From rabbits feet to broken mirrors
Most people are at least a little superstitious . Whether that be placing trust in lucky numbers or trying to avoid bad omens, different cultures have incredible stories behind their superstitions. This article will teach you about Superstitions from around the world.
1. Knock on Wood
This superstition stems from an old Pagan belief that spirits live in trees, and if you knocked on the tree, you were seeking the help from the good spirits, or making sure the bad spirits couldn’t hear you, and cause you harm.
Is knocking on wood effective?
Knocking on wood may not actually prevent a bad thing from happening, but it does do a good job of lessening our elevated fears, a new study shows.
2.Rabbits Feet
Celtic tribes believed rabbits spent so much time underground they could communicate with gods and spirits, so, naturally, carrying a rabbit’s foot would be lucky The luck of the rabbit’s foot endured generations and crossed into modern culture.
3. Broken Mirrors
To damage a mirror was considered so disrespectful that people thought it compelled the gods to rain bad luck on anyone so careless. Around the third century mirrors were being made from glass, and breakage became a lot more commonplace. But the Romans did not believe that the ensuing bad luck would last forever.
4. Friday the 13th
According to biblical tradition, 13 guests attended the Last Supper, held on Maundy Thursday, including Jesus and his 12 apostles (one of whom, Judas, betrayed him). The next day, of course, was Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Though Friday’s negative associations are weaker, some have suggested they also have roots in Christian tradition: Just as Jesus was crucified on a Friday, Friday was also said to be the day Eve gave Adam the fateful apple from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain killed his brother, Abel.
5. Black Cat
Among superstitions, one of the oldest and most enduring is that crossing paths with a black cat will bring on bad luck. The dark-colored felines have also been folded into modern Halloween symbols, giving them the (unearned) reputation of being spooky.
In fact, they’re considered good luck in many cultures. In Scotland, it’s lucky for a strange black cat to arrive at your doorstep. In Japan, black cats are thought to help single women find suitors. There’s a lot of silly superstitions out there, but most of the world acknowledges black cats as cute—not creepy.
Black cats are neither good nor bad luck. Because even if luck did exist, cats — black or otherwise — certainly wouldn’t be responsible for it. Cats are responsible for the hair on your clothes and the bad smells coming from the litter box and that’s about it. So, if you have a black cat, give them a little extra love today, and if you don’t, consider adopting one — shelters are full of them and they are no less worthy of a home than their lighter-hewed brethren.
6. Evil Eye
Has someone ever complimented something you own only for it to later to be broken or ruined? Some superstitious folk might say that was the evil eye at work. To guard against such disastrous gazes, people in Turkey have an amulet called the “nazar boncuğu.” The charms are typically blue and white (blue is thought to be a ward of the evil eye as well), and resemble an eye themselves. These charms are common sights in Greece, Egypt, Iran, Morocco , and Afghanistan, among other countries.
7. Pennies
Some people believe it’s only good luck to pick up a penny if heads is showing. A penny with the tails side up should be turned over for another person to find. On the other hand, many people believe any penny you find is good luck.
“Another reason people might have claimed pennies would bring good luck comes down to the battle between good and evil, which is like two sides of the coin. Finding a penny heads up meant you’d have luck on your side, but tails up would mean the opposite, although the exact reasoning for this is unknown,” the post continues, reminding us that superstitions often have vague origins despite their widespread adoption into people’s lives. (Not that the author of this article avoids walking under ladders and fleeing the paths of black cats, or anything.)
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