10 Bizarre Superstitions That Are Blindly Followed in India

The real logic behind them is much more fascinating than the superstitions themselves.

I was sweeping the floor when my grandmother called.

‘’What were you doing, my dear?’’ Love flowing like tap water.

‘’Sweeping the floor, grandma,’’ I announced with pride.

‘’Are you crazy. Sweeping the floor at 8 PM. What’s wrong with you?’’ she fired from the other end.

‘’Umm, I won’t do it again. I am sorry.’’ Colored in embarrassment by now.

‘’Any way you continue with your work. I will call you later. But don't you repeat this.’’ And bam, the call was over.

I took a moment to reflect on what had just happened. Why did she sound so exasperated? Then something struck me.

I was sweeping after the sunset. She had clearly explained to me never to do any cleaning after the sunset. I obviously forgot.

But one thing I definitely remembered about my own country.

If India is known for its beautiful culture, and traditions, and rituals, there is one more thing it is extremely famous for — The superstitions.

These superstitions have such strong roots that they are passed on from one generation to another as a token of ancient wisdom.

But have we ever given a thought as to where these beliefs stemmed from? Who made them and what was the purpose behind them?

Allow me to show you the top 10 superstitions followed in India and a logical reason behind each one of them.

If a Cat Crosses the Street, Then Avoid Going Further For a While

Usually, black cats look very classy, but they are highly avoided creatures in India, especially when their timing is wrong.

So let’s say you’re walking down a street or going for a drive, and out of nowhere, a black cat crosses your path.

Then wait and see the drama unfold.

The person sitting next to you will kill you but not let you go ahead.

Why?

Because going ahead could kill you. Or them. Or both. Or whatever.

The Real Logic

In ancient times, people used to travel by horse carriages. When a cat crossed their path, especially at night, the horses freaked out.

The shining cat eyes made them scared and ultimately lose their balance. This would injure the rider too.

Therefore, creating this belief helped the horses and the riders to be safe while traveling at night.

My thoughts

I feel this should be a step taken for all the animals.

In today’s world, many animals are seriously injured or killed in road accidents. The reason being either the drunk drivers or the hopeless idiots.

To make them pause for a cause, such superstitions became a necessity.

You see, they will be willing to wait to save their own lives, but they won’t spare an extra minute to spare some animal’s life.

Tying Lemon and Chillies to a Shops, Cars, Businesses, etc.

One of India's common sights is to see lemon and chilies suspended with cotton threads at various shops and vehicles.

If you're new to this country, you will wonder what could be the reason behind it.

Flowers are for decorations, but lemons and chilies are for???????

Never mind. Let me tell you.

The superstition is that there is a Goddess ‘Alakshmi’ that brings misfortune to new shops or businesses.

When she visits your shop to bring misfortune and sees the lemons and chilies attached, she eats them, and her hunger is satisfied.

She goes away and your business is safe.

The Real Logic

The scientific reason is that the sourness and the spiciness are absorbed by the cotton thread supporting it. This is then diffused in the cotton and transferred into the air, killing all sorts of insects and pests.

Basically, it works as a pesticide.

My thoughts

I was wondering about those countries who don't even know about the Goddess of misfortune. They still own shops and businesses that run successfully and for years together.

Its all in one’s head and the set of beliefs one has been brought up with. Plus, I would personally like to meet the person who started this superstition.

Not Cutting Nails or Shaving in the Evening

My mother never let me cut nails or dad shave once the sun was down. When asked, she had a weird reason behind it. That wasn't very pleasant.

According to her mother, i.e. my grandmother, cutting nails or shaving in the dark could lead to ‘’serious’’ injuries. The blood oozing from them would invite evil spirits on the lookout for fresh flesh and then attack them.

The only good part was watching dad getting scolded for shaving in the evening. He would by all means keep quiet and look adorable like always.

But I was not a person who would follow things blindly. I needed a reasonable logic.

The Real Logic

The ancient people didn’t have comprehensive systems to light up their rooms. Hence they believed they could injure themselves while cutting nails or shaving in the dark.

My thoughts

The way this is presented to Indian children, it seems cutting nails or shaving after sunset will bring huge misfortune for them later in their lives.

Now, why on earth would you fill your child’s mind with such irrational fears?

Why? ‘O’ Why?

Women Not Allowed to Cook and Visit Temples During Menstruation

I almost laughed at this one and ended up with — What? Are? You? Saying?

My mom had many fascinating stories about her childhood being spent in a joint family. When the females menstruated, they were not allowed in the kitchen or to come close to their house temple.

They were believed to be impure during those days and had to sit in a separate corner of their small house.

The Real Logic

Menstruation causes women to lose a lot of blood, making them weak.

On a normal day, women could do many heavy tasks in a day, but the same tasks become very stressful during periods.

So making them sit in a corner was a boon in disguise. They got a much-needed break from their power pact stunts.

My thoughts

This makes me think about why girls were treated as criminals if they entered the kitchen or a temple by mistake. Why do people forget that God has created this natural process in women and they will never get angry if a woman visits them during their periods.

Its insane to even think like that.

Also, if a family only had one female member amongst several males, won’t they allow her to cook even during periods. Then these superstitions would hardly matter, right?

Not Sweeping After Sunset

Though it is commonly followed in many Indian households, I have seen them being broken many times.

I was at a friend’s place for a cultural celebration. It was around 8:30 PM. Her five-year-old son was running helter-skelter, and as expected, he dropped an entire box of sweet on the floor, followed by some good firing by my friend.

Knowing how superstitious her mother-in-law is, I thought she wouldn’t allow for cleaning it and just brush it aside.

But surprise surprise…!!

The mom-in-law herself brought a broom and cleaned the whole mess. This was the same lady who had superstitions ready on the tip of the tongue every time something happened.

Coming to the main point, it is believed that sweeping or cleaning the house after sundown would upset the Goddess of Wealth- i.e., Goddess Laksmi, which can invite poverty.

The Real Logic

In ancient times, electricity was not invented. After sundown, they depended or candles and oil lamps for light.

Light from these sources was not strong enough to brighten the entire room.

Sweeping in such circumstances would be a little risky. The sweeper could accidentally drop any valuable on the floor, and it might get thrown in the trash due to less visibility.

My thoughts

I also feel this practice was a necessity for the ancient people due to their super active lifestyles. They rose at sunrise and worked hard all day. They did not have any automatic technology to make their lives easier.

Every single task was done by themselves. They deserved rest.

Pregnant Women Should Not be Allowed to Go Out During Eclipse

Pregnancy is already a complicated condition, to begin with. The first-time mothers panic even at the drop of the needle. They may be very broad-minded, educated people, but they don't want to take any chances for their fetuses.

For the same reason, when other ladies advise an expecting mother not to go out during an eclipse, she agrees without further questioning.

The belief was that a demon had swallowed Sun, and it could affect the unborn child terribly.

The Real Logic

Sun is harmful only due to its UV rays. During an eclipse, these rays can be even more harmful. Not just for a pregnant lady and her baby but for any person strolling during that time.

My thoughts

Pregnancy brings the gift of motherhood to a woman. It also brings along a lot of challenges for her, both physically and mentally. So if it requires her to stay indoors for any reason, it is better she does.

The only catch is, the rest should be taken due her condition and not due to the underlying irrational fears.

Fallen Strands of Hair Can Bring Fights in Your Family

If fallen hair strands had the power to generate fights, I would have had WWIII by now with each of my family members. If I take into account just the amount of hair, I sacrifice in the combing process.

The belief of hair strands causing fights in the family is utter bullshit.

The Real Logic

The only reason was that these hair strands could travel due to the winds and settle anywhere in the house, even your food. If ingested, it could create several issues for your digestive system as hair cannot be digested by our body.

My thoughts

Oh were you waiting for my thoughts here?

Sorry, I got busy collecting a few strands of my hair that landed on my writing table.

Lizard Falling on Humans is a Bad Luck Sign

Ask these questions to any female, and she will tell you the correct answer. Bad luck comes later, first comes the scream.

When a lizard jumps on a person, irrespective of their sex, the first reaction is to run around the room, taking the lizard for a quick house tour.

And if the lizard doesn't like its ride, it jumps back to the wall.

After all this chaos, if the person is still alive, they may consider it bad luck.

The Real Logic

The house lizards are said to be poisonous and harmful in nature. When they land on a person, the first reaction they get is fear.

This scares them and they start sensing danger. They quickly release poisonous substances onto the human skin, which may be harmful to the human body.

My thoughts

I have never liked lizards, or roaches, or bees, or moths, or rats, or grasshoppers, or anything that is creepy and that moves.

Bringing bad luck is out of the question. These creatures only help you check if your loudest voice is audible to the neighbors or not. No, like seriously.

Breaking of a Mirror Can Bring 7 Years of Badluck

From my childhood till now, I might have broken, shattered, and destroyed infinite mirrors, glasses, tube lights, etc. (I shouldn't have said that)

Only if someone had told me that each broken glass would bring me seven years of bad luck.

Honestly, I have lost the count also.

The Real Logic

In the early days, the mirrors manufactured were costly. But they were extremely delicate too. To prevent them from falling, such stories were cooked up so people, especially children, would be more careful around the mirrors.

My thoughts

If we go by this logic then at the beginning of 2019, the mirror of the entire world broke at some point and then we collectively earned this bad luck in the form of the covid pandemic.

Don’t roll your eyes at me because of my above statement. I will break all the mirrors in your house, then you can sit and do your math.

(Total years of badluck= Numbers of mirrors broken by Bhavna X 7)

Avoid Going Near the Peepul Tree at Night

When I think of it now, I realize my dad was quite the story-teller. To discourage me from playing with friends after 7 PM, he scared me by saying that the bats will come and snatch away my eyes.

And I would believe him because I had no Google at that time to crosscheck his claims. Yeah, right.

So when he said that the Peepul tree just outside our society gate was haunted and if children go near it at night, the ghost eats them up.

I believed that too.

The Real Logic

The reason was very scientific in nature. It simply stated that the trees released carbon dioxide and absorbed oxygen from the atmosphere during night time. This could render a person unconscious in the worst of cases due to the lack of oxygen.

My thoughts

To date, trees scare me after night. I don't care if its a peepul tree or a mango tree. All that matters is that there is a tree. It’s dark. It’s creepy. Let's run.

P.S. There are a lot more superstitions in India that are followed even today. But the deal is that I am tired of typing. It's almost time to wake up, and here I am, making a list of bizarre beliefs people have in my country, while my countrymen sleep peacefully.

The Takeaway

These superstitions are funny only till the time they are practiced in certain limits. When they reach the highest level, they have the audacity to harm several people and claim innocent lives.

So try to find a logic behind every new thing brought to you before believing them blindly. And yes, now you have two reasons to scream when you see a lizard land on you the next time.

Thank you for your precious time.