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EVERYBODY hopes to get lucky. Nobody wants to be a
loser so all of us avoid anything connected with bad luck.
Even those who claim they are not
superstitious are scared of bad luck. They will not hesitate to walk
under a ladder. They will not kick a black cat crossing their paths.
But they pray hard they will not get unlucky.
Fear of bad luck makes feng shui,
astrology, tarot cards and other forms of fortune-telling a thriving
business. The customers include people starting a new business,
those who are getting married, and those who are insecure about
their future.
Not even big corporations would
dare tempt the fates. A bank in Hong Kong demolished a newly
constructed building and erected a new one after a feng shui expert
said it was facing the wrong direction, which was bad luck.
The old year ending and new one
starting offers good opportunities for seers and fortunetellers.
People having a bad year are happy to see the end of it, and hope
things will improve in the coming year. Those having a good year
hope their good fortune will continue. Their hopes are usually
bolstered by fortunetellers.
Year of the Fire Boar
Feng shui practitioners describe
2007 as the year of the Fire Boar. They predict that
computer-related business will be lucky during the year.
Computer-related businesses include manufacturers of computer
components, or companies that have computer-based operations.
That includes almost everybody
except the poor farmers and fishermen.
There is no computer-driven
carabao yet, and not even the most powerful computer can help a
fisherman bring in a good catch.
Many Filipinos believe in feng
shui, but a big majority is just scared of bad luck. Many Filipinos,
for example, are scared of Friday the 13th, which they describe as
“bad luck day.”
Nobody has made a survey to
verify claims that you can get unlucky because it is Friday the
13th. Bad luck can range from getting into a jeepney full of robbers
armed with guns and knives to calling the office to report you’re
sick and finding the boss on the other end waiting for you to call
in.
Monday the 27th
In Britain insurers warn people
to stay home on Monday the 27th, which they say is the unluckiest
day. More people suffer mishaps when the 27th is a Monday than on
any other day, the UK insurers AA warn.
Kevin Sinclair of AA said:
“Friday the 13th is associated with bad luck. But our records show
you’re more likely to have an accident or break something on
Monday the 27th.” The disasters on Monday the 27th include a cat
that started a house ablaze by toppling a candle, and a man who puts
his foot through a ceiling while fetching Christmas decorations from
his loft.
In the rugged mountain towns of
Benguet province in the northern Philippines, a belief on the manner
of transporting the dead is causing a big problem. The government
four-wheel vehicle used for the purpose broke down, and people
believe that using the bus, jeepney, truck or car to transport the
dead will bring bad luck to the vehicle or the driver. (Funeral
parlors would not use their hearse because of the rough roads).
Curse of the hearse
“It’s abig,” Isikias
Picpican, a socioanthropology researcher and instructor at the St.
Louis University in Baguio City, told reporters. Abig means it is
prohibited to carry the dead in a vehicle that is not intended for
the purpose, unless the vehicle has already done it in the past.
People who violate this belief are likely to incur the “curse of
the hearse,” he said.
When a vehicle is used to
transport the dead due to unavoidable circumstances, elders have to
conduct a ritual, Picpican said, “to cleanse the vehicle of bad
luck and appease the spirits of the unseen.” The ritual requires
butchering an animal, which is an additional expense.
Whether you’re in the
Philippines, Hong Kong or Britain you can get lucky in the Year of
the Boar with the right moves and the proper attitude.
But watch out. Bad days are
coming. Stay home and call in sick on Friday the 13th in July and
April and Monday the 27th in August.
Worried about the boss answering
the phone? Nowadays, you can use text messaging.
Anyway, if all of us will heed
the advice of seers and fortunetellers, nobody will report for work
in the coming bad days. We can ask the government to declare it as a
“Bad Day” holiday.
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