What is superstition ?
Superstition is belief in the Supernatural connection that one event causes another without any natural process linking the two events.
Superstition can be defined as ‘Unreasonable Beliefs’, especially with regard to the Unknown. A superstition is a mythical belief that does not have any solid base or a logical explanation to it. Every society has a set of superstitions.
However, we need to understand that in the name of preventing superstitions we oversee a lot of useful advice that has been passed down to us by generations. Therefore, we need to also look on the brighter side to determine whether it is superstition or a way to avoid bad things.
#MYTH 1. Women aren’t allowed to enter temples during their menstrual cycle – It is exactly the opposite of what we think.
When a woman is menstruating, people say that she is impure and therefore isn’t allowed to enter the temple. The actual reason is that she is said to be in the pure form and she was worshiped as a Goddess. She is a living Goddess at that time. The energy of the God or Goddess which is there in the murthi (idol) will move over to her, and that (idol) becomes lifeless, while this (menstruating woman) is life.
So the next time someone says that a woman on her menses should not enter a temple because she is impure, we should let the person and the woman know the actual reason behind the rule, instead of simply calling it a taboo. And leave it to her whether or not she wants to follow these practices.
#MYTH 2. Conjoined bananas – Pregnant with twins
Grandparents would often say, “Do not eat bananas that are joined together !” They reasoned the first time you get pregnant you will deliver twins. Some curious minds didn’t listen to the advice given and continued eating every conjoined banana that they found. But nothing that was said happened.
There’s no scientific explanation to this but, maybe it was because they felt the defected bananas were chemically injected or were bad luck.
#MYTH 3. Trimming finger nails at night – Short lifespan of parents
Parents would tell us not to cut nails at night saying it would shorten their (parents) life. Another saying was that ‘Black Magic’ often requires the broken nail piece of the concerned person. Therefore, it was believed that evil spirits performing black magic against us might collect our nail trimmings and use them for causing harm to us.
It is told not to trim nails at night because we may hurt our fingers in low light. Therefore it is safer to trim our nails in broad daylight.
It is also advised that acts such as disposing garbage, lending money, paying off loans and cutting of hair shouldn’t be done at night which marks disrespect to Goddess Lakshmi. She visits homes at night and stays there for protection.
#MYTH 4. The Twitching Eye – Causes Bad luck
Twitching in the middle portion of the eyes indicates financial or other gains. Whereas a twitch in the left eyelid indicates oncoming troubles. But unfortunately, others say that twitching of the left eye is a bad omen. Gender also dictates the meaning of twitching. Twitching on a woman’s left eye is a good sign whereas it is a bad one for a man.
Doctors say it happens due to various reasons such as stress, allergies, alcohol, extra intake of caffeine or just tiredness. It can last for about an hour or even days. Next time you get a twitching eye, don’t hesitate to visit the doctor. 😉
#MYTH 5. Keeping Fingers Crossed – Hope or Forgiveness
This superstition is probably the most widely used today. Crossing two fingers (the middle and index finger) on one hand is a sign of hopefulness or wishing for a particular result.
By making the sign of the Christian faith with our fingers, we would prevent the evil spirits from destroying our chances of good fortune.
When someone tells a lie they will cross their fingers (usually behind their back). This somehow pardons them from the consequences or makes the lie not count.
