Fil

• Traditional beliefs, practices and superstitions are part of a people's culture. Every society has its own set of traditions. These originated from way back and have been handed down through generations.
• Superstitions


  Beliefs that run counter to rational thought or are inconsistent with known laws of nature
• Types of superstitions


  • Cultural
  • Personal
• Cultural superstitious beliefs


  • Number 8 bringing good luck and number 4 bringing bad luck in Chinese cultures
  • Number 7 and 13 associated with good luck and bad luck respectively in the US and other Western cultures
• Personal superstitions


  • Buying and wearing lucky accessories, like charm bracelets, lockets, pens, or cufflinks
• Superstition


  The irrational belief that future events can be influenced or foretold by specific, unrelated behaviors or occurrences
• The earliest superstitions were created as a way to deal with ignorance and fear of the unknown. Superstitions are thus a way of attempting to regain control over events in one's life.
• Superstitious beliefs are more common among certain groups of people than others, and vary from culture to culture.
• While most superstitions are harmless, and even may be helpful in encouraging people to achieve their goals, attributing results to an unrelated cause if it leads to a lack of responsibility on the part of the person can be somewhat doubtful.
• Superstition (etymology)


  Derived from the Latin superstitio, meaning "to stand over in awe". Also related to the Latin word superstes meaning "outliving" or "surviving", referring to the remains of ideas and beliefs that continued long after their original meaning had been forgotten.
• Many believe that superstitious beliefs originated during the earliest days of humanity.
• The earliest superstitions were created as a way to deal with the ignorance and fear of the unknown. Chance misfortunes could be ascribed a cause, and the potential to avoid or control them was created.
• Origin of superstitions


  • An athlete wearing a particular pair of socks on a day he performs particularly well, continuing to wear the same pair of socks in the belief that the socks were responsible for the success
  • Children adopting superstitious actions like "knocking on wood" or not walking under ladders from observing those around them
• The true origins of certain superstitions can be centuries old, having been passed down from generation to generation through such an observational learning process.
• Skinner's experiment on "superstitious" behavior in pigeons

  Pigeons developed specific behaviors like turning clockwise or making head movements, apparently expecting the appearance of food, even though the food was delivered at regular intervals unrelated to their behavior
• Later studies disputed Skinner's "superstition" explanation, suggesting the pigeon behaviors could be accounted for by their natural hunting behaviors.
• Superstitions are often passed down through generations, with the origin of a superstition often lost to history. Some superstitions are more widespread, while others are specific to certain cultures or occupations.
• Triskaidekaphobia


  Fear of the number 13 in Western cultures
• Tetraphobia


  Fear of the number 4 in Eastern countries like China, Japan, and Korea, possibly due to the similarity in pronunciation of the word "four" and "death"
• Superstitions about mirrors


  Many cultures have believed that mirrors were capable of trapping the soul, and that breaking a mirror would also break the reflected soul of a person
• In northern India, it was believed that looking into the mirrors of a house you were visiting could cause part of your soul to be trapped in the house when you left, opening you up to manipulation by the owner of the mirror.
• Filipinos have many traditional beliefs, practices and superstitions about life and death, marriage and courtship, pregnancy and birth, health, agriculture, and many others.
• Filipino superstitions


  • Singing in the kitchen while cooking will result in being a spinster
  • Sleeping while your hair is still wet causes blindness
  • Seeing a black cat while walking on the street will bring bad luck
  • A female visitor will arrive if a spoon falls off the table during a meal
  • A pregnant woman who eats twin bananas will give birth to twins
• Even though most of these Filipino beliefs and practices are false and misleading, some of them do have scientific explanations and are therefore true or reliable.
• Scientifically explained Filipino beliefs

  • Guava leaves are effective for wounds and infections
  • The belief that when there's a full moon, bad spirits frighten the fish away, making it difficult to catch them, is due to the combined gravity of the sun and moon causing high tide
  • The belief that skin troubles are caused by annoyed engkantos and can be treated by an albularyo's lamping ceremony is a case of dermatitis venenata, an acute inflammation of the skin caused by contact with an irritating substance, which can be soothed by the application of oil
• Not all traditional beliefs and practices are false and misleading. Some of these beliefs have scientific explanations and we just need to examine them critically to find out.
• Our ancestors did not have the modern knowledge and technology we have today, and so during their time, natural occurrences were explained irrationally. Now, we have the means to give the scientific explanations to some of our traditional beliefs and practices.
• Consequences of following superstitious beliefs

  • Promotes fatalism
  • May prove dangerous or fatal
  • Leads to narrow-mindedness
  • Hinders the development of the community
• Although superstitious beliefs are part of our colorful tradition, we should think twice before following them. They may seem harmless at first, but there are many instances when following them may lead to harm and danger.
• We must be extra careful, especially when dealing with illnesses and our health. Before you follow beliefs or practices, be sure to know their scientific basis or explanations.
• Folklore


  Any bit of knowledge handed down from generation to generation, which describes or depicts the beliefs and lifestyle of the ancestors of a chosen ethnic group, and is respected as unique to that group
• Elements of folklore


  • Legends
  • Music
  • Oral history
  • Proverbs
  • Jokes
  • Popular beliefs
  • Fairy tales
  • Customs
• Folk literature categories


  • Folk speech (bugtong or riddles, salawikain or proverbs)
  • Folk songs
  • Folk narratives (folktales or kuwentong bayan, legends or alamat, myths)
• Folktales


  Pure fiction, used to entertain
• Legends


  Assumed to be true by the storyteller, happened in a much more recent time period
• Myths


  Assumed to be true by the storyteller, believed to have taken place in the "remote past"
• Folklore can be used to accurately describe a figurative narrative, which has no sacred or religious content.
• In the Jungian view, folklore may pertain to unconscious psychological patterns.
• (see the chart), you'll see the folk literature branching out into three groups: folk speech (which includes the bugtong or riddles and salawikain or proverbs), folk songs, and the folk narratives
• Folk narratives


  Stories that may be told in prose, verse, or both