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Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
My dad had all kinds of old world superstitions.
Never leave a knife laying flat on the counter because you are inviting danger from the direction that the knife is pointing. Somehow putting in the sink neutralized the danger though. There were a few others involving knives as well, like dropping one was a big no-no and they could cause nightmares if slept too close to one.
Single girls should never sit at the corner of the table.
Not having more than one window open because somehow the cross breeze it creates through the house is evil or bad luck, or something. Applied to cars as well.
Half moons are lucky and decisions involving money should wait until there is a half moon.
The knife on the counter one has stuck with me even though I know it's ridiculous. Kind of like knocking on wood. I can't help myself.
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Many superstitions are actually rooted on an empirical observation and an attempt to address and avoid an unfavorable outcome.
Some are based on Murphy's law. If you're careless with a knife, sooner or later you may end up injured by one. This is more important in older eras where access to healthcare is more difficult. A cut/injury from a potentially dirty knife in a 3rd or 2nd world country (or era that is closer to that) is more problematic than a quick stitches + 1-2 week recovery in a first world country.
"Bad luck/evil" type superstitions sometimes make more sense if you substitute the idea of potential illness or injury. It's bad luck to walk under a ladder sounds like superstition. But statistically, you just realize the odds of injury are substantially higher walking under a ladder than around it. Same as in a job site situation.
You don't do certain things at a jobsite because it increases the odds something undesired happens. You may not want too many windows open at home because it may increase odds of illness happening (especially in situations where indoor heating isn't ubiquitous).
The knock on wood and full moon ones though... I'm not sure. But if I had to guess, they're kinda just silly/easy actions to do to slow down certain decisions. You assume you'd get a different perspective/time to reset and evaluation to ensure you're making a good decision before follow through.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluejays
Yeah, most weddings I've been to just give cash. It's easier and more mobile. And likely you said, it's to cover the cost of the wedding then some. To be honest I haven't seen many weddings where people have brought stuff. Must be a lot to carry at the end of the night.
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Asians also know because the guestlist is usually very big that if they're carrying tons of physical gifts back, it becomes an ordeal. It's just easier for everyone. It's not superstition, but it almost functions basically like a registry to avoid duplicate gifts but also to ensure less complexities for clean up post party. I've seen weddings where the bridal party had to figure out 4-6 vehicles full of stuff ranging from gifts, equipment and other things to remove from the venue. I think physical gifts alone filled a little more than one vehicle top to bottom.
Another wedding custom I've still never fully understood... getting the groom drunk. Supposedly the logic is to decrease the chances of the groom consummating the marriage. I still don't fully understand the logic of that custom. Similar logic to what I recall a server say to us once, "I don't know if they like you or hate you, but I have half a dozen shots for the birthday boy."