Family Superstitions
Superstitions or cliches in the black community are everywhere, however, we tend not to give them much thought because we are so used to hearing and experiencing them. These beliefs, superstitions and sayings hold a lot of weight in our lives as we use them daily or allow them to determine the outcome of future events. These sayings or occurrences may seem silly, small and light hearted at first but they are snippets of history and legacy passed down in black households from generation to generation. They are examples of our history being used, remembered and highlighted daily. However, they are all rooted in folktales and various results.
Booboo the Fool
In a conversation you may have heard someone refer to themselves as booboo the fool or reference the character when they are explaining to someone who they are not. I for one know my Aunt Dee is not Booboo the Fool because she has made that very clear. My first introduction to the saying came from her confronting my older cousins about a party they were attending. The words “Y’all must think I am Booboo the fool… well I am not”. That taught me that you can never get anything past a mother, and to never be mistaken. However, it did leave me wondering, if everyone was claiming they weren’t the fool. Then who was? Booboo the fool is referenced as a character from the show Yogi Bear, however it has become a symbol in black and brown communities for something you do not want to be. The character now symbolizes being confused, dumb or completely out of the know and synonymous with words such as fool or clown.
Black eyed peas and collard greens on New Years Day
Without fail every year black eyed peas and collard greens fly off the shelves at grocery stores on December 31st and January 1st, because somewhere down the line we were told that it would bring money, wealth and prosperity in the new year. My grandmother in particular never skips a year. If she is feeling like adding some extra luck into the family she will request someone find her some pigs feet and cornbread to go along with the spread. While this meal isn’t typically my favorite, I eat a little every year because a little extra positivity never hurt, but every year I am left wondering who started this tradition. The act of eating this lucky meal started back in the 1800’s when slaves, especially those in the south would gather to eat leftover black-eyed peas, pigs feet and greens. They found themselves lucky to have this meal. The tradition became especially popular during the Civil War when slaves ate the meal to celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation which was passed on January 1st, 1863.
Itchy Hand= Money is coming or leaving
“Oouu my hand is so itchy” I say out loud only for my mother to follow with “you are about to get some money”. The correlation between an itching hand and money coming or going has been passed down in black and brown families for generations. To this day, I think of my mom and get excited when I notice the urge to itch. Some take it as far as saying if it is the left hand you will be losing money and if it is the right hand you will be receiving.
A storm means no T.V.
Is it a southern tradition? Is it old school? Or is it just my grandmother? For as long as I can remember whenever it began to storm my grandmother would make us turn off all the lights, turn off the tv and put all electronics away. We would then sit in silence and wait for it to blow over. Sometimes she would allow one television to stay on to watch the news, other times we would stare at the wall or fall asleep. We also were not allowed to talk much or speak loudly, for reasons unknown to me. In recent years I have not been allowed to hold or pet my dog during storms because she is convinced that they attract lightning. It is easy to say that storms cause heightened tension because while I do believe that grandmothers know best, I don’t understand what my sweet puppy has to do with the conduction of lightning.
If you put your purse on the ground, you will go broke
If you carry a purse you must keep it off of the ground because if you don’t you will go broke. Whether it will bring bad luck or cause you to lose your money many cultures believe that it is showing disrespect and ungratefulness towards your riches and in result you will lose them. Growing up I thought I was told this because someone could knock it over or it would be easier to steal if it were on the floor. I understood the physical damage that could happen to the actual purse but I couldn’t grasp where the idea that all my money would be gone came from. I still don’t know exactly if it is true or if it happens, but I will not be the one to find out because my purse deserves a seat, a table, a hook everywhere I go.
Dream about fish
If your grandmother or a motherly figure to you has dreamed about fish I suggest you all get the meatballs out because someone is pregnant and it may even be you. It is unclear as to the relation between fish and pregnancy, some may believe it is because a woman's water breaks at the start of birth. What is clear, is that this superstition has been passed down orally through the generations and my grandmother has never been wrong. Has yours? While it may be hard to find actual scientific proof for the superstitions or who created the trends of what we say, one thing stands. That as black people we will continue to say them and do them as they have become rooted in our culture and identity and more than likely they are older than all of us.
