You’d be surprised at these hilarious cultural and mythical beliefs amongst the Yoruba people.

We all have beliefs, we’ve all heard myths but some of these myths are simply hilarious. In Yorubaland, there’s a belief that states if a person plays with an umbrella when it is not raining, he/she is simply calling for unwanted heavy rain-fall and downpour on his/her wedding day. How is amusing is that?!

Irrespective of our tribes and tradition, we all have several similarities amongst which are Culture, myths and beliefs that surrounds these tribes. Myths of course are traditional stories that contains a belief regarding something phenomenal and is often a sacred narrative of the forces of nature, gods and our origin. Myths are commonly held beliefs but most times false beliefs and misconceptions which exaggerates or idealizes reality. We have found so many myths in the Yoruba land, that are in fact questionable and amusing.

1. In Yoruba land, it is believed or rather said that if a boy is beaten with a broom, whether as a means of discipline or punishment, his manhood would be rendered impotent which means he won’t be able to get a woman pregnant. And then there’s the question of how? Do brooms have a magical effect whatsoever on the conception process or is there something they are not telling us here??
2. If a person crosses over you while you are seated, it could cause your child to take after that person.. Let’s be honest, we’ve all believed this at some point in our childhood. Although this is believed to be reversible if the same person crosses over you one more time, to “undo” it. I might have indulged in this myth, I mean come on who would want their offspring taking after someone you do not fancy.
3. If an infant who is strapped to his/her mother’s back falls off, it is believed that there is doom awaiting that child. If it’s a boy, it is said that when he attains adulthood his wife or partner will die and if it is a female it is said that her husband/partner would die atop her. Now this particular myth is a little bit frightening. The mother is supposedly made to carry out rituals to prevent the future occurrence from taking place.
4. Drinking water from coconut is said to dullen a child’s intelligence. If a person drinks coconut water the person will become dull. This is quite amusing, We mostly looked forward to drinking the coconut water that we even broke it carefully to avoid spill.
5. Whistling at night attracts things we wouldn’t like. Snakes, reptiles and even ghosts. This one does sound believable, only if you believe in ghosts though.
6. When pregnant, Yoruba believes that the woman should always have a safety pin attached to her dress so as to keep the baby safe. The “safety pins” will help drive evil roaming spirits away from the developing child.
7. Looking at the mirror at a night is an extreme sport for some people like us, thanks to so much horror movies. It is believed that if you look at a mirror in the night, rather than seeing your own reflection you will see ghosts. Spooky?! Someone try it and give feedback, I’ll pass.
8. It is said that pregnant women should not be found outside walking under the sun, it is believed that she would give birth to a disfigured child. Does this mean that women can’t go about their daily activities in the afternoon time all because they are pregnant. This is more superstition if reviewed though.

Which of these myths have you heard before and can relate to?