31 Superstitions in India- Trust & Theories Behind them

10 min readAug 25, 2019

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to your own place girlsdunia.com. Today we’ll discuss the superstitions in India and what are the beliefs behind them. So let’s don’t waste time and move forward.

First of all, I would like to say that this post is not for any annoying purpose or to criticize Indian society. This is just to give you a piece of information about what kind of superstitions are believed by Indians.

Some of these things may be right or some of them may be wrong but this is the reality that most of the Indians follow these rules or I say superstitions. Let’s talk about superstitions in India.

What is Superstition in India?

Superstitions are kind of beliefs which are not real or scientifically proven and even those are not possible, they are just connected with old ideas.

This is not based on real facts these are just thinking of old minds. There are many superstitions in India that don’t make any sense but we still, we follow them blindly.

We don’t know the logic behind something we just follow when we hear something from anybody like this.

Here are some superstitions in India as discussed further which can’t be true but still, we follow them without knowing the reason or the logic behind them-

30 Superstitions in India & Theories behind

I have categorized them for your ease:-

Superstitions in IndiaA) General SuperstitionsB) Related to GirlsC) Specific to Days

A) General superstitions

Superstitions are different in different cultures. In some cultures, it is considered to be good and in some others it is bad but I am just giving a general idea about what kind of superstitions are found in Indian homes-

1) Twitching of eye

Indian standards say if right eye twitches then it’s a good sign but if left eye twitches that’s not good. There are many scientific reasons behind the twitching of eyes, it can be due to

stress,
allergy,
tiredness,
consumption of alcohol, etc.

2) Itching in hand

If any person is having itching in hand then it is considered that whether he’ll get money or he’ll beat up someone. But the itching is very normal it can happen due to dry skin, skin damage or any kind of allergy and many other medical reasons.

3) A cat crosses your path

This one is amazing! You don’t cross because the cat crossed first. Great! This superstition says if a cat or a black cat crosses your path then you should let somebody else pass before you do.

Because after doing this that person who passed first will have all the bad luck and you are safe.

The origin of this superstition came from Egyptians who believed that cats are evil creatures and they bring bad luck.

4) Hanging lemon and 7 chilies

In India, Shop owners and housewives believe the goddess of misfortune that is “Alakshmi” can bring bad luck for them and their business.

That’s why shop owners and housewives always hang this kind of thing outside because the goddess of misfortune like sour and spicy and for them, they hang lemon and 7 chilies so that she can eat her favorite food and after satisfying her hunger she won’t enter the shop.

5) Breaking glass or mirror

Breaking the mirror is considered good or bad in different cultures. Some people think if a mirror breaks it will give a piece of good news and some people say if it breaks it will bring bad luck while it can just be a coincident nothing much.

The people of Rome started saying that it will bring bad luck for 7 years, Seven years because they believed it takes seven years to renew itself.

6) Peepal tree at night

It is believed that going near at peepal tree at night is not deemed good because it is said that this is the tree where ghosts live and if you go they can kill you. But there is nothing like this because ghosts don’t exist, this is just a fear of our minds nothing else.

One fact that is considered by all about trees that when the photosynthesis process occurs they absorb carbon dioxide, change it into energy and give out oxygen in the air which helps us to breathe but at night this process gives an opposite reaction.

At night, plants exhale carbon dioxide because there is a lack of sunlight. But let’s think about animals who sleep under trees all night then why don’t we see all of them dead next morning?

7) Sweep after sunset

It is said that goddess Lakshmi who is the goddess of wealth will walk out of your home if you sweep after sunset.

Why sunset? This is because it is believed that goddess Lakshmi visits your home after sunset and if you sweep then she’ll not enter.

8) Adding one rupee to a gift sum

On any occasion or wedding, there is a ritual of giving Shagun. In that gift, the money is given but we don’t give like 100, 500 or 1000, we always add 1 rupee with it like 101, 501, 1001, etc.

It is considered lucky to add a one rupee coin with the entire amount. It is believed that if we don’t add one rupee with it the amount will end in zero.

9) A black dot of kajal

A black dot of kajal is considered to save from evil eye or I say, Buri Nazar. Indian mothers put a black dot of kohl on the forehead or the backside of the ear to protect them. This activity is known as Nazar Utaarna.

10) Crow shit

Crow shit is considered lucky by Indian. They deem it the symbol of Laabh, which means wealth or money but think about one thing that if it is true then crow must be the best pet. Isn’t it?

11) Shaking of legs

Indians believe if anybody shakes his/her legs while sitting then it will bring a piece of bad news it may be regarded as a loss of money. But in reality, this may be a general habit of any person.

12) People with flat feet

Flat feet are considered as it indicates the widowhood of a person. In ancient times in India while match-making the mother of groom checked the feet of the bride to make sure.

But there is no truth in this fact because the shape of the body is made by God and we can’t judge anybody because of the shape of the body.

13) Head over of two people

It is believed that if the heads of two people bump with each other that it is an indication of a fight between them and as a solution you can bump it once more to avoid the fight.

14) Handkerchief or Needle

It is considered that if two people who have love between them give handkerchief or needle to one another then it will create differences between them and they can fight with each other.

15) Passing over legs

Indians say if anybody passes over your legs it can make you small. Just trust me this one is really epic.

I mean think about it how can it possible, if you have grown once then how could this activity make you small again?

16) Superstition about Number 13 and 3

There is no real fact about why number 13 and number 3 is deemed unlucky but these two numbers are considered unlucky.

In any lottery or something else, nobody wishes to choose these numbers.

17) Walk under a ladder

Walking under a ladder is deemed unlucky. It may have some practical reasons about safety like it may fall on you and hurt or like if somebody else is standing on it while constructing he may fall on your head but there is nothing unlucky about it.

18) Sneezing

In some parts sneezing is auspicious and in other, it is inauspicious while sneezing is just a way to keep you healthy because it cleanses the nasal cavity by sneezing.

It is also believed that sneezing once is bad and you should wait for the second sneeze before going outside.

19) Crow’s caw

It is believed that if crow caws in the morning or evening it is a stroke of good luck but if it cows in the afternoon it will bring bad news.

20) Calling someone from the back who is going outside

If any person is going outside it is believed that calling him from the back is not good and for whatever work he is going will not complete.

21) Rice on Ekadashi

According to the Indian mythological story, it is said that once should not have rice on Ekadashi. It is believed that on this day god Vishnu woke up after four months of deep slumber and the story of rice is related to Lord Brahma.

It is said that sweat fell down from his head and it took shape of a demon then that demon asked him to give him a place to reside. Brahma asked him to dwell in rice eaten by men on the day Ekadashi and get converted into worms in their stomach.

Well, this is a religious belief but there is a scientific reason also you can read from here.

22) Hiccups

It is considered that when hiccups occur then somebody is missing you but hiccups occur because of the disturbance to the nerve pathways from the brain to the muscles involved, this occurs due to temperature changes or emotional changes.

23) Slipper upside down

If your slipper is upside down or one slipper is on another that is not good according to mythology. It may bring any bad news or loss of money.

B) Related to girls-

24) Do not visit a temple or any sacred place during periods

It is believed that girls are impure during their menstruation period and they can’t visit any holy place or even they can’t touch anything sacred. A few years back girls were not allowed to enter in the kitchen during periods and maybe this still happens in some places.

25) Do not touch pickle during periods

It is said that if a girl touches pickle during her periods it will spoil.

26) Do not wash hair on Tuesday or Thursday

It is also a myth all days are the same there is nothing lucky or unlucky in days. The day which is good for you to become lucky and the day which is not that becomes unlucky. You can wash your hair on any day when you feel dirty.

27) Married girls should not go home on Wednesday

It is also considered bad luck when married girls go to their own home or their in-laws on Wednesday.

C) Superstition according to days

28) Don’t wash clothes or hair on Thursday

Again the superstition on days, there is nothing like this. You may wash clothes whenever you want.

29) Don’t buy iron things on Saturday

It is believed that you should not purchase any iron thing on Saturday it brings bad luck and that same on the story.

30) Don’t give money on Saturday

Also, you should not give money to anybody as borrow it will become bad debt. Again a myth, without any real facts.

31) Cutting of nails and hair at night or on Saturday

You can’t cut your nails or hair at night or on Saturday it not considered Shubh.

I just want to say one thing stop believing the old theories and create your own. These superstitions are nothing just an illusion of our mind so try to find out the reasons or logics and if you don’t find then don’t waste your time on all these things.

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