Folk belief

A door being closed at night to keep out harmful air

The Night Air Ban on Open Doors

by Elizabeth Fabowale

March 25, 2026

American Folk Magic & Healing·American Traditions & Beliefs

In many parts of the American South, when the sun began to set and shadows stretched across the land, a quiet routine would take place inside homes. Doors that had remained open throughout the day were slowly closed. Windows were latched. Curtains were drawn. It was not done out of habit alone, but out of a belief passed down through

A red cloth hanging in a window as a symbol of protection

American Folk Magic & Healing·American Traditions & Beliefs

The Red Cloth Hung at the Window

In many African American communities, especially in earlier generations, protection was not always something spoken aloud. It was often shown through quiet actions, simple objects placed with purpose, and signs that carried meaning understood by those who recognized them. One such sign was the red cloth. It was not large

Parchment-style artwork of the Sun and Moon facing each other in the sky, Cherokee folktale scene.

The Sun and the Moon Are Man and Wife: Cherokee Folktale (United States)

In the ancient days, before the world found its rhythm of day and night, the Sun and the Moon lived together on

Parchment-style illustration of Rip Van Winkle waking on a Catskill Mountains slope, American folktale.

Rip Van Winkle, The Man Who Slept for Twenty Years: American Folktale of Time and Change

At the foot of the misty Catskill Mountains in colonial New York, there once lived a good-natured man named Rip Van Winkle.

Parchment-style illustration of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in snowy woods, American folktale.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: An American Folktale that Teaches Lessons on Strength, Teamwork, and the Power of Legend

Long ago, in the rugged northern forests of America, where towering pines whispered to the wind and the snow stretched farther than

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