Why you can't step over a person lying down

Barely every one of us has heard that you should not step over a person lying down. There is no scientific justification for this, but it is believed that you may not grow any more because of this.

UAportal explains that this folk prejudice has been around since ancient times. It was believed that if you step over a person, it is associated with death, and a cross is symbolically placed on the person. To undo the action, you have to step over backwards.

Read also: If stepped on the foot, whether it is necessary to step in return

In some cases, the offense through the person was even justified. For example, a mother could step over a sick child. So the child could recover, if the mother, stepping over, said these words: "What you were born, that and worked off."

Besides, at the moment when a person is stepped over, he is the most vulnerable to evil forces. And so you will call misfortune or death on her.

Another explanation is related to the belief that a person at this moment is in a special state, which is called "sleep paralysis". Sleep paralysis is a condition in which a person wakes up but cannot move. At this point, a person may feel the presence of evil forces or even feel that his or her soul is leaving the body. It was believed that by stepping over a person who was in sleep paralysis, one could harm their soul.

Another explanation had to do with respect for the person: stepping over a person was an act of carelessness and tactlessness.

Of course, none of these explanations have scientific substantiation. However, they still exist in popular culture and are adhered to by many.

Recall that bans and prejudices in Ukraine have played a significant role in the formation of the country's cultural identity. Therefore, UAportal tells about the most common prejudices and prohibitions that exist in Ukrainian household and family life.

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