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Belief and fear - A superstitious mystery
"Superstitions involve beliefs, practices, and procedures based upon conscious or unconscious assumptions, usually concerned with the nature of cause and effect" - Jan Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore, 1986
Superstitions are based on beliefs. Beyond faith, fear is also an integral part of those beliefs that has affected the common man's freedom to think otherwise. Humans are fallible and that's the cause for the origin and existence of these beliefs. We fear of the repercussions and so, decide not to leave anything to chance. Superstitions are really assumptions that turned gradually into beliefs.
This week, we dwell upon some common superstitions that have a historical background and learn how they evolved as strong beliefs that we still follow.
During the 6th Century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because they were expelling the evil from their bodies. Later, when a plague was ravaging Europe, the then Pope passed a law that sneezing meant that the person was going to die of plague, hence, people were required to bless the person. Even today, people say 'bless you' to the person who sneezes.
We believe that it's bad luck to walk under a ladder. This originated from the early Christian belief that a leaning ladder formed a triangle with the wall and ground. People feared to violate the Holy Trinity by walking through a triangle, lest you be considered in league with the Devil. So, even today, we try not to walk under a ladder.
We are also told to "beware of Friday the 13th". The beginning of this is in the hypothesis that Christ was crucified on a Friday. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday and Noah's flood started on a Friday. Christians also noted that 12 witches plus one Devil are present at Satanic ceremonies, so Friday and 13 make a deadly combination.
To postulate that belief evolved into fear may not be entirely accurate. But we have a plethora of various superstitions that try and define a few things. For eg, we are told at home not to sweep the floor after sunset. This can have a logical explanation as, in the olden days, since there was little or no light after sunset, people feared that they would have dropped something valuable and by sweeping the floor, they would lose it.
Disparity between what the people in the olden days believed and what holds good today is always a topic of discussion and debate.
While we question the logic behind it, many of them are so ingrained in us that we tend to follow them unconsciously. Like a baseball player who will spit on his new bat, even if he aces in his game. This could be his belief in superstitions or just a fear that he has never thought to overcome.
Superstitions hold a sense of mystery that has never been broken and rarely questioned. While belief and fear are part of it, some of them are rooted in logic and authentic, if ancient, thinking.
Like Albert Einstein said in 1931's The World as I See It, "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
"Superstitions involve beliefs, practices, and procedures based upon conscious or unconscious assumptions, usually concerned with the nature of cause and effect" - Jan Brunvand, The Study of American Folklore, 1986
Superstitions are based on beliefs. Beyond faith, fear is also an integral part of those beliefs that has affected the common man's freedom to think otherwise. Humans are fallible and that's the cause for the origin and existence of these beliefs. We fear of the repercussions and so, decide not to leave anything to chance. Superstitions are really assumptions that turned gradually into beliefs.
This week, we dwell upon some common superstitions that have a historical background and learn how they evolved as strong beliefs that we still follow.
During the 6th Century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because they were expelling the evil from their bodies. Later, when a plague was ravaging Europe, the then Pope passed a law that sneezing meant that the person was going to die of plague, hence, people were required to bless the person. Even today, people say 'bless you' to the person who sneezes.
We believe that it's bad luck to walk under a ladder. This originated from the early Christian belief that a leaning ladder formed a triangle with the wall and ground. People feared to violate the Holy Trinity by walking through a triangle, lest you be considered in league with the Devil. So, even today, we try not to walk under a ladder.
We are also told to "beware of Friday the 13th". The beginning of this is in the hypothesis that Christ was crucified on a Friday. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday and Noah's flood started on a Friday. Christians also noted that 12 witches plus one Devil are present at Satanic ceremonies, so Friday and 13 make a deadly combination.
To postulate that belief evolved into fear may not be entirely accurate. But we have a plethora of various superstitions that try and define a few things. For eg, we are told at home not to sweep the floor after sunset. This can have a logical explanation as, in the olden days, since there was little or no light after sunset, people feared that they would have dropped something valuable and by sweeping the floor, they would lose it.
Disparity between what the people in the olden days believed and what holds good today is always a topic of discussion and debate.
While we question the logic behind it, many of them are so ingrained in us that we tend to follow them unconsciously. Like a baseball player who will spit on his new bat, even if he aces in his game. This could be his belief in superstitions or just a fear that he has never thought to overcome.
Superstitions hold a sense of mystery that has never been broken and rarely questioned. While belief and fear are part of it, some of them are rooted in logic and authentic, if ancient, thinking.
Like Albert Einstein said in 1931's The World as I See It, "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
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