INDIAN SUPERSTITIONS: TRUTH BEHIND HANGING LEMON AND CHILLIES

If you live in India or atleast been there, then you must have seen lemon and chillies hanging at front of shops and places of business. This "Nimbu Mirchi", as we call it, is also found hanging in our houses and even on our vehicles!!!



And whenever we try to ask somebody the reason behind this, we would be told "It's for good fortune." But there is no one to tell us how it does so or is there any other reason behind this. We always do various things (however silly!!) without knowing the real reason for them, as long as we believe it will bring us good fortune. So I searched for it on the internet and found something.

Superstitious Belief

In India we pray to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is believed that wherever Lakshmi goes wealth and prosperity follow there. And if for some reason Lakshmi do not come to your house, you may suffer from financial crisis. So for each and every businessman or occupation, Lakshmi is very crucial.



Now if there is yin, there is yang; for there is light, there is dark; for every positive, there is negative; for every hero, there is a villain; and so on. Therefore, if there is Lakshmi then there is also Alakshmi.

Alakshmi is everything opposite to Lakshmi. If Lakshmi brings fortune, then Alakshmi is the bringer of misfortune. Unlike Lakshmi, who is very hard to impress, Alakshmi is always lurking around to enter your shops, houses and business places. In short, Alakshmi is every businessman's worst nightmare.



But where does nimbu-mirchi come handy? 

Alakshmi likes sour, pungent and hot things. In order to not allow her entering their shops, shop owners hang lemon and 7 chillies at their doors hoping that Alakshmi would only come up to the door, eat her favourite food and satisfy her hunger, and leave without entering the shops. It is believed that after consuming lemon and green chillies, Alakshmi loses her urge to enter the house or shop and she would turn around without casting her vicious eye.

Seriously, people would do anything to prevent misfortune!!!!

Scientific Reason

Well the scientific reason that justifies this practice is that the cotton thread which is used to pierce the chillies and lemon absorbs the acid from the fruit whilst it is fresh. This smell keeps the pests and insects away from the shop. 

Voila!! We get a natural pesticide which is quite simple and came into practice since ancient times.
Alas! This practice is now been mislead as the superstition mention above.



However with the modern technology and lifestyle we might not need such kind of pesticide too. 

I would like to plead to you to not follow such superstitions blindly, atleast know the real truth behind them.      


      

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