On Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories live radio last Friday, guest speaker Genesis (Top 3 Finalists for Be A Podcaster) talked about her relatives’ pregnancy. This story triggered me to ask my mum about pregnancy taboos when she was young. These pregnancy taboos are mainly old wives’ tales. You can decide whether to believe them or not, it’s your choice! The references are just for entertainment purposes.
Feng Shui: Bedroom Taboos
In Chinese culture, feng shui plays a major part in our lives as many believe that if feng shui is used properly, it will bring us good fortune, protect us from bad luck and more. Whilst there are imbalances of yin/yang chi of the space, it will create bad feng shui. Sometimes it will bring disaster and even, death.
Chinese Table Manners To Observe
Once a month, I go out with a group of Chinese friends who come from different countries. We are Chinese people from the PRC, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore of course.
One of their habits that annoys me the most is that they place/poke their chopsticks vertically into their food or rice bowl. For me, it is a No-No. Let me tell you why! My mum and most elderly folks would say if you do that, it means the rice is an offering to the ghosts. The chopsticks are positioned like joss sticks used for a funeral. If you eat the rice, it will bring you bad luck. Besides Singapore, places like China, Japan and Korea also believe this. Therefore, it is best to avoid placing chopsticks vertically into the food or rice. Now let me tell you more about other Chinese table manners you should observe.
Feng Shui: Keep Brooms and Mops out of Sight
With feng shui, brooms, mops and any cleaning gear are considered bad luck. If they are used properly, they can sweep out the negative energy of the home or business. If they are not used properly, they can sweep away the good and positive auspicious energy of the home or business. Hence it is best to keep them out of sight after cleaning is done.
Feng Shui: Keep Fake Flowers and Plants at a Minimum
I mentioned in an earlier post that my mum came to the UK to visit us. During her stay, she passed down a lot of feng shui tips and suggested I change several things. One of the suggestions was regarding fake flowers and plants. She said that if a house is filled with too many fake flowers and artificial plants, it will attract a lot of fake relationships, like friendships, and also gossip into our lives. I’m not sure where she heard it from. But she is quite an avid listener of feng shui podcasts and Buddhism YouTube channels. Each day, the channels will share tips and predictions for the zodiac animals.
Chinese Superstition: Ji Shi Teng Ward Off Evil Spirits
Is Ji Shi Teng 鸡屎藤 (a Chinese fever vine herb) able to ward off evil spirits? According to the older generation (like my mum and some of my older relatives), they all truly believe so! I first came across this Ji Shi Teng via listening to Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcast on 13th May 2022.
Are Creepers and Climbing Plants Bad For Feng Shui?
Are creepers and climbing plants bad for feng shui? Recently, my mum came to the UK to visit us and she noticed that I had a climbing plant outside my son’s room (he lives in an annexe, away from the main house) and wasn’t very pleased with it. She told me that according to feng shui masters, climbing plants is a big no-no for a house. They not only damage our wall structure, but they will also create a strong negative force for everyone living in the home.
Chinese Superstition: Umbrella Taboo
Several years ago, I wrote an article on Gifts to avoid buying for Chinese People and one of the items is an umbrella. Now I would like to expand on the Chinese superstitions regarding the umbrella taboo in our Chinese culture. In the feng shui study, they believe that used correctly, an umbrella will bring you luck and wealth. However, if you use it wrongly, it will bring you misfortune. Do you believe it?
Why you should never hang clothing out overnight?
I hadn’t heard of this taboo of never hanging clothing out overnight until I heard from Mr Zhou’s Ghost Stories podcast. Some people believe that hanging clothing at night will attract wandering spirits to get attached to the clothing. It will cause us to have bad luck. I will list a few examples later in the post.
Chinese Customs To Observe When Moving House
Buying your new home is a very proud moment for you and your family. It is likely one of the most expensive purchases you will make and therefore it’s a big deal for everyone involved. Many Chinese people observe or believe in several Chinese customs.
Mahjong Taboo
Many Chinese people are very superstitious, particularly among the elderly and I would include myself in that. If you read the blog post that I wrote earlier this year on the meaning of 15 days of Lunar New Year, you will recall that some Chinese (Taoism and Buddhism) would pray to the God of Wealth for blessing. For this blessing money in Chinese, we called it 偏财 (Piān cái). It is an expected income or floating assets such as bonuses, lottery winnings, stock benefits, etc.
The Great Duke Jupiter Tài Suì
In my earlier post on the meaning of the 15 days of the Lunar New Year, I mentioned that on the fourth day, it is the day to pray 太岁/Tài Suì for a year of protection and to avert adversities. Now I am going to tell you more about him.
The Meaning of 15 Days of Lunar New Year
In my many Chinese New Year blog and craft posts, I’ve regularly mentioned that the Lunar New Year celebration lasts for 15 days, but have yet to explain the special significance, meanings and traditions behind each day. Finally, I have time to sit down to gather the information on the meaning of the 15 days of the Lunar New Year. Yes, the 15 days are now over and we are heading towards the end of the first month of water Rabbit 2023! Nevertheless, please do check it out!
Chinese Four Colour Cards
Four colour cards or 四色牌 was my grandmother’s favourite game to play when she was still around. Every Saturday afternoon, her sisters and her children, like my mum and aunties, will gather around her house to play. It was a regular thing even on Chinese New Year. There was always a big group of at least six to eight of them sitting around the big round table to play with at least two sets of Four Colour cards (224 cards) mixed.
Day 7 The Return of the Dead Night
Do you believe that the soul of a dead person will return to visit his/her family home on the seventh day after their death? Some Chinese believe this is what we call 回魂夜 (Huí Hún Yè) – the return of the dead’s night or 头七 (Tóu Qī).