1. Don’t sit on recently-vacated seats.
The warmth from the last person’s posterior is supposed to be able to give you a boil on your own precious rear end. This taboo waned with the advent of minibuses which were so packed and careened around so precariously that sitting down was the safest and most comfortable thing to do, boil be damned.
2. Don’t whistle after dusk.
There were some variations on this one. While some remember being told it was a personal invitation for snakes to slither into one’s home, others recall being told it was a surefire way of attracting unwanted spiritual visitors.
3. Don’t kill butterflies, moths, or grasshoppers that are near or inside your house.
They are supposed to contain the spirit of a recently-departed loved one, so unless you harbored a particular dislike towards a deceased relative, it’s best to leave them alone or nudge them carefully out of your house.
4. Don’t wash your hair at night.
The dampness is supposed to give you black rings under your eyes. A more severe version of the taboo warns that the water will seep into your skull and water log your brain… or something like that.
5. Don’t eat fruit seeds; they will grow into trees inside you.
This is personal favorite. I accidentally swallowed rambutan seed when I was about four years old and spent the next few hours anxiously inspecting my ears and nostrils for shoots and leaves.
6. Don’t sing in the kitchen. You’ll never marry.
You could put a positive spin on this: sing in the kitchen and you’ll be free for life.
7. Don’t point at the moon; you’ll get a cut behind your ear.
I defiantly pointed at the moon the very first night I heard this as a kid and sure enough, woke up the morning with an itchy cut behind an ear that look days to heal. I tried it again several nights ago though, and nothing happened.
8. Don’t throw away rice or scrape the bottom of the rice pot.
Since it’s the cornerstone of our diet, rice is never to be wasted or hankered after for fear of provoking bad luck for future supply.
9. Don’t cut your nails or hair at night
One person said it would initiate hard code nightmares, while another claimed it was a call to evil spirits.
For More Information
Superstition in Malaysia.
Superstition of Malaysian Chinese.
Malaysian superstitions that we will not pass on to our kids.
