Your fav Chinese superstition & old wives tales

[Amdir_Flassion]

Have you heard that one about if u r talking about good prospects of the future regarding anyone or yourself, you don't talk about it over dinner or a meal with rice? It's coz if you talk about it over rice 饭 sounds like 烦 which means trouble ('fan' for rice and trouble sounds the same), then trouble will come into that? Not to mention too is that the steam from rice will bring away all the goodness. It sounds odd, but it's something my mother follows quite seriously so I don't talk about assignments or exams whenever I'm eating rice.

Another thing I don't get is the 倒福 that many people have in their homes. It is a piece of paper with the word 福 on it but the paper is shaped like a diamond, then it's stuck on a wall upside down to 倒 so the character is also upside down, because putting upside down is like having 福 or good fortune fall into your pocket?????? Sounds ridiculous to me, I think it's the opposite that if u 倒福 then it means bad luck.

But with all this superstitious stuff, whether it brings bad luck or good all depends on whether you believe it or not, I reckon.

[skylee]

About the upside-down "福", actually it means "福到" (good fortune arrives), instead of "福倒".

Never heard of the rice thing.

[holyman]

talking during meal time is probably prohibited in educated families, according to the confucian code of conduct. for both my parents, when they and their siblings was young both my grandad will hit them on the head if they talk over the table. even now my parents dont talk much during meal time. but me and my brother always chat while we eat.

[pazu]

My favorite one:

Gift-money for wedding should always be an even number, meaning everything should be in couple. (e.g. HK$500)

Mourn-money for funeral should only be an odd number, one better than one... (e.g. $201)

[holyman]

do not wash or sweep anything on 1st day of lunar new year... all the good luck will be swept or washed away.

[tara]

and never throw rubbish out on the 1st day of lunar new year.

boil a kettle of water, cook a pot of rice and leave the lights on the eve of 1st day of lunar new year.

not allow to renovate of move house, change bed sheets if there is a pregnant woman in the house.

having nightmares if you clip your nails at night.

leaving rice on your plate means a ugly husband in future.

the list goes on and on......em.....could it possibly be that we are trying to find an excuse for bad happenings??

[holyman]

wah in japan clipping nails at night means u wont be able to see ur parents on their deathbed...

[tara]

Oh...and another very common one.....never pick up coins from the ground......becoz...the coins are dropped for a reason....

"Whenever passing through the border of a place where bodies are buried or burned, drop a few copper coins when leaving. If you do not have copper coins, drop another metal coin on the ground or floor. The departed souls will never hurt you and your luck will never depart from you."

[Amdir_Flassion]

With the rice thing, I've never heard of it until only a few yrs ago. Yeh, it's prob a story just to keep the Confucian tradition alive on the dinner table. But my family talks over the table, as long it ain't about good news. Oh well, perhaps my mother is getting old, and from what I know old ppl like talking about superstition.

I've never heard of the money thing in the wedding and funeral. Oh no, how much money did my folks give at my cousin's wedding 2yrs ago?

Why is clipping nails at night a nightmare? What's the story behind that?

Yeh, there are plenty of Lunar New Year ones. My family follows the one where we leave rice and the lights on over night.

I've got a few omens as well. Like if a particular year grows plenty of mangos or lychees, then that year will be a time of war. Another one for war is that if bamboo grows rice. Got those from my dad. He says all this food grows in abundance deliberately to feed ppl in a time of famine from war.

Another time for war thing is the Year of the Goat. It's also the year for disease and pestilence. I pretty much believe that, with the Iraq war and SARS in this Year of the Goat that is about to end.

[pazu]

I've never heard of the money thing in the wedding and funeral. Oh no' date=' how much money did my folks give at my cousin's wedding 2yrs ago? [/quote']

There's a tradition in Hong Kong for wedding money, it's called Renqing (人情) and if the couple is going to hold a big banquet at a restaurant (請飲), you have to pay HK$500 if you go, or HK$300 if you get the invitation card but decide not to go. Anyway, the above info is for last few years.

For funeral money, no tradition as yet I know, but it always depends on the situation of the family.

[Ian_Lee]

If you dine with someone who makes his living on the sea (i.e. sailor, fisherman), never flip over the fish when the meat on the top side of the fish is all eaten.

Such flipping-over denotes capsizing.

[skylee]

I've never heard of the money thing in the wedding and funeral. Oh no' date=' how much money did my folks give at my cousin's wedding 2yrs ago? [/quote']

There's a tradition in Hong Kong for wedding money, it's called Renqing (人情) and if the couple is going to hold a big banquet at a restaurant (請飲), you have to pay HK$500 if you go, or HK$300 if you get the invitation card but decide not to go. Anyway, the above info is for last few years.

For funeral money, no tradition as yet I know, but it always depends on the situation of the family.

I know about the money thing for weddings and funeral, HK customs. I didn't know mourning money had to be something like $201, $501 until I saw some such records quite recently.

[holyman]

never give clocks to people as a present(but watch is ok). the pronounciation of 'clock' is the same as 'end/finale' in chinese, so giving clocks(endings) means seeing someone off in his deathbed. i think same thing for giving unbrellas to friends or lovers, cos umbrella sounds the same as separation(散 san3)。

[tara]

Why is clipping nails at night a nightmare? What's the story behind that?

I was told that the funeral parlours would normally make up and clip the nails of dead people at night - so I was told not to clip nails at night.

Well, over the weekend I learnt some tips for this coming CNY - bcoz of the fact that we are moving from period no. 7 to period no. 8 (earth element) this 2004, we should "celebrate and party" this CNY...good day being 1st day of CNY. Have the lion dance, fire crackers (if allowed in your country), keep the fans turning, keep abundent mandarin oranges in the house and red lanterns in south of the house and dress like a christmas tree (no way for me) and don't wear black (an old custom).