Itching Palms

My informant told me about a popular belief in India where if your palms are itchy then that means that someone is thinking about you. She first heard about this belief when she was in 8^th grade. She really doesn’t think it is true but whenever her palms itch she has a premonition or thought that someone in her family from back home is missing her or is thinking about her. She said that she has also heard many variants and versions of this belief.

She has heard that if your mom itch that it means you have money coming you’re way, in the form of income or gifts. She heard this version from her friends in college when she was 19 years old. She also stated that she really doesn’t think this is true, money comes to you because you work hard or it is your birthday.

She has also heard a variant of this belief where if you are hiccupping a lot that means that someone in you’re family is thinking about your or missing you. This belief she heard recently from one of her friends, who also happens to be Indian.

I think these beliefs once again are just mere beliefs and don’t mean anything in real life. In a sort of way I think these are just things that are you in your head and think about it when that specific incident happens, such as palms itching or hiccupping. Many of these beliefs are passed on generation by generation and act like a family heirloom for each family. Each family probably has some kind of belief that only their family associates with, and this one is what my family is in association with among many others. Itchy palms might mean nothing to some families but in my family it means that someone is missing you dearly.

Sneezing When you Leave

My informant told me about a superstition in her family. She told me that when you sneeze right when you were about to leave, it is bad luck and you were supposed to stay where you are for a few minutes before you leave. This happened to me in real life once. I sneezed right when I was about to leave her room and she told me to stay. She said that her mom always did it when she was young. I asked her if you needed to leave real badly what would happen then? She said that her mom would give her a spoon full of sugar so the bad luck would go away. I asked what the sugar symbolized and she didn’t have an answer to that. Her mother has held this superstition for a long time.

I believe that this superstition is very valid. When someone sneezes, I have always had a premonition that it is evil spirits inhabiting your body. So it is clear that when you sneeze when you leave evil spirits are there and are going to hamper your journey.

My informant also told me about many variations to her superstition. She said her mom used to tell her that when you sneeze early in the morning, it means that you are going to have good luck during the whole day. When you sneeze in the mid day you are going to get along well with everyone that day and when you sneeze late in the afternoon it is a sign of something bad. She has held these superstitions close to her. She said that one day she sneezed at night and she got a poor grade in her exams one night.

This superstition might be prevalent all over the world but this specific one is from India. People from India are very superstitious and credulous. I might say they are the most superstitious people in the world. Sometimes their superstitions might be hampering their culture and their lives but sometimes it is very true to believe in what they do. Religion dictates a lot of things with superstition. Hinduism is a very superstitious culture, so I think this has to do with a lot of what happens in that society.