My Hong Kong | Chinese superstitions toughened me up. But what do Hong Kong children today know of the invisible forces behind holding chopsticks, slipper placement?
- My generation’s upbringing was marked by folklore and the threat of lifelong jinxing, but it made us resilient
- Many youngsters now seem to have cocooned lives, but sheltering them from harsh realities can do them a disservice
Growing up in a traditional Chinese household can sometimes be very stressful and make one feel anxious about what the future has in store. Whenever a child does something that is not in line with tradition, parents are usually quick to tell their child that they may be doomed or worse, jinxed for the rest of their life.
Mind you, Chinese people say superstitious beliefs are supposed to make one feel more positive about oneself, one’s immediate environment, or one’s life by reassuring them that they are protected by the ancestors belonging to their clans.
But speaking from my own experiences, I never felt that kind of reassurance during my childhood.
Chinese children are often scared into following Chinese traditions as their parents don’t hesitate to tell them if they don’t respect certain rules and customs, then they will trigger the wrath of various gods.
There are many gods or deities that the Chinese worship, and they fulfil a variety of roles. There are gods for business, careers, academia, health, the oceans, the earth and just about every element in life; there is even a god dedicated to protecting a family’s kitchen. These gods are tasked with keeping the human world and the surrounding universe in balance.
And each of them has their own level of influence that contributes to maintaining the universal balance. This means that if we do something “wrong”, we could tip that balance and bring bad luck to ourselves or even people close to us.
