Do not Cut your Fingernails at Night
Cutting of fingernails at night is commonly called “yotsume”. This word is associated with “yo wo tsumeru” or short-lived. It is believed to be associated with someone having an early death. Doing this action means a person’s life will be shortened and will die. The premature death causes the person to die before his/her parents or ancestors which is associated with the Japanese word,”oya no shi ni me ni aenai”, which means that a person will not see the death of his/her own parents.
A long time ago, people used to light a lantern or candle close to them when cutting their fingernails. When the flame of a lantern or candle burns a cut fingernail, the burning smell of flesh reminds people of the cremation in a Japanese funeral.
