Old Wives’ Tales

We have heard a lot of old wives’ tales

Those quirky beliefs old folks like to tell

Most are nothing more than mere superstitions

Yet many are enthralled by such notions.

 

Clipping fingernails or toenails at night brings bad luck

The logical reason is that it may leave you with a cut

Snapping a photo of a sleeping person will capture their soul

Leaving the body soul-less and cold.

 

Always knock on the door before you check into your hotel room

Never point your finger at the moon

Knocking will appease any spirits in the hotel room so that you can stay in it without fear

Pointing at the moon may cause you to lose your ear.

 

Don’t sweep on the first day of the lunar new year

Good luck will be swept away many Chinese fear

When sweeping your home always sweep inwards

Or else your good luck will be swept outwards.

 

The Chinese word for four sounds like the Chinese word for death

That’s why most Chinese avoid the number four like the plague

The Chinese word for eight sounds like the Chinese word for prosperity

That’s why most Chinese welcome the number eight with alacrity.

 

A baby with more than one hair crown will be naughty

Nailing during pregnancy will cause the unborn baby to have some deformity

A mother-to-be should avoid using glue

Or the threat of a difficult labour may come true.

 

Opening an umbrella indoors will bring back luck

Sitting on your pillow will cause blisters to develop on your butt

Whistling at night will attract the unwanted attention of a lingering soul

Never stick you chopsticks in unfinished rice in your bowl.

 

Leaving grains of rice on your plate will lead to pimples scaring your future spouse’s face

You can get hemorrhoid if you sit on a hot concrete surface

Giving a clock as a gift is deemed a bad omen

It’s like sending the recipient to their untimely end.

 

Some parents instill these superstitious beliefs in their children at a young age

The children become trapped in a deviant belief system like birds in a cage

Most superstitions are just irrational beliefs

When ignorance reigns and common sense has taken leave.