umul banin english feature

Name: Umul Banin

Roll no: 108

Subject: Creative writing

“Superstitions”

Walking on the road towards the market with my mother, suddenly a black crossed our way. My mother stopped me and said, “Let’s go from another path. If we cross from this way something bad will happen to us as the black cat has crossed our way”. When we reached at market my slipper broke. My mother immediately said, “See, I told you something bad will happen to us today because of that black cat who crossed our way”. I was confound to hear that because I couldn’t understand the logic behind that. My slipper was too old and about to break, what’s the fault of that innocent cat who was just going on her own way. My mother said, “Everyone used to say this and this is the truth. Don’t ask unnecessary questions”.

I was a kid at that time, so I believed it but when I grew up, I came to know that these so called notions are known as superstitions. The word originates with the ancient Romans, as opposite of something praiseworthy. 

Superstitions in the modern era is more likely to be viewed as the opposite of science, reason or modernity. Many of the superstitions stay for years or even for centuries, deep-rooted in the minds of common people while some are wiped off over time. Many of them become the basis of certain social customs and go on to become traditions. Such is the power of superstitions that they turn from being false to becoming strong notions and the masses start following them. 

The easiest and most obvious classification of superstition puts them under two categories, namely good omen and bad omen. 

“Hang a horseshoe on your door for good luck”.

The horseshoe is considered to be a good luck charm in a wide range of cultures. Greeks thought the element iron had the ability to ward off evil. Not only horseshoe wrought off, they also took the shape of the crescent moon as a symbol of good fortune. The faith in the powers of horseshoe passed from the Greeks to the Romans and from them to the Christians. In the British Isles, in the middle ages when fear of witchcraft was rampant people attach horseshoe to the sides of their houses and doors. People thought that witches feared horses and would go away from any reminder of them. 

“It’s bad luck to walk under a leaning ladder “.

A ladder standing against a wall makes a triangle with the wall and the ground, a depiction of the Holy Trinity. So, walking through this triangle would mean violating the Holy Trinity which was believed to invite God’s anger. Hangman used to hang people from gallows using a ladder. So, walking under a ladder would supposedly cause hangman’s eyes to turn on you and death could be near. The origin of this superstition stems from these notions. Just the presence or absence of these things is believed to be lucky or unlucky. 

Superstitions are an outcome of ignorance and lack of rational thinking. They become opinions and eventually begin to prevail widely in society. As I belong to an eastern society, there are bundles of superstitions followed by people. Once my cousin’s left ey was twitching continuously. So, she already started saying some bad news is about to come. I laughed and asked her, “Just because your eye is twitching, it means your eye will go and do something bad”? She got angry and told me, “Our ancestors always say this and they are experienced”. On the next day her father went to the hospital as he got heart attack. When I met my cousin, she said to me, “I told you, my eye was twitching, something bad will happen and look my father is not well”. I explained her, “Not to think that way as your father was already sick. He already had cardiac issues, every week he goes to the hospital due to his illness that’s not because of your eye”.

The medical reasons behind left or right eye twitching are stress, lack of sleep or eye problems. Its the twitching of muscles around the eyes. Linking it to bringing good or bad news is not right. There are some things which are common human behaviour but taken as superstitions. Like, If a slipper is upside down on the floor that is a common behaviour to put it in the right way up but people think this as superstition that its a bad luck when a slipper is upside down. 

Mostly people in rural areas are believing these superstitions and spreading without any logic. That’s because of illiteracy and unawareness. Not only in rural but also in urban areas people believe in these things without knowing the reasons or facts behind superstitions. Fear about unseen, less knowledge and a lack of general awareness are the reasons that certain superstitious notions are spreading in society. With passing time, some superstitions become false, while others succeeded in establishing themselves as truths. Superstitions live longer than books and passed from generation to generation. Whenever, anyone hears these superstitions, they need to know the logic behind it. Otherwise, not to believe on a thing which has no logic, reason or fact. If you have a brain, you should use it and try to find the reasons of everything. No matter said by whom, ancestors, parents or teacher. Nobody is always right.