American Traditions & Beliefs — 98 Stories

• Summer River Swimming Opening Tradition
• Thanksgiving Harvest Sharing Tradition
• Summer Porch Sitting Evening Tradition
• Winter Solstice Fire Lighting Practice
• First Rain of Spring Welcome Tradition
• Late Autumn Firewood Stacking Ritual
• Spring Garden Blessing Practice
• Harvest Moon Night Gathering Tradition
• The Corn Husk Charm for Protection
• The Crossroads Offering for Healing
• The Stone Carried from the Riverbed
• The Red Cloth Hung at the Window
• The Shadow Avoidance at Sundown
• The Dream Catching Web Above the Bed
• The Healing Smoke of Sage Fires
• The Night Air Ban on Open Doors
• The Lightning That Chose Its Victim
• The Storm That Walked Like a Man
• The Wind Spirits of the Four Directions
• The Rain That Fell Only on One House
• The Day the Sky Refused to Rain
• Footprints Marked by Rain
• Voices Hidden in the Wind
• The Storm That Stopped Time
• The Crickets That Bring Good Luck
• The First Visitor on New Year’s Day
• The Whippoorwill’s Call of Death
• The Photograph That Captures the Soul
• The Funeral Procession Omen
• The Wedding Ring in the Cake
• The Storm Candle Protection
• The Train Whistle at Midnight
• California Almond Blossom Festival
• Los Pastores Nativity Dramas (Southwest)
• Maple Sugaring Season in the Northeast
• Texas Juneteenth Emancipation Celebrations
• Hawaiian Makahiki Season
• Groundhog Day Folk Weather Tradition
• Dia de los Muertos in the United States
• Apple Cider Pressing Festivals
• Hex Signs of Pennsylvania Barn Protection
• Mountain “Blood Stoppers” of Appalachia
• Hoodoo Rootwork in the American South
• Cherokee Sacred Plant Medicine Traditions
• The Seventh Son as Folk Healer
• Louisiana Gris-Gris Protection Bags
• Mormon Pioneer Herbal Healing Traditions
• Navajo (Diné) Blessingway Healing Ceremony
• Animals Refusing Shelter Before Rain
• Snow on Leaves Predicts a Gentle Winter
• Early Frost as a Sign of Long Winter
• Ring Around the Moon Predicts Rain
• Thunder in Winter Foretells Hardship
• Groundhog Behavior as a Seasonal Forecast
• Fog Rising from Rivers Predicts Heat
• Whistling Winds as Messengers of Change
• Facing Mirrors While Sleeping Weakens Spiritual Protection
• Pointing at Rainbows Causes Bad Luck
• Sweeping Feet Brings Bad Luck
• Burying a Statue to Sell a House Faster
• Whistling Indoors Calls Trouble
• Sitting in Doorways Blocks Opportunity
• Counting Money at Night Reduces Wealth
• The Empty Corner Seat Superstition
• Hog Killing Day of Winter
• The Turning of the Sugar Maples
• The Thunder Month Garden Pause
• The June Bonfire Vigil
• Candle Window of Winter
• The Corn Doll of Autumn
• The First Snow Silence Rule
• New Year Hearth Cleaning
• The Ozark Faith Healer’s Hands
• The Water Witch Who Found the Well
• The Almanac Doctor of New England
• The Mexican Curandera’s Limpia
• The Spanish Moss Cure
• Salt Line of Protection
• The Gullah Root Bundle for Protection
• The Powwow Healer’s Hidden Book
• The Cat and the Coming Storm
• When the Frogs Stopped Singing: Cherokee Folktale
• Red Sky and the Farmer’s Promise: American Folktale
• Thunder Beings and the Rain of Renewal: Lakota Sioux Folktale
• The Itchy Palm and the Coming Fortune: Southern American Folktale
• The Rocking Chair That Rocked Itself: Midwestern American Folktale
• Whistle: The Appalachian Folktale of Midnight Echoes
• The Mirror that Stole Youth: New England Folktale
• The Groundhog’s Shadow: Pennsylvania Folktale
• The Corn Mother’s Gift: Cherokee Folktale
• The Snow Woman: American Folktale of the Northern Winter
• The Jack-o’-Lantern and the Devil: American Folktale of Halloween Origins
• The Ozark Witch Doctor’s Knot: American Folktale of Healing and Protection
• The Braucherei “Powwow” Healing Prayer: American Folktale of Faith and Cure
• The Black Cat Bone and the Lucky Hand: American Hoodoo Folktale
• The Seventh Son Healer’s Charm: Appalachian Folktale
• The Lucky Penny by the Tracks
• The Tale of the Carpenter’s Blessing