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Superstitions I Used To Believe In (II)

I have listed some of the common superstitious beliefs Filipinos have practiced to. Check it here: https://read.cash/@Jeaneth/superstitious-beliefs-i-grew-up-with-2af75cba I was entertained by the comments I got from the first article. I agree that these superstitions were made to scare children. In my case, there were some which I practiced and got scared of too. **Cleaning** the table when someone is still unfinished will not be married and stay single forever. We were taught by our parents to do household chores as much as we can deliver. I learned to wash the dishes when I was 9 years old. I am not sure if that's early or already late. One time I was assigned to wash the dishes after dinner. I remember I was following a series in ABSCBN's Wansapanatym, which I got so into it. We ate our dinner but our father has not arrived yet. I can't remember where he was up to so he missed eating the dinner with us. We just finished eating our dinner when he arrived. He took his plate intended for him and grabbed his meal. Meanwhile, as a determined child who wants to accomplish things right away, **I cleaned the table while my father was taking his dinner.** I was surprised by his reaction. He raised his voice and scolded me because of what I did. He said it was disrespectful. I was so confused but he told me that when someone is still eating because it's major disrespect. I believe this superstition did not apply to my situation at that time. My father is already married, obviously. I have not witnessed someone did not get married after being swept in the dining table. In real situations, you would really find it disrespectful when someone dares to do that to you. It's as if you are not welcome to enjoy your meal and they are just forced to offer the service. **Saying** Tabi-Tabi po in nature Tabi-tabi po is a Filipino phrase that translates "***excuse me or step aside***" in English. This is a respectful phrase meant for spirits, ghosts, or elements in nature. You usually say this phrase when you visit places like forests, locations with big trees, around the woods, and inhabited territories. This is a way of excusing yourself with no intentions of trespassing or disturbing the elements in nature that may have established a territory in that place. I was with my classmates when we went to a river to look for rock because we had a school project. Our main objective was to collect rocks for our Social Studies subject. We needed to collect some that look like axes since our topic was Stone Age. It was a long journey. We passed by many groups of trees. Finally, we arrived at the exact location. The river was so cold and it was surrounded by big trees. We took a bath and enjoyed our time. We collected stones and brought them home. The day after, I felt so cold. I had a high fever. I skipped school and had myself checked by a quack doctor. He said that I was na "***usog***" or I have caused trouble to the last location I went to which was the river. That's when I realized that I forgot to say "***tabi-tabi po***". So does this superstition apply? Or was it just coincidental? **When** you accidentally bite your tongue, someone is thinking of you. Many times, I have witnessed someone that when he/she bites the tongue accidentally, they would react to it and then ask someone for a number. That number represents the letter order in the alphabet. If someone says 8, that signifies the letter H. Letter H could be someone who is thinking of the person who bites his tongue. Silly reactions would be crushes or enemies who may have resented the person. One thing is for sure, you have to watch out for mouth or tongue sores. **Include** money when you gift someone a wallet A wallet could be a good gift to anyone during birthdays or Christmas. It is everywhere so it's not hard to look for one. I used to gift my cousins a wallet because first of all, I ran out of ideas and it's easy to find so what else would you prefer? My mom told me that I should put a paper bill or a coin when giving a wallet because it serves bad luck for money if you do not follow. I still didn't bother because I know my cousins are extravagant by all means. Now that you can go shopping online, I'm sure their carts are full. What does it have to do with the money anyway? Did it work on your end? I'll put a 1000 peso bill on the wallet I'll to myself. Let's see if it works. Haha **Missing** things? Blame it on the elves! I used to play hide and seek with my childhood friends. That was our favorite game. We play hide and seek the moment we get home from school. One would hide inside their houses, climb a tree, go under a canal, or hide at the back of a huge box. If the group finally decides to stop and think of another game, we will huddle first and discuss things over. If the group decides to just watch tv, we'll watch. That's when missing slippers happen. One would intently go outside to hide slippers. When it's time to go home, there's not a single moment when someone cries her worries out because she lost a slipper. The suspect would act innocent and tell the victim, "***the elves took it***". This isn't only limited to a single circumstance though. There are things in the house where you have already exhausted too much energy of finding things but you still couldn't find it. Your mom is already pissed off because you can't get what she wants. Relate? Haha **Lead image source** https://www.google.com/amp/s/theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/superstitions-and-taboos-many-filipinos-still-believe-in/%3famp=1 Thanks for reading! Keep safe everyone. ❤

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