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Are the fishermen and fisherwomen the most superstitious people in the world? They ban many things in their fishing boats. Some popular ones include whistling, saying some phrases, and bringing bananas to their boats. Everyone loves to eat yellow fruit anywhere they go. But then, why can’t you have bananas on a fishing boat?
Let us find out why this small fruit angers fishermen and women so much.
Why can’t you have bananas on a fishing boat? – Is there a valid explanation?
There are many chances for bad luck to strike in the sea.
Fishing boats become stuck or need help. Boats become hopelessly adrift due to mechanical breakdowns. Due to unknown ailments, crew members become fatally ill. A bad storm moves in. All of these things have been blamed on ill luck at various times.
While there are many superstitions regarding fishermen and their boats that are almost too many to list, one applies almost exclusively to individuals who fish for sport.
They are bananas!
Some people in the fishing industry dislike bananas so much that they do not just avoid eating them. They also avoid anything that contains the word banana or is similar to it.
The possible origin behind banning bananas on fishing boats
The Coast Guard, high-frequency radio, cell phones, and other modern methods of signaling for assistance were nonexistent in the 1700s and 1800s. As a result, when a ship sank, no one else was aware of it. If a different ship arrived at the scene of a shipwreck and discovered a huge amount of bananas floating among the other wreckage, they concluded that the bananas were unlucky.
Upon their return to port after crossing the wrecked ship, the sailors who had done so told tales in which floating bananas frequently appeared. That tale quickly spreads across the community, convincing everyone that the bananas were to blame for the mishap.
Myths leading ‘no banana on board’ ban
Ever since that incident, people spread terrible rumors about what could happen if you carry bananas on boats. The following myths are prevalent among fishermen.
Bananas stink
The bananas would only stay fresh for a limited number of days. Therefore, the bananas on board started emitting a smell. It grew stronger whenever there was a strong storm, a big wave, or the ship lost its path at night. Then the fishermen lost focus for those reasons and blamed bananas.
Do bananas affect other food?
The ethylene gas that bananas release as they ripen speeds up the deterioration of other foods carried on board. So, in the past, the crew frequently ran out of food when a ship was at sea for longer than anticipated, and the bad bananas were consuming a large portion of the ship’s food supply. And if they remained at sea for too long, it might be fatal when there was lots of bad food on the trek. It created an unpleasant, stressful, and highly undernourished situation for fishermen then.
Fishermen had to skip fishing.
This explanation is based on the transportation of bananas by swift boats. Boats transporting bananas were hurried through the seas, giving fishermen on board little opportunity to capture fish because they deteriorate quickly. While trolling, this rapid pace prevented anglers from catching much of anything, and they singled out bananas for blame when they were a secondary issue.
Not only fishermen but their families also contributed to the myths
If a fishing trip were unsuccessful, the fisherman would return home with bananas to exchange. As a result, the fishermen’s spouses started to equate bananas with misfortune when they saw the fishing boats return with bananas because they knew they had little to no fish.
Do bananas bring termites?
Historically, all boats were constructed of wood. Sometimes, termites would cling to the banana trees. And when sailors brought bananas to the ship from where they traveled, these termites went to town on the wooden ship, wreaking havoc and occasionally eating holes in the hull that they could not repair. Again, the bananas were the apparent fall guy because many sailors wanted to pin the misfortune on something.
Spiders, vermin on a ship?
Since they live in the same ecosystem as bananas, spiders, snakes, and other pests frequently accompany the fruit on boats. The crew began associating these pests with the unlucky bananas when they spread out on the ship during lengthier voyages.
Other reasons why people think banana is bad luck on ships
- After eating bananas, a fisherman got sick.
- Slipping on abandoned banana peels caused crew members to get hurt.
- The fishermen missed big fish because they had “the runs” from eating bananas.
- The fishermen’s hands picked up banana oil, making them lose the fish they caught.
Conclusion
Why can’t you have bananas on a fishing boat?
It seems unjust to use bananas as a representation of ill luck. Fishermen believe they are unlucky and they belong to the shore. The superstition is closely related to fishing boats and the notion that having bananas on board will prevent you from catching any fish, even if it appears to have spread to other kinds of boats.
Myths have a strong hold on people, even when bananas aren’t really to blame for the problems on fishing days. The sailors’ tales strengthened the “No Bananas on Board” superstition they told their families and friends, frequently mentioning the “bad luck bananas.” Another clear thing is how quickly these myths about bananas bringing bad luck to fishing boats may get out of hand.