superstitions and omens are observed all over the world. each country has its own rules about superstitions. e.g. a cat crossing the road will have different meaning in britain, USA and india.
logically speaking, if the poor cat wanted to give you any indication of the incoming event then she is not aware of the fact that she is living in india or USA. so from rational thinking superstitions have no base or authenticity. but still people follow them.
even i follow many superstitions and pay attention to omens. this is because men is weak and vulnerable and there is also fear of death and bad times. everybody wants to ensure that no harm comes to him or to his loved ones. so whats the harm in following omens if they protect you or warn you correctly some of the times, if not at all the times.
popular superstitions and omens in india:
- twitching in the palm of right hand indicates incoming money immediately or some good luck.
- a twitching of the left eye is a good omen for women. whereas twitching of right eye is lucky for men.
- if someone sneeze while you are going out of home then its not considered good. wait for some time and then start the journey.
- while going out of home for a work, nobody should call you from behind. as it can spoil the work.
- don’t keep any broken idol or god statue in the house as it is not considered auspicious. immerse them in moving water like river or sea. this rule is mentioned in the puranas also. only exception was sri ramakrishna paramhansa who used to mend or repair the idols.
- don’t keep any broken glass or mirror in the house. discard them immediately as it is not considered good.
- don’t start any new work or journey during rahu kaal (astrological period for rahu in day time).
- don’t go for hair cut on tuesday. most barber shops are closed on tuesday. tuesday is the day for planet mars and hairs in your body represent planet saturn. so if you cut hairs on tuesday then it can lead to animosity between planet mars and saturn in your horoscope or basically can disturb your energies or harmony inside you.
- don’t cut your nails after sunset. also don’t cut nails on saturday or tuesday. don’t wash your hairs on thursday or saturday as all these are not considered good. washing hairs on thursday is prohibited in brashpati vaar (thursaday) katha also.
- solar and lunar eclipses are not considered auspicious time. one should not eat food or drink during this time. you should not go out of home. take the name of god and once the eclipse is over then take bath.
- right hand is used for doing all auspicious work. left hand is used for doing inauspicious work. don’t give or take with the left hand, especially food, gifts or money.
- always give odd sums of money as cash gift or aashirwaad or for religious ceremonies as it is considered auspicious or good. common figures which are used for giving money in birthday, marriage or religious ceremonies are 11, 21, 31, 51, 101, 501, 1001, 2001, 5001 and so on.
- black cat crossing your way is not considered good omen. wait for sometime or let someone else cross the way and then you should continue your journey.
- a crow cawing at your window means a guest is soon going to arrive.
- use scissor for cutting something. don’t play with empty scissor and create sound as it leads to fight in the house.
- dogs howling in the night signals that someone has died or someone is very sick. it is believed that dogs can see spirits.
- never touch the lemon-chili-garlic totems if you find them lying at cross roads or at street. its a sign of black magic. in most cases, someone has deliberately kept them there and the person with the weakest aura who will pass by or someone who will touch the totems or pick it up will get the negativity from it. be careful during no-moon night (amavasaya) as its considered potent for black magic.
- don’t eat anything sweet before going out of home at evening time. because it can attract entities/spirits. taste some salt and then you can go out.
- eating sweet curd/dahi before going for exams is considered good.
- if you are sneezing a lot then it means someone is remembering you. if the sneeze has a pleasant feeling then it means the person is remembering you very fondly.
- the overlapping of shoes or sleepers means you have to go out of home for some work or for a very short trip.
- sweeping the floor in the evening (sunset time) is not done as it is believed that it will drive away the prosperity from the house.
- putting a small spot of kajal on a baby’s forehead will protect it from evil eye (buri nazar). this is done almost all over india and is very common.
- if you are talking about someone and that person arrives there, when conversation about him is going on then it means he has a long life.
- one night before the marriage, mehendi/henna is applied on the feet and hands of bride as per the tradition. the darker the bride’s mehendi colour appears, the stronger her marriage will be. in many families the bride is not allowed to do any household work until the mehendi color wash off completely from hands.
- number 13 is generally considered unlucky all over the world.
- do not walk over somebody who is lying down or sleeping.
- don’t grow thorny plants or cactus in the house. however rose plant is exception to this rule. planting tulsi (holy basil) is considered auspicious.