Indian Superstitions And The Logic Behind Them

India is a country which follows many cultures. It is a perfect mix of tradition and modernity and there are many old age practices we're following even now. 

Living in a country like India, I'm pretty sure we have all heard a lot of superstitions from our parents and relatives. A lot of myths and beliefs which make no sense at all and have no logic behind them. And yet we're forced to follow them because that's what we are made to believe.

As a child when our parents used to force us to follow these superstitions, we always used to wonder "Why", why do we believe in something which makes no sense at all. So wouldn't it be nice to actually know the science behind these superstitions, to actually understand the logic behind them. There must be a reason our ancestors made this superstitions, some place where these myths came from.

Note that I'm not defending them or going against them but it is important to keep our mind open to new ideas and giving a chance for explanation to everything.

If you're a parent and you want your child to follow your believes, you have to tell them the actual logic behind it. The first step to believe is to understand. Forcing your views on others will not make them believe it.

First of all, let us know what exactly is Superstition...

Superstition is basically any practice or belief which has no logical reason, contradicts science, caused by some supernatural cause, fate or magic.

Here are a few examples of superstitious believes in India -

• A black cat crossing the road symbolize bad luck. 
• Cutting nails after sunset is bad luck. 
• Hanging green chilli and lemon at home protects it from evil eyes. 
• Itchy palms means that money is coming your way. 
• It is bad to consume meat on certain days. 
• We should not sweep after sunset. 
• We should not sleep with our head facing the North. 
• A crow cawing indicates that guests are coming. 
• We should not go near Peepal tree at night because it may be inhabited my spirits and ghosts. 
• Broken Mirrors will bring you bad luck. 
• Women are not allowed to go to temple and do certain things 
• Eating curd with sugar before going out for good luck during menstruation.
• Not washing your hair on certain days. 
• Keeping knife under the pillow at night to prevent nightmares.
• One should not go out during an Eclipse.

After seeing these examples you must be thinking how irrational these superstitions are. And how ridiculous it is to follow them blindly without understanding the logic behind them. So here I am going to tell you the logic behind some of these old age practices. Some of them may not have any logic but most of them do have a scientific reason behind them.

 

So let's decode the logic behind these superstitions.

Superstition : Keeping a knife under the pillow at night to prevent nightmares

Everyone wants a relaxing night after a tiresome day, and indeed without any nightmares. There is an Indian superstitions which says that keeping a knife under your pillow at night can drive away our bad dreams and nightmares, stop negative thoughts and can give you a good night's sleep without any disturbance. 

Knives are made up of iron and in Indian mythology it is believed that things like iron, fire, sunlight, etc can keep the negative energy away and prevent nightmares. 

Iron also represents Saturn (knows as kaal aka death) and is believed to ward off the evil.

                 

Logic

Nightmares are usually caused by stress, anxiety or increased metabolism which keeps our brain active at the time.

According to scientists, it is proven that iron in the knife corrects the error in the magnetic field around us which otherwise can cause hallucinations.

The other reason it to have a weapon near you in case of emergency.

Superstition : Hanging lemon and green chillis

In India, I'm pretty sure we've all seen lemon and green chillis hanging from a thread in front of houses, shops and even vehicles. Have you ever wondered why is that. According to Hindus, it is believed that hanging chillis and lemon (also called Nimbu Mirchi Nazar Battu) can protect you from evil eyes people who are jealous of you and prevent the evil from entering your property.

Nimbu Mirchi Nazar Battu

Logic

 As we know that, the technology was not really advanced in ancient times and hence the insecticides were not easily available. So our ancestors made this method to keep the insects away from their homes.

When chilli and lemon are pierced by the cotton thread and their juices gets absorbed by the thread and spread into the surrounding environment. Being rich in Vitamin C, lemon and chilli have excellent germicidal properties and also help repelling the mosquitoes and flies entering the house.

Superstition : Women should not enter the temple and kitchen during menstruation

Since our childhood, women in India are constantly told not to enter temples, kitchens, or touch anything holy during their menstruation. They are considered impure and dirty during their periods. 

I always used to ask my mother "Why", why are we considered impure when it is just a natural phenomenon and she used to reply with "It is the way it is". Of course I wasn't satisfied with her answer. I started searching about o it on internet and I came across various theories. 

           

Logic

The most logical one is this : in ancient times the idols of the Gods needed to be cleaned up before worshiping them and women had to go a long distance to fetch water from the well. This was a tiresome task and women were already weaker when they menstruated. Walking all the way to the temple could be exhausting as well. People used to live in big joint families earlier which means cooking was also a massive affair for women during their periods.

 Which is why, to give them the proper rest during their period days, our ancestors exempted them from going to temple and cooking. But it clearly looks like we took their concern in the wrong way and over time the original reason was completely forgotten.

Superstition : Don't go near Peepal tree at night

In India, it is believed that one should not go near Peepal tree at night because ghosts and spirits hover around it and they may kill you if you spend too long near it.

Logic

The reason for this one is quite simple really and I think most of us know it. We already know that in the morning, plants absorb carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, change it into energy and release oxygen which we breathe while at night they it is opposite and plants release carbon dioxide in the absence of sunlight. Peepal tree in particular releases a large amount of carbon dioxide. 

Hence if a person sleeps under a peepal tree at night, then they will have difficulty breathing and the carbon dioxide will be inhaled by them which may lead to suffocation and hallucinations which explains the appearance of ghosts and spirits.

Superstition : A black cat crossing the road symbolizes bad luck

Another superstition that's believed not only in India but a lot of other countries. It is one of the oldest and most enduring superstition I've ever heard. They myth is probably originated from Egypt where black cats are considered evil creatures who bring bad luck. 

According to the myth, of a black Cat crosses your path then it'll bring you bad luck and to prevent this, you should let someone else cross the path before you so they can have all the bad luck instead. Sounds extremely selfish isn't it.

Logic

It is believed that in ancient times people used to travel through forests using bull carts or horses. They stopped when a cat cross their paths because she may be running away from her prey which can otherwise attack their bull or horses. 

Also at night, the carriage animals got scared and chaotic when they sensed wild cats. 
It is also believed that at night time, sometimes the little kittens follow their mother though it is difficult to see them in the dark hence it was advised that if you see a cat crossing the road then you should wait for a while in case her children were behind her and you accidentally don't hurt them.

Hope you guys liked the blog. If you want to know about more such superstitions and the logic behind them then do read the part 2.

Here's the link - Indian Superstitions and the logic behind them - Part 2

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING MY BLOG. COMMENT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT AND IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US!!

Note - The images used in this blog are taken from random websites, if you want us to remove them or credit the owner, please contact us.