Does It Really Happen? YEMENI Superstitions – Part III (last) [Archives:2001/05/Culture]
January 29 2001
Mohammed
Al-Hakimi,
Yemen Times
Taiz
It occasionally happens that dogs turn their eyes to the sky and keep barking for a long time. It’s believed then that some great disaster will soon happen in that area.
¥ Take care of menstruous ladies
If a menstruous lady steps over someone, it is believed that he won’t grow up anymore. Some say pimples appear on his skin.
¥ No need for ultra-sounds
If a pregnant lady wants to know whether the baby she is carrying would be a baby boy or girl, simply she can get a dead snake and throw it up in the air. When it falls and lies on the ground, she can then distinguish. If the snake lies on its back, this means she will have a baby girl and vice versa.
¥ Counting stars can cause troubles
It’s believed in some areas in Yemen that counting of stars can be harmful. Thus, whoever counts stars, will have pimples all over his skin particularly on the hands and face.
¥ Never sweep floors at sunset
Some believe that if any one sweeps floors at sunset he/she will be in danger. It’s believed that one of their relatives will soon be no more.
¥ Visitors, no more
It has been known to lots of people that throwing salt in the air soon after your guest had left your house can be effective. He won’t be back at your door anymore.
¥ Avoid having ugly children
Ladies who are in the family way are advised not to gaze at ugly children. Otherwise, they will have ugly ones like those. The opposite however is not true.
¥ Make your beloved return back sooner
This spread a lot when Yemeni people used to migrate to Saudi Arabia and other neighboring countries. When they get too late, their families used to get nostalgic. Thus, they used to burn hair and aloe to make them feel homesick and patently eager to come back.
¥ Don’t get sterile
In some villages children are not allowed to bath in cold water. It’s believed their sex organs will be ineffective and accordingly they may get sterile.
¥ Never have shower at sunset
Having shower at sunset can be harmful. It’s believed some evil spirits will hurt the body e.i. he/she may get paralysis or go insane.
¥ Garlic can fight evil eyes
Slices of garlic are placed over wrist of the arm to defend children from evil spirits and eyes.
¥ Don’t catch your death
Some people believe that if they dream during sleep that someone gets married, this means or can be interpreted to be death for them. And if they dream that someone dies, this means he may resume to live long.
¥ Keep your articles out of the reach of pregnant ladies
Pregnant ladies can destroy yogurt and make injuries worsen. If it happens they look repeatedly at them.
¥ Never kill this?!
A reptile looks like a lizard, yet, the former is too small. It keeps nodding its head. If someone kills it, its believed they may die or fall ill.
¥ Lest you go crazy!
Looking frequently at the mirror for a long time can make little children go crazy. This is also true of talking to the shadow of the body.
In any country we have things like this. Those in Yemen have begun to decrease and I’m sure they will soon die out. Depending upon no references nor books I’ve got hold of these. I’ve undertaken this strenuous effort to project the Yemeni socio-cultural heritage.
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