This is a list of some things done in Nigeria based on random/discovered beliefs.
It sometimes works well for some people
1 whenever a baby has hiccup, you see the mother the next second looking for a white rope she'll put on the baby's hair. (It mostly stops the hiccups)
2 in the Niger Delta region, using a broom to touch someone's head is a taboo. Nobody likes it, nobody does it
3 there is a belief that walking above someone's legs would make that person's future children to behave like you so in most parts of Nigeria, it's actually a taboo to walk above someone's legs especially pregnant women
3 same on pregnant women, the child learns character from anyone who's frequently with the mother so during pregnancy, women tend to select people to hang with (in some part of the country)
4 there is a village in Kaduna state, which believes that if your car hits and kills any man eating sugar cane, you'll be spared cause people eating sugar cane are viewed as mad men but if u hit and kill a normal walking man, you'd be apprehended
5 in the Yoruba region (western) it's a belief that your first customer mirrors out the whole day to you so people would generally treat their first customers well as far as he/she pays the complete sum because if he/she doesn't, it's believed that people would owe you a lot that day
6 in the itsekiri culture (warri south) it's believed that twins or triplets..... must not be born last, a single baby must be born last
7 edo people believe that the colour red signifies blood so as a visitor you mustn't wear anything red around the kings palace n you mustn't carry palm kernel cause it's red in color
8 many (Christian) Nigerians would prefer that the president is sworn into his office not by a bible but by traditional oracle
9 in many parts of the country, especially the southern and western region, a king is buried not alone but accompanied by people
10 the itsekiri people, if their king dies, the women would wear their wrappers inside-out as a form of respect.
11 Owls hooting on rooftop or on a nearby tree is a bad omen in the traditional Nigeria society as it is believed that someone in that house will soon die. In Nigerian and some other culture, owls are symbolism of witchcraft and its cries are taken with tenacity.
12 Eating in the dark is forbidden in the traditional Nigerian society. It is believed that such act could give room to the dead or ghosts to eat with you and this could lead to your death or grave ailments.
13 witch hunting is practiced mostly among the Edos. If a man or woman is suspected of practicing witchcraft due to strange occurrences or deaths in the family or community, he or she will be taken to a witch doctor. The suspect undergoes all kinds of torture to force the truth out of them and they end up confessing. The confession is enforced by the witch doctor and if the suspect is found guilty, he or she will be ex-communicated from the community.
14 The inheritance practices are rooted in the belief by many that the wife herself is a property that can be passed around. In some Nigerian cultures, when a man dies, the wife could be inherited by one of the man’s brothers. However, these days, greedy relatives use it as a way to access the late man’s wealth. This practice is becoming a thing of the past as more women are becoming enlightened and rejecting it.
15 I remember when I was little and I would want to drink coconut water but my mother would tease me by saying I'll become as dull as possible. She actually didn't take it seriously but it's believed that coconut water actually makes you an olodo (dull).
It sometimes works well for some people
1 whenever a baby has hiccup, you see the mother the next second looking for a white rope she'll put on the baby's hair. (It mostly stops the hiccups)
2 in the Niger Delta region, using a broom to touch someone's head is a taboo. Nobody likes it, nobody does it
3 there is a belief that walking above someone's legs would make that person's future children to behave like you so in most parts of Nigeria, it's actually a taboo to walk above someone's legs especially pregnant women
3 same on pregnant women, the child learns character from anyone who's frequently with the mother so during pregnancy, women tend to select people to hang with (in some part of the country)
4 there is a village in Kaduna state, which believes that if your car hits and kills any man eating sugar cane, you'll be spared cause people eating sugar cane are viewed as mad men but if u hit and kill a normal walking man, you'd be apprehended
5 in the Yoruba region (western) it's a belief that your first customer mirrors out the whole day to you so people would generally treat their first customers well as far as he/she pays the complete sum because if he/she doesn't, it's believed that people would owe you a lot that day
6 in the itsekiri culture (warri south) it's believed that twins or triplets..... must not be born last, a single baby must be born last
7 edo people believe that the colour red signifies blood so as a visitor you mustn't wear anything red around the kings palace n you mustn't carry palm kernel cause it's red in color
8 many (Christian) Nigerians would prefer that the president is sworn into his office not by a bible but by traditional oracle
9 in many parts of the country, especially the southern and western region, a king is buried not alone but accompanied by people
10 the itsekiri people, if their king dies, the women would wear their wrappers inside-out as a form of respect.
11 Owls hooting on rooftop or on a nearby tree is a bad omen in the traditional Nigeria society as it is believed that someone in that house will soon die. In Nigerian and some other culture, owls are symbolism of witchcraft and its cries are taken with tenacity.
12 Eating in the dark is forbidden in the traditional Nigerian society. It is believed that such act could give room to the dead or ghosts to eat with you and this could lead to your death or grave ailments.
13 witch hunting is practiced mostly among the Edos. If a man or woman is suspected of practicing witchcraft due to strange occurrences or deaths in the family or community, he or she will be taken to a witch doctor. The suspect undergoes all kinds of torture to force the truth out of them and they end up confessing. The confession is enforced by the witch doctor and if the suspect is found guilty, he or she will be ex-communicated from the community.
14 The inheritance practices are rooted in the belief by many that the wife herself is a property that can be passed around. In some Nigerian cultures, when a man dies, the wife could be inherited by one of the man’s brothers. However, these days, greedy relatives use it as a way to access the late man’s wealth. This practice is becoming a thing of the past as more women are becoming enlightened and rejecting it.
15 I remember when I was little and I would want to drink coconut water but my mother would tease me by saying I'll become as dull as possible. She actually didn't take it seriously but it's believed that coconut water actually makes you an olodo (dull).
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