Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for P533 returned 1136 results.
Introducing a friend of the opposite sex to your parents means
that you want to marry that person.
| Subject headings: | Observation BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Marriage |
Date learned: 00-00-1971
Someday you will be a mother and then you'll know!
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank SPEECH -- Formula |
Date learned: 00-00-1952
Do not wash clothes on New Year's Day because you'll wash a
person out of your family. The informant's mother died on January
15, 1982 right after the oldest sister washed clothes on January 1,
1982. The informant's mother was very upset because she was very
sick and she did die.
Date learned: 00-00-1955
When passing a funeral home, you were told not to point at it,
because if you did you would die. You would have to bite your
finger and then put it under your foot to keep death away. It
would reverse the curse of death.
James Callow Keyword(s): CONVERSION
Date learned: 00-00-1955
It's said that if you sweep your trash off your porch after
dark, a police officer will come to your house and take one of your
family members to jail.
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Measure of time WeekDayHour BELIEF -- Measure of time Working |
Date learned: 00-00-1955
If your nose itches on the left side it means a strange man is
coming to your house, but if your nose itches on the right side it
means a strange woman is coming to your house.
Where learned: GEORGIA ; Alberton
James Callow Keyword(s): LEFT RIGHT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Sensations and involuntary actions Itching nose |
Date learned: 00-00-1959
Throw salt over your left shoulder when entering a new
dwelling.
Submitter comment:
The older folks in the family always told us: When we buy a
new house or are invited to spend the night at a friend's house,
before we go in we should throw some salt over our shoulder to
scare away any evil spirits that may be in the house.
Where learned: BOSTON ; Massachusetts
Date learned: 00-00-1976
Whenever you move into a new house you should always put a
loaf of bread and an envelope with some money on the window sill
before you move in. This is an offering to God for his blessing
on the home so you will never be hungry or without money.
Submitter comment:
This was one of the folklores that were always followed
because all of my brothers, sister, mother, and father did it and
they always had what they needed. I cannot recall a day when I
was hungry or could not get some money if I needed it when I was
growing up.
Where learned: BOSTON ; Massachusetts
| Subject headings: | 686 Properties attributed to specific numbers or numerals individually. BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
Date learned: 00-00-1953
Never wear white to the funeral of an elder because it is
disrespectful to the family.
Submitter comment:
I traveled by plane to Alabama to go to my aunt stepmother's
funeral. As we dressed that morning to go to the funeral I asked
my aunt, "What should I wear? I said, "Maybe I will wear my
white dress." My aunt said, "No, you do not wear white to the
funeral of an elder because it is disrespectful to the family."
Where learned: ALABAMA ; Dixon Mills
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial BELIEF -- Color |
Date learned: 00-00-1983
Never walk under a ladder, it is bad luck !
Submitter comment:
As my mother and I painted the molding of the house, she
said, "Do not walk under that ladder because it is bad luck ."
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Bad luck |
Date learned: 00-00-1986
If the bride's father cannot give the bride away at her
wedding, then the eldest man in the family must give the bride
away for wisdom and blessing in the marriage.
Submitter comment:
My mother's descendants believed that the bride should be
given away by an elder if the father could not be at the
wedding.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Marriage |
Date learned: 00-00-1986
It has been said that if you urinate in the middle of the
highway, you'll get a star (pimple) under you eye.
Submitter comment:
Everytime I saw someone with a pimple under his/her eye I would
think about this old saying.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): Pimple
James Callow Keyword(s): Stye
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Genius
It's been said that if a child never meets his/her father then
that child will be very intelligent.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
Keyword(s): High IQ
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Secular hero BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Birth |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
When I was in gradeschool I always heard that if you step on a
crack, in the sidewalk, you'll break your mother's back.
Where learned: MISSISSIPPI ; Louise
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
When a child walks around the house, with one shoe on and one
shoe off, it's sending their mother to an early grave.
Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans
Date learned: 00-00-1970
When a black cat cross your path while driving down the road,
you should turn around and go another way, because you will have
something bad to happen to you if you don't.
Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Mammal BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Color BELIEF -- Bad luck BELIEF -- Conversions |
You are never to cross the path of a funeral because you will
be the next person they have a funeral for.
Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans
| Subject headings: | Observation BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial |
Date learned: OOOO1970
You should never split a pole or a tree or anything when
walkin' with another person. It may bring you bad luck. If you do
split it, to keep you from having bad luck, you have to go back
around whatever you split the same way you came.
Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank BELIEF -- Bad luck BELIEF -- Conversions |
Date learned: 00-00-1968
If you keep whiskey on the window ledge, it will keep evil
thoughts from disturbing your home.
Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans
| Subject headings: | Food Drink -- Alcoholic beverage Distilled BELIEF -- Home BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
You should always keep your door ledges clean, because that's
where thoughts are held.
Where learned: LOUISIANA ; New Orleans
Date learned: 00-00-1971