13 Superstitions You Probably Heard In Your Lebanese Childhood

A child’s imagination is probably one of the most entertaining things; now couple that with Lebanese parents who are willing to go to great lengths in order to avoid rational explanations, and you get quite a funny situation. Here are 13 ridiculous things we believed as children:

1. Never leave your shoes upside down, because it would face God and that’s blasphemous.

2. If you swallow gum, it will stay in your stomach for 7 years.

I find the reasoning and physiology behind this myth fascinating.

3. If you open an umbrella in the house, someone will die.

So dark.

4. If someone steps over you when you’re lying down, you stop growing taller.

Ohhh, so that’s why I’m short! (Shush, just let me have this).

5. You need to close all closets and drawers or jin will come out of them while you’re sleeping.

6. Thunder is Em R3aydeh – an evil witch coming to kidnap young children.

Now was this really necessary?

7. You can’t pass the salt to another person by hand, you have to put it on the table first.

Everyone’s aunts at family lunches be like.

8. The moon always followed us.

I don’t know how we thought we were important enough that the moon in the majestic outer space would follow us around on our way to Barbar.

9. If you’re wearing an evil eye bracelet or necklace and it breaks, you’re cursed with bad luck.

10. If you cross your eyes a lot, or cross your eyes and get scared, they get stuck.

I’m not sure what the logic behind this is, or if it actually is true; but one thing is for sure: I’m not about to find out.

11. If you put your mom’s bag – or any other bag – on the floor, the owner of the bag will lose all their money.

12. If you drop food on the floor, the devil licks it so you should not eat it.

Because this is easier than telling your child “Food dirty. No eat.”

13. If you swallow watermelon seeds, a watermelon will grow in your stomach.

What’s up with our parents and growing vegetation in our bodies?!