Latest news with #fortunetelling
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Revealed: What your day of birth REALLY says about you, according to science
We all know from the famous nursery rhyme that 'Monday's child is fair of face', while 'Tuesday's child is full of grace'. Unfortunately for people born on a Wednesday, they are 'full of woe', according to the rhyme, while Thursday's child has 'far to go'. Meanwhile, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for a living, but the child that is born on Sabbath day is bonny and blithe, good and gay. Whether there's any truth in the popular fortune-telling song – dating back to 19th century England – has long been a mystery. Now, a new study finally sheds light on what our day of birth really reveals about us. Using data from more than 2,000 children, the researchers from the University of York investigated the link between a child's day of birth and their destiny. Thankfully for people born on a Wednesday, they found that Wednesday's child is not 'full of woe' as we've been led to believe. In fact, the age-old verse is simply 'harmless fun'. The nursery rhyme dates back to at least 1836, when it was published in 'Traditions of Devonshire' by English writer Anna-Eliza Bray. Note the variation in the final two lines - most notably with a reference to Christmas day instead of the Sabbath day (Sunday) The nursery rhyme, simply called 'Monday's Child', dates back to at least 1836, when it was published in 'Traditions of Devonshire' by English writer Anna-Eliza Bray. Nearly 200 years later, the memorable verse is so popular that people born on a Wednesday are commonly described as 'full of woe', while those born on a Friday routinely get the compliment that they are 'loving and giving'. Of course, what day of the week you were born on may seem entirely incidental – and many people believe there is no truth in the nursery rhyme. However, the research team theorized that it could actually be having lasting effects on personality. For example, a child born on a Monday told they are 'fair of face' might, in theory, develop higher self-esteem, making them appear more confident and attractive to others. Meanwhile, a child born on a Wednesday might interpret common feelings of sadness as proof of their 'woe', believing they experience these emotions more than others. Parents familiar with the rhyme might also be more inclined to enrol a 'Thursday's child' ('full of grace') in lessons for physical fitness, such as ballet – inadvertently shaping their physical development. To investigate whether there's truth to any of this, the team analysed data from a large study of more than 1,100 families with twins in England and Wales, tracking the siblings from age 5 to 18. 'Monday's Child' Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace. Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go. Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for a living. But the child that is born on Sabbath day, Is bonny and blithe, good and gay The data included days of the week in which the children were born, as well as personality traits interpreted from the various lines in the poem. For example, prosocial behaviour corresponded with 'loving and giving' and hardworking behaviour corresponded with 'works hard for a living'. 'Fair of face', meanwhile, was based on attractiveness ratings from an independent figure when the children were at ages 5, 10, 12, and 18. Overall, the team found no evidence that the day of the week a child is born influences their personality, appearance or future success. A Wednesday's child is no more likely to be 'full of woe' than a Monday's child is to be 'fair of face', they report. Instead, factors such as a family's socio-economic status, a child's sex and their birth weight are far more significant in predicting a child's development. According to Professor Sophie von Stumm, senior author at the University of York's department of education, nursery rhymes like 'Monday's Child' are simply 'harmless fun'. 'In an age where parents are increasingly concerned about the messages children encounter, our findings offer reassurance,' she said. Pictured, box plots of children's personality and physical traits by 'Monday's Child' nursery rhyme, across days of the week of birth. Scores are plotted for one twin randomly selected from each pair 'While many older tales and rhymes might seem out of step with modern values, our research indicates they don't have any long-term influence on children. 'We know these rhymes are rich in alliteration and vocabulary which has been shown to boost language and literacy, so parents should absolutely continue to share them.' The team acknowledge that their study did not cover all the many possible interpretations of the 'Monday's Child' nursery rhyme. For example, researchers interpreted 'full of grace' as referring to having grace in physical mobility, such as being nimble and light on one's feet, but it could also refer to being gracious in personality, meaning courteous, kind and pleasant. Thursday's child having 'far to go' may mean having good prospects for achieving success – as in 'he'll go far' – or having an arduous road ahead. The team admit that no data was available on the extent to which the families were familiar with, engaged in, or adhered to 'Monday's Child'. 'Thus, we could not ascertain whether our findings were confounded by family-level differences in children's and parents' endorsement of the verses,' they say in their paper, published in Journal of Personality. After more than 20 years, one of the most successful children's books of all time is getting another installment. A new book in 'The Gruffalo' series, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, is set to hit the shelves in 2026. As any parent will likely know, the original tells the tale of a plucky mouse encountering a series of predators – including the eponymous two-horned beast. But if you thought there was nothing more to this best-selling picture book than a charming woodland narrative, you were wrong. According to a scientific study, this 'vibrant and complex text' has hidden political meanings which until now have been overlooked. The 700-word book 'offers an engagement with world politics' and an insight into 'sociopolitical worlds', the study claims. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Review of International Studies, the paper demonstrates that children's picture books are not 'just for kids'.
CBS News
18-07-2025
- CBS News
Long Island fortune teller arrested after charging woman more than $60,000, police say
A New York City man is facing grand larceny and fortune telling charges on Long Island. Nassau County Police said Hemanth Kumar Muneppa was arrested Thursday in Hicksville. Police said Muneppa charged a 68-year-old woman $20,000 for fortune telling services back on July 3. She returned for additional services Thursday at Anjana Ji on South Broadway. The company's website says it offers a variety of astrology services, including "evil spirit removal" and "love spell caster." Muneppa asked the woman to pay an extra $42,000, and she was driven to a bank on Broadway to withdraw the money, according to police. Questions were raised when she went to withdraw the money, and police were called. Officers arrested Muneppa in the parking lot without incident. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Hempstead. According to New York State law, it is illegal to charge for fortune telling services, unless solely for entertainment or amusement purposes. Fortune telling is considered a class B misdemeanor. "A person is guilty of fortune telling when, for a fee or compensation which he directly or indirectly solicits or receives, he claims or pretends to tell fortunes, or holds himself out as being able, by claimed or pretended use of occult powers, to answer questions or give advice on personal matters or to exorcise, influence or affect evil spirits or curses; except that this section does not apply to a person who engages in the aforedescribed conduct as part of a show or exhibition solely for the purpose of entertainment or amusement," the law reads. Nassau County Police urge anyone who may have been a victim of Muneppa to call 516-573-6200.
South China Morning Post
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How fortune-telling in ancient China decided vital affairs of state, from wars to farming
Fortune-telling bars with Chinese characteristics are one of the latest fads in China. Instead of using tarot cards or crystal balls, establishments in Beijing use the traditional Chinese method of qiuqian (kau cim in Cantonese) to tell fortunes. Seekers either pull one of many numbered bamboo sticks out of a cylinder, or gently shake the cylinder until a single stick gets dislodged and falls to the table or floor. The number on the stick corresponds to a chit, on which a cryptic message is written. The psychic then interprets the message and tells their client things they desperately want to hear, or vague twaddle that could apply to anyone. Numbered bamboo sticks in cylinders like these are used in qiuqian, a traditional method of fortune-telling that is popular in China. Photo: Shutterstock
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
How many Americans believe in astrology and rely on fortunetelling? A new survey has answers
NEW YORK — A lot of American adults — about 3 in 10 — make use of astrology, tarot cards or fortunetellers at least once a year. But only a small fraction of them rely on what they learn from these practices to make major decisions. That's according to a nationwide survey released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, encompassing 9,593 U.S. adults who were interviewed last October.
