Superstitions in the DR

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toby

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My daughter has cultivated a new friendship with a dominican canadian child at her school. On a recent visit he was very interested to know why we have sets of bells at the front door. I explained that they are there due to an old superstitious belief that the bells would ward off evil and are placed there as an advanced warning should spirits enter the home.(Foolish yes, but an old and long standing tradition of the family, and a great way to display our collection of bells from all over the world).
This young dominican child grasped the concept and told us of some of his families superstitions making for an interesting conversation. Was wondering if the DR1 folks would like to elaborate on the Dominican Republic superstitions they have come across over the years? Would make for some interesting reading..
Looking forward to the posts...
Toby
 
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NY1

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I don't know if its superstition, but just about every dream you have, has a symbolic number attached to it. Of course you have to play a "parle" for that number, otherwise end up kicking yourself if the number happens to hit.

Oh yeah, never open the fridge after you iron and don't cross your eyes while a rooster is crowing.
 
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toby

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NY1 said:
I don't know if its superstition, but just about every dream you have, has a symbolic number attached to it. Of course you have to play a "parle" for that number, otherwise end up kicking yourself if the number happens to hit.

Oh yeah, never open the fridge after you iron and don't cross your eyes while a rooster is crowing.
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Thanks NY1
...very interesting as I have a french Canadian uncle who swears by picking his lottery numbers from his nightly dreams. (Over the years we have nicknamed him Lucky Marcel as he seems to have won lots of small jackpots). What will be interesting is how the Dominican superstitions relate or are similar to other culture's supersitions. Keep them coming please...
(there is in the archives a thread on this subject that is interesting but as it is a few years old maybe the moderator and new DR1 people can keep this thread alive.
My interest would be supersitions of the home, family and social supersitions...and why do you think these superstitions still exist...any other takers other then NY1...?
Toby
 
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El Tigre

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Jan 23, 2003
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Ceramic elephants

One my family always uses is to put cermic elephants with their A$$ facing to the front of the house. I believe it is done for "good luck".

Edited to add dollar marks since you can't say the actual word.
 
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Susanita

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Xmas Superstitions

You have to have a 'cubo de agua' (a bucket of water)placed at the furthest corner of your house the week of New Year's. Thennn exactly at midnight you dump the water out the backdoor. The belief is you gather all the bad spirits/feels of the year and you dump them out to not come back the following year.

Always have your 'asabache' (this is more cuban influenced than anything) - a little black stone usually given to a baby as soon as he/she is born and never taken off until someone says it's nonsense - on your body to ward off the 'mal ojo' (evil eye).

Oh, the fridge one..you should never open the fridge right after you get up, or any time you are going from warm to any cold temp change because 'te pasma'. I have never found a translation for 'pasma' except..get sick.
 
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Forbeca

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If you drop a knife in the kitchen, a male visitor w/b stopping by. If you drop a spoon, it w/b a female.

If a wasp comes into the house it's bad luck.

If a young girl walks under a ladder, she w/ never marry.
 
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pati

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Susanita said:
Oh, the fridge one..you should never open the fridge right after you get up, or any time you are going from warm to any cold temp change because 'te pasma'. I have never found a translation for 'pasma' except..get sick.
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This bares some truth. You should never go from one extreme temperature to another. If you come in from extreme heat and you stand in front of an open refrigerator you risk sending your body into shock and dying. The same reason why they tell you not to drink ice cold water after being exposed to extreme heat.
 
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toby

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El Tigre said:
One my family always uses is to put cermic elephants with their A$$ facing to the front of the house. I believe it is done for "good luck".

..this was one of the superstitions that my daughters new friend told us about. Interesting that elephants are used in the DR as a symbol to ward off evil and bring good luck. We have a family policy that should an elephant ornament be brought into the house the elephant must have its trunk in the air as this is a way of catching good luck from the surroundings it is placed in. My sister told us this one as she has lived and worked on the african continent most of her adult life.
...i wonder if african cultural supersitions is the basis for this one and others and have evolved over the years in the Carrabean areas? Would be interesting to hear of Haitian superstitions , Hebrew superstitions in the Sosua area, or other ex-pat superstitions that have stuck to the DR cultures physic...knot on wood more responses will arrive to this interesting thread.
Toby
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Tom F.

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Jan 1, 2002
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We werer visiting my wife's friend with new born twins. Another friend had held one of the babies a few days earlier and had her menstration. The baby was getting congested after so they tied a piece of the menstrating friends hair around the baby's wrist. They swear by it.

I used to help a bodega owner friend of mine in Brooklyn and he never let me sweep out the front door, there go your profits. He also had the alter with the half smoked cigar, some plata, some rum, other other knick, knacks (I've seen this in many).

My mother-in-law tells me if I keep letting our two dogs sleep on my son's bed, he won't be able to have children. Another Dominican friend told me it is cats. No problem with dogs he says.

My sister-in-laws always throw the glass on water out the window on New Years, but I see them getting it directly from the sink.

I will have to ask my wife and get more of these.
 
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toby

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Forbeca said:
If you drop a knife in the kitchen, a male visitor w/b stopping by. If you drop a spoon, it w/b a female.

This supersition is still used in our house hold with some variety. My daughter loves this one as it means relatives will arrive. If you drop a fork here is what happens. If the tines of the fork point to the roof (up) an angry sibling will arrive (based on the fact that there are several tines on a fork=several siblings in a family.If you step on the fork in this position it will hurt,therfore the angry sibling theory), if the tines of the fork point to the floor "they will come looking for more" siblings will arrive looking for food or lodgings, a celebration.
When you drop the spoon look how it lands...when the bowl of the spoon is up it looks like a pregnant women...and you know what that means...a new family member will be arriving soon.
Keep them coming...very interesting reading...
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daisyone

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toby said:
El Tigre said:
One my family always uses is to put cermic elephants with their A$$ facing to the front of the house. I believe it is done for "good luck".

..this was one of the superstitions that my daughters new friend told us about. Interesting that elephants are used in the DR as a symbol to ward off evil and bring good luck. We have a family policy that should an elephant ornament be brought into the house the elephant must have its trunk in the air as this is a way of catching good luck from the surroundings it is placed in. My sister told us this one as she has lived and worked on the african continent most of her adult life.
...i wonder if african cultural supersitions is the basis for this one and others and have evolved over the years in the Carrabean areas? Would be interesting to hear of Haitian superstitions , Hebrew superstitions in the Sosua area, or other ex-pat superstitions that have stuck to the DR cultures physic...knot on wood more responses will arrive to this interesting thread.
Toby
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....My mom is of Italian decent and always had her ceramic elephants with their trunks raised up facing the front door for good luck.
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Talldrink

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Jan 7, 2004
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I guess we can start another thread on 'odd' things that only happen in DR:
Pasmarse
Sereno
Patatu
Calambrina
Way Way (said in Spanish)

One that I've heard (I dont believe in any of them):
Dont put your wallet/purse on the floor - "se te va el dinero"

Dont run into the beach after you have eaten, i guess this is more of a true health issue...
 
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jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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swimming after eating

that was an old wives tail in the US also. It had to do with cramping and so forth. Of course some doctor got a huge grant and did a study and now they changed that recomendation.
John
 
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Chris_NJ

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Dec 17, 2003
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If you are eating with a pregnant woman you must defer to her anything on the table that she might want - if not you will get a sty in your eye.
 
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El Jefe

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Jan 1, 2002
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Ojo Malo

The biggest superstition I ever heard in the DR is that certain people (usually uglier women) poseessed the ojo malo (evil eye) and if they looked at you you were in for bad times or worse.
 
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daisyone

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El Jefe said:
The biggest superstition I ever heard in the DR is that certain people (usually uglier women) poseessed the ojo malo (evil eye) and if they looked at you you were in for bad times or worse.[/QUOTE
The evil eye is an Italian superstition too. But they also say you can be 'overlooked' by the evil eye if your wearing something red.
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miguel

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Jul 2, 2003
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Lol

Some of these posts are very funny. Have you heard the one that says that, when in the DR, you must drink as much presidentes as you can. If not, your friends would not drop by like flies. No wonder my home is full of friends every single day. Go figure.
 
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toby

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daisyone said:
El Jefe said:
The biggest superstition I ever heard in the DR is that certain people (usually uglier women) poseessed the ojo malo (evil eye) and if they looked at you you were in for bad times or worse.[/QUOTE
The evil eye is an Italian superstition too. But they also say you can be 'overlooked' by the evil eye if your wearing something red.
Click to expand...

....this supersition seems to have crossed all cultures in one form or the other. When I was a child my mother would make us do the following to ward off the evil eye. If you see a nun from afar, it is good luck and the evil eye will be blinded. If you are in the presense of a nun you must kiss her hand in greeting and you will be saved of troubles until you meet another nun. As a child this was a habit we all did and to this day when i meet a nun I have to remind myself not to reach for her hand and kiss it as not to look the fool. Recently i was visiting an old age home and met a nun in her nineties,I greeted her and she held out her hand for me to kiss. I did so and enjoyed a wonderful conversation with this women who devoted her whole life to her faith.She was french canadian and had hundred of supersitions to share and reminded me of my mother and her family. Interesting how these supersitions become metaphors of cultures we each experience. Keep them coming...Toby
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toby

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...P.S. on my Christmas trip to the DR I was driving in the car with a resident of Cabarete who was kind enough to give us a tour. My family burst out laughing as I announced that we would be safe and free of the evil eye on the trip...I had seen a nun in the car beside us and recieved a warm smile and wave...I waved back and I think she understood my feeling of gladness when I saw her....I know silly... but after that we all relaxed and had a really marvelous time with no worries. Toby
 
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