In honor of Friday the 13th, my friends and I were discussing various superstitions around the world. None of us could think of very many Asian superstitions though. I was the only one to offer any, with
Does anyone else know any? The more unusual, the better!
Jesus, I debunk several a day but can’t think of many good examples. Lemme go listen to mil for a few minutes.
-you catch colds from drafts
-good nutrition depends on eating rice
-a cat will come lick your face if you don’t wash it
-a fat baby is a healthy baby
-everyone wants and needs a man child
let me pay attention and see if I can find some more.
You will receive one “freckle”/blemish for each grain of rice you leave in your bowl. (Don’t know how widespread this one is-- the person who told me about it was from Taiwan.)
In Japan, there’s one where if you see an eggplant, an eagle (I think - may be another bird), and Mount Fuji in your first dream of the new year, you’ll have good luck.
Andrew “NO .SIG MAN” “Juan” Perron, Chiyo-chan!
The one I remember about rice left in the bowl is that for every grain of rice you leave in your rice bowl, your future spouse will have one pockmark on his/her face.
Mrs. Kunilou’s grandmother gave her stern warnings that it was bad luck to hold the teakettle with the spout pointing toward her.
Although it sounds to me like Mrs. Kunilou’s grandmother may have once accidentally poured hot tea on herself.
Don’t stick a pair of chopsticks into a bowl of rice; it looks like joss-stick used in funerals…
There are hundreds relating tpo “bad spirits” and how you should arrange your house in order to avoid them. This is only tangentially related to feng shui which is another set of superstitions in themselves.
Some times you may find Chineses buring ‘paper money’ or such by the roadside or pavement (an inconsiderate act, no doubt), for their ‘ancestors and loved ones below’. It is supposedly to be bad luck if you step on the ashes, or the dark patches left behind – the ghost may try to get even with you.
Or so they say. I just think they are polluting the world even more.
Dark-haired dogs with a light spot on each brow are valued as watchdogs (the spots are extra eyes).
Never write someone’s name in red ink. I’ve always heard the rationale for that one was that the Korean kings would sign the execution order which must have the condemned’s name written in red. I’ve no idea if it’s true, but it’s an interesting superstition.
This thread sounds rife with potential for Margaret Cho quotes.
In Korea and Japan, and maybe China as well, the number 4 is considered unlucky, much as 13 is in some other cultures. It has something to do with the pronunciation of the Chinese character for 4 sounding a lot like the word for death, or something. (Korea and Japan both use Chinese characters as well as their own writing systems.) Elevators rarely have the number 4 on the button; instead they use the letter F.
My favorite here in Korea is one that Cecil addressed. I’ve met medical doctors here who insist that sleeping in a closed room with an electric fan is flirting with death, and are at a loss to explain why it doesn’t happen outside of Korea.
That’s right, though in Japan I’ve never seen an elevator that lacked the number 4. Also at least in Japan, number 9 is also unlucky since it sounds like the word for suffering.
Also check out this column by Cecil:
“Will sleeping in a closed room with an electric fan cause death?”
Why don’t they make up new words for four and nine that don’t sound like those unfortunate words?
scr4- It’s been several years since I was in Japan, so I didn’t really remember whether the elevators there had the number 4. Thanks for the update. In Korea, they usually don’t.
Thanks also for linking to that column. In case readers miss the link in my previous post, they can catch yours.
Rumors and superstitions old and new in Hong Kong:
Don’t give a gambler a book as a present, because it sounds like “lose.”
According to a newborn prophet-baby who promptly died, eating green bean soup will prevent SARS.
8 is a lucky number; I can’t remember why, it might be that it sounds vaguely like “get rich.” So things will often be priced something like $888.88 instead of $889.99.
4 has the same problem in Chinese too, but I don’t know how big an impact it has. Hell, I live on the 4th floor.
We have Friday the 13th here too, called “Black Friday.” Don’t know if it came from the west or what.
The subway company sends the cars on one final run after closing, for ghosts only.
Miracle diets and boob-creams actually work.
Running out here…
For the same reason we don’t make up new words for English homonyms with one negative meaning.
Japan is still a pretty superstitious country.
In addition to rooms and floors, 4 is a bad number for gifts or peices of food in a serving.
Also, one doesn’t give even numbered gifts, especially 2, to newlyweds because it can bbe evenly divided.
Other numerical superstitions are:
42 is a bad number becasuse of the number of days of mourning (IIRC)
The Korean “death by fan” myth is mirrored here, but more commonly with air conditioners and the dreaded “air-con-byo”, or airconditioner disease
you cathch especially from sleeping with the air conditioner on. My students are amazed that I have yet tro catch a terrible cold from sleeoing with the air conditioner on. I’ve also had students tell of intestinal disorders stemming from sleeping with the air conditioner on.
A few common examples of other Japanese superstitions:
Whistling at night attracts snakes.
Cover your thumbs (oyayubi, or “parent fingers”) when a hearse drives by, or they’ll die soon.
Belief in feng-shui and other Chinese dervived superstitions is fairly common.
Some of the pages that popped up on google (search: Japanese superstitions):
More from Korea: dreaming about pigs suggests that there’s money coming your way. A good time to buy lottery tickets. Dreaming about feces is good too, but I can’t remember why.
Oh, and 3, 5, and 7 are lucky numbers as well.
5 yen is a common donation at a shinto shrine when seeking love because go-en (5 yen) means connection.
There are unlucky ages too, but I can’t recall what exactly they are off the top of my head…