Many tourists on the last day of their vacation look for bodies of water or fountains on the map – they consider it obligatory to visit these places to throw a coin and make a wish to visit here again.
Where does this tradition come from? Let's figure it out together.
How the tradition of throwing a coin into water and making wishes came about
In fact, there are quite a few “primary sources” of this rite.
For example, in Ancient India it was customary to throw copper coins into water to purify the liquid and make it suitable for consumption.
In turn, the inhabitants of Ancient Greece believed that bodies of water were the habitats of nymphs and other water spirits. Therefore, they tried to appease these spirits with coins so that the journey would be safe. The ancient Greeks believed that those who were stingy with a coin might not return home.
The Romans threw coins into the water to appease the goddess of love and beauty, Venus, who was also the goddess of the sea.
In other cultures, the tradition of throwing coins was closely linked to belief in the afterlife - for example, in Ancient Egypt, money was placed in tombs so that the deceased would have the means to survive in the afterlife.
Earlier we talked about why we dream of deceased relatives.
