Widely Held Beliefs
Jumping over your baby is not good. Well, YEAH. This one may seem strange to have written down, but regardless- Koreans think that if they jump over a baby, it will cause them to stop growing. So, if you want your baby to grow up big and strong, don’t jump over them. Or, ya know, just don’t jump over babies, in general.
It is not good to wash your hair before a test. Hmmm…
As many of us know, Korean school kids take their studying SERIOUSLY… well, most of them. Those who are hoping to do well on a test will study all night and not wash their hair on the day of the examination. Many Koreans believe that washing their hair before a test will cause the knowledge to be ‘washed’ away. So, as a foreigner, I can say I will be sitting far away from all the stinky teenagers on exam days.
As many of us know, Korean school kids take their studying SERIOUSLY… well, most of them. Those who are hoping to do well on a test will study all night and not wash their hair on the day of the examination. Many Koreans believe that washing their hair before a test will cause the knowledge to be ‘washed’ away. So, as a foreigner, I can say I will be sitting far away from all the stinky teenagers on exam days.
Your fan will kill you in your sleep. What?! According to many people, if you sleep with your fan on and your door closed, you will die in your sleep. Now, if I hadn’t already proven this false in my own life, I might be too scared to test the theory. This is terrifying! Apparently, at certain points in Korea’s history, people have died from suffocation due to running their fan all night with their door closed. Although these deaths probably occurred before fan technology was very developed, Koreans are not taking any chances.
Beautiful food, beautiful babies. It is believed that expecting mothers in Korea should eat only ‘pretty’ foods, during pregnancy, so that their offspring will also be good-looking. So, for example, rather than eating the ends of a sushi roll, they would eat the middle slices that have all of the rice and vegetables neatly packed inside.
In Korea, they are superstitious about the number four… similar to the number 13 in America. Korea isn't the only country that has an issue with the number four. This superstition is actually carried throughout all of Asia. In Chinese, the word for ‘four’ sounds similar to the pronunciation of the word ‘death.’ That is why it is considered unlucky. In Japan, they have this same belief. As for Korea, there is a bit of history involved. Before Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, was invented in 1446, everyone in Korea spoke Chinese. Well, King Sejong wanted Korea to have their own language that could set them apart from the rest of Asia. So, he held a linguist contest to see who could come up with the easiest language to learn. And the Korean language was born. So, Korean was literally INVENTED to be simple. (Shameless plug: You can start learning it HERE).
ANYWAYS, that was just a long-winded way to say that Koreans also believe the number four to be bad luck, because of their Chinese historical roots. Almost every elevator in Korea has the letter ‘F’ in place of the button for the fourth floor, and in some cases, that floor is even skipped over entirely.
ANYWAYS, that was just a long-winded way to say that Koreans also believe the number four to be bad luck, because of their Chinese historical roots. Almost every elevator in Korea has the letter ‘F’ in place of the button for the fourth floor, and in some cases, that floor is even skipped over entirely.
In America, we have many superstitions regarding mirrors- but most of them involve the mirror being broken. In Korea, it is not good to place a mirror across from a door (where you can see the door, if you were looking in the mirror). This is because the mirror will cause any good luck that may pass through your door to be ‘bounced’ back. So, if you place a mirror across from a door, only bad luck will be able to enter your home.
Weddings in America are always fun, wouldn't you agree? For single women in Korea, weddings are fun right up until the stressful moment when the bride throws her bouquet of flowers. What? Why would that be stressful? Here's why: If you happen to catch the flowers the bride throws, you HAVE to get married within six months, or you will stay single forever. Woah. That is a huge responsibility laid upon the shoulders of an unmarried Korean woman. And all that is decided by a single toss of a bouquet.
Typically, in order to avoid giving any of her single friends unnecessary stress, the bride will purposefully toss the bouquet to a friend that is already engaged. |
I’m not really sure how this superstition began, but there’s gotta be some history about butterflies in Korea that I’m missing. They say that if you touch a butterfly, and then touch your eye, you will go blind in that eye. This one is so widely- believed that many Koreans will actually wash their hands after touching a butterfly.
Have you ever lived in a place that you thought was haunted? Have you ever thought that maybe evil spirits were living with you, rent- free? This next superstition involves something called "Evil Spirit Moving Days." Koreans believe that there are certain days in a calendar year when evil spirits are more likely to be present in your home. If you move to a new house on one of these days, the evil spirits will follow you to your new home. This superstition is taken so seriously that people often consult an 'evil spirit moving day' calendar prior to picking their date. This calendar will note any days that are 'safe' to move on - aka days where evil spirits are not likely to follow you. There are even some moving companies in Korea that will advise you about the evil spirit moving days.
Many people in Korea believe that pregnant woman should always eat the foods they are craving. If they don’t, their baby might be born with crooked eyes.
If you are a person who often shakes their legs or fidgets with their feet, you might be viewed by Koreans as an unfortunate person. Since Korean people believe that you have to work hard to succeed, they have a saying: "wealth and prosperity lie within the legs." This meaning that your legs will take you far in your life, in terms of success. So, when we shake our legs, Koreans believe this will also cause our potential 'wealth and prosperity' to be shaken out of us.
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Normally, death is a bad omen. In Western culture, if you dream about someone dying, this is a bad sign and superstitious people may even warn the person they dreamed about to be more careful. In Korea, it is a good sign! If you dream of someone dying, it means that good luck, wealth and success will be coming to that person. So, when you’re in Korea, you might wanna stop yourself from having dreams of your mortal enemy dying. It might just bring them good fortune.
Did you ever think that it would be bad luck to eat chicken with your significant other? How about to give them shoes as a gift? Well, in Korea, it is. They say that eating specifically chicken WINGS with your significant other is bad luck because it will cause them to fly away from you. Same type of situation with the shoes. You can NOT give shoes as a gift to your significant other because it will make them run away from you – most likely in the same pair of shoes. So, if you want your relationship to last, just stick to the burger places.
School students in Korea believe that the foods you eat before a test are very important, in terms of your success or failure on it. This superstition is that students should eat TAFFY… yes, taffy… before a test. They believe that this will make the answers ‘stick’ in the students’ brain. Although any sticky foods will work for this superstition, taffy is the most popular for students to eat before a test. So much so, that the locals will often stand outside testing centers for the big college entrance exams, passing out taffy to the students.
Similarly, Koreans believe that eating slippery foods (such as seaweed soup) before a test, will cause the information to ‘slip’ out of their minds.
Similarly, Koreans believe that eating slippery foods (such as seaweed soup) before a test, will cause the information to ‘slip’ out of their minds.
This is Deoksugung Path. It is said that any couples who walk this path together are destined to break up. There is actually a historical explanation behind this superstition! The Seoul Family Court used to be located at the end of this street, so in order to get a divorce, couples would need to walk this path together. This superstition is so widely believed, that a euphemism for breaking up is : "We walked the Deoksugung wall path together."
Moles on the face are often considered signs of beauty in Western culture. I mean, they even received the nickname ‘Beauty Marks.’ However, that is not the case in Korea. Many Koreans believe that beauty marks on the face – especially near the mouth – are a sign that the person will be unfaithful in relationships.
Writing names in red ink is extremely bad luck and can be seen as disrespectful. I learned this lesson the hard way. haha Apparently, writing names in red ink were historically used to signify deceased family members on the national registry/census. However, spiteful relatives would sometimes write a living members name in red ink as a way to say ‘they are dead to me.’ Wow. Harsh. Writing a name in red ink is no longer used for official purposes in Korea, and it is only done when you are trying to send a message to someone that you want them to die. Which, by the way, you should still never do.
So now, short story time! My first year at Saginaw Valley State University, I made friends with several international students. One of them was named Seungmin, from South Korea. Now, I don’t remember the exact circumstances surrounding this, but I was writing him a ‘thank you’ note for something. And I LOVE writing in red ink. My favorite pen, at the time, was also red. So, without knowing this superstition, I wrote his name in red ink and wrote a heart-felt note. When I gave it to him, he didn’t even read it before saying ‘YOU WANT ME TO DIE?!’ He was, of course, teasing me because I had no idea about this superstition, but I’m just glad I learned about it with my friend. Can you imagine if I had written a stranger’s name in red ink? I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
So now, short story time! My first year at Saginaw Valley State University, I made friends with several international students. One of them was named Seungmin, from South Korea. Now, I don’t remember the exact circumstances surrounding this, but I was writing him a ‘thank you’ note for something. And I LOVE writing in red ink. My favorite pen, at the time, was also red. So, without knowing this superstition, I wrote his name in red ink and wrote a heart-felt note. When I gave it to him, he didn’t even read it before saying ‘YOU WANT ME TO DIE?!’ He was, of course, teasing me because I had no idea about this superstition, but I’m just glad I learned about it with my friend. Can you imagine if I had written a stranger’s name in red ink? I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
If you dream of your deceased family member, especially if they’re standing in water, that’s bad luck. Koreans believe that the closer you get to your loved one in the dream, the closer they are to stealing your soul. So, if you have a dream about a deceased loved one, do not answer any questions they ask you, touch them, or go anywhere with them in the dream... If you do, you might die in your sleep.
In Korea, military service is still mandatory for all young men, unless they have some sort of medical reason that disqualifies them. Well, Koreans believe that when their boyfriend leaves for his military service, they cannot cry. Wouldn’t that be sort of a natural reaction? Nope. Not for Koreans. Women hold back their tears because they believe if they cry, it is more likely that the relationship will end while the man is away.
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Sources:
https://www.dramafever.com/news/10-korean-superstitions-you-may-not-know-about/
https://www.allkpop.com/buzz/2015/06/15-korean-superstitions-you-need-to-know
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/10-superstitions-that-koreans-still-believe-today/
https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-superstitions-that-just-may-save-your-life/
https://www.allkpop.com/buzz/2015/06/15-korean-superstitions-you-need-to-know
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/south-korea/articles/10-superstitions-that-koreans-still-believe-today/
https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-superstitions-that-just-may-save-your-life/