Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Korean PP here - once I gave a Jewish friend a knife set as a wedding gift. They paid me a dollar for it and explained that if you gift a knife, you risk severing the friendship. It must have worked because we’re still friends!

Koreans have so many superstitions around gift giving. I can’t think of all of them. Like baby showers aren’t a thing there because it would be presumptuous and bring bad luck to give a gift before the baby is delivered healthy and well. Gosh, and we have so many superstitions around pregnancy and childbirth too…

This is prevalent in many Asian cultures. I'm Japanese, and I felt highly uncomfortable when my coworkers organized a surprise baby shower for me. My son was born very premature and has lifelong disabilities from his complicated birth. I have refused to have a shower for my other kids.

In non Asian cultures too

If I look at a clock and it shows XX:13…bad luck is coming!

I can never open a wet umbrella ☂️ inside my house (or anyone else’s!) for fear that bad luck will follow.

In high school, we’d hold our breath while driving by cemeteries. Otherwise you’ll inhale essences of spirits.

And when we drove through a yellow light, we’d kiss our index and middle fingers then touch the overhead part of the car. This was for good sex.

Anonymous wrote:"Don't split the pole!"

When I was on a high school sports team and we'd walk in a group, everyone would have to walk on the same side of a street sign, lamp post, etc. If you split the pole, with some people walking on each side, you'd have horrible luck.

Now I never let my family split the pole.

That's a bread and butter situation.
https://youtu.be/EM_n9croRyg

Anonymous wrote:"Don't split the pole!"

When I was on a high school sports team and we'd walk in a group, everyone would have to walk on the same side of a street sign, lamp post, etc. If you split the pole, with some people walking on each side, you'd have horrible luck.

Now I never let my family split the pole.

Yes! I forgot about this one. I still do this, most of the time. Why take chances, right?

I read a book about superstitions as a kid and because of it I never put on my left shoe or left side of my clothing first, ever, and it made me very uncomfortable to see anyone else who did. I thought something bad would happen to them. Then I had a left-handed kid who did everything on the left side first and it quickly cured me of that superstition.

"Don't split the pole!"

When I was on a high school sports team and we'd walk in a group, everyone would have to walk on the same side of a street sign, lamp post, etc. If you split the pole, with some people walking on each side, you'd have horrible luck.

Now I never let my family split the pole.

I'm Filipino and when I visited my aunts long ago, they were shocked to learn I was showering while on my period. Apparently you're not supposed to do that or you'll become infertile, or so they believed. I was like, umm, no. You'll become infertile if you don't wash it out and get a nasty infection.

Also, don't go to bed with wet hair or you'll wake up blind.

Not Korean but after living there for several years, I can no longer use a red pen to sign my name.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if it's a superstition per se, but my family doesn't believe in naming children before they're born or doing too much to prepare. I'm always stunned by people who point to their pregnant belly and refer to their fetus by name, or decorate the nursery complete with child's name displayed.

Jewish tradition

PP again and we're Jewish. I wasn't sure if it was just my family or a Jewish thing.
We also don't share boys' names until the bris. My nephew was unable to have a bris at eight days and I didn't know his name for a couple of weeks.

I am German and feel similarly -- we also don't celebrate birthday parties under AFTER the actual birthday. I honestly believe in this superstition, I guess as a version of don't count your chickens before they hatch; how can you celebrate something that hasn't yet happened?

Don’t gift knives and if you do, gift them with a penny or the recipient might kill you with it.

Lentils on New Year’s Eve are good luck. So is red underwear. (Italian).

If a pregnant woman eats the heel of the bread she will have a boy.

Red ribbon tied under the mattress is good luck. (Jewish)

Don’t put your purse on the ground.

Anonymous wrote:Mine mainly revolves around the evil eye, which I believe has some basis in truth. I don't brag, and I don't invite someone over if I smell insecurity, jealousy, or competitiveness.

Some people genuinely don't wish you well and it might have nothing to do with you. They can just cast the evil eye on you because they feel miserable, weak and inferior.

I believe in bad energy and def evil eye.

I also believe in not saying out loud your wishes as they won't come true.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if it's a superstition per se, but my family doesn't believe in naming children before they're born or doing too much to prepare. I'm always stunned by people who point to their pregnant belly and refer to their fetus by name, or decorate the nursery complete with child's name displayed.

Jewish tradition

PP again and we're Jewish. I wasn't sure if it was just my family or a Jewish thing.
We also don't share boys' names until the bris. My nephew was unable to have a bris at eight days and I didn't know his name for a couple of weeks.

Mine mainly revolves around the evil eye, which I believe has some basis in truth. I don't brag, and I don't invite someone over if I smell insecurity, jealousy, or competitiveness.

Some people genuinely don't wish you well and it might have nothing to do with you. They can just cast the evil eye on you because they feel miserable, weak and inferior.