Tag Archives: Bad luck

Crow vs. Magpie

Title: Crow vs. Magpie

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Korean Superstition (Bad luck vs. Good luck)
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea
  • 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 her 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. She is a mother of two children.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context:At a very young age (around the age of 6) Sunglim Kim’s friends told her about this superstition. This was a commonly held superstition that all of her friends also believed in. When she was younger she said that she used to believe in these superstitions, and if she saw a crow in the morning going to school it would give her a nervous pit in her stomach that something bad was going to happen. However, she says now that she does not believe in these superstitions. But she will still say that it is a good omen when she sees a magpie.
  • Cultural Context:This folklore is widely held in Korean culture, although our informants did not know when this originated. This folklore originated in Korea. However, there are others cultures that associate the crow with folklore. In India for instance, the crow represents their ancestors, so it is not a bad omen. In Japan and America however, the crow is also associated with a bad omen, but not necessarily bad luck. There is also other folklore tied to these birds in Korean culture as well, Sunglim Kim described. For instance, there is a story about a boy saving a magpie from a snake. The snake then got mad at the boy and tried to attack him, but the magpie got involved and sacrificed itself for the boy. This story represents the magpie as the weak yet good person that doesn’t harm anyone else.

Item:

  • If you see a crow cawing it is considered to bring you bad luck, however, if you see a magpie singing, it is considered to bring you good luck and possibly will bring good guests to visit your house.

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

Transcript of Associated File:

  • “There are two black birds. Crow is Bad Luck, but Magpie will bring good luck, or good guests will come to the house.”

Informants Comments:

  • The informant said that she believed in this folklore when she was a kid, however, she no longer believes in this folklore.

Collector’s Comments:

  • This folklore was interesting to me because Sunglim Kim did not still believe in the bad luck and good luck associated from seeing these birds, yet she admitted that she would still have positive thought associated with magpies and negative thoughts associated with crows. This shows how folklore will engrain an idea into peoples heads, even if they are not conscious of this belief. This piece of folklore is a Sign Superstition, which means if A, then B. So if you see a magpie, it brings good luck. Whereas if you see a crow, it brings bad luck.

Collector’s Name: Kipling Weisel

Tags/Keywords:

  • Korean. Superstition. Crow. Magpie. Good Luck. Bad Luck. Sign Superstition.

The Number 4

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.

Celebrating Birthday Early

General Information about Item:

  • Bad Luck Superstition
  • Language: English/Hindi
  • Country of Origin: India
  • Informant: Aashika Jhawar
  • Date Collected: 11-5-2018
  • Interview was done over phone

Informant Data:

  • Aashika (Aashi) Jhawar is a 19 year old college student from Bellevue, WA. She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently attends the University of California, Berkeley. She is second generation American and her family is from Northern India.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In Indian culture, modesty is considered a core value and character is often measured by one’s restraint towards temptations. This dates back to the Laws of Manu, a Hindu law code circa 100 BCE-200 CE, where men had to guard themselves against life’s temptations. This cultural ideal relates to this superstition because celebrating a birthday early suggests arrogance that a person will live until their next birthday.
  • Social Context: Aashi learned this superstition from her mother and grandmother. She says that her family believes in this superstition and is sure not to give birthday presents or have birthday celebrations early.

Item:

  • It is considered bad luck in Indian culture to celebrate a birthday early, as it suggests overconfidence in ones lifespan.

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

Transcript:

  • “An example of a bad omen in indian culture is celebrating a birthday or really any holiday beforehand. It signals that the birthday might not arrive since you’ve already celebrated it or something along those lines, and for that reason, people in India never really celebrate holidays early.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Aashi stated that this superstition is relatively simple and straightforward, but she follows it closely. She recounted one experience where she was not able to give her sister a birthday present because it was a few days before her birthday, and it would be unlucky for her sister.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Unlike many other superstitions in Indian culture, this one seems to be rooted in morality rather than religion. I have heard of a similar practice in Judaism and I’m sure it exists in many other cultures that have modesty as a core value.

Collector’s Name: Derek Lue

Leg Shaking (Will Graber)

Title: “Leg Shaking”

General information about item:

  • Bad luck superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea
  • Informant: Jamie Park
  • Date Collected: 10-17-18

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: Jamie experienced this folklore first hand when she was about seven years old. She was sitting at the table with her mother and fidgeting her leg up and down. Her mother told her to stop shaking her leg since it would bring bad luck. When asked about the typical context of this superstition, she explained that is a common way for this superstition to be shared. Most often the superstition is said by an adult to child and more specifically a parent telling their child. A common example of this is one day when Jamie and her mom were sitting in the doctor’s office and she got in trouble for shaking her leg.
  • Cultural Context: This is a common Korean superstition and Jamie talked about frequently getting yelled at by her mother when she was in middle school as the result of this superstition. This superstition seems to serve as a teaching tool for Korean parents to influence good behavior and teach children to act respectfully. It does this by creating fear that not sitting still and being patient will bring bad luck to the person violating the superstition.

Item:

Collector Comments: This superstition was provided to us by two of our informants. Another interesting note is that this is an example of a magic superstition (contagious magic).

Collector’s Name: Will Graber

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition
  • Bad luck
  • Korean Culture
  • 18F

Menstruation in Hindu Temples

General Information about Item:

  • Bad Luck Superstition
  • Language: English/Hindi
  • Country of Origin: India
  • Informant: Aashika Jhawar
  • Date Collected: 11-5-2018
  • Interview was done over phone

Informant Data:

  • Aashika (Aashi) Jhawar is a 19 year old college student from Bellevue, WA. She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently attends the University of California, Berkeley. She is second generation American and her family is from Northern India.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In Hinduism, menstruating women are considered ritually impure and therefore are restricted from doing certain traditions. If a woman were to participate while menstruating, it would typically be deemed as an impure practice that would result in the opposite of the ritual’s intent. A formal ban was placed on Indian women in certain places of worship by the Kerala High Court in 1991 but was lifted in 2018 after numerous protests.
  • Social Context: Aashi learned this superstition from her mother, who describes this as one of many Indian traditions that is antiquated and routed in sexist ideals.

Item:

  • Menstruating Indian women (or anyone deemed “unclean”) cannot enter a place of worship or the ritual will not be successful or the gods will be angered.

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

Transcript:

  • “Another bad omen/superstition in Indian culture is that it’s very bad luck and considered very disrespectful to enter a temple or even pray if you haven’t showered or if a woman is on her period, so for that reason if you are considered ‘unclean’ then you can’t enter into a place of worship.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Aashi was well-informed on this superstition because the ban on menstruating women was recently lifted in India, which is a great stride for gender equality. Aashi didn’t know the specifics of what exactly will happen if a woman prayed/entered a temple while menstruating, but she knew that it would bring bad luck and that the ritual being conducted would not be successful or as effective.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I thought this superstition was interesting because it is highly reflective of traditional ideals within a culture. It seems like this superstition was formed from a societal bias against women in India, and practiced to encourage a gender divide. This superstition, paired with the fasting practice on Karva Chauth, indicates a trend of sexism in Indian culture that can be observed through these superstitions.

Collector’s Name: Derek Lue

Red Ink (Will Graber)

Title: “Red Ink”

General information about item:

  • Bad luck superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea
  • Informant: Sunglim Kim
  • Date Collected: 11-5-18

Informant Data:

  • Sunglim Kim was born and raised in Seoul, South 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 her PHD studies. 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: Professor Kim shared that she was first taught this superstition at a very young age by her grandmother. She thought she was probably about three or four years old when she learned this superstition and shared that she learned it when she was learning to write her own name. One day she picked up a red pen and began to write with it and her grandmother warned her that she should never write anyone’s name in red colored ink because it would bring very bad luck.
  • Cultural Context: Although Professor Kim was not certain about the origins of this superstition, she thought that in pre-modern times death sentences were written in red ink and that frequently the names of people who had been arrested were also written in red ink. This explains why writing names in red ink is so strongly connected to death in Korean culture. Even today this superstition is strongly followed in Korean culture. Professor Kim shared that she will take notes or highlight in red but would still never write someone’s name in red ink.

Item:

Collector Comments: This superstition seemed to be a very common one in Korean culture since several of our informants told us about this superstition. Another interesting note is that this is an example of a magic superstition (homeopathic magic).

Collector’s Name: Will Graber

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition
  • Bad luck
  • Korean Culture
  • 18F

Fan Death (Will Graber)

Title: “Fan Death”

General information about item:

  • Bad luck superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Korea
  • Informant: Kyu Kim
  • Date Collected: 11-13-18

Informant Data:

  • Kyu Kim was a Dartmouth ’18 who now lives and works in San Francisco, California as a consultant. He was born in Seoul, South Korea and lived their until he was seven years old. Kyu then moved with his family to the northern Virginia/Washington DC area. During his time at Dartmouth, Kyu studied mathematics and enjoyed playing the bassoon in the orchestra.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Kyu experienced this folklore when he was about five or six years old while living in Korea. He thought he was likely taught this superstition by his parents, but the superstition is deeply ingrained in Korean culture, so he attributed this as the reason he still remembers the superstition. Despite the fact this is a very common Korean superstition Kyu does not still believe in it.
  • Cultural Context: Kyu shared that he thought this superstition originated because traditional Korean households were heated by burning charcoal which could create smoke if the room did not have the proper air flow. Leaving a fan on while you slept was thus very dangerous since it could change the airflow or suck smoke into the room, causing lung problems or even suffocation. Kyu also shared that this superstition is so deeply rooted in Korean culture that fans are not sold with continuous on switches. Instead fans in Korea are sold with timers that make sure they shut off after a designated length of time.

Item:

Collector Comments: This superstition was provided to us by one other informant in addition to Kyu, but Kyu provided more contextual data for the superstition. Another interesting note is that this is an example of a sign superstition.

Collector’s Name: Will Graber

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition
  • Bad luck
  • Korean Culture

Indian Superstition: Hiccups

General Information about Item:

  • Bad Luck Superstition
  • Language: English/Hindi
  • Country of Origin: India
  • Informant: Aashika Jhawar
  • Date Collected: 11-5-2018
  • Interview was done over phone

Informant Data:

  • Aashika (Aashi) Jhawar is a 19 year old college student from Bellevue, WA. She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently attends the University of California, Berkeley. She is second generation American and her family is from Northern India.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Aashi did not know why hiccups are culturally specific, but she did link the general superstition to evil eye. Evil eye is a belief, typically held in the Northern states of India that attaches bad luck to malevolent glares or thoughts towards another.
  • Social Context: Aashi learned this superstition from her grandmother, who described it as an extension of the ‘evil eye’.

Item:

  • If you have hiccups, it means that someone is thinking about you negatively.

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

Transcript:

  • “Another thing that’s considered bad luck in Indian culture is continuous hiccups or just having the hiccups because it signifies that someone close to you is thinking about you in a not positive way or remembering you in a bad way”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Aashi prefaced this superstition by stating that she knew very little about the origin of this superstition, but it is something she recalls her grandmother teaching her at a young age. She either was told or assumes that this practice is linked to the Evil Eye belief, as they both include something resulting from a malevolent glance or thought from another.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I thought this superstition was interesting because it has very little cultural significance, and yet it is still widely accepted as a superstition. When asked, Aashi did not know why hiccups specifically represent this ideal and neither did her grandmother upon following up. This indicates that either the cultural significance was lost when passed down, or (less likely) there was no cultural significance to begin with. A quick web search does not provide an answer to this, however, I found it interesting that a more common belief online is that hiccups indicate that someone is missing you, not thinking about you negatively.

Collector’s Name: Derek Lue

Karva Chauth Fasting

General Information about Item:

  • Bad Luck Superstition
  • Language: English/Hindi
  • Country of Origin: India
  • Informant: Aashika Jhawar
  • Date Collected: 11-5-2018
  • Interview done over phone

Informant Data:

  • Aashika (Aashi) Jhawar is a 19 year old college student from Bellevue, WA. She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently attends the University of California, Berkeley. She is second generation American and her family is from Northern India.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Karva Chauth is a one-day Hindu festival celebrated four days after purnima (full moon) in the month of Kartika. The Karva Chauth fast is traditionally celebrated by women in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and as “Atla Tadde” in Andhra Pradesh. In the past, the celebration of Karva Chauth was a prayer for the long life of soldiers in the war, and today is used to ensure the long life of a married husband.
  • Social Context: Aashi learned this superstition from her parents, who described it as one of the many examples of gender imbalances in Indian culture.

Item:

  • During the day-long festival of Karva Chauth, it is considered bad luck for a married woman to eat while the moon is not visible.

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

Transcript:
  • “So one example of an Indian Superstition can be seen during the festival of Karva Chauth, and basically on this day women will wait for the moon to come out and fast until that. Essentially what they are hoping to do is ensure good health for their husbands.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Aashi prefaced this superstition by stating that most of the superstitions she knew originating from India are rooted in sexist ideals. Aashi also stated that she does not participate in this festival.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I thought this superstition was interesting in that it shows how closely religion and superstition are linked in Indian culture. I also found it interesting that the superstition changed in meaning over time, starting with luck for troops and became luck for husbands.

Collector’s Name: Derek Lue

Superstition #23: Don’t Open Umbrellas Indoors

Title: Don’t Open Umbrellas Indoors

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre
  • Verbal Folklore: Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: United States

Informant Data:

  • Libby Decker is a member of the class of 2020 and is a 2nd generation United State born citizen of Irish background. Libby was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She practices Catholicism, leans right politically, and is a History and Spanish double major. In her free time, Libby enjoys leading trips, dancing, and swimming.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: When Libby was young, she opened her umbrella indoors. Her dad pointed that out and told her not to open umbrella’s in the future or it will bring bad luck.
  • Cultural Context: This superstition has roots in 18th century London, England. At the time, umbrellas were very heavy and opening one indoors would often be dangerous because the metal spokes could potentially injure someone or break fragile items. Because of this, people at the time condemned opening umbrella’s indoors.

Item:

  • Bad Luck Superstition: Opening umbrellas indoors brings bad luck.

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

Transcript of Associated File:

Libby_Transcript

Informant’s Comments:

  • Libby said she generally follows this superstition because she believes opening umbrella’s indoors will bring her bad luck. In retrospect, Libby thinks opening umbrellas indoors can be dangerous and therefore should be avoided even if doing so doesn’t bring bad luck.

Collector’s Comments:

  • It’s interesting to see that Libby’s father taught her the superstition because a common theme that is seen throughout most of my interviewees is that their relatives are the ones teaching them. Given Ireland’s proximity to England, it is not surprising that Libby’s dad, who is born in Ireland, learned this superstition growing up.

Collector’s Name: Gaurav Varma

Tags/Keywords:

  • American/Bad Luck/Superstition/Umbrella/Indoors