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In the Punjab it is believed that
the control of natural powers is one of the possessions
of the saints, and, therefore, many such powers
have been associated with almost every saint. Stories
of miraculous exhibition are associated with every
pir, jogi, and saint of repute, including Sikh Gurus,
though they condemned these powers and said, "To
work miracles is a vain and an empty show."'
Beliefs and superstitions are deep rooted habits
and fancies. The majority of the population of the
Punjab being rural, for centuries these people of
the villages, bereft of education and contact with
awakened communities, were under the spell of superstition
and witchcraft. It is only recently that because
of the opening of schools in villages and increase
of literacy that the people have become somewhat
rational.
Most of the Punjabi superstitions are based upon
the movements of the heavenly bodies, because it
is widely believed that what happens to man and
his world is determined by the movement of the celestial
bodies. This belief is based upon imitative magic.
Mangal (Mars) and Shani (Saturn) are supposed to
be malefic. A Person born under the influence of
these two planets, according to this belief, suffers
heavily in life. A person born under the influence
of these two neither leads a happy life, nor does
he enjoy good health. A child born under the influence
of Mangal is called Mangleek. He or she must marry
a Mangleek and no one else. If this dictate is violated
the anger of Mangal is aroused and the couple thus
united remains ill and unhappy. Those who are born
under the influence of Saturn must on Saturdays,
give away in charity copper coins to Bhatras (worshippers
of Saturn), who carry an iron-image o f Saturn in
a vessel with mustard oil in it and go calling from
door to door every Saturday morning. If a person
sees his own reflection in some mustard oil, then
pours a copper coin into it and gives it to the
Bhatra, he is believed to be relieved of all trouble,
illness, and misfortune. Since all suffering is
caused by the anger of Saturn, a little charity
in his name makes all the difference.
Som (Moon), Budh (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter),
and Shukra (Venus) are considered beneficial, 'Shukra'
being the best. A child born under this star lives
a successful and prosperous life, attains high status
in life, and keeps good health.
Some asterisms are not considered good. Of these
Mool is supposed to be the worst. A child born under
this group bodes evil to his parents, and so long
as he does not attain youth, parents should not
come face to face with him. If sometimes a meeting
becomes unavoidable, the parent should not see the
child's face directly. They put some oil in a vessel
and first see in it the reflection of the child's
face. The Punjab's famous legendary hero Puran was
born under the Mool Dasha and had to be kept away
from his parents for twelve years. It was only after
that that his father saw his face for the first
time.
There are many superstitions connected with the
moon. If a newly-married woman sees the new moon
regularly, she will deliver a male child as handsome
as the moon. It is, however, considered inauspicious
to see the new moon on the fourth lunar day. Doing
so is supposed to bring a bad name.
During a solar or lunar eclipse, a pregnant woman
is not supposed to move. Eating, drinking and even
changing clothes must wait till the eclipse is over.
Her every movement is believed adversely to affect
the child in her womb. If during the eclipse she
draws a line, its mark will appear on the body of
her baby. All cooked food that stayed unused during
the eclipse is given away in charity, because it
is supposed to have become impure during the eclipse.
Charity given at this time is considered to have
great spiritual significance.
If a person sees a shooting star and quickly makes
a wish and ties a knot, the wish is generally believed
to be fulfilled.
Earth is given the status of mother, and it is believed
that if a chaste and devoted woman falls into trouble
and her honour is at stake, the mother earth opens
out its bosom and absorbs that woman in itself,
thus saving her from trouble. In the famous legend
Sassi Punnu, when Sassi was wandering in the desert
in search of Punnu, one shepherd tried to seduce
her. She prayed to Mother Earth to save her honour,
at which the ground under her feet opened and received
her in. Blowing off a light is not considered good.
The wick of the lamp should be turned down and then
extinguished with a wave of the hand. Removing the
light is not considered a good omen.
Fire in the oven is never put out with impure water,
because that rouses the anger of the god of fire.
Many superstitions exist regarding the direction
of the journey which one has to take. In olden times,
travelling was hazardous and one had to be very
careful. On particular days it was not considered
proper to travel in certain directions. It was bad,
for instance, to travel towards the north on Tuesdays
and Wednesdays, and good to travel in this direction
on Mondays and Fridays. Thursday was regarded as
bad for travelling southwards, and Wednesday good.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays were not considered good
for journey towards the hills. Work started on a
Wednesday can be easily and successfully concluded.
It is believed that if a new dress is worn on a
Saturday, it lasts longer. Wearing a new piece of
jewellery on a Sunday is good, because then it does
not get lost. Even at harvest-lime and at the time
of sowing seeds, the auspicious and inauspicious
days are taken into account. Tuesdays are regarded
good for reaping and Wednesdays for sowing.
For the purchase of cattle due consideration is
given to the influence of the day. Wednesdays are
good for the purchase of a cow, Fridays for a mare,
and Saturdays for a buffalo. Certain beliefs and
superstitions are associated with animals, birds
'and insects.
An owl symbolises desolation, a vulture settling
on a house-top brings bad luck. If one sees a snake,
one should not utter the word 'snake' but euphemistically
call it a kira (insect). If that is done, according
to belief, the snake goes blind and cannot move.
When a snake is killed it is not advisable to throw
it out through the door. It is thrown either out
through the window or a few bricks are removed from
the wall and it is pushed out through the hole thus
improvised. If that is not done its spirits get
into the house and gives a lot of trouble. When
a cobra completes its hundred years of life, it
develops a metamorphic power. It is then called
an Ichhadhari (capable of assuming any form) or
a Chhaleda (phantom). The gem in the head of a snake
is considered a very precious thing. It is supposed
to bring riches and prosperity to the family that
possesses it.
When a new utensil is bought, a horse is first
made to smell it. Eating pork or wearing the teeth
of a pig round the neck protects a person from the
evil eye and witchcraft. Augury of ants carrying
grain of food into a house is a promise of prosperity;
but if the ants are seen going out they are a symptom
of a heavy loss in the near future. Whooping cough
is said to be cured by riding a bear. The hair of
a bear round the necks can keep evil eyes off a
child.
Particular months of the year are considered inauspicious
for particular animals to litter. Chet is not good
for a bitch, Vaisakh for a she-camel, Jeth for a
cat, Sawan for a mare or a she-ass, Bhadon for a
cow, Maghar for a buffalo, and Poh for a goat. If
they litter in the months considered inauspicious
for them they, according to belief, bring calamities
upon the family that keeps them. Such animals are
quickly sold off.
A human baby born in Kartik is considered inauspicious,
but a baby born early in the morning is always lucky.
A child of the other sex born after three consecutive
children of one sex is considered unlucky. Thus
a boy born after three girls or a girl after three
boys is unlucky. The girl is unlucky for the father
and the boy for the mother. Such a child is called
Trikhal. There are certain rituals which ward off
the evils associated with the birth of this type
of baby. As soon as such child is born, it is made
to pass through a hole in a sieve which is specially
torn for this purpose. Alternatively, earth is dug
up from under the threshold and the baby is made
to pass under it.It the evil is thus removed, such
a child proves immensely lucky.
If the shadow of a pregnant woman falls on a snake,
it is said that its pace is slowed. At the time
of childbirth thorny bushes are placed on the roof
of the room of the mother so that a dog or a cat
which augurs ill may not cross over the roof. Care
is taken to see that no broom remains lying anywhere
in that room because it will sweep off all the luck
of the newborn baby. To make childbirth easy the
knots of the jute cot are loosened. Some people
go to the extent of removing all locks in the house
because that way, it is said, all obstructions are
removed. This superstition is also based on imitative
magic. An iron knife is kept in the room in order
to protect the mother and her newborn baby from
evil spirits. To protect a child from the evil eye,
a black mark is invariably put on its forehead,
a piece of coal put in its milk, or a black thread
is tied to the golden bangles worn on the arm. A
black object is hung on the terrace of a newly constructed
house. Some people paint a gargoyle on a black pot,
break it from underneath, and hang a red strip below
it in order to make it look like a demon. All this
is done to protect a house against the evil eye.
Some women make their children wear round their
neck nazarbattus (protectors from the evil eye),
for this purpose, or sometimes for the same purpose
hang pig's teeth round their neck.
There is a treatment for a child affected by the
evil eye. A couple of dried red chillies are first
waved over the head of the child and then thrown
into the fire. If the smoke does not hurt the eyes,
it is a sure sign that the evil look had affected
the child.
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