Asian Superstitions to Learn Before Your Visit
Talking about Superstitions, do you avoid the number 13 at all costs or try to avoid crossing paths with a black cat? All around the world, what constitutes a bad omen, or a lucky charm might surprise you.
In East and Southeast Asia, superstitions get taken to the next level. Asian superstitions take what the West might view as fun folklore or casual myths into culture-shaping ideologies. To help you stay topped-up with good fortune and to get into the coming Halloween’s vibe, we’ve put together an introduction to some of the Asian superstitions you might come across on your next visit here.
Japan
No Whistling at Night!
Many countries in Asia have this superstition and Japan is one of them. “If you whistle at night, snakes will come out!” is the first and one of the most curious superstitions on our list. There are two reasons for this nightly whistle ban – the first one is of supernatural nature and lies in the fear that a monster might be drawn out by the whistling. The second reason is based in reality where ‘snakes’ is interpreted as people of the shadier sort. It is said that in old Japan, human traffickers, thieves, and other criminals used whistling to communicate when getting up to their nefarious activities under cover of the night. A careless whistle in the dark might get you an unwanted visit by either a monster or a hoodlum, so be warned.
Thunder, Better Hide your Belly Button!
“Hide your belly button during a thunderstorm!” is a phrase that many Japanese people might remember hearing as kids. This superstition has to do with the Japanese god of thunder, Raijin. He is the one causing the thunder in a storm and is said to have a particular passion for children’s bellybuttons – if one is exposed, he might swoop down and devour the tasty little treat.
Vietnam
Ghost money for ancestors
Ghost money refers to imitation paper bills that are symbolic offerings given to deceased ancestors. People believe the ancestors can deposit this money in an afterlife bank, while others view ghost money as payment for the ancestors granting the living family’s wishes.
Ghost money is printed on bamboo paper and can be made to resemble Chinese yen, Vietnamese dong, Thai baht, or even U.S. dollars that is passed on to the family’s ancestors by being burned.
The first customer of the day predicts good business
Influenced by Chinese Culture, many Vietnamese shop owners believe the first customer of the day will indicate how profitable their shop will be for that day. If the first customer is a big spender, the day will be fortuitous, while it can be bad luck if the first customer does not purchase anything. When you next visit Vietnam, consider doing your shopping earlier in the day and save the browsing for later as entering a shop early just to peruse an browse the selection could be a bad omen for the superstitious shop owner, and for sure they will put the prices up when you do return to buy.
South Korea
Giving shoes as a gift will make your partner run away
In South Korea, giving a gift of shoes to your significant other is a big no-no, unless you are looking to end the relationship of course. Aside from the fact that it’s not easy to guess their shoe size, many folks believe that presenting your loved one with a pair of shoes will make him or her run away, and probably while wearing that same pair of shoes too.
Toffee makes it stick
Korea is one of the countries that is education obsessed which has given rise to a lot of superstitions surrounding exam taking. One of the beliefs states that eating sticky foods like toffee will help the knowledge obtained from the study period or cramming session stick in the student’s mind. It is common to see people give toffee to wish the student good luck for an upcoming exam. The superstition also states that eating slippery food like seaweed soup will have the opposite effect and will cause a student to ‘slip’ down the exam result ranking.
India
You lose your wealth if you shake your legs.
In India behavior such as shaking legs is not just a sign of nervousness. It also drives away your wealth. It is believed that if you shake your legs, prosperity will flow away from you. This superstition could have come from the old belief that shaking your leg suggests idleness. Perhaps that explains why we are so broke at the end of a busy night hitting the nightclub dancefloors.
Keeping onions and knives under your bed will drive away bad dreams.
An onion and a knife is kept under a newborn child’s bed to drive away bad dreams. It is also believed that placing an onion under your pillow while you sleep will bring you great insight when looking for visions about who your future partner in life will be. If only it was this easy. Perhaps all the singletons reading this week’s newsletter could put it to the test and take an onion to bed and please let us know how you get on.
Thailand
That baby is, erm, not lovely?!
Though it might seem to be the most natural thing in the world to tell someone how adorable their little newborn is, in some parts of Vietnam and Thailand you might find the parents less than grateful for any compliment you might heap upon their offspring. This is due to the superstition that if a baby is said to be cute, evil spirits will be tempted to come and whisk them away. Sometimes a kohl smudge is applied to the faces of babies in order to make them seem less lovely, and there is an expression which roughly translates as ‘your baby is ugly-cute’ which it is perfectly polite to utter.
No haircuts on Wednesdays
Hoping to get a trim while you’re visiting Thailand? No problem – just don’t go on a Wednesday. Several possible explanations are offered as to why many Thai hairdressers and barbers are closed on Wednesdays. Thais believe it is not only bad luck to have your haircut on a Wednesday but that it is also an auspicious day. This belief originated from members of the royal family having their hair cut on a Wednesday and therefore common people were prohibited to do so. The more mundane suggestion is that hairdressers need a day off, and Wednesdays are simply the quietest.
Indonesia
Do not sweep at night
It is probably one of the most well-known Indonesian superstitions out there. The superstition says that sweeping at night would make it difficult to attract luck as it symbolizes sweeping our luck and good fortune away. There are however some reasonable explanations to this belief.
In the past, Indonesians did not have nice ceramic or wood flooring in their homes. The floors of most Indonesian homes were bare, compacted earth. So to sweep house required a hard broomstick where the bristles were made of palm leaf ribs, making sweeping with these brooms a very noisy affair and sure to annoy the household and your neighbours.
Don’t open an umbrella indoor
This superstition believes that if you open an umbrella indoor, someone in the house will die soon. Especially if the umbrella is black, as black umbrellas are associated with funerals.
But really, what is the purpose of opening an umbrella indoor? An umbrella is supposed to be used outside to shield you from rain or the sun. Opening an umbrella indoors would take up space in your room and would be inconvenient for people inside your house to move around or even cause an accident, so as with many superstitions, there is folk wisdom and common sense often at the heart of these beliefs.
Are these superstitions similar to anything in your culture? If you are looking for inspiration for your next holiday, then look no further than our unique experiences in Asia. Designed by our Concierges and Travel Design Teams in each destination, these unique itineraries are built on local knowledge and share the best experiences of each of our Asian destinations.
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