Holy folly

Superstitious Han Chinese have a way to make a child grow up intelligent. They have a barber shave the head and eyebrows of a baby boy on the 24th day after his birth, and on the 20th day or at the one-month mark if the baby is a girl, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.

The shaving is just the start of the ritual. After the baby’s head is shaved, a red egg is gently rolled across the infant’s head three times to symbolize the removal of misfortune and evil, followed by the application of a mixture of egg yolk and spring onion juice to the scalp, signifying hope that the child will grow up intelligent and wise, according to SCMP.

After the shaving, the hair is thrown onto the rooftop or turned into a calligraphy brush, before visiting friends and relatives, presenting gifts, marking the infant’s formal integration into the family’s lineage, according to SCMP.

Meanwhile, a devout Filipina Buddhist bought a statue of Buddha four years ago and has been worshipping it ever since.

The woman placed the statue in her home altar and burns incense when she prays to it for blessings.

One day, a friend visited the woman and saw the green statue. The visitor told her friend that it was not Buddha but the cartoon character Shrek, with its distinctive antenna-looking ears, according to SCMP.

The Shrek worshipper was amused and laughed, telling her visitor that what truly mattered was the sincerity of her prayers, not the figure itself. She added that she plans to continue praying before the Shrek figurine.

The incident was posted on Chinese social media and amused netizens, too, with one commenter suggesting that people should watch cartoons sometimes.