Cutting Nails After Dark

This superstition has been there for a long time in my family. My informant told me ever since she was a young girl, her mother used to tell her not to cut her nails after dark. She has passed on the same thing to her children. She has told me numerous times not to cut my nails and sometimes even my hair after it has gotten dark, usually 6pm. She always said that you will get bad luck if you cut your nails after dark.

She said that in the olden times when there was no electricity, it would be too dark to see your nails therefore you wouldn’t cut them. That has stayed on even now with such modern technologies such as light. It has been a passed on tradition of sorts that we do not cut our nails at night.

So basically the only reason my mother doesn’t want me to cut nails at night is because there wouldn’t be enough light, even though we have electricity. I think that this superstition is very funny and not valid at all. The only reason it was true was because back then they didn’t have lights inside of their houses. But with modern technology this is changed.

There are many different variations of this superstition. One main variation of it is, not to cut your hair after dark. The logic is the same as cutting your nails, you would cut your hair horribly wrong when there is not light. Just like the nails superstition this could be forgone in modern days, but because of tradition and heritage this is still kept as a family superstition.

It’s unlucky to have a turtle as a pet.

My informant first heard of this superstition when she was around 6 years old.  My informant wanted a turtle as a pet but her parents refused to let her have one.  Growing up as a child, my sister wanted a turtle as a pet.  However, because of what my mother’s parents told her, my sister could not have a turtle as pet.  My sister did not understand why she could not have a turtle since it would not be that hard for her to take care of it.  It would not be nearly as hard for her to take care of a pet turtle as a pet dog.

My mother explained to my sister that in the Vietnamese culture, having a turtle as pet is seen as bringing bad luck to the family and to the house.  A turtle in the Vietnamese culture is seen as slow and sluggish.  Since it seems as if turtles lack energy, it is believed that if a turtle is in a person’s house then the house will not be filled with cheerfulness and joy.  The house and family will not be filled with excitement and laughter.  Instead, it is believed that struggle will come upon the family.  The turtle will bring it’s gloominess to the family.  It is believed that having a pet with more energy is better for the family.  That is why many Vietnamese families have dogs, cats, or rabbits as pets.  These animals are more energetic and will bring more luck to the family.  These pets are seen as fortunate animals to have in the house.

On the lunar calendar, the 5^th, 14^th, and 23^rd day of each month are days that will bring bad luck.

My informant first heard of this superstition from his parents when he was in Vietnam.  My informant got a new job and was going to start on the 5^th day of August.  When he told his parents, his parents told him to not start his job until the next day.  My informant’s parents told him that it would be bad luck to start on the 5^th.  His parents told him that according to the lunar calendar, new or important things should not be started on 5^th, 14^th, or 23^rd day of each month.

In American culture, there is a similar superstition.  Many people believe Friday the 13^th is an ominous day.  This superstition is one of the most widespread superstitions in the United States.  Many people will not go to work on Friday the 13^th and many couples will definitely not have a wedding on Friday the 13^th.  Many people believe that 13 is an unlucky number.  People believe that 13 is such an unlucky number that in many hotels, there is not a thirteenth floor.  Many horror films have been made about Friday the 13^th.  Some horror films even come out on Friday the 13^th.  Some people also believe that Friday the 13^th is an unlucky day because it is believed in Christianity that Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

In some different cultures, the number 13 is considered a lucky number.  The number 13 is considered lucky in China and in Italy.

If you sleep with your bed facing a mirror at night it’s considered bad luck because all the bad that you’ve done reflects back on you.

This was one of the many superstitions that Tanvi had learned as a young girl growing up in Bombay, India. She said she was about five or six years old when her parents told her this. This can be considered a superstition because she was engaging in a superstitious act, or the lack thereof, and it can also be considered folk belief because it has not been scientifically proven. She explained that the belief was that the bad things that a person has done that day or just in life in general may bounce from the mirror back to the person. This would cause more bad things to happen to the person.

She has also learned many other beliefs very similar to this one growing up. Several examples are: do not touch feet to books without asking for forgiveness or do not leave the house for a journey without consuming a mixture of yogurt and sugar or else something bad is going to happen. Tanvi’s parents strictly followed these beliefs in order to generate as much good luck as possible. Good luck and good karma are important aspects of life to her family and generally in India as well. Whether Tanvi believes this or not is irrelevant and unimportant because her parents force her to participate in these folk beliefs.  Therefore, they have become a normal part of her life and she follows most of these beliefs automatically now.