Ania Freer, an Australian-Jamaican filmmaker, cultural researcher, and creative storyteller, featured Shango and his experience with a River Mumma, a water spirit who inhabits and protects the rivers in Jamaica. In our folklore, it's said that one of the River Mummas lives beneath Flat Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in Jamaica, which spans the River Cobre.

https://vimeo.com/545325243

#WorldFolkloreDay
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In Jamaican culture, Senseh fowls have a special skill for detecting and digging up any “guzu” that a malevolent person hid in one’s yard or on one’s property.

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#FolkMagic
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A Jamaican Easter tradition that I first heard from my mother when I was a child was about the Physic Nut tree (Jatropha curcas). It tends to “bleed” around noon on Good Friday. This red sap has been associated with Jesus’ blood when he was crucified.

#Jamaica
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#Caribbean
#CaribbeanFolklore
#Folklore
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#Easter

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In Jamaican folklore, people used to set egg white in a glass cup on Holy Thursday evening. On Good Friday morning, they would make predictions based on the pattern or shape of the egg white, e.g. a ship meant travel.

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#Caribbean
#CaribbeanFolklore
#Folklore
#FolkloreThursday
#Easter

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@folklorethursday

In Jamaican folklore, a funerary tradition is to pass a baby or toddler over the coffin, usually at the graveside. This ritual prevents the spirit from returning to hang around with the child, especially if the deceased had been fond of them. Otherwise, if the nature of the deceased warrants it, this tradition safeguards the child’s well-being.

#MythologyMonday theme - Children
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#Folklore

@folklore

In Jamaican folklore, the Patoo (or Potoo) is a Jamaican term for an owl that’s believed to be a mystical bird. Sometimes, it sounds like a baby’s cry. It’s said that if you hear it, it means someone will die.

“Patoo” comes from the Twi word “Patu”, most likely passed down from enslaved Akan (Ghana) people in Jamaica.

If a Jamaican tells you, “Yuh fayva Potoo”, it means you’re really ugly.

https://www.caribbeanbirdingtrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/28-Northern-Potoo-in-Stewart-Town-forest-1-e1420432428573.jpg

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For St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow, since Jamaica’s history and culture include the Irish:

In Jamaican folklore, if a news bug lands on you, it means you’ll be getting news soon. When this happens, throw it in the air. If it continues to fly, it’s said that good luck is headed your way. However, if it falls to the ground, that’s a sign of bad luck.

https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeJamaica/posts/a-flower-chafer-beetle-gymnetis-lanius-jamaicans-call-them-news-bugthey-are-amon/1896692104052274/

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In Jamaica, the Strangler Fig is known as a Banyan tree. It's mentioned in "Moonshine Tonight", a Jamaican folk song. Enslaved Africans would dance under the Banyan tree in the moonlight on significant occasions. It's no surprise that the Jamaican folklore surrounding it is similar to that of the Silk Cotton tree.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8fs5fNYXnkA

#ThickTrunkTuesday
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Jamaican White Rum isn’t just for drinking. It has several spiritual uses.

For example, before moving into a new house or a dwelling that was previously leased, pray while splashing it in every room with a flashing motion to get rid of negative energies or unwelcome occupants of the invisible variety. Next, invoke positive energies into your home.

#Jamaica
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#Caribbean
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In Jamaican folklore, planting or keeping sweet basil by the gates, doors, and windows of your house or apartment will ward off malevolent duppies and negative vibes from entering your home. It’s said that if the basil plant suddenly gives off a scent, it means a duppy is near.

#Jamaica
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#Caribbean
#CaribbeanFolklore
#PlantLore
#Folklore
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In the Jamaican legend of Lovers' Leap, Mizzy and Tunkey, two star-crossed enslaved lovers leapt to their death over the 1,700-foot cliff facing the sea rather than be separated by a jealous plantation owner.

In another version, the moon caught them in a net as it set below the sea.

Photo Credit: Jamaica Observer

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#Caribbean
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Want to know if your lover is faithful?

In Jamaican folklore, one would make a slit in the leaves of a Leaf of Life plant and place them over a door of their lover's house. If the slits bud, their lover is loyal. The ones that don't bud indicate the number of times their lover has cheated.

#Jamaica
#JamaicanFolklore
#Caribbean
#CaribbeanFolklore
#Love
#PlantLore
#Folklore
#FolkloreThursday

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“Doctor Bud a Cunny Bud,
Hard Bud Fi Dead”

This Jamaican folk song is about our National bird, a swallow-tailed hummingbird known as the Doctor Bird.

The Taíno call the hummingbird the "God bird" because they believe this peaceful creature is the reincarnation of dead souls, as well as a guardian messenger between the worlds of the living and the dead.

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#MythologyMonday
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#Taíno
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@folklore

If a baby girl looks like her father and a boy looks like his mother, fortune will smile on them.

#SuperstitionSaturday
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In Jamaican folklore, duppies dwell in the roots of the Silk Cotton tree. Fishermen who used the tree's wood for canoes would make offerings to the tree's spirits before cutting down the tree.

Tom Cringle's Cotton Tree was named after a character in Michael Scott's novel, Tom Cringle's Log. This Silk Cotton tree was located in front of the Ferry Police Station in St. Catherine.

https://nljdigital.nlj.gov.jm/items/show/6716#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-1%2C-85%2C432%2C440

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Folklore Thursday theme: food

• If the rain is falling on a bright, sunny day, it's said that the devil and his wife are quarrelling about, or fighting for, food, namely, red herring or salt fish.

• If you peel an orange without breaking the peel, it's said that you'll get a new suit.

#Jamaica
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#Caribbean
#Folklore
#FolkloreThursday
#Food

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Mythology Monday theme for the Chinese New Year (Year of the Water Rabbit): rabbits and the water element 🐇 🌊

Before the start of 2023, my mother told me that when she was growing up, people would say, "Rabbit, rabbit" as the first words on the first day of every new month.

If you didn't, it was said that bad luck would follow you throughout that month.

#MythologyMonday
#Jamaica
#JamaicanFolklore
#Caribbean
#Folklore

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My mother taught us that if we couldn't avoid disposing of dirty water outside after dusk, we should say "Excuse me, strangers" out of respect for the spirits, and pour the water close to the ground instead of throwing it.

It used to irritate me, but over time, my attitude softened. Life has taught me to respect all the beings with whom we coexist.

#JamaicanFolklore
#Jamaica
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#FolkloreThursday

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Mythology Monday theme: Jewels

If you happen to find a golden comb on a rock beside a river in Jamaica, LEAVE IT ALONE!

The River Mumma, a Water spirit who guards the waters and their creatures, is testing you. It's said that if you take what belongs to her, she will appear to drag you to a watery death. However, if you pass her test, she will reward you with good fortune.

#MythologyMonday
#Folklore
#Jamaica
#JamaicanFolklore
#RiverMumma

@mythologymonday
@mythologybot
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In Jamaican folklore, "duppy" in plant names help to discern edible and inedible plants, such as the real chocho and the duppy version. It's said that what's good for the duppy is bad for humans.

Certain plants like night-blooming jasmine attract duppies, so Jamaicans who are aware of this don't keep this shrub near their homes.

#Jamaica
#JamaicanFolklore
#Caribbean
#Folklore
#FolkloreThursday

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