There are
still many old Malay taboos for kids as they are believed to be vulnerable to
spirit disturbances. If the adults are not careful, their kids may be abducted
by a type of spirits locally known as ‘orang bunian’. Below are some of the
taboos I learnt from my Malay friends:
Taboo 1:
No kids are
allowed to play hide and seek between 7pm to 9pm. It is believed that during
this time, spirits are most active and if kids stumble into mischievous
spirits, they may be abducted by these spirits and may be gone forever.
Taboo 2:
Never leave
the kids alone. They should always be accompanied by adults. Obviously this
taboo remains true till today for safety reasons. Kids can even be drowned in
bathtub.
Taboo 3:
Some ash
should be applied at toddler or kid’s face. It is believed that spirits
especially the ‘orang bunian’ like clean and cute kids, so if a kid looks
dirty; the spirits will leave him/her alone. This is in line with Chinese
belief that a kid would be difficult to bring up if he/she is given a beautiful
name, hence the name ‘Ah Kow’ meaning ‘the dog’. This is not meant to humiliate
the kid but to ‘hint’ to the spirits around as not to be too jealous of this
kid and that the spirits would leave the kid to grow healthily.
Taboo 4:
When a baby
is newly born, its umbilical cord must be wrapped with a piece of black cloth.
The umbilical cord would attract malicious spirits such as the ‘hantu penangal’,
Taboo 5:
A mother
should chew some ‘kunyit bolai’ or Zingiber Cassumunar roots and then spit it
all over the room where her baby sleeps. The smell of kunyit bolai shall chase
away spirits and deter new ones from visiting at night. More on 'kunyit bolai':
Taboo 6:
Avoid
letting kids playing a far from the house during strong wind. Traditionally,
strong breeze is associated with the working of spirits. Some local Chinese
believe that if one shouts aloud when strong wind is blowing, his/her mouth
would become askew and numb.
Taboo 7:
Kids should
be forbidden from going to seaside during high tide. This is obviously due to
safety aspects, now or then.
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