Activity No.

2
Give at least 10 superstitious beliefs that can be explained in science.

1. Black Cats
- Cats like to seek sources of warmth and have an odd fascination with examining
human faces. Often when a person is stung by the bone of a fish, they’d find a
cat to scratch their neck.

2. The butterfly
- When someone sees a butterfly, they claim they're late, lola visiting them.

3. Salabat (Ginger Tea)

- People drink Ginger to fight off and alleviate the symptoms of colds and flu, as it
contains immunity-boosting abilities.

4. Tawa-Tawa
- Traditionally, it is known as “Tawa-Tawa” or “Ga-tas gatas” and many believe that
this herbal plant can smoothen up the dengue fever in a patient’s body.

5. Sitting on a pillow
- Anyone who regularly sits on pillows will have a slow recovery process when they
get sick.

6. Don’t go home immediately after attending a funeral

- Coined as "pagpag", taking a detour after attending a wake or a funeral is meant
to shake off evil spirits from following you home.

7. Turn your shirt inside-out if you are lost

- Filipinos believe that nature's elementals are playing tricks on you, and so,
turning your clothes inside out will confuse them. Due to this belief, Filipinos are
likely to be extra cautious when trekking or hiking mountain trails. It is customary
to invert your shirt to break a spell.

8. A bride-to-be should never try on her dress

- The belief is that trying on a dress will lead to the cancellation of the wedding.
This superstition is widely practiced in the Philippines. Most designers usually
work with the lining of the dress and have the bride-to-be try it on before the big
day.

9. Dreaming about losing teeth is a bad omen

- In Filipino culture, losing teeth is usually a sign that a relative is about to die.

10. Do not travel before a major life event

- The belief is that an nearing milestone is often connected with a person’s
probability of getting into an accident.