by V. Kumar

Created on: July 06, 2008   Last Updated: July 31, 2008

Superstitions do not arise from thin air. They too have some basis, which over very long periods of time may get distorted or confused.

In many ways, superstitions refelect certain very interesting aspects of any culture. They also seem to have some associatin with the length of time a civilization has been in existence. It appears that during the course of many generations, some practices become a rule, even while the actual rationale behind them has been lost and forgotten. Thus, older the civilization, more are likely to be its superstitions. Chinese society, an inheritor of one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, is a living example.

SUPERSTITIONS & THEIR BASIS

Superstitions are actually beliefs and practices that are told to us by our ancestors. They are called superstition because they are carried on largely on the basis of blind faith that we have in what has been told to us, even though it does not appear very rationale or scientific in our modern world. This does not mean that superstitions are absolutely irrational. In fact, most of them had some basis, even though the basis itself may have been a result of the ignorance or may just reflect an emotional aspect of our behaviour.

Before I take some actual examples and discuss their rationale, let me give an example. If a person comes to you with a photograph of your beloved spouse or parent, and in front of you, starts trampling it with his feet, think as to how you may feel and react. You are bound to feel hurt and aggrieved even though what this man is doing amounts nothing more than damaging a piece of paper that probably does not belong to you, and rationally speaking, his actions are not causing any loss to you. The attachment with superstitious beliefs is very similar to this emotional attachment.

REASONING BEHIND CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS: SOME EXAMPLES

(1): Figure '4' is considered unlucky - most people prefer to avoid it.

REASONING: In Chinese, the word 'four' is 'si' which sounds nearly the same as the word for death. A reference to death is not considered welcome in any society of humans, for the simple reason that anything that reminds us about 'death' makes us nervous. It may even remind us about the loss of a dear one that we are trying to cope with. No surprise then that the figure '4' is unwelcome. In fact, for exactly the same reason, figure '4' is also considered inauspicious and avoided in Korea, Japan and Hawaii too.

(2). If you cry on New Year's Day, you will cry all through the year.

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