Shan are also superstitious. Various amulets can be found belonging to Shan people. Most of these amulets are worn around the neck,
arm, wrists and ankles, each one with its specific function for protection against the evils or as a talisman for good luck. Nearly
all these superstitious symbols have previously received the blessing from the monks or witchdoctor otherwise they usually would not
be considered effective and powerful. Some also believe in astrologer. Full-moon day and last day of the waning moon are considered
as Sabbath day and people must avoid making noise and working in the field. When violated the Sabbath the people may encounter with
disasters. Whatever happen to them they consider it as the consequences of karma. Good karma brings good things and bad karma brings
bad things. Man does not go under the rope, which hangs woman’s skirt (odefj) or women’s underwear. Going under such rope causes the
down grading of man’s spiritual power. Shan strongly believe that their identity does not perish when they die. When a child is born,
parents always wonder where a child’s life was in his last life. They believe that the spirits of the dead may go for ages to heaven
or hell but more often they are reborn on earth. They believe that the spirit returns willingly to its own human family, so a child
may have in it the spirit of its dead brother or sister or father or grandmother or some other ancestor who died before he was born.
Shan do not sleep with head directing to the North because they believed that it will lessen their fortune. They sleep with head directing
to the East.
Shan believe that a dream can be a revelation or omen. Sometimes a dreamer may go to astrologer or magician and pay a
sum of money and offering for interpretation of the dream and solution. In the old days Shan believed that all diseases were either
because of disturbances of the body by the four elements such as wind, fire, earth and water, or by some kind of force or power that
were not understood by the people and caused by evil spirit. The former cases were treated with traditional medicine. The diseases
of the second category were treated by mediums or by witchdoctors or shamans or spirit-doctors. If a child was sick at young age it
was considered as born on the wrong date. In order to remedy the sickness a child had to be sold to other and bought back. In some
cases some even buried the child in the ground for a while, left only the head of the child above ground, and dig him/her out from
the pit so that the sickness would be healed.
[36] Ibid pp36-37
