Philippine superstitions

[Mike J]

After living here for 10 years I thought I had heard them all but I was wrong.   The wife and I were riding in a Cebu City taxi earlier this week and the driver was talking with the wife in Cebuano.  She explained to me that the driver had two sons, one of whom had been killed in a traffic accident.  The reason for him being killed at such a young age?  The young man was in the high school play 'Romeo and Juliet'.  He played the part of Romeo and died in the play.  

Edited September 7, 2023 by Mike J

[JJReyes]

Whenever we take the stairs, my wife catches me muttering, "Oro, Plata, Mata" ("Gold, Silver Death").  The superstition is the last step shouldn't never be "death."  This rule is observed in both the Philippines and Spain, not the United States.  So, I use the elevator.

[Mike J]

7 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Whenever we take the stairs, my wife catches me muttering, "Oro, Plata, Mata" ("Gold, Silver Death").  The superstition is the last step shouldn't never be "death."  This rule is observed in both the Philippines and Spain, not the United States.  So, I use the elevator.

That kind of explains the belief that there should not be three stairs leading into the house?   Mama was quite explicit that four steps were required when we had a house built for them.

[Tommy T.]

L told me a Philippine belief some time ago. I was trying to figure out what to buy for a Christmas gift for her sister. I suggested a new cooking knife since hers were so old and not sharp. L warned me that no one should ever give a knife to another as a gift since it was a bad omen. So I gave her wine glasses instead...

[JJReyes]

14 minutes ago, Mike J said:

That kind of explains the belief that there should not be three stairs leading into the house?   Mama was quite explicit that four steps were required when we had a house built for them.

The superstitions attached when building a home in the Philippines are numerous.  The main entrance should not face a window, or all your money will enter and immediately exit.  There has to be a blocking wall to make the money circulate around the house.  (I tried using the circulating money theory to get an increase in my allowance, but no luck.)  Most are based on Chinese Fung Shui on factors such as wind and water positioning.  You hire a master who shows up carrying a compass with complicated instructions written in Chinese.

The most expensive consultation was hiring a high-ranking Fung Shui master to review the plans for the construction of Hong Kong's Regent Hotel (Now, Intercontinental Hotel) fronting the harbor.  He charged the owners something like US $250,000 about 60 years ago.  The master claimed the building construction would upset 7 mythical dragons from the hills surrounding Kowloon who bathe every morning in the harbor.  The building would block their access.  His solution was floor to ceiling windows on the mezzanine floor permitting passage.  The dragons would be happy and shower the owners with prosperity.  50 some years of continued prosperity until the hotel was sold to gullible Americans for a highly inflated valuation.  Maybe the Americans loved the 7 dragons' story.

[JJReyes]

10 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

L told me a Philippine belief some time ago. I was trying to figure out what to buy for a Christmas gift for her sister. I suggested a new cooking knife since hers were so old and not sharp. L warned me that no one should ever give a knife to another as a gift since it was a bad omen. So I gave her wine glasses instead...

True.  There is a well-known business story about a Texas based company gifting their Japanese partners with hand-forged hunting knives.  It meant you wanted to severe ties.  The Japanese terminated the relationship.  

[Gator]

26 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

L told me a Philippine belief some time ago. I was trying to figure out what to buy for a Christmas gift for her sister. I suggested a new cooking knife since hers were so old and not sharp. L warned me that no one should ever give a knife to another as a gift since it was a bad omen. So I gave her wine glasses instead...

My Italian grandmother held a similar belief, but if the person receiving the knife gave the gift giver a coin it was ok. The logic: a knife can not cut thru a coin, so the friendship would be preserved. 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Gator

[Gator]

My wife, like many here, is quite religious. As soon as she gets into the car, bus, taxi, etc she blesses herself (makes the sign of the cross). Pass a church, she blesses herself. Pass a cemetery, blesses herself.

Sometimes while we’re driving and we’re not passing a church or cemetery she’ll bless herself. I have no idea why and quite frankly I’m afraid to ask otherwise I’ll get an earful, lol. 

[longway]

16 hours ago, JJReyes said:

The most expensive consultation was hiring a high-ranking Fung Shui master to review the plans for the construction of Hong Kong's Regent Hotel (Now, Intercontinental Hotel) fronting the harbor.  The master claimed the building construction would upset 7 mythical dragons from the hills surrounding Kowloon who bathe every morning in the harbor. 

Hong Kong story, Banks built back in the day had a back entrance that all the customers used. It fronted the street and the ocean. The main entrance was on the opposite side of the bank facing the mountain. The reason was to prevent the sea dragon from entering and all the banks money running out into the ocean. Apparently the sea dragon can only use the main entrance.

[hk blues]

41 minutes ago, longway said:

Hong Kong story, Banks built back in the day had a back entrance that all the customers used. It fronted the street and the ocean. The main entrance was on the opposite side of the bank facing the mountain. The reason was to prevent the sea dragon from entering and all the banks money running out into the ocean. Apparently the sea dragon can only use the main entrance.

If I'm not mistaken, the HSBC main building in Hong Kong has the open foyer to allow the spirits to move freely from the sea to the mountain.