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How to attract good luck Asian Style
As we enter 2021, people from different cultures and nationalities around Asia will be following various traditions and acting on superstitions in trying to make this year a particularly prosperous one for them. As cultures have evolved and assimilated, these good luck rituals have traveled across continents and seas to give the rich mix of beliefs and traditions we have today. If you are looking for a little bit of extra luck to help you navigate the next 12 months, then maybe the rituals in this newsletter are just what you are looking for. Whether you believe that ritual and superstition can bring you prosperity, love, and good fortune or not, the reasons these interesting rituals have remained prevalent and practiced throughout history may be compelling enough to make you want to try, and surely after all that we have had to deal with in 2020, anything is worth a try!
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INDIA
Most people consider spilling milk to be a good omen but there are folks who consider it a bad omen too. At the housewarming ceremony (Griha Pravesh Puja) the first thing you should do is to boil a pan of milk and let it spill. Some people do it in such a way that milk is spilled in an easterly direction as according to Vaastu Shastra, India’s version of China’s Feng Shui, the east is the most auspicious of the cardinal points. Spill your milk to the east to attract luck, prosperity, positivity, peace... [ Read More] |
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CHINA
Chinese culture is packed with customs associated with food, wordplay, and symbolism. For example, the word for fish in Chinese is pronounced ‘Yu’, which is the same as the word for prosperity, so eating a whole fish together with family during a Chinese New Year celebration is believed to bring prosperity in the coming New Year. There are also many tweaks in the form of traditional rules associated with eating your New Year’s fish, such as the head of the fish must be pointed towards... [ Read More]
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JAPAN
There are several lucky charms that will keep you on the right side of Lady Luck in Japanese culture. A stylized rotund red hollow paper-mâché doll that represents the founder of Zen Buddhism, the Daruma Doll is a good luck talisman that helps people achieve their goals. Purchased from a temple at the beginning of the new year, the spaces where the doll’s eyes should be are left blank. Make your wish or set your goal for the year as you draw in the left eye on the doll’s face and... [ Read More] |
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THAILAND
Thailand also has their version of Maneki Neko cat. Known as Nang Kwak she is a female benevolent spirit deemed to bring luck, especially in the form of propserity, to the household. She is also considered to be the patron deity of merchants and salespeople and can be seen in almost every business establishment in Thailand. A figurine or a representation on a piece of fabric called a ‘Pha Yant’ or ‘Yantra Cloth’ of the goddess is typically placed near the shrine in the home or... [ Read More]
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LAOS
A Baci Ceremony (also spelt Basi) is a ceremony practiced in Laos and Thailand since ancient times. The term commonly used is “Sou Khwan” which means spirit enhancing or spirit calling. The ceremony involves a blessing from a respected elder, who ties white cotton strings around the person’s wrists while uttering prayers that invoke spiritual help, calling the guardian spirits back to the recipient of the blessing and to wish that person well. Lao and Thai people believe that... [ Read More] |
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KOREA
Wondering how you can score some good luck during a visit to Korea? In Korea, Lunar New Year's Day provides the perfect opportunity to start the year with a fresh start so much so that Koreans will often not wash their hair on this day as it is believed it would wash away the good luck. In the same way Korean students will not wash their hair before a test in order to not ‘wash away’ all the knowledge... [ Read More] |
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SINGAPORE
An interesting ritual for bringing good luck to a new home is practiced in that bastion of modernity, Singapore. This ritual, popular amongst the Chinese in Singapore, is known as ‘pineapple rolling’. Before stepping into their new home, the owner will roll a pineapple across the threshold while shouting "huat ah" a Hokkien phrase meaning to prosper. In Singapore, pineapples are a highly coveted fruit thanks to their association with prosperity. A practice that most likely originated from... [ Read More] |
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Happy New Year One and All
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...to start planning your Asian journey
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©SECRET RETREATS 2020 • Unveil the essence of Asia
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