The news last month that the Bhimsen idol in Dolakha is sweating and it is a sign that ‘something disastrous’ is going to happen in the country. This as a custom required the head of the state to perform a ‘kshama pooja’ to ward off the possibility of something disastrous.

In Nepal, we follow plenty of superstitions without even thinking twice.  We have them engrained so well in our day to day affairs that we act first and then think about them. The other day during dinner I asked for a green chilly.  My grandson brought one to me and put it in a plate, though I had my hand out.  Traditionally chilly is not put directly in someone’s hand.  He also believed putting a chilly directly into someone’s hand invites fighting. Later I thought about it and had a good laugh. I don’t think he even considered it for a bit, because it had become a habit where certain things are done spontaneously.  The above incident reminded me of another instance from a long time ago.

Superstitions make us do weird things. We stop abruptly on our paths if a cat crosses the road in front of us, we hesitate to walk underneath a ladder and take great pains to go around it, and we knock heads again if we accidently bump our head with someone. That’s not all. It seems each and every one of us has our own set of superstitions, or beliefs as we would like to call them. It might have no logic behind it but, in its own way, it makes you feel good and gives you strength and that’s what’s important.