In my opinion, India is one of the most religious and superstitious countries there is. Auspicious beliefs are supposed to be lucky. Superstitions involve bad luck, and these people take these beliefs very seriously! I am constantly amazed at the things Indian people tell me that they really seem to believe are factual. I often wonder to myself how they came to believe such things. I mean, they are just plain illogical. A simple Google search could prove the superstition wrong. But it is their cultural, so who am I to question it? Here is a list of just 12 of their many auspicious and superstitious beliefs.
- Eye twitching: If your left eye twitches it means something bad is going to happen to a guy and/or something good is going to happen to a girl. So basically, it is bad for boys but good for girls. If your right eye twitches it is the opposite. It is good for boys but bad for girls.
- Palmistry: Palm reading is a big practice in India and the people believe in it. Indians believe that the left hand must be read for girls…. always!
- Long Life: If you are talking about a person and they call you on the phone or show up right then, they are going to live a very long life.
- Banyan/Peepul Trees: You aren’t supposed to walk under a Banyan Tree at night. Apparently that is where evil spirits hang out.
- Cows are spiritual beings. It is good luck to feed them and admire them. But if you harm a cow in India, be prepared for bodily harm. It will outrage anyone that sees you.
- Govardhan Puja: This is the day after Diwali when Hindus offer food to the gods. It is considered bad luck to work on that day.
- Sweeping: It is considered very bad luck to sweep in the evening. It apparently brings bad luck into the home.
Indian Broom
- Peacocks: If you see one before a journey that is a very good sign that you will have a good journey.
Peacock in HKV in India
- Wedding dates: This is big in India. They study astrological signs of both the bride and groom to come up with an auspicious wedding date for the couple.
- 1 rupee: Adding one rupee to a price is good luck. In America we often price things at $2.99. In India it would be 3.01. When giving cash to a couple for their wedding adding a single rupee is believed to bring them good luck.
- Fish and dairy: Indians believe you should never eat fish and dairy products together. They believe if you do you will get very sick. I guess they don’t know that in America we eat sour cream with our fish on a regular basis and don’t get sick.
- Manglik: It is an astrology thing that deals with Mars. In absolute general terms, any LagnaKundali which has Mars(Mangal) in 1, 4 7 8 or 12 house is known as Manglik Kundli. It is particularly bad for a bride. So bad in fact that parents have been known to try and change or hide their birthdate so it doesn’t keep them from finding a husband.