I'm writing this blog post because I was inspired by Kee Xuan's post on the same topic. Basically he addressed many common superstitions such as Friday the 13th (bad luck) as well as finding a four-leaf clover (good luck). However, another aspect which I feel is very related to superstitions and which I would like to touch on is also those superstitions that are actually related to religion.
So basically, besides all the normal superstitions which we can say has "western influences", there are also many superstitions which arrive from culture and particularly religion. These superstitions appear mostly in the East where we concentrate a lot on preserving tradition and following them strictly. Some of you might think that although we do live in the East, there aren't actually many superstitions that we know of and do follow strictly to. But what you don't know is that even the mere things that we do during festivals are actually superstitions! Let me give you an example. During Chinese New Year, do you know why we use Red as the colour for lanterns etc.? Do you even know why we think Red is a lucky colour? That's because the superstition is that the colour Red will scare away the monster 年 who would come out every year to devour humans. Even up till now, when most of Chinese might not believe in this, they still continue this tradition.
Personally, I've also known other superstitions which I do follow. For instance, my Mom has told me before about the superstition which is related to moths. She said that if we ever see moths in our house, we cannot chase them away, because they are actually our ancestors visiting our home. Though we didn't really believe in it, my mom still said that it was best to play safe. I think this also speaks for all other superstitions. Most of the time, superstitions are actually created due to the influence by others. However, as our entire society rapidly evolves and becomes more modern, we learn and find out more about the true scientific facts behind the superstition itself. Therefore, this results with a superstition that does not actually exist and which has no real facts to back up its claims. However, even so, most of us still continue to stick to it. The main reason is due to the fact that we already have a fixed mindset and this mindset is very had to change. And for those superstitions which cannot be proven whether they're true or not, best thing to do is PLAY SAFE! :)
So that's my personal opinion! Hope you enjoyed reading them. I look forward to hearing your own opinions too! :D
Cheers,
Raphael
Hi Raphael,
ReplyDeleteI have met similar superstition which you mentioned. Its nice to know that we share some same memories. I like how you said even though superstition cannot be proven, it is still best to play safe. I would like to elaborate on it. Sometimes it is better to be safe then to be sorry. Many things in life is unpredicted. To prevent such matters, we need to play safe and not regret after it happened. It is better to prevent fires than to fight fires. You can perhaps elaborate more on how the superstitions affected you and whether you believed it.
Hi Raphael,
ReplyDeleteI also had some personal encounters which made me believe in superstitions too! One would be breaking a plate in Pizza Hut on Friday the 13th. I agree that superstitions are much influenced by our cultures, as during Chinese New Year, we have many superstitions such as not to sweep the house during Chinese New Year, as well as sleeping late on Chinese New Year Eve, and many more. I feel that superstitions are an integral part of our societies, and even though there is no scientific proof on them, I personally still believe in them!
Jiefeng