My mother is from Trinidad. The superstitions that she has passed onto me over the years are almost a sort of religion, in a sense. I'll update this section once a week and each post will consist of direct sayings that my mother has said to me throughout my childhood and even now. They will be comprised of West Indian superstitions, general superstitions, some advice, memorable thoughts, and/or some Hassina originals. She’s a lovely woman and I take all of this stuff ridiculously seriously, unfortunately.
New posts every Thursday.
“If you have negative thoughts about yourself or a situation in your life that plagues you, you should write it out on a piece of paper and then throw it away. It may not leave your thoughts right away, but if you give it some time to leave your mind, it will leave and this will help the positive energy within you.”
My mom has been saying this to me for years and for the longest time I would treat it as just crazy Trinidadian witchcraft because, well, it's a common thing to think that you know more than your mother. I'm not saying that I'm a firm believer in this idea now, but man... sometimes you need to believe in ideas that might possibly be bigger than you. If doing something like that has the possibility of creating a better attitude and outlook within me, then I have nothing to lose in doing it. Whether I fully believe in it or not, I know that she believes strongly. And the fact that someone does, makes it seem possible.
I don't know if this makes any sense in relation, but it makes me think of the idea of whether or not you should tell your kids to believe in Santa Claus. I understand why certain parents wouldn't want to. Personally, I'm probably gonna tell my kids to believe in him. Not because I want to perpetuate a tradition and it's the common thing to do with kids, but because I want them to grow up and have the memory of believing in something that, at the time, was so much bigger than just them. The idea of doing that for them makes me believe that maybe they'll be open enough as an adult to try new things and to believe in things that are bigger than what they already know and to have a kind of hope in things that may or may not exist. And I'm not talking about anything religious here, I'm talking about believing in things that may be out of a person's realm of possibility. Especially since we're all so convinced that we know what we're doing all the time. That thought always blows my mind because a great deal of us have absolutely no idea sometimes and most are terrified to talk about it out loud. Forgive me, I'm getting a little away from my point here.
I'm really just saying that this idea from my mom might be something small (and something you may consider silly) for you to try, if there are any unpleasant thoughts surrounding you. Doesn't hurt to try something different once in awhile.
“Never point your finger at a graveyard, or else your finger is going to rot. If you do it mistakenly, bite each of your ten fingers to ward off bad luck.”
“If someone is talking about you somewhere, your ear will ring. If it’s the left ear - someone is saying something nice or good about you, but if it’s your right ear, then somebody is saying something bad about you.”
“Anyone who lies down on a dining room table will die within a year.”
“If your second toe is (slightly) taller than your big toe, you will rule your husband/wife.”
“Hiccups are caused by someone who dislikes you complaining to someone else. The only way to stop them is to guess the name of the person maligning you.”
“A shiver means that someone is walking over your (eventual) grave.”
“If you eat from a pot, it will rain on your wedding day.”
Yep.
“If you say goodbye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.”
“For good luck throughout the year, wear new clothes on Easter.”
“When you’re being driven across a set of railroad tracks, make sure to lift your feet off the ground as you drive over the tracks and make a wish while doing so. If you’re returning across that same railroad track later on in the same day, do not repeat this and make a wish again. Only one per day allowed.”
“To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.”
“When someone’s lying down, never walk across them. The person lying down will not continue to grow if you walk across them.”
“It is bad luck to sing while eating.”
“Stumbling on a staircase is a good omen.”
“Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.”
“He pass you like an exam!”
“It is unlucky to cut fingernails on a Friday or Saturday.”
“Don’t pass hot sauce to someone, place it down on something so they can pick it up if they’ve asked you for it. If you pass it to someone, you will have an argument or fight.”
“If your right foot itches, you’re supposed to bear the pain and do not scratch it, otherwise your good luck will fade away.
If your left foot itches, you should scratch it a lot to ward off bad fortune.”
“Members of the opposite sex should never dry themselves on the same towel as this will invariably lead to a quarrel between them.”