Superstitions

Many people believe in superstitions. The word itself suggests that what you think is real may not be real at all. It tends to mean things that are NOT believeable or proven. It also means things that have been seen or heard but can't be verified by others, or by science. Many believe that if it didn't happen to them, then it can't be true. Or if it can't be proven by science, it can't be real. There are a huge amount of things that have yet to be proven by science. Do you believe in any superstitions?

Here are a few that are believed in the Philippines; Ghosts (called mumu's here, Pronounced moo-moo's) are real. There are very few Filipino's that do not believe in ghosts.They believe that some ghosts can possess animals, making them emit sounds that are not in their regular nature. If you hear a very eerie sound at night that doesn't seem regular, it is attributed to mumu's. Then there is the "white lady". Known all over the P.I. as evil, and usually a death follows her. The white lady is almost always dressed in a long, white gown, has messed up hair, and blood on her face. There are literally thousands upon thousands of Filipinos that swear on a Bible that they have seen a white lady. It is not a good omen by any means. Another belief is that if you are walking along with a wife or girlfriend, holding hands, and come upon an obstacle that might make you break apart to go around it, and you release hands, it means that you will not be together in the future. You must both go on the same side, and not break your grip on each other. A big one is "witch doctors". No, not the ones that dress in feathers and jump around doing chants. But they strongly believe that some people are blessed with the ability to sense out certain illnesses, even going so far as to tell you exactly what part of you is messed up inside. A huge amout of Filipino's go to withc doctors on a continous basis, including takingn their children. Many times the witch doctor wil lmumble a spell or charm on to a piece of surgical tape and place it on parts of your body to ward of illness or disease. It is quite common to see people walking around with one, two, or even five or six pieces of tape visible on their body. No one here thinks it is weird at all. The really weird thing about it is how many times they are right. Many times, when people go to a real doctor, after already seeing a witch doctor, they are told exactly the same thing from the real doctor that the witch doctor told them. I, personally, have never been to a witch doctor, but my wife has many times. Another is, on special occasions, like a house blessing, it is normal to have a priest come in first and bless the house. If you don't do this, then you are open to bad karma. It is also normal to bless a house or business by throwing a large amount of coins through the door. It is meant to bring you good luck and prosperity. Also putting coins in the corners of each room will help to make you prosper.

Other superstitions that we have in common are; black cats crossing your path. It's bad luck. If they run in front of you, then you can't proceed for a bit. Breaking a mirror means the same thing here as it does in the U.S. The number 13 is considered unlucky (but not for Chinese). If two people say the same thing at the same time it is considered good luck.

Other of our own (there are too many to mention them all); walking under an open ladder. Stepping on a sidewalk crack (break your mother's back). And then a big one; Deja Vu! Something just happened that you swear has happened before. It's very eerie!

Many don't believe in superstitions; or at least they say they don't. But if you watch them, you will see them react to certain things that happen to them that will prove that maybe they actually do believe! My opinion is; Why take a chance? Better to be safe than sorry!