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 Nepali Myths: Confirmed or Busted?
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Posted on 01-18-11 5:45 PM     Reply [Subscribe]
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Here are a few Nepali Myths that I am aware of. Lets discuss if they are actually myths or reality.
If you know more myths, please share.

MYTH 1: When someone dies, the family should not eat salt for at least 13 days.
MYTH 2: When a husband dies, the wife should not wear red her entire life.
MYTH 3: You should not whistle inside the house.
MYTH 4: When you bump your head against someone else's head, you need to bump once more.
MYTH 4: If you touch someone's neck, you need to blow your hand.
MYTH 5: Three people should not leave their home for an over night stay at different location on the same day.
MYTH 6: It is a bad omen to sneeze when someone is leaving the house to go out.
MYTH 7: Green pepper (AKA green chilly) should not be given to someone hand to hand: Results in a conflict/conflict.
MYTH 8: You should not write on the floor with a burnt-out coal.
MYTH 9: Sacrificing animals will please certain Gods and Deities.
MYTH 10: You HAVE to visit certain shrines and temples once you say you will.
MYTH 11: Seeing an empty vessel while leaving your home is a sign of bad luck.
MYTH 12: Cow urine/dung is very pure and is good for consumption.
MYTH 13: Cold (AKA Rhino Virus) is caused by cold weather.
MYTH 14: You should not take a shower or eat sower/spicy food when you have cough/cold.
MYTH 15: Rice is the most staple food-- full of vital nutrition needed for your body.
MYTH 16: You will be visited by a guest(s) when you hear a crow "tweet" at night.
MYTH 17: You should not pray to god or visit a temple when you are having a period.
MYTH 18: Putting Mascara (gaajal) on a baby's eye is good for his/her sight.
MYTH 19: Putting oil in baby's ears is good for his/her hearing.
MYTH 20: Your destiny is written on the palm of your hand and certain people can read it and predict your future.
MYTH 21: Unusual and deformed animals and humans (at birth) are reincarnation of God.
MYTH 22: Pulling "Machendra's chariot" will help get rain in the monsoon season.
MYTH 23: Being fat is a sign is being healthy.
MYTH 24: You should clean your hand/utensils with mud or ash in the absence of soap.
MYTH 25: Memorizing is the best way to get education.
Last edited: 18-Jan-11 05:49 PM
Last edited: 18-Jan-11 05:50 PM
Last edited: 18-Jan-11 07:28 PM

 
Posted on 01-18-11 6:26 PM     [Snapshot: 78]     Reply [Subscribe]
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 They are really not myths, they are our cultural practises.



MYTH 1: When someone(a close relative) dies, the family should not eat salt for at least 13 days.
MYTH 2: When a husband dies, the wife should not wear red her entire life.
MYTH 3: You should not whistle inside the house.(mostly in the evening)
MYTH 4: When you bump your head against someone else's head, you need to bump once more. (Applies to only Kids)
MYTH 4: If you touch someone's neck, you need to blow your hand.
MYTH 5: Three people should not leave their home for an over night stay at different location on the same day.
MYTH 6: It is a bad omen to sneeze when someone is leaving the house to go out.
MYTH 7: Green pepper (AKA green chilly) should not be given to someone hand to hand. (Never Heard of it)
MYTH 8: You should not write on the floor with a burnt-out coal.(Only for sanitary issue, not a practise)
MYTH 9: Sacrificing animals will please certain Gods and Deities.
MYTH 10: You HAVE to visit certain shrines and temples once you say you will.
MYTH 11: Seeing an empty vessel while leaving your home is a sign of bad luck.
MYTH 12: Cow urine/dung is very pure and is good for consumption. (Only Urine, Dung is not eaten)
MYTH 13: Cold (AKA Rhino Virus) is caused by cold weather.(well, Rhino Virus generally gets activated by cold, so maybe)
MYTH 14: You should not take a shower or eat sower/spicy food when you have cough/cold.
MYTH 15: Rice is the most staple food-- full of vital nutrition needed for your body.( not because its nutritious, but because we got no option)
MYTH 16: You will be visited by a guest(s) when you hear a crow "tweet" at night.
MYTH 17: You should not pray to god or visit a temple when you are having a period. (neither touch anything including your elders)
MYTH 18: Putting Mascara (gaajal) on a baby's eye is good for his/her sight. (Don't agree! On Forhead means to prevent "najar")
MYTH 19: Putting oil in baby's ears are good for his/her hearing.
MYTH 20: Your destiny is written on the palm (forehead too- "Bhabi") of your hand and certain people can read it and predict our future.
MYTH 21: Unusual and deformed animals and humans (at birth) are reincarnation of God. ( if you commit a crime during your last life)
MYTH 22: Pulling "Machendra's chariot" will help get rain in the monsoon season.
MYTH 23: Being fat is a sign is being healthy.
MYTH 24: You should clean your hand/utensils with mud or ash in the absence of soap.
MYTH 25: Memorizing is the best way to get education.
Last edited: 18-Jan-11 06:34 PM

 
Posted on 01-18-11 6:48 PM     [Snapshot: 127]     Reply [Subscribe]
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This was a fun read! #12, is this true? People consume cow's urine? :O

#18, you probably meant eyeliner= gaajal and not mascara. Sorry, being a girl I couldn't help myself from correcting it :D

# 4 is the funniest I think!

Thanks:)
 
Posted on 01-18-11 8:15 PM     [Snapshot: 267]     Reply [Subscribe]
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#25 ghokanti biddha dhawanti kheti it's form sanskrit so if there is no way to practice that's why ghoknu nai uttam hune chha tyasaile geeta puran bahun harule kitab naherei kina sabai prawachan garna sakchhan ki kaso!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Posted on 01-18-11 9:52 PM     [Snapshot: 394]     Reply [Subscribe]
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 Its kind of funny to see how you are interpreting different practices. Good job on putting together but the reasons are not.  Our culture is different than the culture we see here so if you are trying to make the sense out of it by the comparison method, it wont work. 
  
 
Posted on 01-19-11 8:08 AM     [Snapshot: 591]     Reply [Subscribe]
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If I tell you 80% of those myths (according to you) arent actually myths but scientific and practical life tips then what would you say??? Let me begin with the funniest one, if you touch someones neck in nepal and won't blow your hand then I'm damn sure you will eat em all(whatever was there in the other persons neck) in your next meal, you won't enjoy that, will you? and about cow dung and urine being sacred, there are 20000000 articles in google, select any and go through it.. I can interpret some others too upon request
Last edited: 19-Jan-11 09:20 AM

 
Posted on 01-19-11 8:36 AM     [Snapshot: 633]     Reply [Subscribe]
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First off, they sound like Superstitious rituals more than myths.
Second, how would you confirm or bust a myth such as the wife should wear white when hubby dies? Most of your "myths" are in that category so I am not sure what your question is.
Nice compilation though.
 
Posted on 01-19-11 8:47 AM     [Snapshot: 636]     Reply [Subscribe]
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And one other thing, if you feel proud while saying you are from a Culturally rich background, you gotta leave these things alone coz we have seen enough in the name change, haven't we??
Last edited: 19-Jan-11 09:24 AM

 
Posted on 01-19-11 9:17 AM     [Snapshot: 648]     Reply [Subscribe]
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 My perspective in all these (I call them superstitions, you may call them tradition, I am not going to argue), my friend, is they are like Everest.

You can choose not climb them.  But if you climb them, you can have no better reason than just that " because it is there".

I for one choose to be rationalist.  I believe in God (thought I have to admit sometimes I waver).  I believe God gave me the power to think.  If I do not use that power and follow these superstitions blindly, I am not obeying God's wishes.  But I digress.

As I said, I for one choose to be rationalist.  I look at these customs and traditions (am being nice here, ahem) and ask myself why.  If I can come up with an acceptable answer to myself, then I follow, otherwise, to hell with it.

For example, I just don't believe that menstruating women are impure and cannot touch any holy items.  I think that is total bulls#it perpetrated by some misogynist pundit a long time ago.  That is not in my basket of acceptable customs.

Another example, putting on tika during Dashain.  There is no logical connection on having red or white clump of rice on your forehead with good things coming to your life.  BUT. But, there is more to this act than the shallow analysis.  This is an act of solidarity, act of love, act of generosity.  So this is in my basket of acceptable customs.

You might not agree with my rationale.  And you have the right not to. I respect that.

 
Posted on 01-19-11 9:58 AM     [Snapshot: 675]     Reply [Subscribe]
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Sounds interesting.
As "sna" said, most of them has valid reason. I am not sure if the reasons are valid.
like for #1 , basically things that can trigger your bp are prohibited ( though not all triggers )which includes salt.
 
Posted on 01-19-11 10:56 AM     [Snapshot: 716]     Reply [Subscribe]
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Here is what Ihave to say:

MYTH 1: When someone dies, the family should not eat salt for at least 13 days.
 (Just a cultural way of paying a respect to the deceased person in the family, but no truth)
MYTH 2: When a husband dies, the wife should not wear red her entire life. (Belony made by male dominism in the name of religion/culture)
MYTH 3: You should not whistle inside the house.  (Just a beleif with no truth)
MYTH 4: When you bump your head against someone else's head, you need to bump once more.  (BS, instead of expressing sorry)
MYTH 4: If you touch someone's neck, you need to blow your hand.  (may be showing some respect in the case of accidental, what if in between couple.... haha)
MYTH 5: Three people should not leave their home for an over night stay at different location on the same day.  (Cultural dogmatism with no truth)
MYTH 6: It is a bad omen to sneeze when someone is leaving the house to go out.  (Nonsense)
MYTH 7: Green pepper (AKA green chilly) should not be given to someone hand to hand: Results in a conflict/conflict.  (Nonsense: Ms. Gifford didn't hand a green chilly to Mr. Loughner before congresswomen got shot)
MYTH 8: You should not write on the floor with a burnt-out coal.  (May have said becuase it creates a mess with dirt.)
MYTH 9: Sacrificing animals will please certain Gods and Deities.  (Only to the blood-thirsty so-called gods and goddess)
MYTH 10: You HAVE to visit certain shrines and temples once you say you will.  (Untrue, but lesson behind this is live with the word that you speak)
MYTH 11: Seeing an empty vessel while leaving your home is a sign of bad luck.  (BS)
MYTH 12: Cow urine/dung is very pure and is good for consumption. (Way to fool people to get sick, like Ramadev fooled almost all in KTM)
MYTH 13: Cold (AKA Rhino Virus) is caused by cold weather.  (may have some scientific truth, because chances of getting sick by cold in winter is high)
MYTH 14: You should not take a shower or eat sower/spicy food when you have cough/cold.  (Taking shower is untrue, but eating sower and spicy (hot chilly) when you have cold is True. It is not going to help)
MYTH 15: Rice is the most staple food-- full of vital nutrition needed for your body.  (true but not sufficient)
MYTH 16: You will be visited by a guest(s) when you hear a crow "tweet" at night.  (Just a myth, with no truth)
MYTH 17: You should not pray to god or visit a temple when you are having a period.  (Way of paying respect to God---belief)
MYTH 18: Putting Mascara (gaajal) on a baby's eye is good for his/her sight.  (may have some scientific truth)
MYTH 19: Putting oil in baby's ears is good for his/her hearing.  (Proven truth)
MYTH 20: Your destiny is written on the palm of your hand and certain people can read it and predict your future.  (Belony)
MYTH 21: Unusual and deformed animals and humans (at birth) are reincarnation of God.  (Bunch of Belony)
MYTH 22: Pulling "Machendra's chariot" will help get rain in the monsoon season.  (Cultural beleif, nothing else)
MYTH 23: Being fat is a sign is being healthy.  (Totally False Statement)
MYTH 24: You should clean your hand/utensils with mud or ash in the absence of soap.  (True: Ash help bacteria easily wash-away)
MYTH 25: Memorizing is the best way to get education.  (no doubt)

These are just my opinion. No offence.
Thanks.
Last edited: 19-Jan-11 12:18 PM

 
Posted on 01-19-11 11:09 AM     [Snapshot: 783]     Reply [Subscribe]
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Significance of prohibitions during period::; Normally a mother never has a day off, she is available  to attend to her family 24 hours a day every day. So the custom arose to give the women a holiday of three to four days a month in which they could rest and recoup their energy and be served hand and foot!.... And we all know about the secretion of blood, pus, vomit, faeces, urine, sperm and what not, which is defiling
 
Posted on 01-19-11 11:42 AM     [Snapshot: 824]     Reply [Subscribe]
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Being fat is a sign of being healthy::: when the whole nation is starving in the mean time if a person can keep up with his weight than you better consider him a healthy guy
 
Posted on 01-19-11 2:02 PM     [Snapshot: 958]     Reply [Subscribe]
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here is another one:

1. if a black cat crosses your path, you should not continue on or else something bad is going to happen to you.

 
Posted on 01-19-11 2:19 PM     [Snapshot: 977]     Reply [Subscribe]
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I’d like to comment on the following by Khumbule:

Cow urine/dung is very pure and is good for consumption. (Way to fool people to get sick, like Ramadev fooled almost all in KTM)
Cow urine has some medicinal property, please research. Nobody says you have to eat dung too, dung is considered pure and used to coat the floors. Dung is one of the most unique material and probably the only “excretory” material that has antibiotic properties. Now, how did Ramdev fooled all in KTM? Please elaborate your answer or take it back.


Putting oil in baby's ears is good for his/her hearing. (Proven truth)
Proven, really? A purified form of oil might be good but since oil can attract any contamination easily- it is not advised to do so.

Memorizing is the best way to get education. (no doubt)
Says who? May be the best way to get grades in bio/chem/sanskrit class but that’s it.

By the way it's baloney, not belony.

Last edited: 19-Jan-11 02:21 PM

 
Posted on 01-19-11 5:57 PM     [Snapshot: 1066]     Reply [Subscribe]
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 MYTH 26: Hanging a small shoe or some lemon and green pepper at the front of your vehicle (usually buses) will help you avoid accident (or something like that).
 
Posted on 01-20-11 4:41 AM     [Snapshot: 1220]     Reply [Subscribe]
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Hot and spicy items should be avoided during common cold- Actually we need vitamin C to recover early from common cold. And red chilli has it.
About the first fact,  salt is considered to be a big trigger for high blood pressure. The chances of getting stroke during big stress is high coz of high BP. that is one of the reason we are supposed to avoid salt.

it is bad omen to sneeze when someone is leaving house- this is considered when some one is travelling long distance. Possible reason could be- common cold is airborne. It can transfer with the droplets when you sneeze. And definitely you dont wanna get high fever and heahache on the middle of your journey.

never heard of the last one, "memorizig is the best way" but what I heard was "ghokantey bidhya ra dhawantey kheti" bata kehi advantage hudaina .

Seeing empty vessels is not a good sign- it can possibly indicate that the village is suffering from scarcity of water /food. In that case, instead of leaving house, you may wanna go out to search water. (just random guess)


 
Posted on 01-20-11 5:05 AM     [Snapshot: 1223]     Reply [Subscribe]
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 OK.. So you are saying salt may cause high blood pressure.. and that is fine. But what if you have extremely low blood pressure? Can you eat salt then. The answer is NO. Even a two year old can't eat salt. And its not just salt.. there are lots of stuff that you cant eat.
 
Posted on 01-20-11 8:12 AM     [Snapshot: 1275]     Reply [Subscribe]
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 Salt do not raise BR in a normal person. You can have as much salt as you like if you havent been diagnosed with Hypertension, but if your diagnosed its advised to limit the salt intake.
 


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