Cover Story
Superstitions :Do you believe?

By Kanza Tariq

Imagine a pitch black night and you are going somewhere, lost in deep thoughts. A black cat suddenly pops into the picture from the middle of nowhere and crosses your path; what does that mean? It means, the black cat is also going somewhere!

Superstitions - irrational fear of the unknown - date back in time to the start of mankind itself and many people believe in them like they are the words of God, while others think they are sheer nonsense.

Where do they come from?

Superstitions stem from incidental occurrences, religious beliefs and traditional practices. Then there are regional variants. What is considered a welcome sign in one part of the world may be a sign of bad luck in some other community. For example, we have grown up hearing our nanis and dadis predicting that we will have guests if a crow caws on our roof top. But another belief about the same crows in some other place of the world suggests that one crow is bad, two are luck, three are health, four are wealth, five are sickness, and six are death. (I so wish to get a pair of these black birds permanently on my rooftop!)

Common superstitions

Every culture, religion and region nurtures one form of superstition or another. But there are a few superstitions that are a universal phenomenon, so much so that these phobias have been given proper names and people believe in them religiously even in today's world - the bad omens of course out numbering the good ones. Here are a few of the most well known superstitions:

Number 13 and Friday the Thirteenth

Paraskevidekatriaphobic (don't try saying the name unless you want to get your tongue tied) is a term for people afflicted with a morbid fear of Friday the 13th! The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have menacing reputations said to date back to ancient times. Some people won't go to work on Friday the 13th; some won't eat in restaurants; many wouldn't think of setting a wedding on the date and many people avoid driving or going anywhere on Friday the 13th.

The Scandinavians believed that the number 13 was unlucky due to the mythological 12 demigods being joined by a 13th, an evil one, who brought misfortune upon humans. Another explanation of 13 being considered an evil number is that in numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as there are twelve months of the year, twelve zodiac signs, twelve Apostles of Jesus, etc. Whereas, the number thirteen was considered irregular and a transgressor of this completeness. It was also said that Christ was crucified on Friday and the number of guests at the party of the Last Supper was 13, with the 13th guest being Judas, the traitor.

We even see movies like '1408' (based on Stephen King's novel of the same title, 1408 summing up to give the number 13) indicating just how much superstitions have swept into our lives. Similarly, as my father recounts, he checked into a hotel abroad and noticed the key case carried keys to room numbers 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14! See anything missing? Some buildings still do not have an official 13th floor and it is also believed that if 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over…

The figure 666

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (fear of the number 666) originates from a belief that 666 is the mark of the Beast, representing the rise of the Anti Christ. 'The Omen' is a film whose storyline revolves around this very figure, etched on a young boy's scalp. The influence of such beliefs can be gauged by the fact that in 1980 rumours that Proctor and Gamble's logo was a Satanic symbol started to circulate. It was said that you could connect the 13 stars with lines that would spell out 666. By early 1991, the company had answered over 150,000 telephone calls and letters concerning the myth. Proctor and Gamble filed at least 15 lawsuits against individual rumour mongers, but finally gave up and changed their logo.

Black cats

In ancient Egypt, the Goddess 'Bast' was a black, female cat. As the story goes, 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 kind 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. This widespread superstition is very common in our part of the world, too.

Broken mirrors

An ancient myth our ancestors believed in was that the image in a mirror is our actual soul. A broken mirror represents the soul being astray from our body. To break the spell of misfortune, you must wait seven hours (one for each year of bad luck) before picking up the broken pieces, and then bury them outside in the moonlight.

Four leaf clover

A clover is believed to protect humans and animals from evil spells and it is thought to be good luck to find a four leaf clover.

Psychology and superstition

Many times, lucky charms are an outcome of coincidences. But there can be a real psychological effect of superstitious thoughts. For example, if you've done well before when you had a particular shirt on, it might prove wise to wear the shirt again, if it helps to relieve anxiety and promotes positive thoughts. But this way of thinking can also hinder your performance if say, you lose your lucky object. Similarly, the mere belief that you will do well at a presentation or assignment boosts your confidence.

Making a wish

Blowing out candles at a birthday party and making a wish go hand in hand with each other, and it shows how much we believe in superstitions without even realising it. Likewise, it is common observation that we see people making a wish on seeing a falling star or a fallen eyelash on the face.

Religion and superstition

Believers of one religion see other religious beliefs and rituals as superstitions. Likewise, atheists and agnostics may regard religious beliefs as superstition. Religious practices are most likely to be labelled "superstitious" by outsiders when they include belief in extraordinary events like charms, incantations, the meaningfulness of omens and prognostications. Recently, superstitions have taken a new shape in the form of chain emails and texts predicting bad luck and good luck depending on our forwarding the message. Most of the time the messages are effective enough to compel even intelligent people to spread the message in order to avoid the predicted misfortune…

Theatres

When it comes to performing arts, there are certain superstitions associated with theatres. The play Macbeth is considered the unluckiest play in theatre. It brings such bad luck that actors don't like to mention the title. They refer to it as 'The Scottish Play' or 'Mr. and Mrs. M' or 'That Play'. When rehearsing a play, the actors ensure that they are perfect in every line except the last one, or tag, as it is called. This is never uttered until the first night of the actual performance, when the success or otherwise of the production is ascertained by the extent of the applause which follows the last line.

So, you believe?

If you still believe in superstitions, check out the following situation. You wake up in the morning, keeping in mind that you must get out of bed on the same side that you got in or you will have bad luck. When making the bed, don't interrupt your work, or you will spend a restless night. If it's a Sunday, don't turn your mattress or if it it is a Friday don't change your bedding, or you'll have bad dreams. During lunch you pass on the salt shaker and accidentally spill some salt. You know it is a bad sign so you throw a pinch of salt over the left shoulder into the face of the devil waiting there. After lunch you get hiccups and do you know you are possessed by the devil himself? You curse yourself and exclaim what an unlucky day it is. If it's a Sunday, you are careful not to clip your nails or you'll see your blood the next day. Incidentally, your best friend is moving out of town, but you don't want to bid him farewell on your favourite hangout, the bridge, for if you do, you will never see each other again. On your way back home after seeing your friend off, you hold your breath while going past the cemetery because if you don't, you will breathe in the spirit of someone who has recently died. You see a penny along the way somewhere on the road and remember this limerick: 'See a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck! See a penny, let it lie, all day long you'll have to cry.' Since it's the end of the month, you don't have money but you thank your lucky stars for the penny you found as you know you must have a coin or two for luck, as according to the superstition your wallet must never be empty. In the evening, the light goes out and you have to get ready to go to a party. You put on your make up, but don't see your face in a mirror by candlelight as it is unlucky. At the party, you want to get photographed with 2 of your best mates but you bring in a 4th person, too, because you know that if three people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die. You come back and you are so tired that the only thing you want to do is to hit the bed but wait, do write down which side you get into bed because in the morning you have to get out on the same side, or else…! Man, our lives are complicated enough without throwing in the superstitions, aren't they?!