We are in the 21st century but Nepal has not been able to get rid of superstitions. Superstitions are, in fact, treated as tradition rather than custom, to be passed on from one generation to the other. Very often, people have a propensity to blend their opinion about such fallacies with the traditions and common customs and mistake one for the other. Thus it is crucial to establish the critical difference between these subjects.

Customs and traditions, unlike superstitions, are generally based on religious and cultural beliefs. Traditions are conceded down from generation to generation and, in many ways, determine the structure of the society.

Superstitions are more individual and are not obligatory. They are usually blind belief, which are accepted at face value. They are not social norms. They serve no practical purpose and are rather pessimistic in character.

Even today, we can see discrimination in most of the villages of our country. The people of higher casts consider the water touched by lower class impure. There are many such blind faiths in our country and one of which is Jhankri. At the time of bad health, people take their relatives to Jhankris instead of hospitals and regret subsequently on their deaths. Here people presume the different diseases to be the curse of God and instead of taking precautions or visiting a doctor, they cast off them from the society and compel them to leave a helpless and desperate life.

Sight of empty pot invites adversity!! Thirteen is unlucky! Nails should not be cut after dark! I am sure we all are proverbial with superstitions such as these also. Almost every society has them even though extent of their social roles differs.

I agree that this new generation does not believe in such myth but we cannot deny that still most of us feel reluctant to follow a path, which has already been crossed by a black cat. What gives a black cat the power to influence the fate of a pedestrian by simply crossing his path? Similarly, what has a mirror to do with one’s misfortune?

What is most unfortunate is the strength of people’s blind credence in superstitions and the ensuing influence of them in people’s lives. These blind beliefs create in them the sense of insecurity in every pace of this competitive life and lead them to backwardness. Also these blind faiths disrupt the social integrity and unity. Underdeveloped countries where education has not reached the masses are the most affected. An obvious paradigm is Nepal where every statement has a ridiculous fallacy to pass. Many aspects of development are regarded with suspicion. Education itself is judged in the light of popular beliefs. Despite the fact that science is on its manner to prove these superstitions nothing else than absurd, in remotes of the country like ours, it is intricate to accept the scientific proofs psychologically. Hence, it is us who eradicate these erroneous beliefs from the grassroots level through common consensus.

— Nishma Bajracharya, Class: X, Little Angels’ School