Have you ever been freaked out by Desi superstitions or just flat out laughed thinking it is nonsense?
In South Asian culture, there are so many superstitions and traditions we have followed for many decades, it is something our parents and grandparents have carried with them from back home.
My Bibi ji (Grandma) used to tell us and still does, that if we sneeze before leaving the house then we have to eat something sweet and wait two minutes before we can leave the house, apparently it means something bad might happen to you!
Many will remember their childhood where they could not wash their hair on a Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, again it doesn’t make sense but kids were so scared of the consequences, they just stuck to those rules.
Another scary superstition is being told not to whistle at night because it invites evil spirits in, many South Asians refer to bad spirits as Jinns.
If you were bold and whistled at night, then you would unfortunately get the desi death stare and be told something bad would happen to you or the family.
This leads to another tradition, which is burning red chillies to ward off those bad spirits or if somebody has put nazar on you (evil eye).
When someone has put nazar on you it means they are jealous and think ill of you, so as a tradition families burn red chillies, place a blue evil eye amulet in their household or wear it as a piece of jewellery to ward off negative energy and it protects you.
It is not something many have questioned when growing up, you just go along with some of the superstitions and if your grandparents tell you to do something, then you listen to them.
Nobody wants to be threatened with a jutti! (shoe)
My parents recently said most of the superstitions are simply old wives’ tales’ and they do not really mean anything.
People online have discussed their household superstitions and they are sure to bring back some memories for some.
One person online said, “it’s okay i got my desi superstitions to protect me from the jinns.”
Another said, “Nazar is real guys.. Waving hand Be cautious of whom you open up to! #desisuperstitions Upside-down face”
There is a whole thread on Twitter where one person has listed superstitions.
Here is a few they have mentioned:
“Do not clean (broom, vacuum, mop, etc) if someone just left your house until they reach their destination or else.”
“Don’t play any instruments or whistle once it gets dark it’s bad luck. Something bad will happen to them.”
“Don’t jingle keys, it causes fights.”
“If a shoe (chapal) is turned over on its side or upside down it’s bad luck to the owner of those shoes.”
Which superstitions did you grow up with?
We would love to hear all about them.
