religious holidays and figures.

Informant Information: The informant is a first-year at Dartmouth whose family is from Memphis, Tennessee. He learned this superstition from his mother, who learned it from his grandmother. His mothers’ side of his family is Catholic, which contributes to the religious associations of this superstition. It is a sign superstition. 

Text: The text of the superstition is that if it rains on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, it will begin raining around 1pm and clear up at around 3pm. And if that happens, then on Easter Sunday, it will appear as if it is about to rain again, but it will not start raining, and the rest of the day will be sunny. The start of rain on Good Friday is meant to correspond with the time Jesus was put on the cross, and end when he is said to have died. He wasn’t sure of the exact reasoning for it to almost rain on Easter, but I can infer that it has to do with the idea of resurrection. Because the rain appears as if it will start, it can serve as a metaphor for Jesus appearing as if he died, but coming back to life on Easter Sunday. In order to see how far this superstition reached, I asked my mother who was raised Methodist in North Carolina, and she hadn’t heard of it. This makes me believe that the superstition is either specific to Catholicism, Tennessee, or both.

Context/Hypothetical Context: The informant said that this superstition is referenced during the Easter season during the first sign of clouds on Good Friday. This seems to be both his recorded context and the hypothetical context – he said that it would not be mentioned if the superstition’s first sign doesn’t come true. 

Interpretation: The superstition rests upon an assumption of rain and clouds being symbols of sadness or death, as well as the Law of Similarity in making an analogy of religious figures to the weather. The superstition presents an interesting overlap between folklore and religion, illustrating how a folk group which may not necessarily be explicitly religious will still have an impact upon religion within itself. It also seems to be a fairly reliable superstition in some ways, since Spring is a rainy season in Tennessee. The tricky part of it is the timing of the rain, which makes me wonder how heavily the time constraints of 1pm to 3pm are followed – unfortunately, the informant wasn’t sure of this, so it seems worthy of further investigation if I happen to meet another person with an awareness of the superstition. At Dartmouth and in my family, though, I haven’t been able to find this just yet.

Tags/Keywords:

  • Customary Lore
  • Sign Superstition
  • Religion

Title: Seagulls Predicting Rain

Informant: Myself (Frances Pool-Crane)

Informant Info: This superstition is collected from my memories of being at the beach when I was younger. I have lived in Indian Rocks Beach, FL for my entire life. I remember hearing about this superstition around probably age seven or eight from family-friends. This is a sign superstition with a basis in science. I believe that this is a superstition specific to coastal areas, but not just specific to Florida. I am currently a first-year at Dartmouth.

Text: This sign superstition states that if you see seagulls flying away from the ocean/gulf/beach, then a rainstorm is coming. Some people who especially believed in it would often leave the beach if they saw a lot of seagulls leaving the beach. It turns out, with some research, that this superstition does have actual evidence in science – that seagulls are able to sense changes in barometric pressure which can predict rain, causing them to return to land from flying over the water. 

Context:  The first time I remember hearing this was while at the 8th Ave. of Indian Rocks Beach near Clearwater, Florida. Before any rain clouds appeared, a ton of birds came flying out from the beach and going inland. The family-friends I was there with believed this superstition, so they said that we should leave the beach. I was taken back home after that. It did rain later that day – whether or not the birds predicted it specifically is another question, but in that case, it did seem to come true. The hypothetical context of this saying is that it would be quoted while near a body of water, when a lot of birds, typically seagulls, are flying away from the water. In the case of where I lived, it would be whenever a lot of birds fly east. 

Interpretation: As I mentioned above, this superstition does have a genuine basis in science. I would bet that this superstition grew from an observation of birds and how they seem to know when it will rain before clouds show up. While it may have begun as a superstition believing that birds can prophesy the weather, it was actually an observation of how birds can detect barometric pressure.

Tags/Keywords:

    • Sign Superstition
    • Customary Lore
    • Animals
    • Weatherlore

Goose Breast Bones Predict Winter

Informant: Steve Knez

Collected by: Hank Knez

Collected via phone call November 3rd

Informant Information:

Steve Knez, son of a first generation Croatian immigrant who spent the beginning of his life in rural southern Illinois in a farming and avid hunting community, is my 56 year old father who was born and raised in the southside of Chicago in the Chicago Heights, but frequented his mother and father’s birth homes and towns for annual hunting and fishing trips that he takes to this very day. 

Superstition:

“If a goose’s breastbone is thin and pretty much transparent the winter will be mild, but if it is dark and thick there will be a harsh winter.”

Context:

When you kill a goose on a hunt in the fall and eventually clean it and cook it look at the breast bone. If it is thin and pretty much transparent the winter will be mild, but if it is dark and thick there will be a harsh winter. They believe this because birds and animals are much more in tune with nature than man, so they give signs about nature and weather and can predict them much better than people can. This is caused by the goose’s diet for the year, when they eat more and have a much greater caloric surplus for a year in anticipation of winter thus making them grow a thicker and denser breast bone.

Notes:
My dad was very skeptical of this superstition as a child and still is, but his father and mother both practiced it with their families when they were young, so they continued it with their kids. They essentially did it as something fun and as a family tradition every year before the holidays. My dad said it was pretty accurate but he never paid too much attention to it.

Tags/Keywords:

  • Hunting Folklore
  • Bird Superstitions
  • Magic Superstitions

Wind Predicts Fish

Informant: Steve Knez

Collected by: Hank Knez

Collected via phone call November 3rd

Informant Information:

Steve Knez, son of a first generation Croatian immigrant who lived the beginning of his life in rural southern Illinois in a farming and avid hunting community, is my 56 year old father who was born and raised in the southside of Chicago in the Chicago Heights, but frequented his mother and father’s birth homes and towns for annual hunting and fishing trips that he takes to this very day. 

Superstition:

“Wind from the west, fish bite best. Wind from the east, fish bite least.”

 

Context:

When fishing or planning to fish, people would observe the wind, amongst other things like the moon, and more specifically the direction it was coming from to determine whether or not the fish will bite and their trip will be successful. This was very common for people because most were not good fisherman and would blame petty things such as the wind, when in all actuality the wind has no effect.

Notes:
When explaining this superstition my dad said my grandfather frequently used this as an excuse when he never caught any fish and my dad saw right through it and knew it was B.S. from a young age, because his father was not a very good fisherman and did not do any research or think things through. He did say however it is very widely used and still is today, but mostly by bad fisherman.

Tags/Keywords:

  • Hunting Folklore
  • Wind Superstitions
  • Magic Superstitions

Rainbows Predict Rain

Informant: Joe Wark

Collected by: Hank Knez

Collected via conversation in spring 2018

Informant Information:

Joe Wark, my grandfather, was born and raised on a Kansas corn farm, he worked on this farm ever since he could walk by tending to the animals and crops every day until he joined the Navy at 18 years old. After his short 6 years in the Navy he came home and married a local school teacher and got a job with the Santa Fe railroad, slowly working his way to being the president of the entire corporation, because of this job he also lived all across the country moving every two years until he ultimately settled and retired in the Chicago Suburbs in Glen Ellyn.

Superstition:

“Rainbow in the morning, take this as a warning.”

Context:

This saying was common amongst farmers in the early nineteenth century because they did not have any legitimate method of predicting bad storms like we do today, but it seemed whenever there was a rainbow in the morning, or at a time when it had not rained, there would be a large storm. While at the time, the farmers all thought that this was just somewhat of an omen, or at best a coincidence, but it does actually have somewhat of a scientific backing. When it has not rained for a while, and a big storm is imminent, there is a ton of moisture in the air and when it becomes enough for a huge storm it reflects light and forms a rainbow.

Notes:
The way this conversation came up and the reason my grandfather told me this was because while I was giving him a ride to a therapy session and we saw a rainbow out of nowhere so he told me this little piece of lore from his childhood. The craziest part however, is that it actually rained after and it was a terrible storm, which further proved the scientific and folk loric backing.

Tags/Keywords:

  • Farming Folklore
  • Rain Superstitions
  • Magic Superstitions