Superstitions: Primitive Legacy Continues in 21st Century

(Muhammad Saleem Khan Awan, Lahore)

Over the time, we have changed our life style by changing physical world around us. We developed new tools. We made beautiful and strong buildings to live and do businesses. We developed fastest ways of commuting. We created devices for better communication. We discovered depths of universe and invisible world of Atomic particles. After visiting moon we are aiming at other heavenly objects. We are learning about laws of nature and using these understandings to benefit human race.

We did all this because we used combination of imagination and brain. We used our congnitive thinking facilities. We managed to transfer our experiences and knowledge to our next generations and here we are, Rulers of the Earth.

But on the otherside, We are still so superstitious that we just see some phenomenos which we can not explain and we tend to except it as supernatural. We suddenly start to ignore natural laws which are governing this universe and our lives. When we can not find way to explain any phenomena reasonable then we suspend our congnitive thinking and activate our belief system to respond to it.

Very common Bad Luck superstition about Black Cats is believed all over the world. Historians tell us that, In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed. In the process, they also destroyed the kindly ladies who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches. Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.


List of Bad Luck superstitions:
-------------------------------
Bad Luck: A bat flying into the house
Bad Luck: An owl hooting 3 times
Bad Luck: butterflies together
Bad Luck: Looking at the new moon over your left shoulder
Bad Luck: A 5-leaf clover
Bad Luck: Breaking a glass while proposing a toast
Bad Luck: Putting a shirt on inside out
Bad Luck: Red and white flowers together
Bad Luck: Hearing a rooster crow at night
Bad Luck: Cutting your nails on a Friday
Bad Luck: Putting a hat on a bed
Bad Luck: Getting out of bed left foot first
Bad Luck: Violets blooming out of season
Bad Luck: A picture falling
Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror
Bad Luck: Singing before breakfast
Bad Luck: Opening an umbrella indoors
Bad Luck: Giving away a wedding present
Bad Luck: Stepping on cracks in the sidewalk
Bad Luck: An itch inside your nose
Bad Luck: Crossed knives
Bad Luck: seeing an owl during daylight
Bad Luck: If a dog suddenly barks for no apparent reason in a house that has a sick person then
Bad Luck: You must wear new clothes at Easter or you will have bad luck
Bad Luck: There will be an argument if knifes are crossed at a table. Also, if a lover gives you a
Bad Luck: Unless you were born in October, the wearing of an Opal will be ill-fated
Bad Luck: If pepper is spilt, then you will have a serious argument with a friend.
Bad Luck: Sparrows are said to carry the souls of the deceased to the after-life. To kill one means that you will be cursed.
Bad Luck: It is extremely unlucky to open an umbrella inside a house.
Bad Luck: If a groom drops the ring during the ceremony then the marriage is doomed to failure.
Bad Luck: Breaking a plate, especially if it had not already been cracked.
Bad Luck: To see the new moon for the first time through glass. Upon seeing the new moon you should turn whatever silver you have in your pockets or handbag, and thus ensure prosperity for a month.
Bad Luck: To upset pepper
Bad Luck: The blossom must never be cut from the tree and brought into the house before May 1, or ill fortune will attend you.
Bad Luck: Never mend a garment while you are wearing it, or misfortune will follow.
Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror portends seven years of bad luck. It is also extremely unlucky to receive a mirror as a present
Bad Luck: To make a present of a knife or any other sharp instrument unless you receive something in exchange.
Bad Luck: Walking under a ladder, unless you cross their fingers while doing so.
Bad Luck: It brings ill fortune if a lease or any contract is signed in the months of April, July, or November.
Bad Luck: To spill ink threatens worry, annoyance, and the failure of a project that is on foot.
Bad Luck: Crossing two table-knives by accident portends bad luck.
Bad Luck: To give a pair of gloves to a friend unless you receive something in exchange.
Bad Luck: To encounter a gravedigger coming towards you. Usually this means there will be a severe illness.
Bad Luck: For those who completely rake out a fire before retiring. A few embers should always be left.
Bad Luck: To break a glass bottle portends misfortune
Bad Luck: If you fasten a button into the wrong buttonhole
Bad Luck: if a candle falls over
Bad Luck: For a golfer to borrow your partners umbrella
Bad Luck: Throwing stones into the sea cause bad luck
Bad Luck: Starting a cruise on a Friday
Bad Luck: Stepping on board a ship with your left foot
Bad Luck: To open an umbrella in the house
Bad Luck: It is unlucky to sit on a table unless one foot is touching the ground
Bad Luck: If a person stumbles when leaving his house at the beginning of a journey, or trips or stumbles more than once during the course of the journey, it is advisable to postpone it.
Bad Luck: To pass anyone on the staircase.
Bad Luck: New shoes should never be left on a table
Bad Luck: To put on the left shoe before the right, and it is worse still to put the right shoe on the left foot, or vice versa.
Bad Luck: Spilling salt. If both salt and pepper are spilt at the same time, the force of this ill omen is doubled.

I might not be able to finish this list because there are countless foolish beliefs in the world out there. You can find many more by just googling on the net.

Our superstitions are closely related to our religious beliefs. Religion being a supernatural belief system make it possible to give space to superstitious things and events in our life. We need to revisit our thoughts and beliefs. We need to repair and align them according to 21st century.

We human beings, holding powers to rule on universe have higher level of responsibility. If you have power of science and technology then you should also learn how to benefit from these powers safely. Superstitious beliefs like "End Times" , can set us on common suicide mission. Having nuclear powered arsenals in hand, we need to think rational and more humanly.

saleem awan
About the Author: saleem awan Read More Articles by saleem awan: 5 Articles with 7533 views Currently, no details found about the author. If you are the author of this Article, Please update or create your Profile here.