Myths are part of the way of life of most cultures across the globe. They are usually traditional stories either concerning the early history of the people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon. These stories mostly are superstitious, involving supernatural beings or events. Africa is well known for its belief in myths.
Most African countries including Ghana, have traditionally superstitious stories often told to children and passed on to generations. In Ghana myths are common and the myths often come with reasons. Here are some popular Ghanaian myths one should know.
Do not put your hands on the ground while eating else you will never get satisfied: This is a popular myth among Ghanaians. It is believed that one will never get satisfied when they put their hand (often left hand) on the ground while eating.
This myth has been believed by people for many years. Therefore it is normal to see parents in Ghanaian homes telling their children not to put their hands on the ground while eating. Even though the reason is that one will not get satisfied when he or she does that while eating, some also do not believe in this myth and have rather tried to find scientific explanations to it. Some people believe that the purpose of this myth is not as stated but it is rather supposed to prevent children from contaminating the food they eat.
The explanation is that in the olden days the external family system was common and all children in a home eat in one bowl. Often the meat is shared to them by the eldest and while some prefer to eat their meat immediately, others prefer to hold it until they finish eating. Children usually put their meat in their left hand which has been placed on the ground while eating with their right hand.
They then eat the meat which may have been contaminated from touching the ground. So scientifically, this myth is meant to prevent children from consuming contaminated food and not because of the saying that they will not be satisfied. Regardless of which meaning one believed in, the fact still remains that this is a myth in Ghanaian communities.
Do not sweep at night because you may be sweeping away your good fortune: This is also a commonly believed myth. It is believed that sweeping at night means sweeping away one’s fortune and spirituality. So people were prevented from sweeping at night because they feared that they would never get rich. However, some people do not believe that one’s wealth will be swept away spiritually but they do believe that one is likely to lose something valuable.
In the olden times when there was no electricity and artificial sources of light, people depended heavily on natural lights such as the moon. Rooms get dark at the night therefore one is likely to sweep away their valuables without noticing. However, lately, this belief does no longer hold because of the existence of artificial sources of lights that still keep the rooms bright at night.
Do not wash your hand under another’s hand else you will be taking away their fortunes: It is believed that washing one’s hand under another person’s hand under running water is not good.
The explanation is that the one whose hand is under is taking away the blessings or fortunes of the one whose hand is down. But some people do not believe this meaning. Instead, their explanation is that washing hands under the mother’s hands will transfer the germs from the first hand to the hand below. So the purpose of this myth scientifically is to prevent the spread of germs.
Even though our forefathers never explained situations scientifically, most of their beliefs and practices are based on knowledge and have still proven their relevance in this modern scientific world.
