Superstition: Don't Open An Umbrella Inside the House

There are so many superstitions in the Philippines. One of them is the belief that opening an umbrella inside the house brings bad luck. I have heard this superstition many times. When I was young, my grandmother, uncles, aunts and even my mom told me never to open an umbrella inside the house because it brings bad luck. When I asked them why, they couldn't give me a good answer. They said that it's an old superstition and there's no harm in following it. As a child I accepted it in blind faith. Years have passed and I have forgotten this superstition ... or so I thought.

My son's favorite fast food restaurant, Jollibee recently featured umbrellas as promotional products. Customers can present proof of purchase in order to buy any of the promotional umbrellas. I got Yohan a blue Jollibee kiddie umbrella. When I gave it to him in the house, he wanted to open it to see the design. The memory of the old superstition came rushing back into my mind. I couldn't believe that after so many years, I'm still bound to that superstitious belief that for me doesn't have any logical explanation. I asked myself, if that was the case, then why did I stop Yohan from opening the umbrella inside the house? Perhaps, deep inside, I just wanted to avoid any form of bad luck.

You might be curious as to what happened next. I asked Yohan if he wanted to buy some Choc-nut (local chocolates) at the nearby store. The sky was heavy with dark clouds so I told him to bring his umbrella just in case it rains. In the street, Yohan had the liberty to open the umbrella as much as he wanted.