Is It Possible To Celebrate 40 Years Of A Woman - Signs And Superstitions

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Forbidden date: can a woman celebrate her 40th birthday?

On the nose is a major anniversary - forty years … But relatives and friends dissuade you from the holiday! What drives them? Where did this superstition come from? Let's understand its origins.

Signs of the fortieth anniversary

Where did the opinion come from that a woman cannot celebrate her fortieth birthday? Most likely the reason is in the Bible. In it, the number 40 is mentioned several times in a negative context: Jews, wandering in the desert for 40 years; Jesus, who was tempted by the devil for 40 days; 40 days after the death of a person, he goes to hell or heaven. However, there is something to object to this explanation - the number 40 is used more than once or twice in a much more positive context. For example, it is precisely 40 days (just during the devil's temptation) that Jesus fasts in the wilderness (hence the Great Lent, which lasts four dozen days); The great and wise Solomon ruled for 40 years; 40 days have passed from the Resurrection of Christ to his Ascension.

The temptation of Christ has become a popular subject for paintings

Another reason to abandon the celebration is allegedly etymological. Especially superstitious (but not versed in the etymology of words) find confirmation of their theory about the "ominous" number 40 in its very name. They divide the word "forty" into "rubbish" (garbage) and "rock" (bad fate). Therefore, when celebrating his fortieth birthday, a person must attract a heavy share into his life. Someone also argues that "forty" previously meant "term", because few people lived to that age.

But in fact, the word "forty" has nothing to do with either rock, or garbage, or impending death. Scientists usually associate the origin of the word with … sable skins. The word "forty" originally meant a bunch of 40 sable (or marten) skins. It was this bundle that was used to measure the skins of the merchants - they were sold by "magpies".

40 sable skins were required to make one fur coat

In other cultures, there is no irrational fear of 40. However, in Japan, China and Korea, you can find tetraphobia - a superstitious fear of the number 4. This fear is explained by the fact that the pronunciation of the word "four" and "death" in Chinese differs only in intonation (and in Japanese they do not differ at all and are pronounced as shi, so a second name was invented for the four - yon). Because of this, fluent pronunciation can be easily confused with one another.

Asians avoid listing the number 4 in elevators, house and apartment numbers; sometimes the numbers 13 and 14 are also removed from the numbering

How to avoid action will take

If you are still tormented by an indefinite fear, then you can deceive it with such simple methods:

• celebrate not the fortieth birthday, but the end of 39;
• celebrate the next day or even a week later;
• if you are energetic and feeling young, have a joke celebration to celebrate the second 20 years. You can even throw a student-themed party if your friends support the idea.

And what to do if your acquaintance or girlfriend is going to celebrate the 40th anniversary, and you believe in a sign? It is better to keep silent and refrain from commenting - do not spoil the person's pleasure. In the end, only the birthday girl should make the final decision about the holiday.

A fun and colorful party can be tainted by superstitious fear

Opinion of the priests

Many signs and "folk wisdom" came from Christian customs. However, the church condemns superstition - after all, this is essentially a "vain faith", something that should in no way characterize a real Christian.

The priests claim that celebrating their fortieth birthday is normal, not forbidden, and is allowed without any additional rituals.

Note also that in theology the number 40 is very symbolic. It is formed through the multiplication of four (the symbol of the completeness of the physical world) and ten (the symbol of the beginning and end, relative completeness). Therefore, 40 can be considered the number of completion of one stage of physical life and the beginning of another. But these are just symbols.

Esoteric opinion

If you believe astrologers, then at the onset of 40 years, Uranus and Pluto will begin to exert a particularly strong influence on your life - the planets, let's say, are not the most favorable. They often cause severe family and financial crises, as well as accidents and other unforeseen but terribly unpleasant events.

However, there is no evidence that the 40th anniversary celebration will in any way increase their impact. Therefore, even the stars do not forbid you to spend a pleasant holiday and celebrate the onset of the anniversary.

Although astrologers claim that 40 years is an unsafe period, they do not prohibit celebrating a birthday

The ban on the celebration of forty years is pure superstition. Don't let silly omens ruin your day.