November 2015 – Salem Happenings

Superstitions and Their Origins: Part II

Unless you’ve spent the last month locked in a deep, dark hole, you’re probably already well aware that today is Black Friday. Black Friday is, of course, the day after Thanksgiving when most businesses start actually making a profit for the year (and, therefore, move out of the red ink used for a loss into the black ink used for a gain.) However, Black Friday is also another name for Friday the 13th, which makes it a perfect time to continue this five-part series on superstitions and their origins.

3. A Baker’s Dozen: A baker’s dozen refers to 13 items even though a dozen typically refers to 12. Some believe that the reason for this is that bakers used to give the 13th loaf to customers as a way to bribe the devil and keep him away.
Origin: People have distrusted businesses, traveling merchants, and pretty much anyone who has ever tried to sell them anything since bartering was first invented. However, bakers were traditionally amongst the individuals who people distrusted the most because it was easier for them to cheat their customers. All they had to do was simply make each loaf of bread a little smaller, and they would make more money by giving their customers less food. As a result, many countries have had strict laws since ancient times dictating exactly how much a loaf of bread should weigh. The problem is that some of these laws were extremely strict and required bakers to pay substantial fines or even forfeit some of their body parts if they failed to meet the minimum requirements even once.

As a result, many bakers decided that it was simply safer to give the customer an extra loaf of bread than risk losing an ear, a hand, or his or her life savings, and this practice was actually codified by one of the major baker’s guilds in London, the Worshipful Company of Bakers, during the middle ages. Of course, some bakers resented the fact that they had to give more food to their customers just to make sure that they didn’t suffer financial or physical harm, and they may have made some references to giving the “devil his due.” This led some people (probably bakers) to refer to a baker’s dozen as the “devil’s dozen”, and while there is a pretty good chance that there were some bakers who said that the extra loaf was to keep the devil away, they most likely meant it in the figurative sense (i.e. keeping the authorities who would fine them or sever their body parts away) than the literal sense (i.e. the actual devil).

4. Knocking on Wood: Knocking on wood is believed to protect you from harm if you’ve said or done something to jinx yourself.
Origin: While the exact origins of the superstition are unknown, the practice of knocking on wood has existed in some fashion since ancient times. In fact, the Ancient Celts, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Japanese, and a number of other ancient cultures all believed in some sort of tree spirit that would offer protection to those who respected the trees and forestlands. As a result, the custom may have begun as a way for people to chase away evil spirits by scaring them out of the trees and/or a way to ask the good forest spirits for their blessing. However, the expression, “knocking on wood” didn’t actually come into common use until the early 19th century, and it may, therefore, have a more practical origin (although, you never know, appeasing the forest spirits could be a pretty practical reason for the expression to exist as well.)

You see, prior to the mid 1800’s (and even somewhat afterwards), firearms were typically muzzle-loaded or, in other words, loaded from the barrel of the gun. This meant that an individual had to load the ammunition and the gunpowder very carefully in order to make sure that the gun didn’t fire prematurely (while it was aiming in their general direction or the direction of one of their compatriots) and to make sure that the gun would ultimately fire in the way that it was intended to fire. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always easy to get the gunpowder to sit correctly in these front-loaded weapons, and many people (especially during the U.S Revolutionary War) attempted to correct this issue by knocking on the stock of their rifle. The hope was that by knocking on the stock of the rifle, which of course was made of wood, they would be able to make the gunpowder settle more evenly and avoid all of the potentially life-threatening issues that could result from too much powder on one side of the weapon. This practice of “knocking on wood” to ensure that each weapon fired correctly may have played a part in creating or, at the very least, reinforcing the notion that knocking on wood can protect you from harm.

5. Wishbones: If two people take opposite ends of a wishbone, make a wish, and separate the wishbone, the person that ends up with the longer part of the bone will have his or her wish granted.
Origin: The exact origins of the superstition surrounding wishbones, like many superstitions, is certainly up for debate. However, even though there is some debate about exactly when and where the superstition surrounding wishbones originated, most historians agree that the superstition originated hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago in Europe (possibly in Ancient Italy.) The belief that wishbones might have special powers appears to have arisen from a common practice that was quite popular during the medieval era, but actually dates back to ancient times – alectromancy. Alectromancy, which is also known as alectryomancy or Rooster Divination, is the practice of using the bones of birds or the patterns that birds make to predict the future. Many people, especially in Ancient Italy and Rome, believed that they could use the patterns that birds form in scattered grain or the patterns formed by scattering the bones of sacrificed birds to identify thieves, predict the weather, and predict the outcome of major battles.

In fact, the Ouija board that we all know and love or loathe, is actually based on a common practice in alectromancy in which a person would draw a circle and divide it almost like a pie. The individual would then draw a letter on each piece of the pie-like circle and place some grain on each letter. This would allow the diviner to place a bird in the center of the circle so that he or she could record each of the letters that the bird pecked at and use these letters to make his or her prediction. Some historians believe that this practice was so popular that people began to seek out the bones of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and other birds so that their powers of divination could be used even after the bird’s death.

Dying to learn more about superstitions and their origins? Part III of 13 Superstitions and Their Origins will appear next week, and if you missed the first part of the series, you can find it here.

Photo credit: David Meurin / Foter.com / CC BY

Works Consulted

“A Brief History.” The Worshipful Company of Bakers Website. The Worshipful Company of Bakers, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Hiskey, David. “Why A Baker’s Dozen Is 13 Instead of 12.” Today I Found Out. Today I Found Out, 10 Sep. 2010. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Davis, Marcia. “Wishbone Myth Has Long History.” Knoxville News. Journal Media Group, 19 Nov. 2006. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Padden, Kathy. “Why Do We Knock on Wood?” Today I Found Out. Today I Found Out, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Soniak, Matt. “Why Do We Knock on Wood?” Mental Floss. Mental Floss, Inc., 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Soniak, Matt. “Why Do We Wish on the Turkey’s Wishbone?” Mental Floss. Mental Floss Inc., 24 Nov. 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

“The Baker’s Dozen.” List of Phobias. Did You Know?, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. “Alectryomancy.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. “Dozen.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Nov. 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. “Furcula.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. “Knocking on wood.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. “List of tree deities.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Sep. 2015. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Your Boston Accent: Love It or Lose It?

Do you park your car in Harvard Yard or do you pahk your cah in Hahvuhd Yahd? If you’re from anywhere in the vicinity of the Boston area, you’ve probably heard this phrase or some version of it at some point. In fact, it’s pretty much a guarantee that someone somewhere will ask you to demonstrate your Boston accent like you’re a trained chimpanzee whose sole purpose is to amuse the person who probably has an accent thicker than you do. Unfortunately, when you are presented with this question, you really only have two options: get mad and refuse or say the phrase. However, if you would like to shock and awe all of the people who ask to hear your accent, you may want to consider either learning to eliminate your accent (which will really shock them when you say the phrase in a way they are totally not expecting) or you can embrace your Boston heritage and brush up on your accent (thereby making sure that your accent is wicked pissa).

First, if you would like to lose your accent, you may want to consider taking a course at the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE). This is because the BCAE is offering a course entitled “Lose Your Boston Accent” from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, November 21, 2015). This course, which is primarily designed for actors and other professionals who may need to speak in a more generic dialect, will teach you to pronounce your r’s, pronounce certain vowel sounds differently, and lose some of the Boston slang we’ve all come to know and love. For more information on the Lose Your Boston Accent course at the BCAE, please visit the Boston Center for Adult Education’s website.

If, on the other hand, you would like to embrace your heritage and really work on improving your accent, there’s no better way than spending some time in the city itself. And, if you would like to spend some time in the city itself and enjoy everything Boston has to offer, you may want to check out Boston CityPASS. Boston CityPASS is a program that will allow you to buy a booklet of tickets to some of the most popular museums in Boston at an extremely discounted price. In fact, this program will allow you to get tickets to four attractions, including the Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, the New England Aquarium, and either the Harvard Museum of Natural History or the Skywalk Observatory for a single fee that’s pretty close to half the price you would normally pay to get into all four museums. For more information on the Boston CityPASS program, please visit the Official Boston CityPASS website.

Photo credit: Bert Kaufmann / Foter.com / CC BY

13 Superstitions and Their Origins: Part I

Friday the 13th, a day that many people dread, is upon us yet again. However, many people don’t actually know why Friday the 13th strikes fear into the hearts of so many (including some of the people that actually fear it.) Fortunately, if you’re one of the people who has always wondered why today has earned its reputation or where all of the other superstitions we all know and love (or loathe) come from, this five-part blog post series is here to help you learn exactly that.

1. Friday the 13th: Friday the 13th is considered to be the unluckiest day on the calendar, and many people believe every manner of horrible thing will happen when a Friday falls on the 13th.
Origin: Fridays and the number 13 have been considered to be unlucky since ancient times, but prior to the Middle Ages, Friday the 13th was largely considered to be just another day on the calendar. In fact, some believe that the reputation associated with the day was ultimately formed when King Philip of France ordered his men to arrest and torture the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307. The arrest and torture of a renowned group of holy knights certainly made Friday the 13th a day that would live in infamy. However, it really wasn’t until long after the middle ages, in the early 1800’s, that people began combining their fear of the number 13 (also known as triskaidekaphobia) with their fear of Fridays (which doesn’t have an official name, but if you really need one, it would probably be something like paraskeviphobia or friggaphobia).

These fears stem from a number of different beliefs that can be traced back to the dawn of Christianity, including the belief that there were 13 people present at Jesus Christ’s last supper, Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Good Friday), and Eve offered Adam the fruit from the forbidden tree on a Friday. Friday was also the day that people were typically executed in a number of countries throughout the ages (including ancient Rome), and legend has it that a rope needs to be twisted 13 times to make a hangman’s noose. These beliefs and traditions coupled with both old and modern tales like the Canterbury Tales and the Friday the 13th films have led to an ever-growing fear of Friday the 13th, which is known as paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.

2. Black Cats: A black cat crossing your path is considered to be extremely bad luck, and some believe it may even be an indication that you’re not going to have the best of times in the afterlife (fire and brimstone anyone?)
Origin: The reputation of cats has had a roller coaster ride throughout the millennia, as the beliefs and superstitions surrounding these cute, furry, little predators has changed with each passing era. The ancient Egyptians believed that cats were divine creatures sent to protect the people from evil, and, to some extent, cats actually did. Rats were a huge problem for the ancient Egyptians, so little creatures that instinctively hunted and exterminated the rodent population were certainly appreciated and probably seemed like a gift from a higher power. However, the reputation of cats as god-like creatures took a turn for the worse when Christianity appeared on the scene and the early Christians began distancing themselves from other belief systems, including the beliefs of the Egyptians.

In fact, by the middles ages, the reputation of cats had been completely turned on its head, as they were believed to be demons in disguise, servants of witches, or actual witches who had taken on animal form. Black cats were especially feared because not only were they quiet and sneaky creatures, but they were also hard to see. This combined with the fact that wise, old women (who were often accused of witchcraft at the time) had a tendency even back then to feed stray cats made a black cat crossing your path seem like a sure sign that the devil or one of his servants was out to get you. It is important to remember, however, that black cats are really only seen as bad luck in certain cultures because some cultures, including the Japanese and the Scots, believe that a black cat may actually be a sign of good luck.

Dying to learn more about superstitions and their origins? Part II of 13 Superstitions and Their Origins will appear in a couple of weeks (after next week’s regularly scheduled post).

Photo credit: pedrosimoes7 / Foter.com / CC BY

Works Consulted

Harris, Tom. “How Friday the 13th Works.” HowStuffWorks.com. HowStuffWorks, a division of Infospace, LLC, 7 June 2003. Web. 12 Nov. 2015

Cohen, Jenny. “Friday the 13th: History of a Phobia.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC, 13 May 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Noreen. “Why Black Cats Are Considered Bad Luck.” Today I Found Out. Today I Found Out, 10 Sep. Web. 12 Nov. 2015

“Paraskevidekatriaphobia.” Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan Publishers Limited, 11 Nov. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2015

Welsh, Chris. “A Black Cat Crossing Your Path.” TimelessMyths. TimelessMyths, 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015

Wikipedia contributors. “Friday the 13th.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

Gaming for Charity

All Hallows Eve, a day with a long history of treats and an even longer history of tricks, has come to a close once again. However, if you are one of the “fine, upstanding” individuals that took part in more of the mischief than the merriment this past Halloween, you may be looking for a way to improve your overall karma. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to improve your cosmic standing, there is no better way than supporting a charity, and it just so happens that there are a couple of interesting charity events in the Boston area this weekend. In fact, these charity events are specifically designed for gamers, so if you’re a gamer looking for a way to help out, look no further.

First, for all of the video game fans out there who are just dying to take part in a Local Area Network (LAN) party, the Cambridge Innovation Center has you covered. This is because the Cambridge Innovation Center, in partnership with the American Video Game League (AVGL), is hosting the Children’s Miracle Network Extra Life Fundraiser from 8:00 A.M. tomorrow (November 7, 2015) to 8:00 A.M. Sunday (November 8, 2015). This event will give you and your fellow video game fanatics the opportunity to play a full 24 hours of video games without the feelings of guilt that usually occur when you play that long because each player is required to find sponsors to donate money to charity. All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Boston Children’s Hospital, and it really doesn’t matter how long you play or how much money you raise ($100 per person is the suggested amount) because in the end, it’s all about the charity. For more information on the Children’s Miracle Network Extra Life Fundraiser, please visit the American Video Game League’s Events page.

Secondly, if you’re more into board games than video games and you don’t mind losing some of your blood to something other than a vampire, you may want to check out the Boston Blood Drive and Board Games Event. Knight Moves, in partnership with Eureka Games, is hosting a board game event right down the street from the bloodmobile’s blood drive at Coolidge Corner. The hope is that there may be some gamers out there who are willing to donate some of their blood before they dive into some games at the Knight Moves Board Game Café. This event will not only allow you to help the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital collect the vital fluids they desperately need but will also allow you to get free cookies, play games at Knight Moves for a discounted price, and potentially win some prizes. For more information on the Boston Blood Drive and Board Games Event at Knight Moves and/or to register for the event, please visit the Knight Moves’ Registration Page on the SignUpGenius website.

Photo credit: ** RCB ** / Foter.com / CC BY