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No matter the society you find yourself in, superstitions will always be present. The reason for this is because the supernatural is a big aspect of the world.
And there's hardly any other place in the world that believes more in the supernatural than my dear country Nigeria.
We believe so much in the supernatural that even our top scientists are wary of witches and wizards.

We believe so much in the supernatural that a whole state is known just for producing witches (if you know you know)

With all these things, it's not uncommon for us to believe in superstitions. And while there are some superstitions I take seriously (I'm cynical, not stupid), there are just some superstitions that are just plain silly.

You hear some of these superstitions and you're like... yup, the person who started this was definitely drunk.
So today, we are going to be looking at some of these superstitions as well as analyze just how silly they are.

1. FETCHING WATER FROM A WELL AT NIGHT

Now this superstition apparently goes like this:
Do not fetch water from the well late at night because that's when the well spirits come out and fetching water at that time can disturb the which can make them drag you into the well and drown you.

Now here's the problem with believing this superstition,
What if I want to shit?

Like I used to actually be careful about this one.
So many people told me that I refused to take any chances, once it was evening, I'd rush to the well no matter how inconvenient it was and fetch my water down.

I was consistent with avoiding late night fetching until one day when I slept off.
I was very exhausted so I woke up in the middle of the night and I needed to use the toilet badly, like urgently but unfortunately there wasn't water.

All my buckets were empty.
I asked neighbors, they didn't have water either.
I even considered pooping in a bush near my hostel but what if a snake bites my anus!

I would've taken longer to contemplate but the poop wasn't giving me time.
Eventually I gave in and went to the well saying blood of Jesus like 42 times.

I swallowed my fear and fetched the water.
and as you can see, I wasn't drowned by well spirits.

Since then, I've gone to the well in the middle of the night countless times, so yeah,
from my experience, this superstition is silly.

2. LOOKING AT YOUR SHADOW WHILE YOU DANCE MAKES YOU DANCE BADLY

I don't remember who I heard this from,
but that's the only person that has ever said this one.
it's not as popular as the rest on the list but it's equally as ridiculous.

When I first heard it, I was curious, so I went home, played some Danny phantom song and started dancing while looking at my shadow

And lo and behold
I actually started dancing very badly
my moves were whack!

I was starting to get scared until I realized..
wait...
I'm a bad dancer normally na.
this superstition is bogus.

If the superstition was really legit,
then it's supposed to also turn bad dancers good when they look at their shadow.

3. CROSSING OVER SOMEONE MAKES YOUR CHILD RESEMBLE THEM

This is probably the silliest superstition of them all.
so you are telling me that if I cross over someone, my offsprings will automatically resemble them?
How exactly does the superstition work then?

Will it combine the faces of every single person I've crossed over, or is it the last person I crossed over before I impregnate my partner?

What if I cross over a man with a beard and my child is a girl,
will she eventually have a beard?

There are way too many logical holes with this superstition.

If you actually believe this one, then I'm sorry, but you really need to reevaluate your life choices.

4. BEING BEATEN BY A BROOM SHRINKS A GUY'S LIQUID MAKER

This particular superstition focuses on boys.
Apparently, if a boy gets beaten by a broom, his "magic wand" shrinks.

You know what I think?
I think this superstition was created as an excuse by a guy who was insecure about the size of his "special muscle".
that's the only explanation I can think of.
maybe his wife complained and he cooked up this superstition and told her he was beaten a lot with brooms as a child.

This superstition is utter bogus.

Nobody should near me with broom Sha.

5. WHISTLING CALLS SNAKES

The funny thing about this is that there's actually a scientific explanation for it.
The bodies of snakes are equipped to sense things like vibrations and some sound waves so it isn't too far-fetched to think whistling can attract them.
The problem is this superstition takes it too far.
I understand maybe being worried if you're in the forest or in a bush,
But this superstition literally says you should not whistle at all no matter where you are, that snakes will just magically appear.

A very annoying thing about this one is that the people that believe this superstition the most are Nigerian mothers.

You could literally be in Antarctica where snakes don't even exist and if you whistle your mum will still scold you.

Don't even try to whistle near them or you might take a slipper to the face.

6. LOOKING THROUGH YOUR LEGS UPSIDE DOWN IN THE MARKET PLACE MAKES YOU SEE SPIRITS

The marketplace is notorious for having spiritual elements.
I've heard stories of people going to the market at night, and the market will be lively as if it's daytime but no one is there.

Just being in the market normally gives me the creeps.

Now imagine seeing spirits.
Hell no.
I don't even know why I added this one to the list.
It's not silly, it's scary.
maybe because you have to bend in a funny way for it to work...

Still I definitely won't be trying this one.

CONCLUSION

I don't believe in the lot of superstitions but that doesn't mean I'm going to test them (except the dancing one, that seems fun to try).
Ignorance is Bliss abeg.

Do you believe in superstitions?
What silly superstitions did you know?
let me know below.

Thank you for reading.

Stay buzzing,

Maximus.

SILLIEST NIGERIAN SUPERSTITIONS