Superstitions around the world

FLIPPING THROUGH newspapers or magazines, you can easily spot sections called “Today’s Fortune” or “This Month’s Fortune.” Regardless of your piety, it is difficult to resist the desire to find the part that corresponds to your zodiac sign, blood type, or year of birth. Although everyone knows that such fortunetelling does not have any scientific evidence to prove its validity, it is true that one’s mood can temporarily be changed by a few short statements predicting one’s future. Such mysterious beliefs exist throughout the world in various forms, such as zodiac signs, omens, and charms. The Yonsei Annals asked students from China, the United States, Thailand, and Russia about superstitions in their countries and their opinions on Korean superstitions.

 

ANNALS: Are there any superstitions in your country that many people believe in?

 

 

 

 

Fang Fang (China)

 

 

Fang: Chinese people have a great preference for the number eight and dislike for the number four. The reasons for their likes and dislikes for particular numbers are closely related to the pronunciation of the numbers. The pronunciation of “four” in Chinese is similar to the word “death,” and bah, which means eight in Chinese, sounds like the word“wealth.” So, many people try to get phone or car numbers including eight and excluding four. It is sometimes possible to figure out whether he or she is rich through their car numbers: the richer they are, the more eights are included in the car number.

 

Kigozi: In the United States, people believe that breaking a mirror brings one seven years of bad luck, and black cats are associated with ill news. Also, Americans don’t like Friday the 13th.

 

 

 

 

 

Chipakova Natalya (Russia)

 

 

Chipakova Natalya (Russia)

Natalya: To think of some beliefs that are unique to Russia, some people believe that cutting one’s hair shortens one’s life and it means good luck if a fly falls into your soup. Moreover, if a person sneezes in the middle of a dialogue, it means that the other person is telling the truth.

 

Undjai: Buddhism is the dominant religion in Thailand, and many Thai people living in the countryside have a strong belief in spirits and ghosts. People carry charms ranging from cards to necklaces. Charms from monks are considered to hold a special power against evil spirits. I am carrying some myself: a necklace and a piece of cloth with a drawing. They are all from Buddhist temples.    

 

Fang: When I was little, I was taught not to keep my chopsticks in the rice standing vertically. Since this is a part of the ritual of honoring ancestors who have passed away, it implies death. Besides this ritual of honoring ancestors, there is another belief that has been inherited from generation to generation: fēng shui, or poongsoo in Korean. It’s a theory of divination based on topography; people believe that there is a particular piece of land or a region that has good spirit according to the surrounding landscapes or the existence of water nearby. In contrast to elder people’s belief in superstitions related to traditional rituals, young Chinese people tend to believe in zodiac signs.

 

ANNALS: Do you actually believe in the superstitions?

 

Fang: I often check my fortune of the day based on zodiac signs through internet websites. However, I do not believe in them entirely. I just keep them in mind because they give me a hint about how my day is going to be today. Sometimes they can help me avoid unpleasant events like fighting with a friend. Overall, it’s just fun and interesting to have the feeling that I can steal a peek into my future.

 

 

 

 

 

Wilasinee Undjai (Thailand)

 

 

Undjai: I believe in most of the superstitions in Thailand. I think they provide moral support for the people. It is common for people in Thailand to go to temples and pray for good luck and exorcise evil spirits.

 

Kigozi: I don’t believe in superstitions, but this can’t be applied to all Americans. Since Americans are so different in terms of their cultural and religious backgrounds, being an American and a Catholic are two different things. For example, Catholics forbid people from believing in superstitions because they think they are the work of the devil.

 

Natalya: I do not entirely believe in superstitions, but I am sometimes pushed to believe when many people around me believe them. Sometimes blind belief in superstitions makes me uncomfortable.

 

ANNALS: What do you think about Koreans’ belief in superstitions? (e.g. blood types and fortunetelling based on the sajoo (four pillars), which means the year, month, day, and the time of birth)

 

Fang: Although I believe that there may be some reason in classifying people according to their blood types, I think it is too hasty to assume a person’s character just by his or her blood type. Maybe if sajoo, zodiac signs, and blood types are all factored into reading one’s fortune, it might be more credible than solely depending on blood types. I am familiar with my sajoo, zodiac sign, and blood type, and I think there is some connection among them.

 

Natalya: The classification according to blood types was completely new to me; I only learned it when I came to Korea. Russians have a greater tendency of believing in zodiac signs.

 

 

 

 

 

Carol Kigozi (USA)

 

 

Kigozi: Many Americans believe in zodiac signs too. The relationship between different signs is an important part of their belief; some signs are said to do well with certain signs while they do not with others. Therefore, when there is a clash, people try to avoid people who have signs that are antagonistic with their own signs.

 

Fang: I realized that there are many fortunetelling cafes in Korea, but I have never felt the need to pay money for finding out my fortune. Similar kinds of information are available on the Internet. In China, people have great a confidence in fortunes told by a high priest or a monk. There are fortune tellers on Chinese streets, but most of the people do not believe in them. Charms consecrated – the act of consecration by monks is called kaiguang in Chinese – by high monks are rare and thus treasured by people.

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Most of the superstitions that have been discussed do not have any scientific evidence to prove that they are true. Superstitions today, however, are not necessarily beliefs that are shunned or supported for religious or scientific reasons, but more sources of entertainment. When reality is too harsh for you, it may be encouraging and fun to entrust yourself to superstitions. So, Yonseians, why don’t you seek your luck with various superstitions around the world?

 

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