15 Filipino Superstitions on New Year’s Eve.
Filipino Superstitions or what we call as” Pamahiin” on New Year’s Eve have been existent of our ancestors and are just passed on to succeeding generations for centuries.
The Philippines has a lot of collection of some of the most outrageous superstitions in different facets of life. Old folks keep on passing these superstitions. While some could be true, others are baseless or lack scientific evidence.
These are believed to be made to prevent someone to do something in order to get rid of danger, bad luck or unwanted events.
There are no other studies to prove whether these beliefs are true, some still comply given that some events that took place seem to prove its rationality. Though others think that such do not have any basis and has nothing to do with the things that are believed to happen, some Filipinos still care to try.
In the country, the way how Filipinos celebrate New year’s eve is really different. As there are so many interesting Filipino superstitions or folk beliefs associated with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the Philippines.
In a report of Tagaloglang.com, they listed the 15 Filipino Superstitions on New Year’s Eve:
1. Make as much noise as you can to scare away evil spirits.
2. Turn on all lights so that the coming year is bright.
3. Open all doors, windows, cabinets and drawers to let good fortune in.
4. Debts must be paid off. Fill you wallet with fresh peso bills. (Filipinos believe that whatever your financial state is in at the stroke of midnight, so it will be in the new year.)
5. Clean everything.
6. Wear polka-dots. Anything round signifies prosperity.
7. Scatter coins around the house, on tabletops…. inside drawers…
8. Jump twelve times at midnight to increase your height. (Observed by Filipino children.)
FOOD-RELATED SUPERSTITIONS
9. Prepare 12 round fruits, one for each month of the coming new year.
10. Have a very round grape in your mouth at the stroke of midnight.
11. Eat a native delicacy made from sticky rice to make good fortune stick in the new year.
12. Eat long noodles (pansit) for long life.
13. Don’t have chicken or fish. They are associated with the scarcity of food.
ON NEW YEAR’S DAY ITSELF
14. Don’t clean anything! You might sweep away the good fortune that came in on New Year’s Eve.
15. Don’t spend money at all. Your thriftiness on the first day of the year will augur your money management in the coming year.
Many of these superstitions bear a strong Chinese influence.
Many of the Filipinos believe that following these practices can save them from bad luck.
