Superstitions / Taboos

[Jessie Fong]

I list these classic Chinese superstitions - have you heard of all / any of the below?

When having a baby
*If you're pregnant, use of glue will cause a difficult birth.
*If you strike an animal during pregnancy, the newborn child will look like that animal and behave like one.
*You should never praise a newborn baby because it will invite evil spirits and ghosts.
*A baby with more than one hair crown will be mischievous and disobedient.
*A baby with wide and thick ears will live prosperously.

Before you get married

*Couples with the same surname cannot marry; even if they are not related, they still belong to the same ancestry.
*A boy, preferably born a Dragon, must roll over the newlywed's matrimonial bed to ensure good luck and a baby boy.

Good Feng Shui

*It is bad luck to have two room doors face each other.
*The dining area should not be under a second-floor toilet.

Going to funerals

*Statues of deities must be covered with red cloth of paper.
*Mirrors must be hidden; a person who sees the reflection of the coffin will have a death in his/her family.
*The deceased's children and grandchildren should not cut their hair for 49 days.
*After leaving a wake, do not go straight home lest the ghost of the dead follows you.

Lucky and unlucky numbers
*The luckiest number is eight because its Chinese word also means "prosper".
*The unluckiest number is four as it sounds like the Chinese word for death.
*The number "9" is good, because nine in Cantonese sounds like the word "sufficient".

Things you should never do

*Never point at the moon or your ears might get chopped off.
*Don't sweep the floor on New Year's Day lest you sweep away the good fortune.

Source(s):
http://www.chinatownconnection.com/chine…

[brian]

In Tibetan's tradition (i was once told), when one sees rainbows when they are doing something good and beneficial to the people around, it tells you that the deity around the area are very pleased. This is considered auspicious that whatever things you are doing then will bring a tremendous benefit to others in the region or area.

Same goes to drizzling when something good is being done, i came to know that this is also a sign where the deities are very happy for what is going on in the area. And if it does pour down heavily soon after the drizzle, it means this is really really auspicious sign.

[buddhalovely]

20 Weird Superstitions

1. A bird in the house is a sign of a death

2. A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it.

3. Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.

4. If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.

5. If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.

6. An acorn at the window will keep lightning out

7. A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen.

8. It’s bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to come into it.

9. A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.

10. If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter.

11. If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.

12. Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.

13. All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.

14. If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.

15. To dream of a lizard is a sign that you have a secret enemy.

16. If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be broken.

17. You should never start a trip on Friday or you will meet misfortune.

18. Dream of running: a sign of a big change in your life.

19. If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

20. It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

[Ensapa]

Here's some russian superstitions.

Russian superstitions
Russians are a very superstitious folk, they do a whole host of strange or unusual things to ward off the bad luck and welcome in a bit of good luck. This humble editor once found herself chased around a bar by someone who wanted to step on her foot. Why? Because if you step on someone’s foot and they don’t step back on yours you will be bringing some bad luck and conflict for both of you. Russia is indeed a strange and mysterious land, but if you can understand something about the wonderful folklore and superstitions of the Russian people you’ll get a lot closer to the heart of this enigmatic culture. Here are just a few pointers to get you started.

Bad luck be gone

According to Russians there are many things that you can do to bring bad luck upon your home. Whistling inside your home or office will cause you to lose money. Remember there’s a financial crisis at the moment and anything you can to do to prevent economic breakdown should be done. In the same vein if you want to give someone a wallet or purse as a gift, remember to put some money in it or you’ll be bringing poverty upon them!

Also be careful not to leave bags or purses on the floor, you’ll lose your money (or someone will probably just steal it). One of the most popular superstitions in Russia regards returning home when you’ve forgotten something. It may sound illogical but,  if you’ve forgotten something you shouldn’t go back. If you really need to go back, just make sure to look in a mirror before you leave the house again and you should be ok.

If a black cat crosses in front of you, be prepared for a terrible day. To offset the potential bad luck it is said that you should walk backwards away from the cat… and if you see a woman with an empty bucket coming towards you - run! She will also bring you misfortune.

Family matters

When it comes to family there are also special rules which apply to ensure that bad spirits and the famous ‘evil eye’ will not get at your loved ones. Firstly - no baby showers. You should only buy gifts for the child once it’s been born. Plus if you want to visit your friends new born, it’s best to leave it until at least a month after the birth or you could unintentionally give him/her some serious negative energies.

Women wanting to marry should watch out not to sit on the corner of a table, sitting here will leave you single for a whole seven years! If someone from your home is setting of on a trip, don’t wash their clothes while they are away. It may mean that they will never come back. Also if someone comes to visit you and you don’t want them to see them again, you should clean the floor immediately after they leave. And that broom that you just used to sweep the floor? Keep it in the corner where you can see it, it should bring you good luck and keep bad house spirits at bay.

Tricking fate

Sometimes in Russia there are said to be certain things that you can do to ensure you have good luck too. For luck in exams some people put 5 roubles in their shoe or even shout at windows. Many people like to wear safety pins somewhere on their person, usually somewhere hidden. Why? Because wearing an old safety pin will protect you from that terrible evil eye of course.

Certain rare items that you can find also hold good luck such as lilac. If you find a lilac flower with an odd number of petals - congratulations! Likewise a bus ticket with a number such as 243153 is very lucky.  The first three numbers (2+4+3=9) and the second set of numbers (1+5+3=9 ) add up to the same amount and so it’s a winner. Such tickets like the flowers are extremely lucky and you should eat them. Yes, lucky tokens such as these need to be eaten to release their good luck powers.

Omens

Many things can happen in a Russian’s life that will reveal something about his future. For example if a spoon falls to the floor it means the next person to enter the room will be a good, kind woman. If it’s a fork it will be an angry woman and a knife falling indicates a man’s arrival. If your nose itches you’ll be drinking soon and if you start hiccupping then someone is thinking about you. To stop the hiccups you should figure out who it is that’s thinking about you and they’ll be gone.

If your right hand itches, you're going to get money soon or meet someone soon. If your left hand itches, you're going to give money away. And how about this? Someone sneezes while you’re saying something. This is proof for everyone that you’re telling the truth - might be a good idea to tell your lawyer about that one.

One of the darkest omens is that of the bird. A bird flying into your house will bring death, although if a bird poos on your head it means you’ll have good luck - yes that wonderful Russian logic again.

Lucky places

There are some lucky sights in St. Petersburg that you really shouldn’t miss, for example:

Chizhik Pizhik  -  This tiny little bronze bird is installed half way up the embankment of the Fontanka next to the Engineers castle (opposite the summer gardens). Although little Chizhik Pizhik has only been resident since 1994, a local legend has sprung up that if your coin lands on his little shelf, then you will one day return to St. Petersburg. It was designed by Georgian artist Rezo Gabriadze, who said, "Chizhik Pizhik helps students to get through unhappy love-affairs and get around on public transport without having tickets."

The hare saved from the flood – Ioannovsky Most. As you walk over the bridge to the Peter and Paul Fortress, keep an eye to the left for a little hare on a pillar in the water. Land a rouble at his feet and you’ll be seeing some good fortune.

The cat Vasilisa – Malaya Sadovaya 7. If you’re walking up Malaya Sadovaya from Nevsky prospect, look up to your right and you’ll see a little cat on a ledge – Vasilisa the city’s defender against rats. If you can get a coin on to her ledge it’s your lucky day. If you can’t see her she may well have fallen off. She has been known to disappear as people have attempted to climb up there and grab some pennies.

Bankovsky Most – Canal Griboedeva 30. Before you cross over the bridge, put you hand on one of the feet of the lions and make a wish. As you cross the bridge, it’s believed your wishes will come true!

[pgdharma]

I don’t belief in superstitions as I feel that superstition is associated with blind beliefs which could stem from a combination of primitive belief systems and coincidence. Superstition is called old wives tales as people usually associate blind beliefs with literary and simplicity. However, superstitions can spring from well read, well informed people and even sportsman. So it shows that superstitions can be old or modern. It can be scientific or otherwise. Below are some interesting facts on the do and don’t to avoid bad luck in sports.

Sports Superstitions

Players and fans alike have their ways of avoiding bad luck.

Some sports superstitions are stranger than others. For example, Michael Jordan (a graduate of North Carolina) always wore his blue North Carolina shorts under his Bulls uniform for good luck.

Baseball players may be the most superstitious. Pitcher Turk Wendell brushes his teeth and chews licorice between every inning. Wade Boggs would eat only chicken the day of a game, and used to draw a symbol that means “To Life” in the dirt before every at-bat. Former pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych used to play with the dirt on the mound and talk to himself and the ball before he pitched.

Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra gets dressed the same way every day, makes sure to step on each dugout step with both feet, and tugs at his batting gloves and taps his toes during each at-bat.

Here are some common superstitions in the world of sports.

Baseball

•   Spitting into your hand before picking up the bat is said to bring good luck.
•   A wad of gum stuck on a player's hat brings good luck.
•   It is bad luck if a dog walks across the diamond before the first pitch.
•   Some players believe it is good luck to step on one of the bases before running off the field at the end of an inning.
•   It is bad luck to touch the baselines while running off and onto the field between innings.
•   Lending a bat to a fellow player is a serious jinx.
•   Some players actually sleep with their bat to break out of a hitting slump or stay in a groove.
•   If a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter, never speak of it while it's going on.

Basketball

•   The last person to shoot a basket during the warm-up will have a good game.
•   Wipe the soles of your sneakers for good luck.
•   Bounce the ball before taking a foul shot for good luck.

Bowling

•   To continue a winning streak, wear the same clothes.
•   The number 300, a perfect score, on your license plate will increase your score.
•   Carry charms on your bowling bag, in your pockets, or around your neck for good luck.

Fishing

•   Fish may not bite if a barefoot woman passes you on the way to the dock.
•   Spit on your bait before casting your rod to make fish bite.
•   Throw back your first catch for good luck.
•   It is bad luck to change rods while fishing.
•   Don't tell anyone how many fish you've caught until you're done or you won't catch another.

Football

•   Double numbers on a player's uniform brings good luck.
•   It's bad luck for a professional football player to take a new number when he is traded to another team.
•   A mascot is an important good luck symbol.

Golf

•   Start only with odd-numbered clubs.
•   Balls with a number higher than 4 are bad luck.
•   Carry coins in your pockets for good luck.

Ice Hockey

•   It is bad luck for hockey sticks to lie crossed.
•   It is bad luck to say “shutout” in the locker room before a game.
•   Players believe they'll win the game if they tap the goalie on his shin pads before a game.
•   Many players must put their pads and skates on in exactly the same order every day.

Rodeo

•   Always put the right foot in the stirrup first.
•   Avoid wearing the color yellow.
•   Always shave before a competition (for men only!)

Tennis

•   It's bad luck to hold more than two balls at a time when serving.
•   Avoid wearing the color yellow.
•   Walk around the outside of the court when switching sides for good luck.
•   Avoid stepping on the court lines.

[Ensapa]

You'd imagine that astronauts, being men of science would not be superstitious right, but they are!

NASA Traditions
On the day of their launch, many NASA astronauts eat scrambled eggs and steak, as a tribute to astronaut Alan Shepard, who ate this breakfast before his Mercury Freedom 7 flight in 1961.
Before a launch, the commander must play cards (supposedly either Blackjack or 5-card poker) with the tech crew until he loses a hand. The tradition’s origins are a mystery, but it may have begun during the two-man Gemini missions.
The suit-up room, where astronauts must wait an hour while purging their bodies of nitrogen, contains the same recliner chairs as it did during the Apollo era.
After the shuttle orbiter was successfully transported from the Orbital Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building, the managers would provide the team with round donuts and bagels. It may have to do with the fact that these foods are round like the wheels of the shuttle transporter.
After a successful launch at Kennedy Space Center, the launch controllers enjoy a hearty meal of beans and cornbread. The tradition started when Former NASA Test Director Chief Norm Carlson brought in a small crock-pot of beans after the first space shuttle launch, STS-1. Here’s his recipe (.pdf).
Dating back at least to the Apollo missions, astronauts have awoken in space to music chosen by mission control, such as Dean Martin’s “Going Back to Houston.”
Gene Kranz, the famous mission controller of Apollo 13, had his wife make him a new waistcoat for each mission. As Kranz worked to save the crew of Apollo 13, he was wearing a white vest, as depicted in the 1995 film. The vest is now displayed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
After a launch at Kennedy Space Center, it is customary for rookie launch directors, test directors and engineers to have their neckties cut (an aviation tradition following a pilot’s first solo flight).


   Russian/Soviet Traditions
Before leaving the Star City training complex near Moscow, Soyuz flight crews leave red carnations at the Memorial Wall in memory of first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and four other cosmonauts. They visit Gagarin’s office, sign his guestbook, and supposedly ask his ghost for permission to fly.
As the train that carries the Soyuz rocket booster approaches the Baikonur Cosmodrome, people place coins on the tracks to be flattened into good-luck charms.
The crew are forbidden to attend the rollout of the Soyuz rocket to the launchpad because it is said to be bad luck; instead, they must have a haircut on this day.
The night before launch, cosmonauts attend a mandatory screening of the 1969 cult movie “White Sun of the Desert.”
On launch day, the cosmonauts have a champagne breakfast and autograph their hotel room door.
At the hotel, a Russian Orthodox priest blesses the Soyuz crew and sprinkles them with holy water. This is a post-Soviet tradition, started by cosmonaut Aleksandr Viktorenko, who requested a blessing before the Soyuz TM-20 crew’s launch to Mir.
As the crew leaves the hotel, the Soviet-era rock song “The Grass Near My Home“ is played by the band Zemlyane (“The Earthlings”).
The cosmonauts travel to the launchpad in buses outfitted with horseshoes for good luck.
On their way to the launch, Russian cosmonauts are known to urinate on the right rear wheel of their transfer bus, an act supposedly performed by Yuri Gagarin. Female cosmonauts are excused, but certain women have been known to carry vials of their urine to spill in solidarity.
The Soyuz capsule carries a small talisman hung from a string, chosen by the crew commander, which signifies when weightlessness is achieved.

I guess superstitions are part of human culture and how they work and operate. There is no escape!

[ilikeshugden]

I think that superstitions are usually old wives tales and most of the results from these superstitions are usually just coincidences. I believe that Buddhism does not believe in such superstitions. I think that superstitions are usually a cultural belief. For example, in some countries a black cat is lucky but it is unlucky in others.

[ratanasutra]

i believe Buddhism does not believe in superstitions things. These superstitions which many people still follow as it been told to us by our elderly people in our family or it blend in our culture. Here are some of superstitions things which people in my country believe.

1) Whistling at night
Avoid whistling at night.  According to the old folks, doing so is sure to attract the attention of wandering spirits who then follow you home. Well, the thought of whistling a tune in the darkness of the night is itself already a scary scenario.

2) Crows bring bad news
When a pair of black crows suddenly confronts you i.e. looks directly at you from a tree or rooftop, look on it as a warning not to sign any important documents or meet anyone important that day. Cancel all your important appointments immediately as the crows are said to be the bringers of bad news. Colourful birds however bring news of good things coming while birds of prey such as eagles denote some authoritative or honourable title being conferred on you.

[Ensapa]

Here are 13 more superstitions to how how silly people can be in more ways than one.

13. Beginner's luck

Usually grumbled by an expert who just lost a game to a novice, "beginner's luck" is the idea that newbies are unusually likely to win when they try out a sport, game or activity for the first time.

Beginners might come out ahead in some cases because the novice is less stressed out about winning. Too much anxiety, after all, can hamper performance. Or it could just be a statistical fluke, especially in chance-based gambling games.

Or, like many superstitions, a belief in beginner's luck might arise because of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is a psychological phenomenon in which people are more likely to remember events that fit their worldview. If you believe you're going to win because you're a beginner, you're more likely to remember all the times you were right — and forget the times you ended up in last place.

12. Find a penny, pick it up …

And all day long, you'll have good luck. This little ditty may arise because finding money is lucky in and of itself. But it might also be a spin-off of another old rhyme, "See a pin, pick it up/ and all day long you'll have good luck/ See a pin, let it lay/ and your luck will pass away."

11. Don't walk under that ladder!

Frankly, this superstition is pretty practical. Who wants to be responsible for stumbling and knocking a carpenter off his perch? But one theory holds that this superstition arises from a Christian belief in the Holy Trinity: Since a ladder leaning against a wall forms a triangle, "breaking" that triangle was blasphemous.

Then again, another popular theory is that a fear of walking under a ladder has to do with its resemblance to a medieval gallows. We're sticking with the safety-first explanation for this one.

10. Black cats crossing your path

As companion animals for humans for thousands of years, cats play all sorts of mythological roles. In ancient Egypt, cats were revered; today, Americans collectively keep more than 81 million cats as pets.

So why keep a black cat out of your path? Most likely, this superstition arises from old beliefs in witches and their animal familiars, which were often said to take the form of domestic animals like cats.

9. A rabbit's foot will bring you luck

Talismans and amulets are a time-honored way of fending off evil; consider the crosses and garlic that are supposed to keep vampires at bay. Rabbit feet as talismans may hark back to early Celtic tribes in Britain. They may also arise from hoodoo, a form of African-American folk magic and superstition that blends Native American, European and African tradition. [Rumor or Reality: The Creatures of Cryptozoology]

8. Bad luck comes in threes

Remember confirmation bias? The belief that bad luck comes in threes is a classic example. A couple things go wrong, and believers may start to look for the next bit of bad luck. A lost shoe might be forgotten one day, but seen as the third in a series of bad breaks the next.

7. Careful with that mirror

According to folklore, breaking a mirror is a surefire way to doom yourself to seven years of bad luck. The superstition seems to arise from the belief that mirrors don't just reflect your image; they hold bits of your soul. That belief led people in the old days of the American South to cover mirrors in a house when someone died, lest their soul be trapped inside.

Like the number three, the number seven is often associated with luck. Seven years is a long time to be unlucky, which may be why people have come up with counter-measures to free themselves after breaking a mirror. These include touching a piece of the broken mirror to a tombstone or grinding the mirror shards into powder.

6. 66

Three sixes in a row give some people the chills. It's a superstition that harks back to the Bible. In the Book of Revelation, 666 is given as the number of the "beast," and is often interpreted as the mark of Satan and a sign of the end times.

According to State University of New York at Buffalo anthropologist Philips Stevens, the writer of Revelation was writing to persecuted Christians in code, so the numbers and names in the book are contemporary references. Three sixes in a row is probably the numeric equivalent of the Hebrew letters for the first-century Roman Emperor Nero. [End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears]

5. Knock on wood

This phrase is almost like a verbal talisman, designed to ward off bad luck after tempting fate: "Breaking that mirror didn't bring me any trouble, knock on wood."

The fixation on wood may come from old myths about good spirits in trees or from an association with the Christian cross. Similar phrases abound in multiple languages, suggesting that the desire not to upset a spiteful universe is very common.

4. Make a wish on a wishbone

The tradition of turkey bone tug-of-war goes back a long way. Legend has it that first-century Romans used to fight over dried wishbones — which they believed were good luck — and would accidentally break them, ushering in the idea that whoever has the largest bit of bone gets their wish. Bird bones have also been used in divination throughout history, with a supposed soothsayer throwing the bones and reading their patterns to predict the future.

3. Cross your fingers

Those wishing for luck will often cross one finger over another, a gesture that's said to date back to early Christianity. The story goes that two people used to cross index fingers when making a wish, a symbol of support from a friend to the person making the wish. (Anything associated with the shape of the Christian cross was thought to  be good luck.) The tradition gradually became something people could do on their own; these days, just saying "fingers crossed" is enough to get the message, well, across.

2. No umbrellas inside

… And not just because you'll poke someone's eye out. Opening an umbrella indoors is supposed to bring bad luck, though the origins of this belief are murky. Legends abound, from a story of an ancient Roman woman who happened to have opened her umbrella moments before her house collapsed, to the tale of a British prince who accepted two umbrellas from a visiting king and died within months. Like the "don't walk under a ladder" superstition, this seems to be a case of a myth arising to keep people from doing something that is slightly dangerous in the first place.

1. Friday the 13th

If you're not scared of Friday the 13th, you should be scared of the word used to describe those who are: friggatriskaidekaphobics. (An alternative, though just as tongue-twisty, word for the fear is "paraskevidekatriaphobia.")

For a superstition, the fear of Friday the 13th seems fairly new, dating back to the late 1800s. Friday has long been considered an unlucky day (according to Christian tradition, Jesus died on a Friday), and 13 has a long history as an unlucky number.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, about 17 million people fear Friday the 13th. Many may fall prey to the human mind's desire to associate thoughts and symbols with events.

"If anything bad happens to you on Friday the 13th, the two will be forever associated in your mind," said Thomas Gilovich, a psychologist at Cornell University. "All those uneventful days in which the 13th fell on a Friday will be ignored."

[Dondrup Shugden]

This is such an interesting article about superstitions/taboos.  Personally I am not inclined to pay too much attention to superstitions and taboos because the believe in them can cause hesitation and procrastination to what needs to be done.

However, it is good to pay attention to your personal feelings when certain important work or event need to be executed or carried out.  Another thing is also to find the most appropriate time and day to execute would help to be efficient.

What I like to experience are auspicious signs which occur after certain activities, work or decisions and that seems to me to be an approval from the Divine.