Prevalence of Superstitions and other Supernaturals in Rural Punjab: A Sociological Perspective

Abstract

The present paper is designed to explore the belief system prevailing in a rural community of the Punjab, Pakistan. In particular, prevalence of beliefs regarding superstitions, dreams and shrines are studied along with other supernatural aspects such as black magic, taweez and ghosts. Data are taken from a probability sample survey conducted in the village. The survey covered various aspects of social structure including superstitions and supernaturals. Half of the respondents are male and the other half females. Our analysis shows that sizable proportion of the people believe in various superstitions, meaningful dreams and supernatural aspects such as black magic, taweez and ghosts. Major reasons for believing in these are the stated personal experiences or observations. Visiting shrines of the saints is also common among the villagers mainly due to dedication or traditions.