People all over the world have their list of superstitions and unexplainable beliefs that they hold dear. these beliefs most times defy all sense of logic and make absolutely no sense, but who are you to tell that to the powers that be?
The young community is not exempted as kids also have their list of bizarre, crazy funny beliefs that have been passed down from generations to generations.
While some of these beliefs were imposed on them by cunny, clever adults to either keep kids in check or instill morals in them, others are just plainly ridiculous and outrageous.
Sit back, kick off your shoes and relax as we take you back memory lane and relive some of our crazy moments as kids.
Nailing the ground to keep dogs mating or fighting cockerels
Dogs mating or cocks dueling always make quite a spectacle. Kids from the hood gather round them watching on with all amusement and glee. Dogs, especially, are being chased around for the purpose of getting them to run with their locked genitals.
Watching them engage in a sexual tug of war, dragging each other from both ends while trying to get away, makes quite a funny sight. Cock fights, on the other hand are always fierce and intense, which serves as entertainment for kids in the streets.
To extend our excitement and watch time, we get a nail and fasten it into the earth: it is believed, as kids, that once the nail remains in the ground, the animals won’t be able to release themselves and would remain locked. The same applies to cocks fighting: the general belief is that they wont stop having a go at each other until the nail is unfastened.
Bring down birds in flight with bare hands
Rearing chickens is a common practice in the hood. Most families have mini poultries inside their compound where they rear Hens and Cocks for home consumption. This made hawks public enemy no 1 and put them at the top of kiddies hate list. This is because hawks are the number one predators of chicks and young birds.
Whenever a hawk is sighted, kids rush out with their hands in the air, index finger pulled back with their next hand and eyes fixated on the bird in flight. This practice is believed to hold the bird, pause it in flight and consequently bring it down crashing. Bless our souls.
Did I hear you ask if that practice has actually ever brought down any bird?
Well, I’ll say yes. “How do I know?” Errrmmm, a friend told a friend… That friend then went ahead to tell another friend who then told another friend that also told another friend, and another friend, and another friend…, who now told me
The moon always follows everywhere
Remember when we used to think the Moon followed us around as kids?
Oh, come on! Quit acting like you were some Einstein that was ahead of your generation. You know you sure did. Haha!
The fact that the moon was always right there on top of us in the sky, made us believe that, for some reason, the moon’s job was to follow us about. Sometimes, we played games with, trying to dodge and shake it off by hiding behind a tree, only to find it right up there, staring back at us the very moment we step out.
Such royalties we was were as kids, that we had the whole moon assigned to us.
Agama the dentist
Surely, everyone should be familiar with this one because it’s a worldwide practice.
Losing the milk teeth is a natural phenomenon that happens to everyone. However for you to have your tooth replaced as they fall off, kiddies customs and beliefs states that you have to throw them on the roof and dance.
You do this in the hope that a redneck Lizard would see you dancing and then take your broken tooth away and bring you back a brand new one.
And you better dance really well like David while at it, because Dr. Agama really has to be impressed enough with your dancing skills to help you fix your broken tooth.
The devil’s bread
Perhaps the wildest and weirdest belief we ever had as kids was that the devil depended on us for his daily bread. And, this was why it was believed that whatever portion drops on the floor out of what we were eating, is the devil’s share.
You dare not pick it up again as the little, ugly, black glutton living right under the ground has already eaten it.
“Errmmm, but isn’t he supposed to be living way down, down, down Hell lane?’ : yeah! He does, but he scours the earth daily anyways, looking for food dropping to claim.
“But, but, but…that is my only piece of meal to get through school today, I have nothing else to eat”
Well, the rule is the rule friend. Once it drops, the Devil claims it
“But I have ulcer and I could die”
Well its better to have ulcer and die than risk the wrath of old, mean, Devil.
Conclusion
So, those are five common beliefs and practices we had as kids while growing up. If you can’t relate to at least, two or three of these, then you must either have been raised within the confinements of Aso Rocks or be from “obodo oyinbo’. Of course there are a lot more, but we’ll limit it to these few for this week. Let’s hear your thoughts about this in the comment section
