Jamaica is a superstitious nation. I know, I know. That’s quite a sweeping statement but hear me out! There are some tales you grow up hearing that, though often bizarre, somehow get registered in your subconscious and before you know it, you find yourself repeating them… believing even. 

Here are some myths that the Jamaican forefathers swear by.

1. Sweeping your house after dark invites bad luck in your home and life. 

This is one of the hills our grandparents have chosen to die on. No-one touches the broom after evening time! 

2. Pointing at graves or in a cemetery will cause your fingers to rot. 

I kid you not. This is a popular belief. But alas! If you happen to have done this there is still hope to save your fingers. According to the myth, if you proceed to bite all ten fingers immediately after committing the forbidden act, then it will reverse whatever crawsis* you initially brought upon yourself.

3. Missing a loop in your pants or skirt means your spouse is cheating on you. 

Sad to say, I’m not making these up. There are Jamaicans who hold this as gospel. So I beseech thee, brethren, ensure you get them all, or else… ‘Ants inna yu milk!’*

4. An itching palms signals that money is one its way to you. 

It was the great Dancehall Philosopher, Konshens who skilfully penned the lyrics “God knows, mi hand middle a scratch me. And mi grandmother tell me say, “This means money” 

His nana is the voice of all Jamaican grannies and because of them, I stay hoping for cool autumn days, world peace and itchy palms.  

I trust this is a no judgement zone, yes?

5. A pregnant woman with an unsatisfied food craving who proceeds to scratch a part of her body will mark the same spot on the body of her unborn child… a mark that resembles the food she craved.

They say this is how ‘birthmarks’ are created. I know it sounds ridiculous but listen! A small spot on my right shoulder is significantly lighter than the rest of my body. My dear mother shared that it – my birthmark, was as a result of her wanting milk and ‘testing out the myth’. According to her, in the midst of her craving, she touched her shoulder and well, ladies and gentlemen, I was marked for life! 

Don’t fight the messenger. Suh mi buy it, suh mi sell it. 

6. If a pregnant woman strongly pities a deformity, then her baby will be born with similar features. 

This one is scary cause what?? But yes, they say it’s so… A matter of fact, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t mean to brag but here goes another personal story of my mother’s pregnancy. 

It was my aunt who had stoned an intrusive cat, injuring its feet, rendering it partially cripple and breaking the heart of my sympathetic mother who was then pregnant with? You guessed it. Me. 😭 I still hear stories of how they thought I’d never walk because I kept crawling around on my belly and ‘stiffing out’ my feet whenever I was lifted. 

The Lord is Forever Kind.  

7. ‘Jumping eyes’ mean you’re either going to see someone you haven’t seen in a while; you’re going to bawl; or its going to rain. 

Whether it’s one or the other is dependent on which eye is fidgeting. Jamaicans usually encourage you to make a mental note of which jumping eye means what for you.

Test this one out and let me know how it goes!

8. An itchy sole means ‘yu aguh walk pon grave’. 

Yup. In Jamaica, if yu foot bottom scratch yu den yu have funeral fi guh. Either that, or you’re about to embark on a journey to a foreign place. 

9. If a lizard jumps on a woman then she is pregnant for sure. 

You read right. Not a pregnancy test… Not a missed period… A lizard attack. 

10. A sure way to see duppy* is to wash your face with rice water. 

I’m no ghost hunter but if it’s a field you are particularly interested in, by all means, a method worth trying!

*Crawsis- Bad luck

*‘Ants inna yu milk!’- You’re being cheated on. 

*Duppy- Ghost/Spirit of a dead person

Thanks for reading. 

Walk Good!