12 common Superstitions in India with their logic

In this scientific era of discoveries and inventions, science is making impossible  things possible and that's why there is no place for the superstition in our society. But, also remember that science and superstitions are the two sides of the same coin unknown of their interdependence. Science in itself is a sweet beginning and sometimes a bitter ending as well whereas superstitions have neither the beginning nor the ending.

India is a country where traditions breathe comfortably next to the emerging new technologies. In India people used to believe in so many superstitions . 'Kaali billi rasta kaat gai' to 'nimbu mirchi totka', there are so many weird superstitions that we Indian have. I am not defending or going against them, but just simply sharing some of the possible reasoning  that might just make us understand the origin of these superstitions which are present in our society. Some may not have any logic or reason behind them but some surprisingly sound scientifically right. We find ourselves standing at the juncture where science and superstition meet, sometimes restless, sometimes nonchalant. As a result of this, there are times when we question age-old practices, while in some cases we accept them unwittingly. So, there is no harm in keeping our minds open and giving a chance to the explanations for these superstitions

Here is an attempt to decode the possible logic behind some of the age old practices of our ancestors which are now labels as rituals:

1.A girl shouldn't do certain things while she is menstruating

 This is the most common superstition from which every women in India suffers. For those who don't know that the first sanitary pads were invented in the year 1896 and that's why they use cloth kind of stuff while painkillers were not available before the 20th century. In India, there are so many places where women during their periods still do not have access to either.

 So the logic here was that before we had access to both, these 5 days were extremely painful and stressful for every women and it was all about giving them proper rest. Women did not work during  their periods  because of discomfort, which slowly-slowly became a ritual and later on degraded to the form of a superstition. Always question the practice that you are following and not just go after it blindly. 

2.Don't go near a Peepal tree in the night 

Before that the world was clueless about the relation between sunlight and carbon dioxide that produces glucose for plants. Our ancestors probably knew about photosynthesis and the effects of inhaling carbon dioxide in the night as plant releases  carbon dioxide at night which may harm our body if inhaled in huge amounts and peepal tree releases carbon dioxide in huge amount at night. Our body expels out carbon dioxide as it is a waste product  for our body. Therefore if we inhale large quantities of carbon dioxide we may become unconscious for sometime and good for health. People mistaken this to be ghost's curse and all which is rubbish .

3.Bathe after attending a funeral ceremony 

It has nothing to do with the departed soul, the logic here is that since our ancestors did not have vaccination for many diseases at that time which includes hepatitis, smallpox and other deadly contagious diseases and that's why it was best to come home and have a bath. The place where so many people visit and a dead body is left exposed, you never know what infections might be lurking around. So, this is the logic behind this superstition. 

4. Mourning family of a dead person did not cook food until shraddha

We see this so often but never realized the true meaning of this. It has nothing to do with inauspiciousness but has a simple logical reasoning behind this. This Superstition says that, this is to prevent the burning of the soul of the deceased. However, logically it may have been started with the consideration of the family members who are broken due to the death of a loved one  and need to mourn the deceased! 

5.Don't cut nails after sunset

Nail clippers have sharp edges and if the light is not adequate then you may bound to hurt yourself. In the old days when there was no electricity in India. People at that time  had to do it in the day time. And this logic turned into a superstition that people still believe and back it with weird explanations. 

6. Sweeping the floor during the evening brings bad luck 

The belief that sweeping the house in evening brings bad luck is a superstitious belief that we Indians have all encountered now and then. Our ancestors probably preferred to clean their house during the day because of the sunlight as there was no electricity, So as to avoid sweeping away something important and precious things.

Religiously, it is said that Goddess Lakshmi will walk out of your house if you sweep after the sunset. Now the reason is that the goddess generally pays a visit after the sunset or in evening  so, if you sweep your house in evening then goddess Lakshmi won't come into your place.

7.Swallow Tulsi leaves, never chew

One of most  popular belief that Tulsi is the avatar of Goddess Lakshmi and hence one should not chew the leaves of Tulsi but swallow it as this shows disrespect toward the goddess. But, the logic here is that although a Tulsi is healthy and used as medicinal plant in Ayurveda, it also contains a little amount of Arsenic. So, if you want  to save your teeth turning yellow, also saving the enamel from degrading then you should not chew but always swallow Tulsi leaves.  

8.Not To Sleep Facing The North

Most probably our older generation knew about the relationship between Earth's magnetic field and the human body's  field.  Our ancestors made this rule of sleeping with our head in the South direction to avoid harmful effects related to blood pressure and other diseases that asymmetry with the Earth's magnetic field would create. However, yet again, sadly, became a superstition that if we sleep with our head in the North direction, we will die.

9. Using lemon and green chilies to avert "buri nazar"

The nimbu totka is one of the most populour and visible 'superstitions' in India probably stems from a culture that encouraged their usage because of the qualities of lemon and chili. Both are rich in different vitamins and thus people at earlier time probably tried to propagate their use through symbols during ceremonies which slowly turned into a "totka".People also claim that they have pesticidal properties but this is not been proven.

10.Black Cat Crossing your Paths

It is considered a bad sign when a black cat crosses our path. This belief is not just in Inda only but in the west countries as well. The origin of this superstition has come from the Egypt, they belief that black cats were evil creatures and that they bring bad luck.On the other hand in India, black colour is mostly associated with Lord Shani. It is said that if a black cat crosses your path and if you want nothing bad happen with you, then you should let somebody else pass before you do. It does sound extremely selfish but as per the myth, this way, the first person will have all the bad luck and you will escape from the bad luck.

11.Broken Mirrors 

It is said that in earlier times, mirrors are used to be very expensive but fragile. To avoid such negligence, people spread the rumour that breaking mirrors will bring you bad luck of 7years. The logic behind the number 7 is comes from Roman beliefs, it takes 7 years for a life to renew itself. So, the image if the person, who is not of sound health, will break the mirror and after 7 years, his life will renew itself and then he'll be in good health. This is the smart way of saving mirrors for sure!

12.Throwing coins in fountains and rivers bring good luck

Most of the currencies in ancient times were made of copper and by throwing copper coins into rivers, our ancestors ensured that they were consuming purewater beacause copper has antimicrobial property and it can kill 99.9% of infection-causing bacterias. However, today neither do we use copper coins nor do we drink water directly from the river water. This belief has brought in more pollution than than the good luck.