JUST the other day, as I was driving, my right palm itched excessively. I remembered my late mother’s saying that I was going to land myself with some wealth (read: money). My mother also said if my left palm itched, I was going to lose money. Well sadly, I didn’t get money or inherit wealth. Nor did I lose money.
Here’s the thing. In the old Malays’ realm, there are just numerous beliefs or tahyul and karut-marut (superstition/nonsense) disguised and designed to become proverbs. Some of them are just myths, in the incredible sense of the word. But many a time, there’s always a reason why ancient Malays believed them.
Heck, let me list down a compendium of these old beliefs; some are funny and antiquated but they have lived through generations of Malay society. I can still hear them uttered by senior citizens who hold the proverbs and beliefs close to their hearts. These beliefs that have found expression in the form of proverbs have become a source of reminder to the young. It is up to us whether to believe or disbelieve them.
JANGAN nyanyi kat dapur, nanti dapat laki tua (Don’t sing in the kitchen, you’ll end up marrying an old man). This is a stern warning to young women that they shouldn’t croak and belt a tune in the kitchen. The rationale behind this proverb is this. In the olden days, kitchens were not built with brick and mortar; they were wooden planks, and hence no sound-proofing. The neighbours four to five houses down the road could hear your daughter crooning away Siti Nurhaliza’s Cindai. Can you imagine that?! in front of other people, especially when you wear a kain pelikat or kain batik as you will be exposing your inner thighs and even your crotch.
JANGAN duduk atas bantal, nanti jadi bisul (Don’t sit on the pillow if you don’t want to get boils). Rationale: Bad habits die hard. If you sit too long on a pillow, you’ll damage its stuffing, especially if it is bantal kekabu (fluffy fibre from kapok trees). If the pillow is filled with kapok fibre and sat on for a long time, it is hard to pad up the pillow into its original condition. Furthermore, pillows are used to rest your head, not your buttocks.
JANGAN bergendang dalam rumah, nanti harta habis dicuri orang (Don’t drum around the house, if you don’t wish for your belongings to be stolen). The reason here is that it is noisy if you knock your table or use a spatula to create percussive sounds at home. And as the saying goes, you’ll be inviting unwanted guests to your home, especially burglars.
JANGAN potong kuku waktu malam, nanti pendek umur (Don’t cut your nails at night, you’ll cut your life short). In the old days, there was no electricity and the Malays used scissors as nail clippers. You can imagine if you missed the nail and accidentally cut your fingers, especially when you used rusty scissors to cut the long nails.
JANGAN jahit waktu senja, nanti mata guru engkau buta (Don’t sew at dusk, your teacher will go blind). This is probably an advice from a mother to a daughter. Mothers are usually the teachers. Since sewing is time-consuming and sometimes goes right into the evening, you can imagine the strain on the teacher and her eyesight will deteriorate as the day gets darker. Even if the teacher is unrelated to the person, she would have other chores to do when it gets dark.
KALAU makan tersedak, ada orang yang menyebut nama dan mengata awak (If you choke on your food, then someone else is mentioning your name and badmouthing you). Rationale: Gluttony and eating too fast are two possible reasons for a person to choke on food. But to associate it with someone badmouthing you is just unimaginable. The only people who will badmouth you are the people at the dining table.
JANGAN ambil gambar bertiga, nanti salah seorang mati (Do not take photos of three people, one of them will die). This proverb is relatively new as it was believed to have been created circa 1930s when camera and photography came into Malay society. Since everyone wanted to be in the photo, the fourth person would feel envious as he/she was not invited to join in.
JANGAN merayap waktu Maghrib, nanti kena sorok dek hantu tetek (Do not go astray during dusk, or else you will be taken captive by evil spirits under their breasts). Parents in the old days prohibited their children from playing well into the dark, as they will miss their Maghrib prayers. Hence, they made up stories that ghosts would be lurking around to capture victims.
Then there are proverbs pertaining to creatures or animals and the signs they are associated with. The rationale for the following proverbs are well connected to the old Malays coexisting with spirits which are truly tahyul (superstition). The old Malays had this long animistic belief and relationship with the presence of or sounds made by creatures.
BILA cicak bunyi, tanda betullah apa yang kita cakap (When house lizards make a clicking sound, it affirms what has
been said as true). They are just lizards, they make such sounds when they are mating or finding food.
BILA burung hantu berbunyi waktu malam, tanda ada orang nak mati (When an owl hoots, it is a sign that someone in the house or the area will die). The old Malays always liked to associate the owl with death, as the
nocturnal creature is likened to an incarnation of spirits of the dead.
BILA nampak biawak lintas jalan, ada mara bahaya di depan (When a monitor lizard crosses the road, there’s danger ahead). Anyone will be relatively shocked if one sees a monitor lizard crossing the road. I have had the same shock before. A driver will try to manoeuvre his vehicle, whether it is a car or motorcycle, so as not to run over the creature.
BILA kupu-kupu masuk rumah, tanda ada orang nak datang (When a butterfly enters your home, it is a sign that you’ll be receiving unexpected guests). Yes, unexpected people do come. Those days, the Chettiars would come to collect the dues or some Pakistani carpet sellers on bicycle would come to sell their products to housewives in the kampung. But these days, they will be TNB or water meter readers or worse, the Ah Long.
JANGAN maki seranah tikus, nanti habis rosak barang kita (Don’t swear at house rats, if you don’t want your household items damaged). It’s hard to relate swear words with rats damaging your upholstery, but many old folk including my late mother-in-law believed it. My mother-in-law couldn’t even spell out the name of the scavenging rats, fearing that they would damage household items. She called them “Che Ti” which sent me into stitches of laughter.
There are many more old Malay sayings and beliefs that are just equally incredible. They give new meaning to us nowadays, but more importantly, we grew to be better persons with the wisdom that we learnt from the older generations. I know I did!
C’est la vie.
The writer is a former NST journalist, now a film scriptwriter whose penchant is finding new food haunts in the country