Folklore and belief
Legends, superstitions, charms and customs of luck.
Folklore and belief gather the legends, charms, superstitions and customs of luck that people live by: knocking on wood, the evil eye, the tooth fairy, the black dog on the moor, the fox spirit of Japan, the spirits of the forest. These are not formal religion but a living layer of stories and habits, told by grandparents and kept alive in jokes, rhymes and small rituals. EveryParampara describes them as folklore, in the way those who keep them describe them, and takes no position on whether they are true.
Tales and creatures
Every region has its stories of giants, fairies, trolls, tricksters, ghosts and talking animals, often explaining a hill, a river or a custom. They are told to entertain and to teach, and collectors such as the Brothers Grimm and local folklorists have written many down. The same tale types appear across continents, with local details, which scholars have long studied. Storytelling nights, festivals and schools keep them in circulation.
Luck and protection
Customs of luck and protection are the small daily rituals: spilling salt, a horseshoe over the door, a red thread, a coin in the fountain, a lucky number. They answer the wish for some control in an uncertain world and are often kept with a smile. Some have a practical origin, and others are echoes of older beliefs. EveryParampara notes traditional use as tradition and offers no medical or financial advice.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Folklore and belief (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreFriday the 13th
A Western folk superstition regarding the unluckiness of a Friday falling on the 13th.Folklore
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreDreamcatcherᐊᓴᐱᑫᔒᓐᐦ (asabikeshiinh)
A hand-woven hoop from Anishinaabe tradition, hung above a cradle to protect a childCraft
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreFortune-telling
Reading cards, palms or tea leaves to tell a client what may lie aheadFolklore
🇲🇽 MexicoDanza de los ViejitosT'arche Uarakua
A Purépecha masked dance honouring the sun and the four elements in MichoacánPerformance
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMedicine wheel
Sacred circular stone arrangements built across the plains of North AmericaSpiritual
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesWampum
Shell beads woven into belts by Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands for record-keeping and ceremony.Folklore
🇺🇸 Punxsutawney, United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau dåk
A February ritual where communities watch a groundhog emerge to predict the length of winter.Festival
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreJumping the broom
A wedding ritual where newlyweds leap over a broom to mark their unionRite of passage
🇨🇦 Canada and 2 moreInuksuk
Stone markers raised by Inuit across the Arctic to guide, hunt and rememberCraft
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreCalaca
Skull and skeleton figures made for the Day of the Dead, joyful rather than sadCraft
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United StatesMardi Gras Indians
A New Orleans carnival tradition where Black revelers wear elaborate Native American-inspired suits to honor historical Festival
🇨🇦 Canada and 2 moreMummering
A festive midwinter custom of disguised visits, music and playful guessing gamesFestival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreLine-crossing ceremony
A naval initiation rite marking a sailor's first voyage across the equatorRite of passage
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 5 moreBundling
A traditional courtship practice where a couple shares a bed under supervision to ensure compatibility and accountabilitRite of passage
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreStatue rubbing
A global custom of touching public statues to seek luck, love, or a return to the city.Festival
🇨🇦 Wallaceburg, CanadaBaldoon Mystery
A ghost story from Wallaceburg, Ontario, about a cursed farm and a silver bulletFolklore
🇺🇸 United StatesFlower girl
A young child walking before the bride, scattering blossoms along the wedding aisleRite of passage
🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreMemphre
A creature of Quebec and Vermont folklore, reported at Lake Memphremagog since 1816Folklore
🇨🇦 Turtle Lake, CanadaTurtle Lake Monster
A Saskatchewan lake legend of a huge creature, claimed sightings and a sturgeon theoryFolklore
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
- Mardi Gras Indians: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dreamcatcher: Jorge Barrios, Public domain, source
- Fortune-telling: Taras Shevchenko, Public domain, source
- Jumping the broom: credited only as "Hipstamatic shots, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mummering: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerry_curtis/, CC0, source
- Danza de los Viejitos: Jessicatena, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Medicine wheel: U.S. Forest Service Photo, Public domain, source
- Wampum: Museuvalenciaetnologia, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Inuksuk: Christina Chan, CC BY 2.0, source
- Calaca: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Memphre: Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0, source
- Line-crossing ceremony: Jules de Caudin, Public domain, source
- Statue rubbing: Matthias Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Flower girl: lil'bear, CC BY 2.0, source