[Chu-Yiu]

Know of any strange Chinese superstitions? Share here!

Here's a few I found on the internet and polling members of my family, to get us started:

Finger and toe nails
Chinese custom forbids the clipping of one’s toe or finger nails at night as it is believed that this may cause a visit from the dead or a ghost. Nail clippings are to be carefully collected and disposed of in a place unknown to others as it is believed that nail clippings can be used to cast a spell or curse upon the person from whom the clippings have come.


The fluid from a dog’s eye????????
Dogs are believed to have the ability to see supernatural beings such as ghosts and phantoms, and howl when they see one. If a dog howls continuously, it is believed that this presages an imminent death.
Following from this, it is believed that the fluid from a dog’s eye can enable humans to see the spirit world, for example ancestors’ souls. A medium will smear the fluid on his/her eyes in order to see the supernatural world for the purposes of exorcism etc. However it is believed that ordinary people who smear the fluid from a dog’s eye on their own eyes may die from the shock of seeing the afterlife.

Brooms
Traditional Chinese culture holds that a broom is inhabited by a spirit, thus explaining why it should not be used for games, playing etc. The broom should not be used for cleaning the household gods or altar as this is disrespectful. These objects are cleaned with a cloth or a special small brush. During the Spring Festival, Chinese custom prohibits the use of the broom for three days from New Year’s Day, as it is thought that use of it will sweep away the good luck the new year brings.

[kaiselin]

Chu-Yiu, on Dec 4 2007, 08:01 PM, said:

Know of any strange Chinese superstitions? Share here!

Here's a few I found on the internet and polling members of my family, to get us started:

Finger and toe nails
Chinese custom forbids the clipping of one’s toe or finger nails at night as it is believed that this may cause a visit from the dead or a ghost. Nail clippings are to be carefully collected and disposed of in a place unknown to others as it is believed that nail clippings can be used to cast a spell or curse upon the person from whom the clippings have come.


The fluid from a dog’s eye????????
Dogs are believed to have the ability to see supernatural beings such as ghosts and phantoms, and howl when they see one. If a dog howls continuously, it is believed that this presages an imminent death.
Following from this, it is believed that the fluid from a dog’s eye can enable humans to see the spirit world, for example ancestors’ souls. A medium will smear the fluid on his/her eyes in order to see the supernatural world for the purposes of exorcism etc. However it is believed that ordinary people who smear the fluid from a dog’s eye on their own eyes may die from the shock of seeing the afterlife
Brooms
Traditional Chinese culture holds that a broom is inhabited by a spirit, thus explaining why it should not be used for games, playing etc. The broom should not be used for cleaning the household gods or altar as this is disrespectful. These objects are cleaned with a cloth or a special small brush. During the Spring Festival, Chinese custom prohibits the use of the broom for three days from New Year’s Day, as it is thought that use of it will sweep away the good luck the new year brings.

Thefear of someone else using your clippings of finger and toe nails must be a fairly universal taboo, altough I have never heard tha part about not doing it at night.
that is an interesting variation.

I don't care how much I might want to see ghosts and phantoms, I am not whiping goo from a gogs eye on mine .....Yuck No wonder they drop dead, who knows what the dog was ill with.

Brooms too seem to have all sorts of superstitions attached to them.
I had a mover once refuse to pack my broom because it was bad luck to take old brooms to new homes.

I also heard that in some parts of England if you want to alert your lover that the coast is clear, to set your broom outside on the stoop with the bristles pointed up, ,, but in other parts of Britain, it is just a sign that no unexpected visitors are welcome.
boy, you sure better be sure of what area you are in before leaving your broom outside. huh?

[Pattie]

kaiselin, on Dec 4 2007, 08:46 PM, said:

Brooms too seem to have all sorts of superstitions attached to them.

The broom used at out 10th anniversary ritual is lovingly preserved in the living room, never to sweep again.

And when we bought this house my best friend was empathic that I not use the old broom in the house (outside was fine with her) and she arrived to help, new broom in hand.

There is a broom outside the door as I type. It's there for the snow and with luck the position it's in tells wouldbe guest to not pause. d:

[tung2sai]

I don't know the exact reason but this is what I heard from my family.

During Funerals, don't cover the coffin with your shadow or watch it being bury in the ground, especially if you are not related. Either way, try avoiding going to their house or come to yours, unless you must. Eat something sweet on that day or try to cut your hair around that time.

Don't cry on the Lunar New Year day.
Don't buy shoes near Lunar New Year.
Try avoiding washing or cutting your hair on Lunar New Year.
My family doesn't eat dumplings but a vegetarian stew on Lunar New Year. (Maybe a Southern Chinese tradition)
Wear certain colors on Lunar New Year, depending on your zodiac.

Be careful making moon cakes, like you have to swirl them or add ingredients in a certain manner.

Don't flip a whole fish over, eat it through the bones.

When sleeping, try not having your feet face the window.

Have the main doors of your house and/or business facing the south or east (but not west). I think this has more to do with Feng Shui.

I'm not sure what type of plant, I think it's anything green with long stalks, like if it blossoms on some specific day, you're suppose to tie it with a red string or bun, to avoid losing your luck or something. I saw my parents doing this a few times.



There's like a whole range of Chinese superstitions, sometimes depending on your ancestoral village and province, like there's going to be some different things for those that are closer to the coasts than the ones more inland. Don't know about some of you, but my family has something against cremating the body or tatooing it. Could be superstition or not.

There's this thing that apparently happens a lot to my family (even me from what I've been told) how our dead relatives try to communicate to us through our dreams.

There's a lot, but it's not like we really believe in it, at least I don't...maybe a little but not too much.

This post has been edited by tung2sai: 05 December 2007 - 12:59 AM

[General_Zhaoyun]

I'm not sure whether it's a kind of 'superstition', but chinese folks religion (not sure if it's of taoist one) had it that if you put the cockroach's faeces into water and drink it, it can 'cure' any disease.

I think, we need to define what is 'superstition'.

[fireball]

Well, my mom heard earthworms could cure children's leg cramps, so she had my brother took earthworms to cure his leg cramps, and my brother actually ate them!

[fireball]

My dad told me a superstition regarding umbrella. In the mountains of Zhejiang province, there were some people who kept 蠱 (gu3 - Certain Chinese and Southeast Asian black magic practice). The way they did it was as the following: At the noon of the 5th day of the 5th month, put several different poisonous live creatures (snakes, spiders, scorpions, etc.) in one container and let them kill each other. When there is only one left, take it and use certain ceremonies and procedures to make it into 蠱 gu. Then the person would keep this gu as his/her household god and sacrifice to it. Every once in a while, the owner of gu needed to feed the gu. He/she would put a powder (I think it was made of that gu's body or something) into the food or drink of a guest of his/her family. Then, the person would go home and die mysteriously later. A person could find out whether his/her host kept gu. If the host kept gu in the family, the hot food and hot drinks being served would have no steams. Also, if you put your umbrella upside down in such a household, the gu would feel bad and start making noises, like "gu, gu, gu...". At that point, you better leave quickly and not eat or drink anything in this house.

Well, you could bet that I would bring an umbrella when I visit any parts of Zhejiang mountains. However, could anyone tell me which way is the way for the umbrella to be upside down?

[Chu-Yiu]

fireball, on Dec 5 2007, 08:06 AM, said:

My dad told me a superstition regarding umbrella. In the mountains of Zhejiang province, there were some people who kept 蠱 (gu3 - Certain Chinese and Southeast Asian black magic practice). The way they did it was as the following: At the noon of the 5th day of the 5th month, put several different poisonous live creatures (snakes, spiders, scorpions, etc.) in one container and let them kill each other. When there is only one left, take it and use certain ceremonies and procedures to make it into 蠱 gu. Then the person would keep this gu as his/her household god and sacrifice to it. Every once in a while, the owner of gu needed to feed the gu. He/she would put a powder (I think it was made of that gu's body or something) into the food or drink of a guest of his/her family. Then, the person would go home and die mysteriously later. A person could find out whether his/her host kept gu. If the host kept gu in the family, the hot food and hot drinks being served would have no steams. Also, if you put your umbrella upside down in such a household, the gu would feel bad and start making noises, like "gu, gu, gu...". At that point, you better leave quickly and not eat or drink anything in this house.

Well, you could bet that I would bring an umbrella when I visit any parts of Zhejiang mountains. However, could anyone tell me which way is the way for the umbrella to be upside down?

Wow, that's sounds like a some complicated spell. That could be a whole new thread on Chinese magic and Shamanism....fascinating and unusual. I'm assuming the umbrella is upside-down when it catches water, and does not repel it, with the handle sticking up?

[Chu-Yiu]

Eating a fish all the way to the bones, without flipping it over, my po-po definitely did that one, and no serving a fish without the head or tail. It had to be the whole fish, eyes and all.

[fireball]

Eating a fish without flipping it over is a superstition around the coastal Chinese communities. Flipping a fish over symbolizes flipping the boat over, and it is a very bad luck for fishermen's families. Also, if you are on a boat, you should definitely not flip the fish either no matter where you are originally from. Some more traditional Chinese sailors on the boat might get mad at you. I was told of this tradition by both of my parents because both Hangzhou and Wenzhou are sea ports.

In addition, women were not supposed to be on the boat. That was also considered very bad luck. I think that rule was on boats every where in the world from what I have read -- at least, from the most sea-going cultures. Of course, captives of pirates did not count in this case.

[Sparhawk]

fireball, on Dec 5 2007, 02:06 AM, said:

In the mountains of Zhejiang province, there were some people who kept 蠱 (gu3 - Certain Chinese and Southeast Asian black magic practice). The way they did it was as the following: At the noon of the 5th day of the 5th month, put several different poisonous live creatures (snakes, spiders, scorpions, etc.) in one container and let them kill each other. When there is only one left, take it and use certain ceremonies and procedures to make it into 蠱 gu. Then the person would keep this gu as his/her household god and sacrifice to it.

Interesting account. Thanks for sharing. As you may know, gu3 is also the name of Hexagram 18 in the Yijing. Very interesting character that depicts worms in a dish and thus something that's been spoiled, that's decaying and therefore poisonous. In the context of the Yijing--context being key here more than mere etymology--I've seen this title translated in many forms. Wilhelm/Baynes translated it as "Work on What Has Been Spoiled." A good friend and scholar, Bradford Hatcher, translated it as "Detoxifying." 18 is a very interesting hexagram, indeed.



Hexagram 18


蠱 元亨。利涉大川。先甲三日。後甲三日。
gu3 yuan2 heng1 li4 she4 da4 chuan1 xian1 jia3 san1 ri4 hou4 jia3 san1 ri4

初六 幹父之蠱。有子。考旡咎。厲終吉。
chu1 liu4 gan4 fu4 zhi1 gu3 you3 zi3 kao3 wu2 jiu4 li4 zhong1 ji2

九二 幹母之蠱。不可貞。
jiu3 er4 gan4 mu3 zhi1 gu3 bu4 ke3 zhen1

九三 幹父之蠱。小有悔。旡大咎。
jiu3 san1 gan4 fu4 zhi1 gu3 xiao3 you3 hui4 wu2 da4 jiu4

六四 裕父之蠱。往見吝。
liu4 si4 yu4 fu4 zhi1 gu3 wang3 jian4 lin4

六五 幹父之蠱。用譽。
liu4 wu3 gan4 fu4 zhi1 gu3 yong4 yu4

上九 不事王侯。高尚其事。
shang4 jiu3 bu4 shi4 wang2 hou2 gao1 shang4 qi2 shi4

Best,

[fireball]

Sparhawk's quote of Yi Jing is a fine example of how classical Chinese (wen yan wen) grammar has changed from ancient time to modern days. I have no idea of what of those explanations for each 爻 (yao2) meant and wouldn't dare to think of translating them. This is when I go to a Yi Jing translation of the Yi Jing translation ... to at least 4 or 5 levels before I could understand what they are trying to say here!

However, the picture of a worm in a bowl does fit my dad's story of putting the poisonous worms (snakes are called long worms sometimes) into a big covered bowl or container for them to fight it out. How do you know that the design of the word did not try to hint at the way to make the 蠱 (gu3).

This post has been edited by fireball: 05 December 2007 - 05:36 PM

[polar_zen]

Don't build a house at the direct end of a street as evil spirits travel in straight lines.

[fireball]

In the modern days, the evil spirit may not come to the house at the end of a T shaped street, but the cars would. Both my classmate and my mother's tenant who parked their cars a little off the end of a T shaped street, and both cars were destroyed by drunken drivers in the middle of night.

[Sparhawk]

fireball, on Dec 5 2007, 05:35 PM, said:

Sparhawk's quote of Yi Jing is a fine example of how classical Chinese (wen yan wen) grammar has changed from ancient time to modern days. I have no idea of what of those explanations for each 爻 (yao2) meant and wouldn't dare to think of translating them. This is when I go to a Yi Jing translation of the Yi Jing translation ... to at least 4 or 5 levels before I could understand what they are trying to say here!

LOL! Tell me about it! After almost 35 years dedicated to its study, I feel I've been stuck in 1st Grade all this time...

Quote

How do you know that the design of the word did not try to hint at the way to make the 蠱 (gu3).

Although I know the character is related to sorcery, I certainly don't know what you ask and your account gives me something to ponder about...

Best,

This post has been edited by Sparhawk: 05 December 2007 - 07:02 PM