Stamping is the act of licking one's thumb, pressing the wet thumb into the opposite palm, then striking the wet palm with the opposite fist.
[Cannell, Margaret, "Signs, Omens, and Portents in Nebraska Folklore" (1933). ''University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism''. 2. ] Stamping is usually done in response to seeing a specific subject, such as a white horse or mule.
Stamping is thought to bring good luck, usually after a certain number of subjects have been stamped, typically one hundred.
Origins
Stamping may have originated as an imitation of the act of placing a
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
on a piece of mail.
It may also be related to the use of a
wax seal
A seal is a device for making an impression in Sealing wax, wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or to prevent interf ...
, as some recorded versions of the superstition refer to stamping a subject as "sealing" the good luck.
The motion of striking the palm with a closed fist after it has been wet by the thumb is also suggestive of an exaggerated imitation of the action of using a seal.
Subjects of stamping
Most recorded superstitions concerning stamping refer to the stamping of
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
s or
mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...
s, usually white or other specific color or pattern of horse. These superstitions suggest that one must stamp one hundred or a similarly high number of the subject in question to bring themselves luck, prevent bad luck, or make a wish come true.
As horses and mules became less common, some children shifted the subject of stamping to automobiles of specific models or with specific characteristics, such as a broken headlight.
Stamping automobiles is especially recorded among children in
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
.
Another superstition suggests that stamping the first
robin
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
**Bush-robin
**Forest rob ...
one sees in the springtime will bring the stamper good luck.
Race-based stamping
A version of the stamping superstition exists in which children would stamp people of specific races, particularly African Americans.
This form of stamping may specify that the stamper loses the previous stamps they had acquired if they see an Asian American.
Race-based stamping appears to be more common in the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
.
See also
*
Folklore of the United States
American folklore encompasses the folklores that have evolved in the present-day United States since Europeans arrived in the 16th century. While it contains much in the way of Native American tradition, it is not wholly identical to the tribal ...
*
Superstition
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
*
Wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.
In fiction
In fiction a ...
*
Luck
Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...
*
Childlore
Childlore is the folklore or folk culture of children and young people. It includes, for example, rhymes and games played in the school playground. The best known researchers of the field were Iona and Peter Opie.
Overview
The subject matter of ...
References
{{Reflist
Superstitions of the United States
Nebraska folklore
Luck