Crazy Superstitions
(adapted from an article from Associated Content.com)
I moved with my parents from the Philippines to the U.S. as a young child. Although my
parents left the Philippines more than 34 years ago, they brought with them their Filipino
culture including some very different superstitions. There are many universal
superstitions. The number 13 is unlucky for nearly all cultures. However, there are some
Filipino superstitions that seem a little bizarre to anyone who did not grow up in a
Filipino family.
A really weird superstition is related to rice, a staple of the Filipino diet. To avoid bad
luck, a Filipino should never eat the “tutong” at the bottom of the pot. The "tutong" is the
scorched rice usually found at the bottom of a pot of rice cooked over a stove top.
Because my mother was big on education and success, she made sure that her children
never ate the "tutong.” Eating the "tutong" would cause whoever consumed it a lifelong
fate of being last in school, last in career, and last in everything. Who would want to have
that kind of bad luck? The “tutong” doesn’t taste very good anyhow!
For good luck, Filipinos should bring uncooked rice and salt when they move into a new
home. Rice & salt are symbols of wealth and good fortune. By bringing them in, Filipinos
ensure their good fortune. For the years they will live in that house, they will have
prosperity and good luck. When my husband and I moved to our new home, our relatives
insisted that we should bring the rice and salt before anything else. Out of respect for our
relatives, we bought the rice and salt and took it to our new house before anything was
moved in. So far, we’ve been pretty fortunate in our new home!
Another really strange superstition relates to the dinner table. To avoid bad luck, a
Filipino must turn his/her plate when someone leaves the table. By turning their plates,
they are ensuring that the individual who left the table would arrive at their destination
safely. Failure to 'turn your plate' would prove an ultimate demise for the person who just
left. Not wanting anyone to have bad luck, “turning your plate” seems like an easy thing
to do. However, non-Filipinos might think it is a little crazy.
The last crazy superstition must be related to the living conditions Filipinos experience
when living in the Philippines. It is considered bad luck to sweep the floor at night time.
I remember sweeping the kitchen floor after dinner when my grandmother began scolding
me with extreme fear in her voice. "Don't sweep the floor at night time!" she said loudly.
I couldn’t imagine what the problem was, but I was perfectly happy to put down the
broom. I later found out that sweeping the floor at nighttime would lead to bugs and
worms falling from the ceiling. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be a problem here in the
U.S.!
Most of my American friends do not know about these superstitions. They are very
different from some of the American superstitions I’ve heard about and a little hard for
most people to understand unless they are Filipino.