It’s called popular wisdom for a reason
How to ward off evil spirits? 10 uniquely American superstitions
Image: Peter Burdon
The United States of America is a melting pot of cultures and traditions, which means many superstitious beliefs can be traced back to other places. Think, for example, of beliefs around black cats or cemeteries. But some superstitions were born here, out of the unique idiosyncrasies of each American region. Why is the color of a porch such a big deal? Why are the woods dangerous? Is it crucial where I place my hat? Popular wisdom has an answer for all these questions, and more.
1
The cowboy hat on the bed
Image: Olivier Piquer
For a proper cowboy, a hat is as important as their horse or saddle. This means that there’s a protocol around this garment that needs to be followed, one important rule being that a hat should never be placed on top of a bed.
Why? There are several explanations, including the idea of bad spirits living in your hair, the old custom of placing a deceased person’s hat on top of their coffin, or the more practical reasoning of wanting to avoid lice. No matter the origin, no respectable cowboy would place his hat on the bed unless he wanted to attract misfortune his way.
2
The Appalachian woods
Image: Elijah Mears
The Appalachian Mountains are filled with myths and legends, and certain rules are passed down and followed by nearly everyone, even those most skeptical about the supernatural. Many of these rules concern the woods and how one should behave in them : don’t go into the woods from dusk till dawn, don’t leave the marked trail, ignore any unknown voice calling you, and don’t look too closely into the trees.
While these rules could be explained by the simple reason of the woods being the hiding place of bandits in the past, and a difficult place to navigate in the dark, they have also been regarded as a place filled with spirits and supernatural beings, which no one wants to come across.
3
Seeing Mothman
Image: James Wainscoat
A local cryptid celebrity in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the Mothman has allegedly been sighted several times since the 1960s. Many legends and beliefs have formed around his figure, one of them being that coming across the Mothman is a sign of an impending tragedy .
This belief gained strength after several reported sightings occurred just before the collapse of the Silver Bridge in 1967. Since then, the Mothman has been considered a harbinger of doom and a bad omen.
4
A mirror to ward off the devil
Image: Denny Müller
Louisianans have many myths and beliefs, especially those rooted in Cajun culture. Influences from French Acadia, Spain, and Western Africa have been incorporated into popular wisdom in a distinctly unique way.
One Cajun custom advises the use of a mirror to repel M’su Diable or "Mr. Devil." M’su Diable is known for being very vain, so he will never waste the opportunity to admire himself. If you hang a mirror in the porch, next to the door, he will stay there all night instead of entering the house, and the sunrise will scare him off.
5
Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Eve
Image: Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu
Each holiday has certain foods associated with it, many of which are considered non-negotiable. For many Southern households, New Year’s Eve is synonymous with black-eyed peas, which are said to attract good luck and prosperity for the coming year.
While it’s a popular belief, this custom has distinctly historical origins. After the Civil War, black-eyed peas became a staple food across the South and saved more than one family from starvation. Today, they are often paired with collard greens, which are said to represent dollar bills.
6
Rocking an empty chair
Image: Robin Jonathan Deutsch
Irish and Scottish settlers brought with them a deeply rooted belief: you shouldn’t rock an empty cradle, cause you might wake the spirits. Across the South and the Appalachians, this belief transformed over time and became attached to another object: the rocking chair.
Often placed on porches or near the fire, a rocking chair moving on its own was believed to be occupied by a supernatural being . If someone rocked an empty chair, the spirits might consider this an invitation into the house.
7
The color of the porch
Image: Thomas Park
If you like the look of Southern front porches, you may have noticed that they often feature a pale blue ceiling. The use of haint blue—a collection of pale blue-green shades —is not an aesthetic choice, but a spirit-warding custom stemming from the enslaved Gullah Geechee people.
By painting the ceiling (and sometimes doors, windows, and shutters) blue, spirits might confuse it with the sky and pass through it, or with water, and avoid it. Over time, the tradition of haint blue— haint being an alternative spelling of _haunt_—spread throughout the South.
8
Bananas on a boat
Image: Ian Talmacs
Bananas are a pretty convenient fruit: they’re tasty, nutritious, and come naturally prepackaged. But don’t try saying that to Alaskan fishermen. They’ll tell you that bananas should never be brought on a boat, or no fish will be caught.
There are two possible origins of this belief. Some say the aversion to bananas stems from the old ships that carried this fruit—they sailed as fast as possible to prevent the cargo from spoiling, which disturbed the water and scared away fish. Others say that overripe bananas attract fruit flies and were believed to cause other food to spoil.
9
The tail of the cow
Image: Screenroad
Florida has historically been the state most prone to hurricanes, which has led to the development of superstitions and beliefs around the subject. A common belief involves cows, or more specifically, their tails.
If a cow holds its tail straight up, many Floridians say it means a hurricane is on the way . There are many scientific reasons for cows to hold their tail upright, and none have to do with weather prediction, but as far as we know, Floridians have not been proven wrong yet.
10
Whistling at night
Image: Lukas Robertson
Many cultures across the world refrain from whistling at night to avoid attracting spirits and malevolent beings. For Hawaiians, it is not just any spirit**. A whistle after dark might attract the** Huakaʻi pō or Nightmarchers , the ghosts of ancient Hawaiian warriors.
If you happen to come across them, your only hope is to lie on your stomach and avoid looking at them as a sign of respect. If you are lucky enough to be a descendant of a warrior, they will recognize you and protect you. But just to be on the safe side, it’s best to leave the whistling for daytime.
