Have you had a staycation recently?

-          Are you scared of staying in a hotel room by yourself?

-          I am scared of 鬼壓床 (Scientists and doctors would tell you that it is just ​​sleep paralysis 睡眠癱瘓).

-          Do you believe in 迷信 (superstitions)?

寧可信其有 不可信其無  It is better to believe that it exists than that it does not.

 

-          News headline

 

Chinese woman detained after another ‘lucky coin toss’ at aircraft engine

The woman threw half a dozen coins at the engine before the flight between the Inner Mongolian cities of Hohhot and Chifeng. The service was due to take off soon after 8am but was delayed by more than two hours as staff searched for the coins and moved the remaining passengers to another aircraft. All of the coins were recovered.

What makes people superstitious?

            (A scientific explanation from a medical website)

Superstitions have two main causes: cultural tradition 文化傳統  and individual experiences. If you grew up steeped in the superstitions of a particular culture or religion, you may carry these beliefs forward, even subconsciously 潛意識地.

Chinese festivals such as 鬼節 Ghost Festival and Qingming Festival 清明節

-          People burn joss paper (紙錢) and other joss paper products.

-          Do you believe the deceased (已去世的人）would really receive them?

Feng Shui 風水

-          Many westerners believe in feng shui.

-          My friend, who just bought a tiny apartment that looked like a flat that had been murdered in (凶宅) or a haunted flat (鬼屋) at first in Quarry Bay hired a feng shui master (風水師傅) to look over the layout.

-          There was an abandoned house (廢棄的房子) near my old high school. It looked creepy (怪異可怕的、詭異).

Numbers That Would Give You Bad Luck

-          A lot of western superstitions have got to do with the Bible. 

-          666 - the devil's number in the bible.

-          Similar to 4 in Chinese for death and obviously 8 for good, but Chinese is just a play on sounds rather than meaning.

-          Why is Friday the 13th Unlucky?

According to biblical (有關《聖經》的)  tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Some buildings would not have a 13th floor.

Let’s guess. Do you think these are true superstitions? And why?

-          Walking Under a Ladder

This could be an old wives’ tale (無稽之談/ 不科學的陳腐說法/ 老太太的故事)  to protect people from getting hurt. But it’s actually from back in the day, when they used to hang people and if you walked under the ladder, you would be walking directly under the dead person’s body.

-          Smell Your Own Feet

-          Breaking a Mirror

Another one with an ancient history here! Some people believe that breaking a mirror is meant to give you 7 years of bad luck. This harks back to the Roman times, when they believed that mirrors were a portal to the soul, and breaking one would damage the soul, which couldn't be amended until life renewed itself, which was believed to be every seven years.

-          Knocking on Wood

Knock on wood. / Touch wood. (The internet says they are both the same. “Knock on wood” is more of an American saying.)

Most common western superstition/ Celtic beliefs that spirits resided in tress and be called upon for protection.