Origins of Superstitions
Black Cat crossing. Back in the days of witchcraft and witches, people believed that black cats contained the soul of Satan. So it was feared that if you come across a black cat in your path it meant that the devil was watching. Eerie.
Opening umbrellas indoors. Ancient Egyptian umbrellas were often crafted to help block out the sun. Opening these indoors was considered an insult to the sun God and therefore quickly became a strict no-no. But you shouldn’t do it anyway as you’ll probably ruin the umbrella or potentially take someone’s eye out.
Broken mirrors give you seven years of bad luck. Ancient Roman physicians and mystics believed that it took seven years for a human body to completely renew itself. When diagnosing patients, they would fill mirrored glass with water and observe the reflection of his patient. If distorted, they were ill. If the glass cracked they said the patient would be sick for seven years. But, no, it doesn’t give you bad luck
Unlucky 13. Twelve is accepted as being the “perfect” number. Everything had been split 12 ways, from the disciples to the months of the year. The world’s first legal document unintentionally omitted the 13th law, hence creating the “unluckiness” of the number. Historically, any 13th member was considered bad luck and leading to a form of discomfort or evil. In the US today, 80+% of skyscrapers do not acknowledge the 13th floor.
Knocking on wood. An ancient pagan belief was that good spirits lived in the barks of trees. In order to make a successful wish, one had to whisper it to a tree and knock twice in order to awaken the spirit to accept the wish. Nowadays, instinctively used to ward off evil that may cause a wish to not come true.
Itchy palms mean money. As the tale goes, an itch in your right palm means you could be expecting money coming in. Alternatively, an itchy left palm means money is going to leave your possession. Based on science, an itchy right palm is usually associated with energy moving through your body. It is said that rubbing wood gets rid of it, in essence, transferring it out your body. It could also just be an adverse reaction to something you touched.
Spilling salt equals bad luck. Initially used as a way to curb the wastage of salt, a relatively expensive commodity back in the day, it found its way into Christian belief. Throwing salt over your left shoulder was used to undo the work of the devil, believed to sit atop your left shoulder waiting for an opportunity to invade. The last supper depicts Judas spilling the salt.
Source: Various (2016)
Black Cat crossing. Back in the days of witchcraft and witches, people believed that black cats contained the soul of Satan. So it was feared that if you come across a black cat in your path it meant that the devil was watching. Eerie.
Opening umbrellas indoors. Ancient Egyptian umbrellas were often crafted to help block out the sun. Opening these indoors was considered an insult to the sun God and therefore quickly became a strict no-no. But you shouldn’t do it anyway as you’ll probably ruin the umbrella or potentially take someone’s eye out.
Broken mirrors give you seven years of bad luck. Ancient Roman physicians and mystics believed that it took seven years for a human body to completely renew itself. When diagnosing patients, they would fill mirrored glass with water and observe the reflection of his patient. If distorted, they were ill. If the glass cracked they said the patient would be sick for seven years. But, no, it doesn’t give you bad luck
Unlucky 13. Twelve is accepted as being the “perfect” number. Everything had been split 12 ways, from the disciples to the months of the year. The world’s first legal document unintentionally omitted the 13th law, hence creating the “unluckiness” of the number. Historically, any 13th member was considered bad luck and leading to a form of discomfort or evil. In the US today, 80+% of skyscrapers do not acknowledge the 13th floor.
Knocking on wood. An ancient pagan belief was that good spirits lived in the barks of trees. In order to make a successful wish, one had to whisper it to a tree and knock twice in order to awaken the spirit to accept the wish. Nowadays, instinctively used to ward off evil that may cause a wish to not come true.
Itchy palms mean money. As the tale goes, an itch in your right palm means you could be expecting money coming in. Alternatively, an itchy left palm means money is going to leave your possession. Based on science, an itchy right palm is usually associated with energy moving through your body. It is said that rubbing wood gets rid of it, in essence, transferring it out your body. It could also just be an adverse reaction to something you touched.
Spilling salt equals bad luck. Initially used as a way to curb the wastage of salt, a relatively expensive commodity back in the day, it found its way into Christian belief. Throwing salt over your left shoulder was used to undo the work of the devil, believed to sit atop your left shoulder waiting for an opportunity to invade. The last supper depicts Judas spilling the salt.
Source: Various (2016)
