Energy vortexes have become a hot topic over the last few decades, and we’ve all become more sensitive to events, phenomena, and legends that haven’t been scientifically proven. I think a lot of us pay more attention to things like this now, and have come to rely on or avoid certain situations as a result.
Traditional Japanese New Year dishes each have their own special meaning and wishes associated with them. Italy doesn’t have anything like our osechi, but they do have a tradition of eating stewed lentils, which are said to bring good luck in the form of money. Putting aside the question of whether or not it actually works, the Italian dish has nothing on Japanese osechi when it comes to elegant presentation.
The Italians, by the way, are quite a superstitious bunch.
One thing you need to know about toasts in Italy is that they call out a happy “chin-chin!” when they raise their glasses, which, being identical to our childlike word for the male anatomy, inevitably draws a chuckle from us Japanese. But you should hold off on explaining why you’re laughing until later, since an important part of the toast is yet to come and you should let them finish it first. When the Italians clink their glasses, the first important thing is that they make direct eye contact. Secondly, they can’t put their glasses down when they’re finished—they have to take a sip first. This custom started during the Middle Ages, when it was common to put poison in another person’s drink. Today, making eye contact during the toast has become an expression of trust, and taking the first sip before putting your drink down is probably an extension of that trust as well.
Of the many superstitions in Italy, there are a few that tend to come up fairly frequently in daily life. One example is black cats crossing one’s path—the Italians will always react to it. Some will turn left or right to avoid it, though others will keep pressing ahead and pretend they didn’t see it happen. Apparently black cats earned a poor reputation as an unlucky animal in the West because the fact that you can only see their eyes (and not their bodies) when they’re wandering around at night would spook horses. In Japan, however, the fact that black cats can see so well at night and that only their eyes glow in the dark has made them a lucky animal who is thought to help ward off evil spirits.
So should I start believing the Italian superstition and get worked up about black cats crossing my path in 2024? I think I will, in fact. There is another Italian superstition that I purposely go against because it’s so troublesome—I open my umbrellas and dry them inside the house after going out on rainy days. When I first moved here, people kept telling me I should stop because it would bring bad luck, but I kept doing it anyway. Maybe I’m just stubborn or a fool. So as I write this post, I’ve decided to respect the superstition in 2024 and stop opening and drying my umbrellas in the house. Of course, now I have no idea where I’m going to open and dry them…
I’m really going to have to change my daily habits if I start paying close attention to the countless other Italian superstitions. So maybe I’ll just stick with the umbrella thing this year…
