Superstitions can leave you baffled. Most of them, sparing a few that may have some iota of commonsense, are a concoction of false beliefs and unreasonable myths.
Anyone, bestowed with even a fraction of rationality, can’t help but ask a dozen questions before accepting these so-called facts. Is it asking for too much if one insists on knowing the logic behind certain myths, which are followed without any scepticism? Well, in most cases there is no logic; it is just a case of blind faith. It is said that superstition is the religion of the feeble mind, though many, raised under the shadows of superstitious beliefs, would like to defer.
The more we are exposed to such an atmosphere at a young age, the stronger the belief is. My friend, a fairly broadminded person, avoids cutting nails on Tuesdays; the reason — it has been ingrained in her mind by elders that Tuesdays are inauspicious for several things, cutting nails being one. Once she forgot the day and clipped her young son’s nails, just to receive a polite reminder by her mother that she should be careful next time.
“Don’t you ever ask why this is so?” I asked.
“No, I never cared to know the reason and have developed the habit.”
Her reply was short but clear enough to illustrate that when instructions are coming down from the elders of the family, young ones prefer to stick to them to avoid any unwanted mishaps, even if there are no chances of it. It becomes more of a psychological thing.
Wanting to know further, I decided to approach my mother who can really bowl you over with her knowledge of superstitious beliefs. According to her, Tuesdays are inauspicious to cut nails because you may fall ill. Fear of getting sick or prolonged illness makes Thursday a less favourable day as well. Unless it is an emergency, those who go by such dictums avoid seeing the doctor that day.
It is believed that anything done on Wednesday is destined to take place four times. Some people avoid solemnising the nikah on this day. Of course, who wants to take the risk of getting hitched four times? I wonder if any dauntless fellow would ever care to challenge the maxim and live to suffer the consequences.
Our region, being home to multiple communities, is the breeding ground for countless beliefs. Some communities faithfully adhere to their own painstaking set of superstitions which are followed and handed over to the next generation as family heirlooms. The more time one spends in that culture, the more knowledge one can gain of ancient traditions — a combination of some fact and fallacies.
The West too has its own superstitions. Like passing under a ladder is discouraged; number thirteen is considered inauspicious and many more.
Many families forbid the female members of the house to wash their hair on the last Wednesday of the Islamic month of Safar. On the contrary, they ensure that male members bathe, and rituals are performed on them to ward off the evil eye. This is done in accordance with the fact that the Prophet (PBUH) fell sick during this month. However, it is feared that any woman going against the custom would suffer some ailment in old age, leaving her with a shaky neck.
In our part of the world, one will commonly see babies marked with kohl dots on their cheek or chin. This is believed to ward off the evil eye. Often women, who don’t wish to sport black dots on their babies’ face, put it under their left foot. Black colour is associated with warding off the evil eye. A black thread is often tied to new objects or trees laden with fruits.
Some dos and don’ts linked with matrimony can make one sit back and take notice. Giving knives, scissors and any sharp objects to a girl in dowry is strictly forbidden. It is believed that these things have the potential to sever relationships, can lead to estrangement of spouses and straining of ties between the giver and the taker. As a child, I remember my friend’s mother clearly warning us not to clack scissors when not cutting anything. This, she believed, gave rise to fights. Old grannies would often get annoyed if they saw anyone rocking an empty cradle. It is said that such an action may cause the baby to fall sick.
Some other things which send negative vibes are mishaps occurring around the time of wedding. If the electricity goes off, the bridegroom falls sick/ meets with an accident or anyone in the family dies, superstitious, old aunts may prophesise that the bride is bringing bad omen.
As I said in the beginning, the whole game of superstitions is baffling!