Howcast

How to Understand Ancient Chinese Superstitions

Howcast — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:31:23 +0000

Step 1: Understand the role of the past Know that ancient Chinese superstitions are still observed in China because they provide continuity with the past.
Step 2: Know the role of ancestors Understand that superstitions provide a glimpse into the lives of one’s ancestors. Some superstitions are passed on from generation to generation in an attempt to avoid dangers that plagued earlier times.
Step 3: Be aware of your place in the universe Be aware that some superstitions — especially those dealing with Chinese New Year — are intended to help people understand their place in the universe. An example is to never point at the moon or your ears might get chopped off.
TIP: Part of knowing one’s place in the universe is knowing how to appease elders.
Step 4: Understand feng shui Understand the Chinese philosophy of feng shui, which divides energy into positive and negative forms. Attracting the flow of positive energy into your home is supposed to increase prosperity. For example, don’t build your house facing north.
Step 5: Understand wordplay Know that some superstitions derive from homonyms — words that have different spellings but the same pronunciation. For example, lotus flowers and boxes are associated with weddings because they are both pronounced the same as the Chinese word for harmony. What could be more auspicious?
FACT: The Chinese New Year falls on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice.

Howcast — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:15:41 +0000

Step 1: Ditch the conventional charms Ditch the conventional good luck charms like horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, and coins. These classic charms are too stereotypical to offer you the luck you need.
Step 2: Locate your own charm Locate your own lucky charm that is special to you. This can be anything from a piece of jewelry to a clothing item. Keep track of when your fortune changes to find your special lucky charm.
Step 3: Use your charm Use your charm in situations where your performance can affect the outcome of events such as playing a round of golf or playing a friendly game of cards.
TIP: Use your charm only when you need it most. Overuse could lead you astray and turn your fortunes against you.
Step 4: Believe in yourself Believe in your ability to alter your fate and turn the tide of your fortunes. Use your charm to bolster your own natural talents just don’t let it override your common sense or reason.
Step 5: Toss a charm when the luck runs out Toss your charm as soon as your luck runs out. Don’t cling to a false sense of hope a lucky charm brings, but do use it as a confidence booster when needed.
FACT: A 56-leaf clover found in a field in Japan was recognized as a new Guinness World Record in 2010.

Howcast — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:30:38 +0000

Step 1: Become a fourteener Become a fourteener. A fourteener is a socialite who goes to dinner parties as the 14th guest to prevent parties from having 13 guests.
Step 2: Don’t get a haircut Don’t get a haircut on a Friday the 13th or someone you love might die within a year.
Step 3: Avoid 13 Avoid the number 13 at all costs. This means staying in a hotel room numbered 13, flying on the 13th row of an airplane, or taking an elevator to the 13th floor. This shouldn’t be too hard though, as most tall buildings skip from the 12th to the 14th floor.
TIP: If your name has 13 letters, adopt a nickname.
Step 4: Stay inside Stay inside on Friday the 13th. Many people skip work to avoid missteps.
Step 5: Don’t have a baby It may be hard to avoid, but don’t have a baby on Friday the 13th if you can help it. It is said that a baby born on Friday the 13th will be unlucky for life. Now rest easy you’re taking the right Friday the 13th precautions.
FACT: Triskaidekaphobia is a fear of the number 13.

Howcast — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:03:15 +0000

Step 1: Find a lucky charm Use a lucky charm. Hang a horseshoe above your front door with its ends pointing up to catch good fortune; rub a rabbit’s foot, which is associated with fertility; or carry a 4-leaf clover.
TIP: Only 1 out of every 10,000 clovers has 4 leaves.
Step 2: Pick a number Choose 7 or 8 as your lucky number. The number 8 is lucky in China since it rhymes with the Chinese character for wealth. Ancient Babylonians revered the number 7 because of its association with the sun, moon, and 5 planets visible to the naked eye.
Step 3: Taste good fortune To ring in the new year, cook greens like kale, which Danes eat to bring prosperity, or feast on grapes — people in Spain and some South American countries eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight for luck.
TIP: Make sure there’s at least some food on the table at midnight, a good luck custom in the Philippines.
Step 4: Make a wish Make a wish to get lucky. On a clear night, wish on the first star you see. Or use the wishbone — the V-shaped clavicle bone — from a cooked bird. Find a partner and pull opposite sides until the bone breaks — the person with the larger piece gets their wish.
Step 5: Make your own luck Don’t want to rely on fate? Make your own luck by living a life filled with variety — one study found that that increased opportunities to find fortune.
FACT: Former NBA star Michael Jordan wore shorts from his college team under his professional uniform for good luck.

Howcast — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:16:15 +0000

Step 1: Find the wishbone Find the wishbone between the neck and the breast. Peel the skin around the neck back until you locate it. Then grasp firmly and pull the Y-shaped wishbone out, and set it aside to dry.
TIP: You can dry the bone on low heat in the oven for faster results.
Step 2: Hold the bone Hold the very bottom of one of the bone’s forks with the tips of your forefinger and thumb with one hand while your opponent grabs the other side.
Step 3: Count and wish Close your eyes and, on the count of three, make your wish and pull the wishbone apart.
Step 4: Open eyes Open your eyes and see who has the larger part of the wishbone. Whoever has the larger part of the wishbone has won and their wish will be granted.
FACT: Turkeys were first domesticated by the Aztecs in Mexico.

Howcast — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:03:09 +0000

Step 1: Hunt for lashes Hunt for a stray eyelash on a cheek or nose, yours or someone else’s.
Step 2: Declare your find Declare that you have found an eyelash once you spot one on someone and then request the pleasure of removing it.
Step 3: Grasp it Grasp the eyelash between your thumb and forefinger and gently lift it off the person’s cheek.
TIP: Do the eyelash wish with a crush to get close and hint that you fancy them.
Step 4: Request a wish Encourage the person whose eyelash you have grabbed to make a wish.
Step 5: Blow it off Ask the person to blow the eyelash off your finger once they make their wish. Let’s hope it comes true!
FACT: Certain cosmeceuticals — cosmetic pharmaceuticals — have the ability to re-grow eyelashes.