Superstitions Good and Bad

Have you ever stopped to wonder just how many superstitions exist in today's society? Not only superstitions which are blatantly obvious to us, but also including ones which are subtler, more deeply ingrained in our everyday way of life. How many of your daily activities are affected by inherited superstitions?

There are hundreds upon thousands of superstitions, broken down into three basic categories of good, bad, and routine but neutral. Some of these superstitions may have originated from your city or town, while others may have wandered in from a foreign land and have been adopted without question. Either way, one thing is for certain, superstitions do have quite a significant power over us. You don't even have to believe in magic or negative karma in order to fall prey to superstitions.

Some of the more common superstitions are of course the near certainty that seeing a black cat is a sign of bad luck. Heaven forbid you should carelessly cause a mirror to break because if you do, you'll be cursed with seven years of bad luck. In North America, the number 13 is avoided at all costs, whereas in Asia, the number 4 strikes up fear and nervous anxiety.

North Americans have done their best to eliminate the number 13 to the extent that skipping a non-existent 13th floor in a building no longer stirs up much thought or questions. But what is so terrible about the number 13? According to a number of beliefs, the number 13 is considered to be unlucky . The Scandinavians believed that the number 13 was ‘evil' due to their 12 Demigods being joined by a 13th evil one. In the Bible, Christ was said to have been crucified on a Friday and the number of guests at the Last Supper were 13. This is where the ‘Friday the 13th' reference originated from. So strong was this superstition that it was turned into a cult horror movie, thereby misleading people into believing that this is the reason why 13 is such a feared number. In fact, did you know that the fear of ‘Friday the 13th' is diagnosed as a phobia called Paraskevidekatriaphobics? Try saying that three times fast! When I was a child, I used to have a paper route which consisted of 5 or 6 connecting streets. On not one of those streets was a house with the number 13! How peculiar is that?!

Not walking under a ladder sounds a lot like common sense. If either the ladder or person on it were to fall, of course anything directly under the ladder would become an unfortunate target. But why do we really walk around the ladder, even if it's abandoned and harmless looking? Have you ever given much thought to the angle of the ladder? Me neither! Not until curiosity got the better of me and I did a bit of research. The angle of the ladder, joining it to both the wall and ground forms a triangle which is said to represent the Holy Trinity. By walking under the ladder, you are breaking the Holy Trinity and aligning yourself with the Devil. Now, a lot of people, especially those that are not of the Catholic religion, are probably wondering what this has to do with them. However, I have seen friends, acquaintances, and neighbors who are affiliated with another religion or are atheists going out of their way to avoid that ladder. Could it have become such a widespread habit that the reason is no longer questioned?

As for the black cat - a gloriously sleek and beautiful creature that tends to favor the bright full moon, broom stick-bearing witches, and cauldrons - there are stories in numerous countries regarding the black cat and its evil alliances. Most of them see the black cat as a shape-shifter which is capable of transforming into a witch or some sort of demon. If a black cat crosses your path, it creates a barrier of evil and cuts you off from God and Heaven. Although this superstition in particular seems to have burnt itself out over the years, there are still people who gasp in shock if they unexpectedly encounter a black cat.

What do you do when you're watching the weekly lottery numbers being drawn on TV? Or how about when you're anxiously awaiting the hopefully positive results of some exam or test? I'll bet that whether you realize it or not you're probably crossing your fingers. This seems to be the most widespread sign of good luck. I've been in several different countries, and seen many TV programs representing many others, where people have been seen crossing their fingers for an unlimited number of reasons. Gamblers are notorious for the crossing of fingers, and some people even believe that crossing the fingers of both hands might double their good fortune. This action has become as natural waving goodbye to a family member or friend. We seem to do it without thinking but the symbolization of good luck is always at the back of our minds.

Knock on wood. Why do we knock on wood? It seems awfully strange to knock on wood after announcing one's good health. By knocking on wood, while at the same time saying, "Knock on wood," we are apparently avoiding a jinx as well as calling upon the good spirits of the wood to protect us. From the olden times, people of various backgrounds and walks of life have thought the forests and other parts of nature to contain spirits. So it's no surprise that people continued to worship these spirits even after they were taken from their original environment and converted into objects like tables, desks, and shelves.

Why say "God bless you," after somebody has sneezed? It's a completely normal response nowadays but have you ever stopped to wonder why God would bless your sneeze? It's awfully bizarre to think that God would consider a sneeze to be worth blessing. The origin of this superstition is more incredible than you may imagine. When Europe was suffering from the great plague, one of the final symptoms before death was violent sneezing. So the Pope passed a law that required people in the vicinity of the sneezer to bless him/her. Covering your mouth and nose with your hand, while sneezing, was also intended to prevent your soul from escaping your body. Should you sneeze without doing so, your soul would escape and your body would die without it. So saying, "God bless you," to someone who has just sneezed, and covering your mouth and nose are good ways of keeping your luck positive.

These are just some random superstitions which caught my eye and sparked my imagination. I hope that you'll enjoy them as much as I did.

Good luck: Meeting 3 sheep; Looking at the new moon over your right shoulder; Putting on your dress inside out (I'll bet everyone has done this at least once); Cutting your hair during a storm; Sleeping on un-ironed sheets; Avoiding cracks in the sidewalk (As a child, I'd always thought that stepping on a crack would allow me to be sucked into another dimension); Finding a four-leaf clover.

Bad luck: 3 butterflies together; Looking at the new moon over your left shoulder; Breaking a glass while proposing a toast (You'd probably be in hot water for doing this anyway, especially during a wedding ceremony!); Opening an umbrella indoors; If the groom drops the ring during the wedding ceremony, the marriage will be fated for disaster; Fastening a button in the wrong buttonhole; Stepping on board a ship with your left foot.

As you can see there is an endless supply of superstitions, both good and back - ones that are taken seriously and others that are laughed at. But one thing is for certain, most people can't go about their daily lives without encountering superstitious thoughts and actions on some level. Perhaps you don't feel any unease at opening an umbrella indoors but would feel incompetent taking a national exam without your lucky wristband or lucky coin. When do you cut your nails and where? How many times do you brush your hair? What is the first thing you do when you wake up and the last before you go to bed? Some of these things may go beyond simple routine, tying us in with an inescapable superstition that controls certain things we do and how we do them.