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Gossip is said to last only 75 days.
Gossip is news, often spread privately about somebody behind their back. Within a short time, the whole social circle of friends have heard the news. When one of those friends is a member of another social circle, and the news is spread wider and wider.
But the further away the circle is from the original "somebody", the news loses its interest. At the same time, it is no longer "news" to the initial circle, and the gossip on the topic stops. That time is never more than 75 days from the original breaking news.
Another superstition about "75 days" is that if you eat the first fruits of the season, your life will be extended by 75 days.
This superstition is based on the story of a prisoner condemned to die. As per the custom, on the morning of his execution he was asked what he'd like for his final meal. He requested the first fruit of the upcoming season, and to grant his wish, his execution was delayed until the fruit in question was ready to eat, which happened to be 75 days later. Therefore, his life was extended by 75 days.
In Japan especially, first fruits (and vegetables, and fish) of the season are highly prized and usually sold for a lot of money. Japanese have, for many years, been the longest-living people in the world.
The first few sentences above about gossiping make sense, until we get to the phrase "never more than 75 days". Has any sociological study been done to support that rule?
A similar question could be asked about extending life by 75 days. Apart from those on death row who know the date of their death, the rest of us don't know exactly when our last day will be. So adding 75 days to an unknown date is awkward.
And incidentally, the high life expectancy of Japanese is mainly due to fewer deaths from ischemic heart disease, including myocardial infarction, and cancer. A low rate of obesity, low consumption of red meat, and a high consumption of fish and plant foods such as soybeans and tea, undoubtedly make a difference in terms of mortality.
Nevertheless, the story of the condemned man delaying his death is a reminder of another story, if you have time to read the rest of this page:
Gerald was once a famous conductor for classical orchestras, so famous in fact, that he was paid large amounts to conduct some of the biggest orchestras around the world.
Sadly, however, the strain of travelling far and wide, and the pressure of conducting orchestras in front of huge audiences, took its toll. And Gerald turned to drink. His dependency on drink increased and soon became alcoholic.
And a drunk conductor is a terribly bad conductor!
At one concert, the concertmaster (principal first violin player), himself a renowned musician, became so frustrated with Gerald's conducting that he stopped playing at a critical part of the concert. Without the first violin and the uncontrollable conducting, everybody stopped playing.
Gerald was furious, marched across to the violinist and jabbed his baton straight through the man's heart! The other musicians pulled the conductor away, but it was too late. The first violin player was dead.
Sometime later, after his arrest, trial and conviction, he was sentenced to death.
As is the custom, on the morning of his execution he was asked what he'd like for breakfast. "Just a banana" he said quietly, and so the warden sent a guard to the supermarket to buy some. After Gerald had finished his banana, he was led into the execution chamber, and strapped to the electric chair as the priest recited The Lord Is My Shepherd.
The switch was pulled, there was a little buzzing sound, but Gerald just sat there, smiling, completely unharmed.
Puzzled, the warden sent him back to his cell while the engineers checked the wiring. Finding no fault, and after hours of rigorously checking all the equipment, Gerald's final time was set for the next day.
The next morning, Gerald was again asked what he'd like for breakfast, and again, Gerald wanted a banana. After eating it, the straps were fastened, The Lord Is My Shepherd again, switch pulled, buzz, smile, and back to his cell while the equipment was checked yet again.
This went on of several days (no, not 75 days) and eventually the warden said a resounding "No!" to his request for a banana.
So there was no banana this time, and the priest skipped The Lord Is My Shepherd. The switch was pulled, the buzz, and still no electrocution.
The warden had to admit, Gerald certainly had become a very bad conductor!