Almost every person, approaching his fortieth birthday, will surely hear that this date should not be celebrated. To the question "Why?", He will receive the answer: "Bad omen". Where this sign came from and what is its essence, no one can explain. Still, let's try to figure out what this superstition is connected with.
What's so bad about the number 40?
In many cultures, 40 is a sacred number. For example, in the Bible, the number forty occurs quite often:
- Moses led the Jews in the desert for forty years;
- Jesus spent forty years in the desert after baptism;
- The Flood lasted forty years.
The Japanese have the number 40 as a symbol of death and they never celebrate this anniversary. African shamans believe that after the fortieth birthday a person's soul dies. There is even an opinion that after forty years the guardian angel leaves us. And if we nevertheless celebrate this anniversary, then ahead of time we attract the attention of death.
Our ancestors, the Slavs, were also in awe of the number 40 - many rituals and beliefs are associated with this number. It is believed that it is on the fortieth day after death that the soul says goodbye to the earthly world. Until that day, they say: "May the earth rest in peace to him", and after that - "The Kingdom of Heaven for him." Until the fortieth day, it is forbidden to show a newborn child to anyone from outside.
Orthodoxy does not explain the existence of this sign in any way. Modern ministers of the church claim that we inherited this superstition from the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that at forty years of age comes the greatest flowering of strength and wisdom, but at that time very few people in Ancient Greece lived to be 50 years old. Therefore, this date caused them panic, and they experienced severe psychological stress.
In Tarot cards, the letter "M" stands for the number 40 and death. Also, you will hear from your acquaintances and friends many examples from life how sadly the celebration of this round date can end.
Are there any positive arguments for the number 40?
Everything in the same Bible says that King David reigned for forty years. Is it bad? Solomon built a temple forty cubits wide - does this have something to do with death? Jesus Christ stayed on earth, after his resurrection, 40 days - "by death, trampling on death and giving people new hope." Psychologists also believe that the number forty is not fatal, but is associated only with the internal state of a person. At this age, almost everyone has a reassessment of values, there is an "intermediate summing up of the past years." I think that there will be many positive stories from life when people celebrated their 40th anniversary and lived happily for many years after that.
So celebrate or not celebrate your 40th birthday? Everyone should answer this question for himself. The decision is yours!
