China Romance
All About China => Chinese Culture And Festivals => Topic started by: Paul Todd on April 09, 2009, 07:02:15 pm
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Don't cut your hair or your fingernails at night, because if you do ghosts would be around......
Don't open umbrella inside your house or there will be snakes around.
Don't buy white paper lanterns or grow banana trees because they harbor ghosts.
Don't worship Gods at night (except for holidays were you are allowed to) because you will get sick.
Don't point at grave stones because the ghost would haunt you.
Don't have a party for your birthday when you are old because they spirits of Hell would remember you and you would die.
This happened to my relatives a lot.... :( my dad's great aunt died at the age of 98 because of THAT!
Don;t show your thumb when a funeral car passes you.
Don't point at the moon with your index finger, because next night the moon will cut your ear.
Don't draw on people faces when they're asleep or their soul can't get back into there body's.
Don't whistle at night or the snakes will come,again :huh:
Don't mess with tombs because the spirits would harm you.
When my mother was little, she knew a kid who peed on graves and he mysteriously had his legs amputated.
If you comb your hair at midnight in front of a mirror a hundred times, you will see your future wife.
When a pregnant black cat hops over a corpse it will stand up.
Big ears bring fortune.
Don't EVER CURSE at the gods because you will be in SO MUCH TROUBLE!
Ok. I did make one up! The rest came from the China History Forum.
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[size=200]Say WHAT?[/size]
[size=150]Those that believe in superstitions will end up sitting in a closet with the light off.[/size]
[size=150]Don't sit in the closet with the light off or the snakes will come![/size]
Hehehe...
Big Dave
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That was next on the list,along with not eating cats...
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That was next on the list,along with not eating cats...
...Oh, you mean real cat cats. Gotcha.
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Cats mmmm, now that's something i have to try next time.
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At last, I found the answer. I read a while back "Never buy a Chinese man a green hat" If a Chinese man wears a green hat, it means his marriage is in trouble/his wife has cheated on him. Thats where all this nonsense started.
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Green means bad luck in general in China, I didn't dare wear my Ireland jersey once over there!!
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you guys got some crazy ideas about Chinese superstitions.Did you guya read all this stuff un a book or did you get it off the interent
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Nice one Nick, but your just not taking this seriously enough! :lol:
Maxx, 'most' of the first list I posted was from the China History forum. It's a site used by academic's and to tell you the truth, a lot of it is way over my head. Like a lot of these 'high brow" sites it has some great left field topic's. Ancient Chinese children's hair cuts, for example. I kid you not! To become a full member you even have to take an exam! and I quote
"About CHF Imperial Exam System
CHF is generally catered for those who are interested in learning chinese history and culture. We pride ourselves in becoming a leading educational and academic site for the learning of chinese history and culture. Functioning just like a university/school, CHF has also established "Imperial Exams" designed to help qualify members to become "official scholar members" (qualified citizens) of CHF.
CHF is probably the 1st and only online community to implement an exam system for its member. Our goal is to make all members become literate or educated in chinese history and culture after joining CHF. Technically speaking, CHF encourages all members to take the Entry Level Exam (Xiucai Exam)"
Ronan, maybe we should do the same! :lol: .You more experienced members could set the questions! Seriously though this site is full of useful stuff and well worth a few hours, here's the link
http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/
Confused? you will be!
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Paul thats really cool.I'll take a better look when I have more time
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Nice one Nick, but your just not taking this seriously enough! :lol:
Maxx, 'most' of the first list I posted was from the China History forum. It's a site used by academic's and to tell you the truth, a lot of it is way over my head. Like a lot of these 'high brow" sites it has some great left field topic's. Ancient Chinese children's hair cuts, for example. I kid you not! To become a full member you even have to take an exam! and I quote
"About CHF Imperial Exam System
CHF is generally catered for those who are interested in learning chinese history and culture. We pride ourselves in becoming a leading educational and academic site for the learning of chinese history and culture. Functioning just like a university/school, CHF has also established "Imperial Exams" designed to help qualify members to become "official scholar members" (qualified citizens) of CHF.
CHF is probably the 1st and only online community to implement an exam system for its member. Our goal is to make all members become literate or educated in chinese history and culture after joining CHF. Technically speaking, CHF encourages all members to take the Entry Level Exam (Xiucai Exam)"
Ronan, maybe we should do the same! :lol: .You more experienced members could set the questions! Seriously though this site is full of useful stuff and well worth a few hours, here's the link
http://www.chinahistoryforum.org/
Confused? you will be!
That is one fascinating website Paul, thanks very much for linking to it, my growing Chinese appetite just got served a banquet!
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If you don't use Paul's link and learn about Chinese history the snakes will come!
Seriously that is a great link Paul! :lol:
Big Dave
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Green means bad luck in general in China, I didn't dare wear my Ireland jersey once over there!!
Irish , if green mean bad luck , then why are their so crazy about green Tea . Are they all looking for bad luck ? Hehe
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I have noticed that my wife and her father wear green many times. I just asked her about the bad luck but she has not heard about this. Maybe it is area specific. Oops, now she says that old people say if a man wears a green cap then his wife will love another man. I guess I better not pretend to be an american green beret. However I was a member of the P.P.C.L.I. and in the Canadian army infantry wear green berets. But then my first wife did cheat on me. Oh my god where did all these mot...fuc.ing snakes on a plane come from??!!
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PPCLI? How long have you been out? You must follow the Afghanistan mission pretty closely then.
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I was only in for 3 years and then during the recession of the 80's I joined the militia Canadian Scottish regiment as an instructor. So then it was not a beret anymore. I did wear a kilt and my favorite battle motto from the regiment "Deas Gu Cath" Ready for the Fray. But while in the PPCLI my best 6 months was overseas in Cyprus in 78 when our Dutch team was once again the bridesmaid in the worldcup. Cyprus sure has a colour full history and I promised myself to travel the world since I love history. I never new that to keep my promise I had to suffer a broken heart and find new love in a distant land. Thanks to Ziyan for being my siren of the distant shore
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You have probably heard of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Have you also heard about the less well-known Hungry Ghost Festival? [Oh no, not more snakes!]
Just as the west have the Halloween, the Chinese have their version of a ghost festival too.
Celebrated mostly in South China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and especially in Singapore and Malaysia, the Hungry Ghost festival is a mixed Taoist/ folklore occasion that is taken very seriously by the Chinese. This festival falls on the 7th month of the Lunar New Year and is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who will then wander the earth to seek food.
Filial Chinese families would celebrate this festival to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. At the same time, they also pray and pay tributes to other "unknown wandering ghosts" so that these homeless souls will not intrude into their daily life and bring along misfortunes or bad luck to them or their family.
How is the festival celebrated?
One of the most popular belief among the Chinese is that the dead return to visit their living relatives during the 7th month and thus they prepare a sumptuous meal for these returning ‘hungry ghosts’. The Chinese feel that they have to ensure that their ancestors are "well fed and clothed" in order to be happy and to bless their decendents.
During the 7th month celebrations, the Chinese offer prayers to their deceased relatives, burn joss sticks, paper money and offer food. In Singapore and Malaysia, it is a common sight to see entertaining ‘ wayang’ or Chinese Opera and concerts performed on outdoor stages in some neighborhoods. These events are always held at night. There is a belief that this entertainment would please those wandering souls. These shows are very popular and often filled with audience but the front row seats are always left empty for... you guess it, the unseen ghosts!
Superstitious belief for the hungry ghost festival!
Another interesting belief that the Chinese have about the festival is that it is bad to go swimming during the 7th month. They think that an evil ghost may cause you to drown in the swimming pool. In addition to this, children are also advised to return home early and not to wander around at night. This belief is due to the reason that the wandering ghosts might possess children. Thus, it is not surprising that swimming pools, beaches, shopping malls, cinemas, bowling alleys will report a dip in customers during this month. This is also a month considered not auspicious to get married, start a business, move house or even to travel. Plane, bus tickets and hotel rates tend to be at their lowest peak during this month!
Offerings to the Dead
The Chinese also give a lot of offerings to the deceased. These offerings are made by burning fake money notes, which are also known as ‘hell money’ and even paper television or radio sets. Some families also burn
paper houses & cars to give to their dead relatives. The Chinese feel that these offerings reach the ghosts and help them live comfortably in their world.
The Chinese regard the 15th of the month as an important date to give a feast to the ghosts. On this date, the family will cook a lot of food and offer them to the deceased. This is done to please the ghosts and also to gain good luck for the family. 15 days after the feast, the festival will be over, as the Chinese believe that the ghosts return back to where they come from.
That is, until the next Lunar 7th month...
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I have a friend in work that is Malaysian and they were telling me abut this too. They have the same "hungry ghost" belief there and he was very earnestly advising me that it would not be a good time to visit the country, it would be bad luck. He said westerners don't believe it and take pictures of the festivities unknowing that its considered very bad luck to take pictures at this time because the ghosts wont like being caught on camera!
He was very serious about all this, interesting stuff.
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Ah there's the rub, they need more camera friendly Ghost's. and not such Camera shy ones!
the statement "He was very serious about all this, interesting stuff." is serious.
There is a spiritual plane, and there are spiritual creatures, they may call them Ghosts, but I know them as Angels and Demons. The power they have is directly related to the amount of belief in a person .... so they really sincerely believe in these "Ghosts" in this way, and therefore give power in this fashion to these beings in this spiritual plane. And of course they are cautious, and rightly so.... this kind of belief can even cause a person to be "scared" to death, literally....
that is a form of spiritual bondage, --- my opinion ... :)
Interesting reading - Very superstitious. - Red Envelopes. And the list goes on.
In my sixty years roaming the world early days I was given a very good hint still being a youngster by an old drunk who always was held up by the bar in the club at Andir airbase.
“Let the girls take care of dealing with customs, you look”. I still follow the old drunk’s advice to good results. I never ask the girls why and whatever else because I can’t be bothered with things that change from place to place, even locals do not bother with this, so why should I. In addition as a "white devil" in certain cases it is an insult to intrude in a local custom. I was involved in such an intrusion years ago with Red Envelopes here in Thailand which Thai Chinese only use at Chinese New Year.
The girls have the excuse, “Dr.Frans is foreigner, ghost and spirits no bother him he turns off all lights when he goes to bed”. As proof they use my age, being healthy, and after all these years in the lands of the ghost and spirits still being here.
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In Viet Nam, the Buddhists dress their little boys as girls until the age of 5. They believe Buddha wants to take young boys with him. They also never turn their babies on their stomach to sleep. That is turning your back on Buddha. This came from a small village I was stationed in.
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I was in Cambodia one time and the papers were full of pictures of this " holy cow," people were taking gifts to it and having there pictures taken with it. The whole show. It was a big news story, front page stuff for days. Not being able to read the Khmer script I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. I was intrigued, so I eventually found an English speaking Khmer and asked what was so special about this particular cow? Well I was told ' It walked from the north of the country all the way to the capital on it's own' [How they knew this I never found out!] Well that didn't seem reason enough for all this attention I thought, so I questioned my new friend a bit more. Yes I said it is a long way for a cow to walk with or without anybody accompianing it. No he said I was missing the point, It walked all the way from the north of the country to Phnom Phen and wasn't blown up by land mines!!!!:huh: So it definitely had supernatural powers!
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The cow probably was guided by a religous figure to insure its saftey. Some kind of padre called Father Cow Paddy.
No offence to Irish, when I was in the army we sometimes called our padres paddys
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None taken Rhonald, we call ourselves paddies :)
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I don't know about that Irish ?
When ever I drink my Tea and write to Qing , I change my Print to Green and Qing loves this . She see's I'm drinking my Tea instead of Wine or Beer . I dare to write in Green when having either of those . I couldn't and wouldn't lie to Qing then and will not start now .
She has never meantioned anything of that nature about the color green . With a;ll their Park's so beautiful and Green everywhere , how could they not like green ? The one thing I noticed , now talking about this , all their Yuan notes ... I think none of them are green .
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Chinese Astrology and Flowers
Did you know that each of the 12 Chinese signs is associated to a unique flower? They were selected by the two gods who created Chinese astrology and the Chinese calendar. These flowers are: Narcissus, Carnation, Violet, Jonquil, Sweet Pea, Passion, Rose, Larkspur, Gladiolus, Aster, Marigold and Chrysanthemum.
Narcissus
Chinese sign: Rat
Narcissus is a highly respected flower in Chinese culture. People decorate their houses with during the Chinese new year. It is also used as a medical herb to heal wounds of the body and soul.
Carnation
Chinese sign: Ox
Carnation is a flower which symbolizes wisdom. It is associated with Guan, the Chinese earthly god. Chinese people use it to express their appreciation and gratitude towards their family.
Violet
Chinese sign: Tiger
Violet is commonly used in herbal medicine. Chinese people use this flower to produce Viola tea and sweets with Viola syrup. It's essence is also used in perfumes and scented materials.
Jonquil
Chinese sign: Rabbit
Jonquil is used by the Chinese for the creation of a special lucky seal which they wear as a lament in special occasions. It is said that this Jonquil seal brings extreme luck to those who own it.
Sweet Pea
Chinese sign: Dragon
Sweet Pea is a dangerous flower that should not be eaten. It contains a highly poisonous toxin. This flower can be found in most gardens because of its beautiful shape and bright colors.
Passion
Chinese sign: Snake
Chinese people use Passion flower which they mix with other herbs, to create an elegant smoking blend. The flower is also used in herbal medicine to cure insomnia, depression and epilepsy.
Rose
Chinese sign: Horse
Rose is the most recognizable of the 12 flowers. It symbolizes beauty and love. In China grows the Chinese Rose which has the unique ability to bloom repeatedly unlike any other Rose species.
Larkspur
Chinese sign: Sheep
Larkspur is a rare flower. Chinese herbalists use it to cure asthma and eye diseases. The flower is also used against snake bites. Chinese also use it's essence to produce a high quality ink.
Gladiolus
Chinese sign: Monkey
Gladiolus is a very respected flower which Chinese people use in very important occasions like funerals. It is said that this flower helps those who have passed away to find their destination in heaven.
Aster
Chinese sign: Rooster
Aster is one of the most decorative flowers. People in china use it for decoration purposes during festivals or ceremonies. It is a flower associated with Jade, the Chinese heavenly god.
Marigold
Chinese sign: Dog
Marigold is a very important flower. The flower's essence is used to produce Lutein, a strong medicine against most eye diseases. Marigold leaves are also considered strong painkillers especially against headache and toothache.
Chrysanthemum
Chinese sign: Pig
In China, people boil Chrysanthemum leaves to produce a special tea which is said to heal any illness. Chrysanthemum flowers can also work as atmosphere cleaners in an indoor environment, reducing air pollution to the minimum.
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The fluid from a dog’s eye.[ Now this is odd]
Dogs are believed to have the ability to see supernatural beings such as ghosts and phantoms, and howl when they see one. If a dog howls continuously, it is believed that this presages an imminent death.
Following from this, it is believed that the fluid from a dog’s eye can enable humans to see the spirit world, for example ancestors’ souls. A medium will smear the fluid on his/her eyes in order to see the supernatural world for the purposes of exorcism etc. However it is believed that ordinary people who smear the fluid from a dog’s eye on their own eyes may die from the shock of seeing the afterlife.
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wondering about the health risks of doing this?
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I am wondering where Paul is. I have not seen him post in a while.
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i sent him a pm and never heard back from him??
that was about 2 weeks ago??
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Maybe moved on like Brett.
Willy
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Brett is still around Willy
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The fluid from a dog’s eye.[ Now this is odd]
Dogs are believed to have the ability to see supernatural beings such as ghosts and phantoms, and howl when they see one. If a dog howls continuously, it is believed that this presages an imminent death.
Following from this, it is believed that the fluid from a dog’s eye can enable humans to see the spirit world, for example ancestors’ souls. A medium will smear the fluid on his/her eyes in order to see the supernatural world for the purposes of exorcism etc. However it is believed that ordinary people who smear the fluid from a dog’s eye on their own eyes may die from the shock of seeing the afterlife.
Hahaha, on a par with some Western superstitions/beliefs regarding black cats, the number 13, walking under ladders, and Santa Claus, and creating the world in 7 days, I guess :icon_cheesygrin:
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The Chinese culture has cultivated various methods for keeping ghosts and other night 'things' at bay. So for times when you need to travel to certain dark or bad "aura-ed "areas, here are some hot tips:
1) Wear red underwear
2) Wear red shoes
3) Wear a strand of forty-nine garlic bundles on your head
4) Wear jade
5) Carry 36 pieces of glutinous rice.
6) Wear a safety charm (you can get these at Buddhist temples)
7) Carry seven pieces of leaves from a banyan tree.
Hotel rooms also tend to be a place where the 'yang' is weaker than the 'ying'. People go in and out, but they don't stay, thus causing ghosts to gather. Here are some things to observe when you enter a new room to make sure your rest isn't disturbed:
1) Knock on the door and say "excuse me" befor entering your hotel room (to let the ghost know you are going to occupy their room for a while so they won't disturb you)
2) Flush the toilet. This means to flush out any bad influences.
3) Don't place socks or shoes neatly by the bed, or it will be easier for ghost to find the bed and bother your slumber.
4) Opening an umbrella indoor will bring the ghosts. The ghost will then stay (or live) in the umbrella and bring bad luck (or sometime good luck) to the people who have the umbrella.
Heading out at night? Some things to observe so the spirits will not bother you:
1) Don't turn around if someone taps you on your shoulder.
2) Don't wear clothing with your name on it, or the spirits could call you out.
3) Don't shine flashlights into trees, ghosts like to hang out there.
4) Don't pat your friends on the head or on the shoulder. A person has three fires to keep spirits away, two on the shoulder, one on the head. Putting it out means it's easier for spirits to enter them.
5) Left eye twitch, good luck
6) Right eye twitch, bad luck
That reminds me of a story I was told the other day:-
There were two graves side by side. There came a Chinese man with offerings of food, wine, incense, paper gifts and he spread the goodies and got down on his knees and prayed to his ancestors to come enjoy. Along came a Foreigner in long coat and hat, carrying a bunch of flowers. He put down the flowers on the next grave and took off his hat, placed it over his heart, and bowed his head in a moment of silent respect. When he looked up the Chinese was still so busy pouring wine, burning paper gifts, and yelling and yaping to his ancestors to come drink, eat, and receive his gifts. The Foreigner look kind of annoyed and snapped “You really think your ancestor is going to sit up on his grave and eat your duck and drink your wine?” The Chinese replied, “No, no more than yours is going to sit up on his grave and sniff your flowers.
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3 and 4 are interesting in part 2 and 3 have to remember that