Everyone knows about the sign “You can’t celebrate 40 years.”
This year my husband turned 40 years old. A year before, on his 39th birthday, he announced to all the guests that he would not celebrate his 40th birthday. Many of the guests were surprised and even objected to this decision, but my husband was adamant and, just in case, we decided to go with the children to the sea for a week, let the birthday take place under our control. The phone doesn't work there and it would be quite a long way for guests to travel.
I myself don’t really believe in the statement that men should not celebrate their 40th birthday, but, firstly, I am a wife and must support my husband, put up with his oddities (if they, of course, are not harmful), and secondly , a holiday at sea is our favorite period of the year, when you can finally do nothing but crack ice cream and splash in the warm salty water. Therefore, we approved this plan unanimously and a few days before hour “H” we went on vacation.
As a result, everything went as my husband wanted, we had a wonderful rest, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
This is the story we experienced this year, but in a few years I will also be 40 and I was wondering if the sign of not celebrating 40 applies only to men or women too? And where did this belief come from? I decided to deal with this with all my determination. Is it true that whoever decides to celebrate this date will be haunted by misfortunes? Or maybe there is nothing wrong and these are just human prejudices?
Biblical background
In Christianity, the number 40 appears many times. For Christians, the number 40 is associated with important Christian events:
- The Flood lasted 40 days;
- The Jewish people wandered through the desert in search of the Promised Land for 40 years;
- Jesus ascended to heaven after death on the 40th day;
- After his baptism, Jesus was in the desert, exposed to the temptations of the devil, for 40 days;
- The human soul remains on earth for 40 days after death;
- After the birth of a child, a young mother is considered “unclean” for 40 days.
It is not surprising that the number 40 is firmly embedded in the popular consciousness that it is associated with death and suffering. Perhaps that is why it is believed that it is better not to celebrate this particular anniversary, so as not to bring trouble to one’s head once again.
Guardian Angel "retires"
It is believed that after forty the guardian angel “retires” There is a belief that it is precisely at the 40th birthday that a person is left without protection, since his guardian angel retreats from him.
Tarot Card Warning
In Tarot cards there is a connection between the lasso “Death” and the number 40. According to the laws of numerology and Tarot cards, the number 40 is the number of death. In the Tarot, the main Arcana “Death” has the letter “M”, and according to the Hebrew alphabet, this letter corresponds to the number 40.
Asian negativity
Residents of East and Central Asia believe that the number four brings evil, misfortune and death. Therefore, in these countries they try not to mention this number anywhere.
Thus, we see that the number 4 or 40 is associated with negativity, which is associated with life’s trials, after which a person moves to a new level of development.
Let's be realistic
Let's logically think about why the ban on celebrating this particular anniversary is meaningless:
- Hundreds of people of all ages die every day around the world.
- Only the Slavs do not celebrate their fortieth anniversary. All other inhabitants of the planet happily celebrate their birthday and feel great.
- If you are a believer, then you know that the church does not support any superstitious beliefs.
- A holiday is an event that only has a positive effect on a person’s psyche and energy.
What should superstitious people do? How to help solve the problem of celebrating 40 years?
If you are still superstitious, then here are some options to solve the problem of the 40th anniversary.
When it comes to 40th birthdays, birthday people often do not understand the opinions of others. Why can't women and men celebrate their 40th birthday?
It should immediately be noted that this is nothing more than a banal superstition. People have the right to have their own opinion about popular beliefs. Some are trying to find some special meaning in them, others are simply trying to believe out of fear, but still others strongly doubt their veracity. However, signs are especially popular even today.
The superstition in question has absolutely no scientific basis. No one can answer the question accurately with “Is it possible to celebrate 40 years for a man or a woman?" Even among esoteric and religious teachings there are only superficial arguments regarding this limitation. It is worth considering the most popular options.
For completely inexplicable reasons, this holiday is often associated with some problems and hidden meanings. Someone pinched a finger, someone got into an accident, and a third suddenly lost everything. However, such events can happen at absolutely any age. This only serves as proof that ancient beliefs contain a tremendous power that takes possession of human thoughts.
Why isn't a woman's 40th birthday celebrated?
Many representatives of the fair sex They warn that celebrating 40 years is undesirable, as this can lead to extremely sad consequences. This is due to the characteristics of the female body.
By the age of 40, the biorhythms of the human body change, and the time of menopause comes. It is accompanied by the appearance of wrinkles and gray hair. General well-being and mood also change. Stressful conditions, depression, aggressive behavior- these are quite ordinary things that are signs of the oncoming menopause.
This cannot be avoided, since changes within the body are determined by Mother Nature herself. Along with this, the celebration of the anniversary date in question negatively affects the condition of the lady’s body, leading to faster loss of vital energy.
Many ladies do not believe in superstitions and celebrate their 40th birthday with confidence. Others fear for their health and well-being.
Why don't men celebrate their 40th birthday?
If we talk about representatives of the stronger sex, then death is assumed.
Why don't men celebrate their 40th birthday?, and what is this connected with? This fear has its roots in one known history about an astronaut. He went into orbit of our wonderful planet immediately after celebrating his fortieth birthday. Immediately after takeoff, the spacecraft crashed to the ground due to unexpected problems. There are a huge number of life stories where men, who do not pay any attention to signs, die in the most mysterious way.
Another version says that turning 40 can be the final anniversary in the life of a representative of the stronger sex. Reaching an older age will be prevented by some sudden heart attack or a very rare, but serious illness. This belief has absolutely no scientific justification, but a huge number of coincidences may indicate that it really works and takes place. If a 40-year-old man decides to celebrate his 40th birthday, then he is at great risk of being left without a guardian angel.
What does the church think?
People of the Orthodox faith who highly respect church canons should pay attention to the opinion of church ministers. They claim that the ban on celebrating the 40th anniversary is a manifestation of human fear.
People are very scared and the number forty itself, since it is somehow connected with the afterlife. After all, exactly on the fortieth day after death, the relatives of the deceased come to his grave and arrange a wake.
It should be noted that the church strongly rejects this superstition and denies that the date can have any influence on the human condition and life.
Church ministers say that even honoring thirty-three years (the age of Christ) cannot bring anything bad, since there is no offense to higher powers.
After reading the Bible, you can find a lot of events related to the number forty:
- when Jesus was resurrected, he walked the earth for another forty days, giving people hope;
- King David reigned for exactly four decades;
- Solomon's temple is exactly four dozen cubits wide.
What astrologers say
Astrologers believe that 40 years represents a crisis boundary for any person. It is at this time that Uranus has the maximum influence on life, in which something drastic can happen.
The adverse effects of a celestial body are often manifested by financial instability, accident, divorce or illness.
For this reason, astrologers advise celebrating 40 years in a quiet and moderate environment to ensure a successful conclusion to the midlife crisis.
Psychics' opinion
People with psychic abilities They are used to completely relying on them, and accordingly, signs are just an empty phrase for them. But there are superstitions which they borrowed from their ancestors and in which they believe.
Are they celebrating their 40th anniversary? The woman and man are told that this prohibition is connected with the mysteries of the Tarot, which suggest that the number 40 brings death. That’s why they don’t recommend celebrating forty years.
If you have a sincere belief in superstitions, but still want to organize a holiday, then try using the following recommendations.
- Organize a celebration not of 40 years, but of the end of the third decade.
- Invite only the closest people who wish you nothing but good and well-being.
- Change the date of the celebration.
There are many reasons why people believe in omens and superstitions. However real reason lies within the person himself. Because the choice is always yours.
We often hear that celebrating a fortieth birthday is a bad omen. But you won’t hear any sensible explanations why you shouldn’t organize a holiday on this occasion. You can find many different life stories on the Internet. ordinary people who encountered this superstition. On forums, people write that after celebrating their 40th anniversary, minor troubles happened to them, but there are also those who did not notice any changes in their lives after the celebration. So how can one explain the massive reluctance to celebrate this particular date?
Why you can’t celebrate 40 years: facts and speculation
It is quite possible that these prejudices have to do with the number “forty” itself. You can often stumble upon the mentioned value in the Holy Scriptures, and not very good events are associated with it:
- The Great Flood lasted not a week or a month, but precisely forty days;
- Moses, losing what was left of his patience, led his constantly dissatisfied people through the desert for forty years;
- Jesus stayed in the same deserted places for forty days after his baptism;
- We should not forget that a deceased person is remembered for the last time on the fortieth day, and his soul finally leaves this world;
- It is customary to show newborns to strangers only forty days after birth; otherwise the child may be jinxed.
Orthodox churches have always belonged to folk superstitions negatively, because according to Orthodox canons it is considered a sin to believe in omens. The priests consider the belief that it is impossible to celebrate the fortieth anniversary to be completely absurd.
Our ancestors had a tradition of not celebrating their fortieth birthday for the following reason: the average human life expectancy used to be lower than it is today. And at forty years old a person was already considered old. Yes, and medicine was not like that high level, like now. Therefore, celebrating the fortieth anniversary at that time was practically a greeting of the imminent approach of death.
According to one belief: at the age of forty a person is abandoned by his guardian angel. Interestingly, only men previously refused to celebrate this date. But recently, women do not want to risk their health, and maybe even their lives.
Is it possible to celebrate a birthday at 40?
If you want to celebrate this day, but are afraid negative consequences, that is, some tips on how to get around superstition:
- you can arrange a holiday for such an occasion, but celebrate not the fortieth anniversary, but, say, forty years and one day;
- One can mark the passing of thirty-nine years in the same way.
No one is stopping you from imagining a little and organizing a great celebration. It is advisable to invite only relatives and friends to the celebration - no employees, business partners, girlfriends or friends. Only relatives will wish the birthday boy all the best and ask for blessings for him.
Remember that superstitions tend to come true only if you believe in them yourself!
There are some dates whose celebration is not encouraged, and the most famous of them is 40 years. Should you listen to the opinions of those around you or is it better to throw away prejudices and throw a grand celebration?
Men are not so dependent on the opinions of other people, but with the onset of a certain age, their perception of the world changes. They become receptive to following traditions in which celebrating a 40th birthday is undesirable. Such superstition used to have a practical basis. Several centuries ago, people's lives were much shorter, and after forty years any person was considered old. This more often affected men, since they were considered the main breadwinners and protectors of the family. Turning 40 brought them closer to the period of old age, to weakening health. Therefore, men had no desire to celebrate such a date.
Also, some dates in the history of the church with the number 40 were not the best. Even if a man is not a believer, he is afraid of celebrating the 40th anniversary of his life.
Another reason can be called the conventional milestone, which is the 40th anniversary. By this age, many men begin to comprehend their lives, their actions and mistakes. Often reflections are not consoling, and therefore there is no mood to celebrate such dates.
Why can't women celebrate their birthdays at 40?
Previously, the unspoken ban applied only to men, but with the advent of equality, women also adopted this tradition. Women's psychology is much more subtle and vulnerable than men's. Fear of misfortunes and troubles makes women miss this date and not celebrate it solemnly. Otherwise, after the celebration, the woman will always look for the consequences of the feast, and she will attribute the small failures that happened to her earlier precisely to her 40th birthday.
Church about celebrating its 40th anniversary. Orthodoxy's opinion
The Church denies the harm of abstaining from celebrating its fortieth anniversary. According to the priests, even a major celebration cannot offend the heavenly powers in any way, and therefore, when making a decision, you should not be guided by church history.
By the way, in this story you can find happy events with the number 40. King David, revered by the church, reigned for 40 years, which already indicates the positive impact of this number on people’s lives.
King Solomon built a temple whose width was 40 cubits, and using the number 40 did not make his life any worse.
Finally, the most famous part of the story, when Jesus spent another 40 days on earth after his resurrection, can be interpreted in completely different ways. These are not 40 days of sorrow, but 40 days of hope that he gave to everyone living on earth.
Is it possible to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Muslims? Islam's opinion
Islam gives greater independence to a person. The clergy note that celebrating 40 years as a Muslim is not a bad act if all Sharia rules regarding festive events, which, by the way, includes the complete absence of alcoholic beverages.
There is also an opinion that the expiration of a year of life should not in any way affect a person’s mood and is not a reason for either joy or sadness. Of the known dates in Islam regarding the number 40, one can note the age of Muhammad, who became a prophet at the age of 40.
What happens when you celebrate your fortieth birthday?
Celebrating a fortieth birthday cannot lead to anything bad, but there are people who tend to correlate the events of their lives with their actions. Psychologists note that for such people, celebrating their 40th birthday can really be a disaster. A person initially programs himself for failures, which will certainly follow the fun. Every small failure will be perceived as a tragedy and punishment.
Even if no negative events follow the anniversary celebration, the susceptible person will still receive an imaginary punishment. Symptoms of diseases may appear, for example, headache or increased blood pressure, although this may only be due to age, lifestyle, or even be a consequence of stress. Such sensitive people are better off not celebrating their 40th birthday.
The fun will not be complete if you are constantly expecting some kind of punishment for it.
People do not turn to the services of psychologists so often and try to cope with all the problems themselves. However, it is the advice of psychologists that can greatly contribute to creating a festive mood on the 40th anniversary.
Experts advise find events in your life or the lives of other people with a positive connotation that relate to the number 40. If you remember carefully, such events will certainly come to mind. You can also try to divide the number 40 into its components - 4 and 0. These numbers are not threatening for most residents of European countries.
You can also remember yourself at the age of 4 and be touched by some of your childhood actions. You can then imagine your 40th birthday as a celebration of your 4th birthday, which has already been successfully completed 10 times. Finally, for many athletes and simply sports fans, the number 4 is the periodicity of the Olympic Games, which do not stop their march around the planet at the tenth round.
Esotericists can give practical advice on how to get rid of the negative consequences of celebrating your 40th birthday. The celebration should not take place in someone else's place; you should invite guests to your home and refuse to go to a cafe or restaurant.
The energy of your home will become protection on this day. The recommendations of esotericists boil down to the fact that there is no need to celebrate the onset of the 40-year mark, however, their opinion can be decisive only for a limited circle of people.
How to celebrate 40 years if you can’t?
If people are prohibited from doing something, they want to find ways to get around this ban. This also applies to the celebration of the 40th anniversary. You can find a lot of ways to help get rid of the negative aura of this date.
You can celebrate the event on any other day. Birthdays often fall in the middle of the week, and in this case it is quite difficult to invite guests. Invite friends at the end of the week when the 40th anniversary has passed and all that's left to do is throw a celebration.
You can celebrate the date of the 40th anniversary without one day, then the official occasion could be seeing off the fourth decade. Getting ready at over 39 years old is so unusual.
Invite your friends to a party and have a celebration, but don’t talk about your 40th anniversary at the party itself, although everyone will understand and know the reason for which they are gathered here. Such deception works perfectly, and then the 40-year mark will not seem gloomy and dangerous to the hero of the day and his guests.
If you decide to celebrate your 40th birthday- switch. . .
Each of us has at least once heard such a belief that it is impossible to celebrate a 40th anniversary. But not everyone can explain why the 40th anniversary is not celebrated. In our country, like no other, every holiday is celebrated on a grand scale, and only some spend it in a calm, friendly company. Should we trust predictions from the past, or are they well-founded?
Prejudice associated with 40th anniversary celebrations
Forty years is a kind of milestone in the life of every person, upon reaching which there is a certain reassessment of one’s achievements in one’s career, family life. This is a time when significant changes relate to health and appearance.
This age is a kind of boundary, upon reaching which a person becomes wiser, spiritually richer, and begins to look for why he should live next, what to strive for, and sets new goals. Everyone has the right to decide for themselves to listen to the predictions of their ancestors, or still be guided by modern ideas about life and holidays.
There are several reasons why it is not advisable to celebrate your 40th birthday
The first of them is based on religious grounds. This figure is associated with the time that the soul spends on Earth after its death, and just on the 40th day it flies away. In addition, the worldwide sweat lasted the same number of days, which is also a negative event. Also it was for forty days that they wore mourning clothes for the dead, but in our time there remains such a ritual as “seeing off the soul” just on the fortieth day. This ritual is based on the biblical legend that Jesus Christ himself spent 40 days on earth before ascending to heaven. That is why the celebration of this birthday is considered a kind of disrespect for the memory of all the dead, disrespect for death, and thus the hero of the day is doomed to misfortune, suffering and troubles.
Moses led his people for 40 years until they found the promised land. In addition, you cannot show your newborn to acquaintances, friends and strangers for 40 days. That's why you can't celebrate your 40th birthday, so as not to bring trouble to the hero of the day. Although this event in itself is not negative.
Another explanation associated with this date is based on historical writings. According to these writings, people lived only until they were 40–50 years old, and this age was almost the limit for human life. From this point of view, celebrating your 40th birthday is dangerous, since it may be your last birthday. And the hero of the day himself once again emphasized his advanced age. Of course, in those distant times people died from many diseases and hunger, but nowadays people live much longer, is it worth believing in this superstition?
A negative parallel is drawn with the number four when fortune telling on Tarot cards, and the number 40 is no different in this case and is associated with the sign of death. This fact is given as an example. Although the birthday of 4-year-old children is celebrated.
The most plausible explanation of all is that since ancient times, 40 years has been considered a milestone figure, when everyone begins to rethink their life, and the number 40 itself is endowed with some magic. This is also the time when the soul moves into a new state.
According to another judgment, this is the age when a person should already have some kind of life wisdom, since a guardian angel comes from a person. And at this time, the hero of the day should not be busy with celebration, but with rethinking and self-improvement.
Also in Kievan Rus just on the fortieth day they checked the dead for incorruptibility, that is, if the body had not changed its appearance- means a deceased saint, and he could be canonized. Perhaps it is precisely this check after forty posthumous days that is connected with this sign.
The Slavs also associated various events with the number forty. According to some sources, a certain number system was based on this number. This figure also relates to some rituals that are associated with the birth of a person, as well as his death. For example, up to forty days, they say about the deceased “May he rest in peace,” and after this period - “The Kingdom of Heaven.” The number 9 is considered no less mysterious, but it is customary for us to celebrate it as a date of birth.
He has his own point of view on this matter. Since this science does not relate to religion or popular beliefs, its explanation is specific. The ancient Greeks were very respectful of numbers. Pythagoras himself answered the question about this date very interestingly; according to him, the number 4 has an unusual sacred meaning, since it is based on a sign of balance, a certain completeness. And the number 40 when adding the two digits that make it up gives the number 4.
This holiday is associated with a variety of misfortunes - someone broke their arm, someone’s wife left them, and someone crashed their car. Such an event, of course, can happen at any time, and not necessarily on this anniversary. It all depends on various statements, including how you yourself feel about it.
Why should a man not celebrate his 40th birthday?
There are various statements why a man and a woman should not celebrate their 40th birthday. In general, all superstitions associated with this date apply more to men; no one can explain for certain the reason for this phenomenon. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that women were previously considered to be of lower status, and this prediction does not particularly apply to them. Of course, there will be many people who will try to dissuade you from not celebrating this holiday, but it all depends on your opinion on this matter. And although this sign is more associated with the church, it does not say anything about why a man should not celebrate his 40th birthday.
If you ask a clergyman what the church says about this, most likely he will say that these are prejudices “from the evil one.” If there is a superstition that concerns birthdays, then it is associated with the age of Christ (that is, 33 years), but even in this case the church does not strictly prohibit it.
According to popular beliefs, a man who still dares to celebrate his anniversary in a noisy company thus sends greetings to death and invites disaster upon himself.
Previously, people did not have much good health, they worked a lot, the body wore out much faster, which is why such a date could be the last for a man, since mortality at that time was high, and life expectancy is much less than now. It was also believed that there was no need to celebrate due to the assertion that noisy fun once again reminded death - how old you are. It is these reasons that explain the reasons why a man’s 40th birthday is not celebrated.
Does this superstition apply to women?
Are there beliefs that explain why a woman should not celebrate her 40th birthday? Superstitious people claim that those women who dare to disobey and celebrate their fortieth birthday may soon face troubles, illnesses and misfortunes. There may also be an option that the birthday girl will not suffer, only because all her sorrows will be taken away by her loved one. Of course, it is impossible to say that these signs are justified, because no one has studied this phenomenon. There will be nothing wrong if you celebrate this date with your loved ones. On the other hand, if you really believe in omens, they will certainly come true, and they can have the most unpredictable consequences.
What to do in this situation?
A lot of time has passed since these predictions appeared, and people have figured out how to avoid their consequences. There are so-called protection measures, for example:
- celebrate the anniversary not on the day when a person was born, but the next day, 1 week.
- to celebrate a significant date in our native walls,
- it is advisable that only relatives and friends be present (since these people will not wish ill will on the birthday boy),
- One can note the passing of ’39, or the onset of the “fifth decade.”
It’s better to think once again about the fact that from the point of view of the church, any superstitions are considered a sin and you shouldn’t believe in them that way. You should listen less to suspicious people and focus on the positive. Believe me, problems await those who intuitively believe in them and thus attract them to themselves. If you have doubts, you can talk to people who celebrated this event and ask them if there were any troubles in their lives, perhaps everything is not so bad.
