Other Articles from Wayua Mutisya
Friday the thirteenth
Most of us can attest to being scared silly by some of the stuff our parents and friends taught us while growing up.
Our childhood friends added to these silly superstitions and far-fetched threats of misfortune. These superstitions were used as a means of making us toe the line, finish portions served to you, and sleep early, among other things. Even as grownups, there are still several weird beliefs that some people hold to despite lack of proof.
Similar to the superstition surrounding Friday 13th, here are 13 common superstitions that are common to Kenyans.
- One common superstition was that if you refused to feed the dog, your eyes would swell. This was probably meant to teach us how to share.
- If an owl hoots in your neighbourhood, somebody will die.
- Many people believe that shaving a baby’s hair before they turn one will result in a full mop of hair that is beautiful and healthy.
- On the other hand, some people believe that not shaving the wispy hair that the newborn has will ensure that the child’s hair is soft always.
- Cross paths with a black cat and bad luck will follow you definitely! Who hasn’t heard of this common superstition? It’s sad seeing as I personally find black cats to be very beautiful.
- If you jump over a child, they will be midgets their whole life.
- When your left palm twitches, you will get money.
- If your dream gets to finish, you’ll never wake up again.
- If you play with your belly button, your mom will feel pain.
- Cutting the tail of a lizard will result in your hands shaking.
- Wearing your clothes inside out unknowingly will bring you good luck.
- If you cook ugali and it splits on serving, you will get visitors soon.
- Sucking on your lower lip implied that you were calling a snake. Nice way to get kids to stop this very annoying habit!
What other superstitions have I left out? Feel free to share in our comments section below!