Superstitions In Thailand - Animal

Thai superstitions involving small creatures with tails such as: house lizard, mouse, bird, bat, centipede, bee and other flying insects.

1) If the creature lands in front of you and its tail points to you: you will be lucky, you will receive precious gifts and the angels will look after you.

2) If the creature lands in front of you and its tail points to your right: you will get presents from your relations.

3) If the creature lands in front of you and its tail points to your left: you and your relations will be in danger or ill. You should go and make merit straight away.

Superstitions In Thailand - Lucky Gemstones sorted by Month of Birth

January - garnet and malachite

February - amethyst and opal

March - tourmaline and bloodstone

April - diamond

May - emerald

June - pearl and moonstone

July - ruby

August - amber

September - black sapphire and blue sapphire

October - opal and tourmaline

November - topaz

December - turquoise

Superstitions In Germany (Aging and Death)

-If a deathly ill person cannot die, then one should move the table out of its place, or turn over a shingle on the roof.

-If a sick man wishes to die, then one should open all the windows, fill any object in the house which is empty and turn it over, so that the soul is free to leave and cannot stay anywhere. One should also take the vinegar away, so that it does not sit around; hang the bird cage somewhere else, tie the cattle up differently, and move the beehives.

-If a deceased man's clothes are not soon washed, he cannot rest.

-If someone has trouble dying, then one may lift up just three tiles on the roof.

Superstitions In Germany (Witchcraft)

1) Do not answer a witch's question, or else she can take something from you.

2) Old women often cut out a foot-long piece of sod that their enemy has just walked over, and hang it in the chimney. Then their enemy will waste away.

3) He who carries the tooth of a harrow found on the street will always recognize a witch.

4)Whoever carries a harrow tooth found on a Sunday will see witches in the church with pails on their heads, but must leave the church before the 5 o'clock bells ring, or they will tear him apart.

Superstitions In Germany (Courtship and Marriage)

1) To learn if she shall marry within the next year, a virgin should knock on the chicken coop on Christmas Eve or at midnight. If a rooster cackles she will, if a hen cackles she won't.

2) To discover if her lover will be upright or crooked, a girl must stand against a cord or a stack of wood on Christmas Eve and pull a log out backwards; her lover will be like the log.

3) Christmas Eve between 11 and 12 o'clock all single girls wake up. To learn whether or not they will marry in the next year, they take off all their clothes, stick their heads into the kitchen kettle and watch the bubbling water.

Taboos in Japan

1. Do not burp or fart in public. Even if you say "Excuse me", its not acceptable.

2. Don't touch your nose or any body fluids.

3. If you have a sickness, wear a mask.

4. Never stick your chopsticks upright in food (means death) or let anyone else use your chopsticks, give scissors as a gift (means severing ties with someone), or give chrysanthemums (sp?) as a gift (its the flower they give during a funeral). Also don't give anything in 4's. One of the ways to say 4 in japanese is "shi", which means death in a different context.

5. Do remove your shoes when you enter a house and put on slippers. Even when you go to the restroom, make sure you remove those slippers and put on a different pair. Cleanliness is extremely important to the japanese because the Shinto religion requires it, and because of that, its inbred into the culture.

6. Eat whatever is in front of you. Don't question the food unless you're learning Japanese and don't know what it is in the English language.

7. Don't talk about WWII or the Sudo-Japanese war. Just don't talk about war period.

8. Be extremely polite. Anything less than polite will make people disrespect you. Never be a loud tourist. Try to blend into the culture.

Taboos in China

-If you want someone to come to you, don’t wave them over with an upturned finger. This is impolite. Wave them over with your fingers turned down, as if they were sweeping something toward you. The same motion is used when hailing a cab.

-When using a toothpick in public, cover your mouth with your hand.

-When eating with a group, if there is a dish everyone is sharing (which is customary), do not use your chopsticks or the spoon you are eating with to dish your food. Use the serving spoon to dish into your bowl or plate and then use your spoon or chopsticks to eat.

-If someone gives you a present, it’s best not to open it in front of them.

-When someone gives a business card to you, do not stick it in your hip pocket. Also, don’t stick it in your wallet and then put your wallet in your hip pocket. You would be symbolically stating that you want to sit on them! Putting a business card in your wallet and them placing the wallet in a front pocket is no problem.