12 local myths and superstitions every Singaporean should know

From Friday the 13th to the number of the Beast to the unlucky number four, digit-related superstitions are aplenty. Whether you have triskaidekaphobia or just want to play things safe, you tend to find yourself avoiding all things 13. Around the world including Singapore, the double-digit is synonymous with bad luck, which is one of the reasons many companies such as hotels use another way of numbering or labelling to avoid the number. Many people also hesitate at the idea of staying on the 13th floor. The number four, on the other hand, is considered unlucky as it sounds a lot like "death" in Mandarin. 

Urban legend has it that if you stare and point directly at the moon, especially a full one, the back of ears will get cut off while you sleep at night. With many naughty kids still having their years intact this myth is busted. Nonetheless, this superstition is likely to have originated from Taiwan where it's believed that people who point at the moon will bring bad luck upon themselves, as such action is deemed disrespectful towards the Moon Goddess Chang'e.

If somehow you managed to find yourself in the most rural part of Singapore where not a single public toilet is in sight and you need to answer the call of nature, what do you do? Carry on, of course like the primal creatures we are but it is most important to "apologise" or say sorry out loud before you take that sneaky wee because you may be peeing on the 'homes' of 'others'. 

Superstition or not, whistling late at night is just plain creepy. According to local superstition, whistling at night draws the attention of wandering spirits who will inevitably follow you home. Truth is, we highly suspect that it's something the adults made up when we were kids to shut us up before bed time. 

More of an expression than a myth, the phrase "touch wood" is commonly heard when someone says something negative and immediately starts tapping the table (or anything wood).  What does it all mean? The practice stems from the pagan belief that malevolent spirits inhabited wood, so by knocking on wood it means that you've expressed a hope for the future so you should touch wood to prevent the spirits from hearing and presumably preventing your hopes from coming true.

During a heated gambling session, it's best to lay your hands off the players in the game, even if it is for reassuring pat or squeeze. It's Chinese superstition that touching the shoulders of the gambler would wash away of their luck. So next time you're in one of the major casinos, best to keep your hands to yourself. 

...you have to finish your food first. There is absolutely no link whatsoever between the two statements. Come on, too easy. We obviously know this is a ploy parents use to prevent food wastage. Unless of course it has happened to someone in real life – remember to hit us up.

This one gets a little spooky. According to Fengshui, your soul leaves your body when you are in a slumber, looking at the mirror inevitably will put you in rude shock as the reflection will reflect your soul (which probably looks nothing like what you imagined), which in turn might lead to your soul never wanting to return to your body. A sort of free spirit, they say. 

Want to see your favourite empowered female banshee hanging out at the laundry area? That's easy, just hang out your freshly-washed laundry at 11pm at night. Apparently Pontianaks hunt their prey by sniffing out the smell of fresh laundry so sucks to be a diligent household chores enthusiast. The real reason we think lies in the fact that because at night, we'll be asleep to notice if it rains or not and might need to move the laundry. 

The creepy reasons include shortening your life, leaving your DNA around for spirits to 'steal' and take your form and confusing your loved ones or people using your nails for black magic. The real reason probably came from way back in the days when light at night was scarce and cutting your nails at night means you might lead to injury. Pretty legit.

Damn these pesky spirits are back at it again. It is believed that if you don't wash your feet (and in some versions, the face as well), wandering spirits might follow you home. This is a good one if you're trying to tell someone that their feet are stinkin' up the whole place. 

According to superstition, the person in the middle will die. For no reason whatsoever. Besides the fact that we will all eventually die, this myth is probably linked to how odd numbers are considered bad luck... or some person who couldn't deal with assymmetry and disallowed odd numbers in groups.