If you’re pregnant, use of glue will cause a difficult birth.
If you strike an animal during pregnancy, the newborn child will look like that animal and behave like one.
You should never praise a newborn baby because it will invite evil spirits and ghosts.
A concave navel means a prosperous life.
A baby with more than one hair crown will be mischievous and disobedient.
A baby with wide and thick ears will live prosperously.
Before you get married
Wedding clothes should be red, yellow and/or white.
Wearing black, blue or gray will bring bad luck to the marriage.
Couples with the same surname cannot marry; even if they are not related, they still belong to the same ancestry.
A boy, preferably born a Dragon, must roll over the newlywed’s matrimonial bed to ensure good luck and a baby boy.
Never marry someone who is older or younger by 3 or 6 years.
Good Feng Shui
The number of steps in a staircase should be even-numbered.
It is bad luck to have two room doors face each other.
It is bad luck if your door or gate directly faces a road.
Don’t build your house facing the north.
The master’s bedroom should not be situated right above the garage.
The dining area should not be under a second-floor toilet.
Going to funerals
An improper funeral will bring ill fortune and disaster.
Statues of deities must be covered with red cloth of paper.
Mirrors must be hidden; a person who sees the reflection of the coffin will have a death in his/her family.
White cloth must be hung across the doorway of the house.
The deceased’s children and grandchildren should not cut their hair for 49 days.
After leaving a wake, do not go straight home lest the ghost of the dead follows you.
Lucky and unlucky colors
Red is the color of blood or life and will bring happiness, wealth, fame, and good luck.
Black is the color of feces and is associated with evil, disaster and bad fortune.
White is the color of mother’s milk. It symbolizes moderation, purity, honesty and life and balances red and black.
Lucky and unlucky numbers
The luckiest number is eight because its Chinese word also means “prosper”.
The unluckiest number is four as it sounds like the Chinese word for death.
Seven can also signify death.
The number one means loneliness.
The number “9″ is good, because nine in Cantonese sounds like the word “sufficient”.
About time
Clipping toenails or fingernails at night is bad luck; the person will be visited by a ghost.
If a dog howls continuously at night, this means death.
Hearing a crow cawing between 3 and 7 am means the hearer will receive gifts; hearing a crow caw between 7 and 11am means rain and wind; and between 11am and 1pm means quarrels.
If a man’s ears burn between 11pm and 1pm, there will be harmony between him and his wife; if they burn between 1 and 3 in the afternoon, a guest will soon arrive.
Things you should never do
Beating a person with a broom will rain bad luck upon that person for years.
Wearing a moustache is considered bad luck.
Never point at the moon or your ears might get chopped off.
Don’t sweep the floor on New Year’s Day lest you sweep away the good fortune.
Don’t keep a pet turtle or it will slow down your business.
-Author Unknown -
The above compilation was sent to me by a friend.
Do you know of any other Chinese superstition or those from other ethnic groups? Do leave a comment to share your thoughts and input. Thanks! Have a nice day!
Starmandala Waaah... I've been sporting a mustache since I was able to grow hair on my upper lips... no wonder I never became a Tan Slee!
Perhaps that would have been even more unlucky? :-D