August 10, 2009

Believe It or Not?

"Don't stay out till late night." Be extra careful when you are driving late night." Don't go for water activities if they are not necessary." - these are the few reminders from my mum lately as the lunar 7th month is approaching. Being grown-up in a typical & reserved family, I was warned to be extra cautious during the 7th month where the "Hungry Ghost" festival is celebrated among the Chinese.

Well, recalling these warnings, are they just merely indications to us so that we will be safe & sound? Or are they solely beliefs, superstitions in our culture?
  • "Be extra careful when driving out late night" - aren't we supposed to practice this when we are on the road all the time?
  • "Avoid water sports or activities during the 7th month" - what is the reasoning behind this? Lunar 7th month is also the monsoon in east coast, some of the islands are even closed for public use.
  • "Keep the sun-dried clothes before sunset." - to avoid the 'beings' from borrowing them. This is what I was told. Why would one leave their clothes out when there is no sun?
  • "When you smell the fragrance of Jasmine flowers, say your prayers!" - this indicates the presence of the 'beings'. It could be a passerby who adores Jasmine immensely?
  • "Wash your legs before going to bed." - else the 'beings' will accompany you to bed & you'll have sleepless & restless night. Err...the elders want the bedsheets to be clean & last slightly longer?
There are plenty more dogmas that I've heard of. Am I supposed to adhere to each & every one of them? Hmmm...sometimes we have to act according to rationality rather than blindly following these ideologies passed from generations to generations.
However, sometimes there are phenomenons that took place where no one could explain, even science could not identify the cause. So, what could they be afterall? It's an individualistic perception, whether to believe it or not.

Needless to say, knowing me, I do hold on to the beliefs & myths. I do learn a lot from these beliefs & of course I have also seen the unexplained extraordinary scenes. =)

5 comments:

Jar Bing said...

Therefore Halloween is the best ghost festival even. Trick or Treats.

NatEcila said...

Yeah but we don't have an effigy for Halloween! Maybe you should suggest it to your neighbourhood committee. =p

Kai and Baobei said...

I always leave my clothes under the moon cz i lazy to keep it ya ~ hahaha, if 'they' wan to borrow den let them, i just wan to get it back the next morning, kekekeke

NatEcila said...

Hahhahaa!! =) Yeah...sun under the moon. Do you feel like your clothings have been worn or it smells when you put them on? =p

Kai and Baobei said...

no wor, smell green grass ~ XD and also the CAO SUK MEI ~ Coz i din use TOP ~ HAHAHAHAHA !