Black horror writer Lisa Springer, whose debut novel “There’s No Way I’d Die First” was released in September, remembers when she cut her son’s hair as a baby.
He was seven or eight months old, she said, when he had a little haircut, his first. Springer said, “My mother was upset.” Springer’s mother was upset because, for a host of mostly unfounded reasons, there are many Black folks throughout the African diaspora who would never cut an infant’s hair before their first birthday. Not cutting a baby’s hair before their first birthday is among many, often amusing, Black superstitions.
According to records dating back to the mid-1930s, many common superstitions among Black people have been observed for generations with very little understanding of origin. Several specifically forebode financial gain or financial loss, whether other people are gossiping about you and, of course, protecting children.
When asked why she thinks Black folks have a penchant for superstitions, Springer, who is based in New York City but from Barbados, said that for some, it could stem from Black culture’s diverse religious roots.
“Some things are tied to religion that some people are kind of wary of,” she said, adding, “People think of heaven and hell as two very distinct places, and if you do certain things, it is destined you will go to one or the other. I think a lot of superstitions are rooted in that.”
Springer said she can see how worshipping commandments and observing religious rituals have become established superstitions. She added, “A lot of it is rooted in fear.” Considering how many are about fate and luck, superstitions are also rooted in an understanding that much of life is out of our control.
“As a horror writer, it’s kind of fun to tap into that,” she said.
Below, we have gathered 13 top superstitions believed by Black people throughout the…
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