Each of us knows that the 40th anniversary should not be celebrated. The reasons for this come from ancient times and are related to popular beliefs.
Most people even today are convinced that if they celebrate their anniversary, something very bad will happen to them. Except for them a real danger for relatives. Superstition has denied millions of festivities.
The significance of the number 40 that it carries in different cultures determines the omission of the 40th anniversary. Moses led the Jews through the desert for exactly 40 years, and before that, the flood, mentioned in the Scriptures, lasted just as long.
The beliefs about birth and death also relate to the number 40. When a baby is born, it must not be shown to strangers for 40 days. On the 40th day after death, the dead are commemorated.
On the 40th anniversary, death is hanging around and should not be attracted. And the light of the candles and the fun would do just that.
In Russia, the confidentiality reads: "You will celebrate 40, you will not live 50. There is also the 9th birthday, and parents often miss this birthday to their children.
In East and Central Asia, the number 4 is considered fatal. It is the equivalent of 13 in Western culture. In hospitals in Asia in the addresses and hospitals of the numbering of the rooms, numbers 4 and 40 are often missed.
Symbolism can be found even in tarot cards. On them the death is denoted by the letter M. In the Erbe alphabet, the mum corresponds to the number 40.
Modern science also has its say on the 40th anniversary. At this age there are changes in consciousness. That is why it was recommended in the past to avoid the holiday so that the path of a person goes smoother.
Recently, it became clear that human brain development ended in exactly 40 years, not as early as in childhood. The formation of the prefrontal cortex ends in this period. This means that by then we can acquire knowledge to use for the rest of our lives.
At the same time, life expectancy was shorter in the past, and 40 years were really old. The body began to aged, the diseases became more frequent and the body more and more difficult to manage. Celebrating the anniversary is considered to be the invitation of the approaching old age.
Some people think that on the 40th birthday, the guardian angel leaves us and leaves us alone to cope. In the past it had assumed that the crucial age is only for men, while women should deny the celebration of the 53rd birthday. Today, for all superstition, it forbids the 40th celebration of the holiday.
A superstitious dare not tempt fate and are adamant that already has too much to celebrate, to risk a coupon for a 40th anniversary. Some find loopholes and others do not pay attention to such beliefs.
However, psychologists are categorical - if you have even a few doubts, then you better miss the holiday.
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