The Magical Toss

In Chinese tradition, we will offer incense and food to our departed relatives on certain occassions. The biggest celebration is the Chinese All Saints Day, known in Hokkien as Cheng Beng. But during auspicious dates like the Chinese New Year, some people also perform the offerings.

I missed last year's Cheng Beng because I was in Nilai, so Dad suggested we go pay respect to my paternal grandma at the temple where her ashes lay. I agreed whole-heartedly.

Now, after we offer some food to the departed (usually vegetarian), we will wait a few minutes for them to "eat" the food. And to find out if they are "finished" with the offerings, we carry out a simple ritual. We clasp two identical coins between our palms and mentally ask the departed if they have finished eating. And then we just release the coins without purposely throwing or spinning it. If both coins land on their opposing sides (one head and the other tails) then the departed is considered to have done eating. If both coins show the same side, it is presumed that the meal is still ongoing and we will have to wait a few more minutes before repeating the process. Instead of coins we sometimes use a pair of wooden crescents. The point is to have two identical items with distinct opposing sides.

Here comes the interesting part of the post. Anytime Dad or my aunts do the ritual, it rarely (almost never) succeeds on the first toss. However, when I do it, my grandma will respond in the affirmative on the first try. E-v-e-r-y-t-i-m-e. Dad kept reminding me of my "special ability" every time we do this, and in fact I have never failed. Just today Dad tried twice but the coins showed the same side. But on my first try it showed opposing sides. I couldn't help but smile.

Was it just sheer coincidence all these years or do the laws of probability bend when I toss the coins? You decide.