During the last school holidays, I went on a
motoring tour of Rawalpindi. I was scheduled to begin my journey from home at 3
o’clock one fine afternoon. The time was nearing three and I was jotting ready
to leave the house when I heard my mother calling me.
“What do you want, Mum?” I asked, “Son, don’t
leave the house exactly at three; but leave a few minutes after three. That
will be all right,” remarked Mum.
“What is wrong in leaving now?”
“Oh, you know, this hour is not a good time to set
out on a journey. You may have to face unpleasant experiences.”
Anyway, not that I believe in superstitions, but
just to pupae my mother, I left the house only after three. Most people claim
they are not superstitious; but in actual fact they practice the most absurd
kind of superstitions. It is just like the fellow who, the prove that he does
not believe in ghosts, is prepared to spend a night a house reputed to be
haunted.
Whether we believe in superstitions or not the fact
is that most of us are superstitious. Many of these superstitions may be
absurd; but the sense of mystery and awe in these superstitions gives us
delight and excitement.
It is quite interesting and amusing to observe some
of these superstitions. Old people tell us that on All Souls Day we must keep
pots and jars filled with water outside the house and in the compounds, as the
thirsty souls of the dead on parole from purgatory on that day, will be coming
to drink water.
Now what about the practice of throwing old shoes
after the wedding pair as a sign of good luck? There are many such interesting
and amusing superstitions. Some superstitions are noted for their element of
mystery and awe. An owl making its appearance in our compound or birds flying
at the windows is interpreted by old people as a bad omen presaging the death
of a relative.
Such fears and awe haunted the minds of the
primitive people who could not find an explanation for many of the phenomena
nature like flood, thunder, rain, earthquake. And so on In the absence of a
known cause, they attributed all these to the work of some unknown powers --
both good and bad.
Man, however, was not helpless. His ingenuity
suggested that through offerings and rituals, he could appease these hidden
powers, thereby warding off fearful consequences. In many Asian countries,
peasants make offerings to God to appease His wrath, so that there may not be
crop failure due to delayed rain.
Superstitions give us a foreknowledge of evil and
good. This enables us to take appropriate and timely action by rituals and
other means to avert the evil or to welcome and make sure of the good. It is
supposed that a bride will bring ill luck if she stumbles on crossing the
threshold. But for this there is a remedy. The bridegroom should carry her
over. Number thirteen is regarded as an unlucky number. People, therefore, are careful
to avoid this number in any of their important dealings. I know of people who
even refuse to occupy room number thirteen in hotels. By following
superstitions, we are told that we can make sure of good luck and make the
future suit us very conveniently. There old shoes after the wedding pair. It
can bring good luck to the newly-married couple. If the horseshoes is fixed the
right way up on the door of the house, good fortune will smile on us. A girl
can make sure of handsome husband by eating the last cake on the plate.
Some the these superstitions are humorous. Others
are certainly ridiculous. A few are very frightening well. Generally, they are
exciting and interesting, and not as dull and matter-of-fact as the scientific word
of cause and effect. We feel the excitement of fear and the anxiety of bad luck;
but they also show a way to avoid danger and bad luck. How happy I would be if
I could change the course of my fortune by the simple act of fixing the
house-shoe the right way up on the door my house. Boundless will be the joy of
the girl who can get a handsome husband by eating the last cake from the plate.
It is the element of fear, anxiety, misfortune and absurdity that makes the
world of superstition fascinating and interesting.