Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan

Subject: BS: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: greg stephens
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 06:46 AM

No, not the title of an obscure art-house movie. I was giving a guitar lesson to an Afghan friend yesterday, and advising him to cut the nails on the fingers of his left hand. I told him that a number of people in England believe for obscure superstitious reasons that you shouldn't cut your nails on Sunday, and I wondered if there was any similar belief in Afghanistan. He laughed a lot, and said that surprisingly enough he had exactly the same belief, except that in Afghanistan it's Friday. Interesting, huh??

Subject: RE: BS: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 12:19 PM

My grandmother used to cover the knives & forks (inhteir drawer) and turn the mirrors to the wall in a thunderstorm, I'm told; but she'd given up the practice by the time I was old enough to notice. Can't think of anything silly we do these days ... touch wood!

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Amos
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 01:15 PM

How odd! What is the provenance for the belief about Friday? Or, for that matter, any other segment of time, as better than any other for trimming your nails?

A

Subject: RE: BS: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: greg stephens
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 01:37 PM

Well. the obvious connection is that Sunday is the main religious day here in England. and Friday is in Afghanistan(Islam). Query: can anyone Jewish tell us if Jews shouldn't cut their nails on Saturday? I feel that we may have something pre-Christian, and pre-Islam here, and very widespread: England and Afghanistan are a long way apart.
   Difficult to see any rationale for any problems with nail cuttings. Witches used your cut bits of nails to cast spells on you, it must be something on those lines, but why a partticular day?. You would tend to think it might be safer on Sundays or Fridays, with God around to help you, rather than more dangerous.Perhaps is too busy on Sun/Fri to keep such a close eye on small bits of fingernails. ll very odd. Any contributions from people of other religions/countries welcome.

Subject: RE: BS: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 01:40 PM

In Judaism, no "work" is allowed on the Sabbath. Don't know if that includes cutting nails. Ultra Orthodox won't even flip a light switch on.

Subject: RE: BS: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 02:07 PM

Found this at www.globalpsychics.com

The Right Day for Cutting

It seems that choosing a day to cut your hair or nails will bode for you in the following way:

Cut them on Monday, you cut them for health;
cut them on Tuesday, you cut them for wealth;
cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for news;
cut them on Thursday, a new pair of shoes;

cut them on Friday, you cut them for sorrow;
cut them on Saturday, see your true love tomorrow;
cut them on Sunday, the devil will be with you all the week.

There are a few variations on that rhyme, but in all circumstances, cutting on Sunday is cutting for evil.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 02:25 PM

That rhyme would appear to rule out Friday as well as Sunday.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 02:49 PM

greg, I am not jewish, so I'm no expert on this kind of stuff, but strict jews should not do any work on the Sabbath, i would imagine , cutting your nails would be classed as work.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 03:07 PM

What about biting them?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 03:11 PM

I wouldn't really know about that.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Amos
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 05:01 PM

Gawd, we have a long way to go....

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: greg stephens
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 08:54 PM

To where, Amos, to where? That is the question.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Amos
Date: 30 Oct 02 - 09:06 PM

A long way to go before we can make any claim to being a species that is rational enough to decide where it should or wishes to go. Riddled with attitude in the place of reason, legacies of madness used as templates for decisions, the worship of unreality as the crutch of ultimate resort, fouled up on logic, inverted on importance, whacked into bizarre twists of sequence and partial disconnections....


Gawd, we have a long way to go.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 08:45 PM

A friend of mine from VietNam cuts her hair after the full moon. She claims it makes it grow in fuller.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Nail-cutting in Afghanistan
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 31 Oct 02 - 09:54 PM

G'day greg,

I was staying out of this, but I guess I can skirt around stupid comments, &c ... I understand taht another aspect of nail-trimming, in many Muslim traditions, concerns disposal of the clippings. I suspect this ultimately goes back to the same roots as you mentioned in your second posting (the witch/spell-casting aspect), but it may also be seen as parallel to the Biblical concept of the body as 'God's temple'.

I understand that many Muslims insist on gathering every single fragment of clipped nails and burying them ... as they are 'part of the body'. There are also dire tales of what will happen in the afterlife if you don't do so (... sounding more like pronouncements of Muhammad's wife - keeping the world tidy, than Muhammad himself ...?).

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton