I'm not superstitious, but my Korean grandmother was one of the most superstitious people I've ever known. She would scold me for whistling, leaving the fan on while asleep (fan death, google it), or attempting to kill a daddy longlegs in the house. Most Korean superstitions are rooted in the fear of misfortune and death. Probably the most widespread superstition in Asia is the fear of the number four, otherwise known as tetraphobia.
Much like Westerners' take on the number "13," Asians believe that the number "4" is extremely unlucky. In Asian languages, the number four sounds like the word death. So, naturally, avoiding the number four means you're doing your part in escaping death. This superstition is so pervasive, floor number four is even skipped in buildings. And I feel sorry for those who were born on April 4, 1944. Multiple fours in a row is like a death wish.
Now you can imagine what I was thinking when I was checking my Etsy stats this week. 4444 admirers and 443 sales! I can practically hear my grandmother gasp from heaven. But, so far this week, the most unfortunate thing that has happened is our kitty chewing up my computer's power cable. Maybe the fact that I survived this ominous numerical event without major tribulation is a testament to how lucky I really am. I have, after all, left the fan running on many summer nights.
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