Salt

Sunday, 29. June 2008, 11:37:55

Have you ever had experience of feeling bad when you enter a hotel room?
I have had one time.(It occured to me a long long ago,and I didn't see anything but only felt bad.)

After that, sometimes I carry salt when I go to trip.
In Japan , salt have a power to purify the sad or surly spirits of the place. I wonder if it is common all over the world?

You can see salt on a small plate at the corner of restaurants,shops and companys.
They purify the place and pray the prosperity of the shop.

After the funeral,you will receive a small bag of salt. And before you enter your house,you should scatter this salt at yourself. This doesn't mean purifying spirit of deceased but means purifying the death itself.

And I worry about if I could carry salt when I go to overseas. The sad sprits of overseas can be pulified by salt,like in Japan? Or I should take garlic?

I wonder...Voice

Comments

Here in Italy since the middle ages you can find the cross (you know the christian cross) in most places, even if lately it is becoming less common than before.

Then there are many forms of "unofficial" local superstitions in different areas of Italy, mostly they are remains of more ancient "pagan" religions.

By LorenzoCelsi, # 29. June 2008, 11:50:43

Hmmm, Brazil is a country with much influence from christian culture, so i think the usual thing is christian-related acessories, like crosses or images.

I don't know about purification superstitions, but the brazilian people loves saint images. Maybe there is a saint for every purpose you can think about.

By fregonassi, # 30. June 2008, 08:36:13

The closest we (used) to have was smelling salts, although they were primarily for people feeling feint or dizzy. I don't know of any salts used for more spiritual reasons, but we're getting more spritually unaware in Britain now, so that's not surprising.

By pjbatty, # 30. June 2008, 16:55:24

We have a superstition about spilling salt.

Salt is suppose to represent strength. So if you spill it, you become weak.

The devil might see this and try to take advantge of your weakness. To protect yourself from the devil you take a pinch of the salt you spilled and throw it over your left shoulder, which is where the devil sits and watches you, into his eyes to blind him.

By Mickeyjoe_irl, # 30. June 2008, 21:24:51

Hi! Lorenzo!

I have stayed a hotel which has a cross on the wall.
I felt like staying in a church and had the uneasy feeling.
And how about you? It's no problem sleeping under the cross?

Hi! Mateus!
I think there must be many interesting supersutitions in Brazil!
Someday I'd like to know that!

Hi! Peter!
Smelling salts! Does it have such a strong smell?
I have read some magazines that said In Britain people have been living with Ghost. There are many place where people can feel ghost.
Is that right?

Hi! Mickey!
Left shoulder!!! Ok, I'll try it! To think about devil sitting on my shoulder gives me a fear!

By Green Aya, # 1. July 2008, 14:40:29

Like I said, before being a religious symbol that reminds the believers about the sacrifice of Jesus and his resurrection, here in Italy the cross is part of the popular culture/tradition since the middle ages, so you can find it almost everywhere especially in old places.
For example the original flag of my hometown is a red cross in on a white field, that was a military insigna of the bizantine army then adopted by the crusaders and several other places and people, like England.
See here: http://my.opera.com/LorenzoCelsi/blog/show.dml/1572395
If you look around you can find also statues and paintings of Mary (the mother of Jesus) and the saints.

You can ask the hotel to remove the cross if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Personally I don't mind. If I come to Japan and in the house there is a little statue of Buddah or I don't know some symbol of Shintoism it does not disturb me, it is just part of the local culture and for that reason must be respected.

In Italy there aren't only symbols of Christianity but also those from more ancient times, like the roman ages and before. The Romans had a official religion of the State but then people were free to follow different religions from any place of the known world, until they recognized the authority of the State. You can find some remains of those ancient religions, the most visible are the temples.

This one is a greek temple from South Italy.

By LorenzoCelsi, # 1. July 2008, 17:00:15

Don't be afraid Aya, the superstition also says that you have an angel sitting on your right shoulder who is watching over you.

By Mickeyjoe_irl, # 1. July 2008, 22:51:47

Ciao Loreno!
Grazie!Che bella tempio! Come si chiama questo?

Hi! Mickey!
Then I will always see the right side of me.

By Green Aya, # 2. July 2008, 13:35:45

Non lo so, credo sia in Sicilia dove esistevano delle colonie greche molto ricche. Guarda qui: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_dei_Templi

La citta' dove abito, Milano, e' stata fondata dai Celti, un antico popolo che abitava l'europa centro-occidentale. Guarda qui: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celti

Poi e' passata sotto il controllo dei Romani, quindi di diversi popoli germanici, uno di questi popoli, i Longobardi, ha dato il nome alla regione che si chiama Lombardia.

By LorenzoCelsi, # 2. July 2008, 14:27:16

What a quirkily cute belief!! Maybe I should start carrying salt wherever I go to!!

Actually, in Wican beliefs (I think), salt does purify... Maybe u should look into it... Ask Isabel aka wickedlizard

By sugarwinx, # 3. July 2008, 06:27:49

@Aya: Yes some people believe that they are visited by ghosts in their own homes and they get special investigators to watch and see any signs of activity. In my opinion it's just nonsense, but many TV programmes are made each year where they try to film ghosts.

I personally don't believe anything like that and it's just overactive imaginations combined with fiction on TV shows and films that makes people think that ghosts exist.

By pjbatty, # 4. July 2008, 11:27:33