Whether you believe in rituals and superstition, everyone wants a little extra luck in their life and their house. Over centuries and all over the world, people have developed symbols, practices and charms to win over Lady Luck. From carrying fake rabbit’s foot to throwing dinner plates at your friend’s house, here are few rituals from around the world that promise to fill your home with luck, happiness and good health.
Sign of the Horns
In Italy, when you find yourself in an
unfortunate situation, the “sign of the horns” is made to prevent you from any further
bad luck. The sign is normally made with the fingers pointing downwards, a
difference that helps differentiate it from the other meaning that comes with the
corna in Italy. When the sign is made with the “horns” facing upward, it
conveys a ruder meaning. Similarly, the cornicello charm, which is designed
like a single bullhorn, can also be carried to attract good luck.
Throwing Plates at a Friend’s House
In Denmark, throwing plates at your friends and
family’s houses on New Year’s Eve is a style of wishing them good fortune and
prosperity in the coming year. However, your friends and family might not like
waking up on a New Year’s Day and getting to see the chucking at your doorstep,
but this is just another lucky ritual to follow in Denmark to bring good
health, fortune and happiness
Spilling of Milk
In India, most people consider spilling milk to
be a lucky ritual, but some people consider it as an unlucky ritual. At the
Housewarming ceremony, the first thing people do is boil a pan of milk and let
it spill. Most of the people do it in such a way that milk is fallen in an
easterly direction as according to Vaastu Shastra. East is the luckiest of the cardinal
points. Spilling milk towards the East brings you luck, prosperity, positivity,
peace and good health for the home.
However, on the other hand, spilling milk
before, during or immediately after a wedding day is prevented, considering it
inauspicious. The idea is it can signify pending misfortunes for the newlyweds.
Scattering coins in the new house
In the Philippines, it is a ritual to scatter
coins all over the living room of a new home to bring happiness, prosperity and
luck to the new residents. Anyone who is moving from an old home to a new one
is well informed about the numerous unknown expenses that pop up. So once you
make it to your new home, you might want all the help you can get for
recovering all those expenses. To fulfill those expenses, make sure you have a
handful of change ready to scatter in your living room.
The Maneki-Neko
Also known as a beckoning cat, is a cat with a
raised paw as if they are cleaning their face or waving someone to come over.
This ritual first started in the latter part of the Edo Period. There are
multiple folk stories about how the figures were inspired. One of the stories
is about a lord that was saved from lightning by a cat waving him over to take
accommodation in a temple. The other story is about a geisha who was saved when
her cat was mistakenly killed by her companion, who then the separated cat head
flying, hitting and killing the snake that was about to attack the geisha. Each
of the figures instils the cat with a distinctive meaning. A raised right paw
brings good luck and a raised left paw attracts customers. A calico patterned
cat brings good luck, green is for good health and a black wards off evil
spirits.
Getting hit by Bird Droppings
In Russia, birds in mid-air bathroom break on
someone are considered lucky for the person. It is also considered good luck if
it encounters a funeral procession.
Not Washing Hair
If you are wondering how you can score some good luck during your visit to
Korea, then here is a thing. In Korea, Lunar New Year’s Day gives an amazing
opportunity to begin the year with a fresh start so much so that Koreans will
not wash their hair on this day as it is said it would wash away the good luck.
Similarly, Korean students will not wash their hair before an exam to not wash
away all the knowledge they gave acquired from studying.
Pineapple Rolling
An exciting ritual for bringing good luck to a new home is often performed in
Singapore to bring good luck. This ritual is very popular with the Chinese in
Singapore and is known as ‘pineapple rolling’. Before stepping into the new
house, the owner will roll a pineapple while shouting “Huat ah” a Hokkien
phrase, which means to prosper. Pineapples are a highly desired fruit in
Singapore. Rolling the pineapple is like rolling good luck and prosperity into
the home.
Eating Fish
Chinese culture
is filled with rituals associated with food, symbolism and wordplay. For
instance, the word for fish in Chinese is pronounced ‘Yu’, which is the same as
the word for prosperity, so during the Chinese New Year celebration, having a
whole fish together with family is considered to attract prosperity and good
health in the coming year. There are also few rules like the head of the fish
must be pointed towards the eldest family member, and also he/she must eat
first. Adding firecrackers for a dinner is another way to bring luck. It is
believed that firecrackers are traditionally used to scare away misfortunes and
bring lots of luck your way.
Palad Khik
The Palad Khik
is a popular talisman that’s engraved to represent the penis. These talismans
range in size and design. They signify fertility, bring good luck, gives
protection and increase your chances of winning while gambling. They are tied
with a cord and worn around the waist and also seen at shops to bring good luck
when it comes to business.
No comments:
Post a Comment