How do they influence us? In South-east Asia, we have customs which evolve with numbers.
In Vietnam, the number four is dominant. The trinity of fundamental societal bonds are referred to as Am-cuong: prince and minister, father and son, and husband and wife. The country’s mythology is dominated by four supernatural creatures (tu-linh): dragon, unicorn, tortoise, phoenix.
In Tulu which is spoken widely in Karnataka, five is dominant. It is referred to as Pancamahapataka, which refers to five specific sins considered to be the evilest: Murdering a Brahmin, stealing gold, drinking alcohol, seducing the wife of a spiritual mentor and associating with an individual, who has committed such sins.
In China, one’s closest relationships are traditionally six in number, and they are called Iliuqin. Iliuqin refers to father, mother, elder brother, younger brother, wife and children.
In Iran they refer to seven colors as Haft rang and these are considered the sacred colors of the heavenly bodies. Black from Saturn, Brown from Jupiter, white from Venus, blue from Mercury, red from Mars, yellow from the Sun, and green from the Moon.
In Sinhalese, Saptavidhiratnaya represents the seven gems or treasures of a king. Chariot wheels, wife, jewels, elephants, horses, sons/prime minister.
Eight parts of a person
Ashthang in Hindi indicates a prostration in salutation or adoration, that involves touching the ground with the eight parts of a person. This includes the knees, hands, feet, chest, eyes, head, words and mind.
The nine precious gems are referred to as Nasaya-Ratna in Sanskrit. They are pearl, ruby, topaz, diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, coral, sapphire and gomed.
In Indonesia there are nine basic commodities which are considered very essential for daily living. It is referred to as Sembako and consists of rice, flour, eggs, sugar, salt, cooking oil, kerosene, dried fish and basic textiles.
Then there are ten Iranian vices (Dahak) named after the mythical demon king, Zahhak. He was infamous because he was very ugly, short, vulgar, greedy, indecent scurrilous, cruel, a liar, hasty, coward and telling lies.
Lastly there is a Thai belief that good luck comes to those who dress in the color of the day. Their code is yellow on Mondays, pink on Tuesdays, green on Wednesdays, orange on Thursdays, blue on Fridays, purple on Saturdays and red on Sundays. Black is not considered lucky, in this traditional view and is reserved for funerals.
Aim Hrim Klim
Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash