Yup, being a bit superstitious is "perfectly normal" according to British scholar Professor Bruce Hood - Dean of Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol. According to Hood, "…Superstition is practically a part of our DNA…dating back to man's origin. Man has a natural predisposition to believe in the irrational…"
Do you ever knock on wood or cross your fingers of even trying to spell out a chant to make sure something good will happen? My husband does. This is an old Celtic tradition related to belief of wood spirits. A superstition is an irrational belief that a certain object, sign, or a set of behaviors that are related to somewhat magical thinking, whereby the practitioner believes that the future, or the outcome of certain events can be influenced by certain specified behaviors, by ritualistic signs or by potent objects.
In some areas of the world, people still still believe in the 'evil eye' - a belief that the look by certain people with the so-called third eye can harm others by simply looking at them with a 'dragon stare' . They had the belief that the eye was a 'trickster' that causes certain pranks to affect others. The eye can be one of violence, the island of fire, or the watchful eye. I believe in the itchy left palm, meaning money's coming and itchy feet, means you're on your way somewhere and the biting tongue, meaning someone is cursing you. Choking on food, meaning someone is remembering you right at that moment and of course, the black cat crossing my path would only mean trouble. My mom believes that if a spoon falls you are sure to expect guests for dinner. She freaks out when we try clipping toenails and fingernails at night saying it brings bad luck.However, recently I found out that its also a part of chinese superstition meaning that it calls to ghosts at that location. With tomorrow being halloween, I think this is apt. As it is, I am scared to turn on the Tv here because any movie being shown is on ghosts and ghouls and part scary.
To get back on the topic of superstition, imagine my surprise when I found out that no buildings in Hong Kong has the 13th floor. Hotel lifts skip from floor 12 to floor 14 due to the superstition of bad luck. The number 'eight' is very lucky in Hong Kong since the word pronunciation sounds very close to the Chinese pronunciation of the word 'prosperity'. Therefore, to have an 'eight' in a house address or on a personal car license plate can be very lucky. Today, people will pay millions of dollars just to get the number 'eight' in the address or license plate. Today, it is also a sign of ones social status if they obtain this number. Therefore, when my husband's friend Samina said she waited 18 months to buy a specific apartment on the 8th floor I totally believed her.
In Hong Kong and China,"Four' is an unlucky number though since the Chinese pronunciation sounds like the word 'death'. Therefore, Chinese people will argue and complain if they get the number 'four' in an address or license plate.In hotels, the managers have issues because Chinese people prefer to have room numbers to be 8, 18, 13, or 168. These numbers are said to be lucky, therefore it is beneficial (especially if on a gambling or business trip) to get these room numbers.Of course, superstition here is not only about numbers. Its heard that sweeping during the New Years is not to be done since a person will sweep away all the good fortune. Therefore, it is important not to sweep in the beginning of the year or scuff ones feet. A noodle in a soup should never be cut since it resembles longevity.
Now I know why the chinese noodles are so long that you can choke on them, of course that would mean someone is remembering you according to my superstitious belief!
