Pamahiin or superstitious beliefs played a big part in my life growing up. My great grandmother believed in a lot of these far-fetched folk traditions and daily life almost always involved a hint of of these practices. “Stop whistling in the dark Jhanis, the bad spirits will follow you home.” or “Sweep the floor while there is still daylight, if you wait till sundown to do it, you will sweep all the good luck out of the house!”.

Many folks here no longer practice nor believe in superstitions. Except on New Year’s day that is. People go to great lengths on this day to change their luck or do things to ensure that the coming year is a prosperous one.

I can’t say they work and I also can’t say they don’t but there is no harm in trying, right?

If you want to improve your luck next year, the following practices are said to be effective in attracting good fortune. Now, it’s up to you if  you will give them a shot.

1. Make Noise!
 
Make as much noise as you can when the clock strikes 12mn on January 1st. The louder, the better. This drives away evil luck, bad spirits and negative vibes from your homes. So go ahead, make use of those pots and pans, bang the doors and blow those horns. Be loud!

2. Open up!

Open all windows, doors, cabinets and cupboards. This invites good luck to enter your homes.

3. Polka Dots

It’s time to bring out all your polka-dots. The round pattern signifies money, and it is said that anybody wearing polka-dots on New Years day will never run out of cash all throughout the year. Sounds good!

4. Avoid cooking chicken dishes

No chicken dishes on New Year’s day please. Chicken is associated with poverty because it scratches the ground for food and if you serve chicken on January 1st, it is said that you will experience scarcity until the end of the year.

5. Jump Around

Are you “vertically” challenged? When the clock strikes 12mn on January 1st, jump around the house. Jump as high as you can as this is said to help add a few centimeters to your height.

6. Cook Noodles

Serve Pancit on New Year’s day and make sure not to cut the noodles while cooking! This will give you and your family members long and healthy lives. You can also do this on birthdays.

7. Zero Spending

Do not spend a single dime on New Year’s day. If you do, cash will easily run out.

8. Fruits!

Prepare 12 round fruits on New Year’s eve and eat them with your family when the clock strikes 12mn. It is said that doing this will bring great fortune to you and your family. If it doesn’t work, at least you start the year eating healthy food!

9. Skip Cleaning

Never clean the house on New Year’s day itself. All cleaning must be done on or before the eve. otherwise, you will dust or sweep away the good luck.

10. Keep Cash in your Pockets!

Fill your wallet and pockets with money or just make sure they are not empty. The more money you have with you when the New Year arrives, the richer you will be in 2017.

There you go! Planning to do any of these? What other pamahiin do you know?

Jhanis V. - Top 10 Blogs Voice Boks Comedy Edition, featured on BlogHer.com, HumorWriters.org, Bloggys 2015 - Finalist, Family and Relationships Category, ESCooped -Cebu's Top Family Blogger 2016. She blogs at The Vanilla Housewife and The Cebu Gazette.
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Pancit Canton or any other type of noodle dish is almost always present in a Filipino party because it is said to represent long life and good health. It is very important though that you do not cut the noodles to avoid counteracting the luck. I am not very superstitious but you also won’t find me cutting my noodles. ​