SOME SUPERSTITIONS IN THE WORLD

There are many superstitions all over the world. We shall go through some of those. 

It is seen as bad luck to trim the nails at night. This superstition is very strong in Turkey, India and South Korea. Japanese however are little beyond this. They believe that this will cause premature death. There is reason behind this superstition. In the earlier time when oil lamps were used, sharp objects used to trim nails during nights can cause injuries and infections. In the absence of timely medical aid, things may worsen and could lead to death.

Whistling indoors may lead to financial problems in Russia and it may cause rain in Norway.

Sitting at the corner of the table is bad luck  in Russia and Hungary. Those who sit allegedly remain unmarried for seven years.

Potential dirtiness aside, resting of  purse or wallet on the ground will lead to bad financial luck in some Central and South American countries as well as in Philippines. Sitting directly on the cold ground can lead to a woman never having children according to Russian myth.

Wish someone's death, just toast to them with water, is the German superstition. This is derived from the Greek myth that the spirits of the dead would drink water from the river Lethe. Lethe the goddess and river of forgetfulness, would cause the spirit to forget it's earthly past before it passed on into the underworld.

People in Turkey wait in queue to put their thumb in a  hole of column and rotate. People believe this has healing powers. This is taking place in Hagia Sophia museum in Turkey. This was once a church, then a mosque and now a museum. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I had a serious headache cured after touching the column and was the origin of today's superstition.

A bird flying Into the home is a bad sign, especially if the said bird lands on the back of someone's chair and then leaves. It means that the person whose chair the bird chose would die soon. This omen is widely found in Mexico and Caribbean Islands.

There is a superstition in Argentina that seventh sons will turn into werewolves unless the president of the country adopts them.

KV George

kvgeorgein@gmail.com