supertitious beliefs | MAGUINDANAO PRIDE

“If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected.” [Bukhari Book 49, Vol 3, No 861]

A compilation of some of superstitious beliefs and practices of the Maguindanaons. Some are freakin’ crazy and funny.

Some are SHIRK. In Islam, shirk (Arabic: شرك‎ širk) is the sin of idolatry or polytheism, i.e. the deification or worship of anyone or anything other than the singular God, or more literally the establishment of “partners” placed beside God. It is the vice that is opposed to the virtue of tawhid (monotheism).

Within Islam, shirk is an unforgivable crime; God may forgive any sin except for committing shirk.

Believe it or not?

NAILS

1. Clipping the nails at night will make it look like a cat’s nails.

2. Clipping the nails at night will make you a thief.

MIRROR

1. If you are afraid of your reflection on the mirror, somebody will die

SLEEPING

1. Sleeping in the afternoon will make you sickly.

2. Taking sleeping mats and pillows during the night will bring bad luck. Somebody from your family will die.

NIGHT

1. If you play guessing game at night, a monster will appear and join you. (crazy one!)

2. Taking sleeping mats and pillows during the night will bring bad luck. Somebody from your family will die.

GIFT

1. Gifting a shirt to a your boyfriend/girlfriend will make the relationship short-live.

BUTTERFLY

1. Brown butterfly gives good luck

2. White and yellow butterflies give bad luck

3. If brown butterfly enters the house, it means good luck will soon happen

LIZARD

1. If a lizard falls on you, you will die soon or somebody in your family will die.

2. If a lizard makes a sound above your door, you will spend for something big or you will loose money or somebody will die.

3. Asthma can be cured by boiled lizard (lizard soup, ewww)

PREGNANCY

1. Do not partake of the food being eaten by an expecting mother. If you do, you will either become sleepy or will feel drowsy or sick.

FRIDAY

1. When one is wounded during Friday, much blood will ooze out.

WEDDING

1. The first to sleep (bride or groom) at night after the wedding day will die first.

2. The groom must arrive before the bride at the venue to avoid bad luck.

3. The member of the couple stands first after the ceremony, will die ahead of the other.

DEATH

1. If someone sneezes at a wake, he’s/she’s next to die. (scaryyyyy!)

2. When leaving the wake, do not turn your back or look again to that place; no pauses or stops in going home. Somebody will die if you do not follow this.

MOLES/BODY MARKS

1. A person with a mole on his foot is a born traveler/jet-setter.

2. People whose teeth are spaced far apart are “naughty” (malandi)

3. People with eyebrows that almost meet will have a wife/husband that is closely related to him/her by blood.

4. Women with wide hips will bear many children.

5. Women with thin ankles and fat legs will bear many children.

6. A person with a mole on his nose is slutty.

7. A person with a mole near or inside the nasal opening will become rich.

8. A mole on the hand signifies wealth or thievery.

9. If there is mole not covered when the fingers are curled into the palm and the thumb is retracted (fist), the person will lose money all the time.

10. A mole on one’s back is a sign of laziness.

11. A mole on one’s back is a sign that you will have children; they will die early.