The main reasons why people engage in superstitious activities are as follows:
1. In an attempt to pray to the Buddha, burn incense and kowtow, exorcise demons and other ways, to eliminate disasters and solve problems for their loved ones, turn evil into good luck and bring good luck.
2. get rid of the troubles. Some people become disheartened, pessimistic and desperate after a major mental shock in real life, so they want to escape from reality. For example, some people become nuns or monks after falling in love.
3. Psychological comfort. Some people try to make up for some irreparable mistakes through superstitious activities and seek spiritual comfort. Its outstanding performance, such as doing Dojo and asking a mage to mourn the deceased, regrets the poor care of the deceased before his death.
Types and manifestations of superstitious activities:
1. Traditional secular superstition. I believe that certain activities, ceremonies, figures, natural phenomena and dates will bring good luck, and avoid certain figures and phenomena as much as possible. For example, many areas believe that when you hear a magpie, something happy will happen. Therefore, when you hear a magpie barking in front of your house, you are filled with joy, while when you hear a crow or an owl barking, it is considered as a precursor to evil, and it is generally considered that you are going to die and feel uneasy; Western countries think that "13" is an unlucky number, while some areas in China think that "36" is unlucky. The age of 36 is a "stutter" in life, which is a troubled year. Therefore, when celebrating his 36th birthday, relatives and friends should come to celebrate it and help him spend the year smoothly. Although many people know that these practices make no sense, they hold the attitude of "believing what they have, not believing what they have".
2. Superstition in ghosts and gods. It is believed that there are immortals and monsters in the world, or that creatures have supernatural "souls" or spirits, and they have the ability to control natural phenomena (wind, rain, lightning, drought and flood) and human birth, aging, illness and death. For example, some people think that they are possessed by demons when they are sick or shocked. Instead of going to see a doctor, they invite wizards and witches to ward off evil spirits. Some people think that there are mountain gods in the mountains and river gods in the rivers, and they should worship regularly every year in order to keep the good weather. If there is a drought or flood disaster, it is to offend the gods and the dragon prince and make them angry, which is a punishment for people.
3. Superstition of human function. Based on individual accidental phenomena, it is believed that some people have magical functions beyond nature, such as believing in the "late L prophet" of qigong master, being able to predict floods and earthquakes, and predicting the future of others.
4. Special superstitious activities. That is, fortune-telling (including counting "eight characters", measuring characters, asking divination, etc.), physiognomy (including reading palms and faces) and geomantic omen. These superstitious activities are widely spread in China, not only in backward rural areas, but also in bustling urban centers. It is often seen that fortune tellers who are "eight-character", visit fortune-teller and draw lottery tickets are explaining good fortune and bad fortune to people, and the listeners are absorbed and fearful. Professional superstitious workers engaged in such superstitious activities generally have some common characteristics: ① mild mental or physical abnormalities, such as epilepsy and blindness; High sensitivity, strong suggestibility, strong judgment and adaptability, able to observe the forehead and color, and generally able to accurately feel the customer's psychology; (3) articulate, expressive, attractive and persuasive; Have good emotional appeal and can control other people's emotional activities.