Dandelions
Dandelions
There are several superstitions related to dandelions. They are used to make wishes by blowing the seeds of the flower (as is also done when an eyelash falls and you blow it after putting it on your hand or finger). There are also those who use them to know how long a love will last. It is as simple as blowing and counting the number of sticks that remain intact, these indicate the years that the romance will last.
To cross fingers
To cross fingers
In ancient times it was believed that crossing your fingers kept evil spirits away. They also used to cross their fingers with those of another person, forming a cross, to jointly make a wish. And little by little, it was simplified until the crossing of the fingers of the same hand spread to ward off bad omens and make wishes.
Throw coins in fountains, wells, ponds …
Throw coins in fountains, wells, ponds …
This tradition comes from the ancient custom of throwing pins or stones into a well to know if a fact would be fulfilled or not. If, when falling, bubbles came out, it was considered that it would be fulfilled. Over time, pins and stones gave way to coins, their divinatory function was lost, and now many people only use it to make wishes, regardless of whether bubbles come out or not.
To find a four leaf clover
To find a four leaf clover
This superstition dates back to the Middle Ages when finding a four-leaf clover was associated with the representation of the cross of Christ. Each leaf is also said to represent the elements of happiness: love, health, prosperity, and good luck. But superstitions aside, you can consider yourself lucky just to find it as statistically only one in 10,000 clovers has four leaves. As you can also make a wish after seeing a shooting star, something rare.
Say the same thing at the same time
Say the same thing at the same time
Some people believe that saying a word or phrase at the same time as another person brings good luck. But it is not worth agreeing to do so. It only counts if it happens by chance.
Touch wood
Touch wood
In many cultures, touching wood is considered a symbol of protection against all kinds of evils. One of the possible theories about its sacred character would come from the pieces of wood that were hypothetically preserved from the cross where Christ was crucified, or simply because it was the material with which it was built. And many peoples, such as the Celts of Europe, worshiped the trees that they considered sacred.
Step on a "poop"
Step on a "poop"
Surely if you've had a 'prize' footprint, more than one will have recommended a lottery … well, the exact origin of the superstition that ensures that stepping on excrement brings good luck is unknown. It may have something to do with the popular expression "Lots of shit," which dates back to when the wealthiest classes flocked to the theater in horse-drawn carriages. It is not known, but you just in case, buy a tenth.
Horseshoes
Horseshoes
The origin that we consider the horseshoe as an element that brings good luck dates back to the time of the Greeks. Due to its shape, reminiscent of a crescent moon, it was considered a symbol that attracted fertility and good luck. And according to other theories it was believed that horseshoes scared away witches because they hated everything related to horses, one of the reasons why they ride on brooms.
Touching a pregnant belly
Touching a pregnant belly
Although exactly why is unknown, many people think that touching a pregnant belly (or even a hunchback's hump) brings good fortune. Something that both future moms and people who have a hump do not usually find it funny and for good reason. Who likes to be groped by unknown or unreliable people?
Take 12 grapes on New Year's Eve
Take 12 grapes on New Year's Eve
The tradition of taking 12 grapes at the end of the year is a custom limited to Spain. It dates back to 1909, when a grape harvest surplus. The farmers, to give way to the fruit, promoted the idea of taking lucky grapes to welcome the New Year.
Cross paths with a black cat
Cross paths with a black cat
In the Middle Ages, witches and sorceresses used to use cats in their spells, and they came to be considered the reincarnation of the devil, which is why the church publicly persecuted and burned them. However, there is no consensus on why it has to be black.
Spill out salt
Spill out salt
In ancient times, salt was so valued as a food preservative that it was even used as currency (hence the word salary). And since spoiling it implied a great loss, the belief that spilling it brings bad luck grew. However, it is also used to ward off spells and bad vibrations by throwing it under the bed of the sick or putting it in bags next to baby clothes, or to clean places where undesirable visitors have passed.
Go under a ladder
Go under a ladder
The triangle is a sacred symbol of Christianity because it represented the Holy Trinity, and since the stairs form a triangle, going under it was seen as a great sacrilege. Other interpretations place the origin in the paintings of the crucifixion in which the devil was represented under a ladder. And it could also be related to executions in which a ladder was used to place the rope and to remove the corpse, which associates a ladder with death.
Turn the bread upside down
Turn the bread upside down
Another negative superstition related to Christianity is turning the bread upside down. It is believed that it is bad luck because, for Christians, the bread represents the body of Christ and to turn it is disrespectful to it.
Crooked squares
Crooked squares
Many people think that crooked pictures are bad luck. The exact reason for this superstition is not known, although there are those who believe that they are moved by the spirits that live with us …
Break a mirror
Break a mirror
Have you ever heard that if you break a mirror you will have 7 years of bad luck? The origin of this superstition dates back to the 15th century, when metal mirrors began to be replaced by others made with glass and a sheet of silver behind. And because they were so expensive to make, it began to spread among aristocrats to threaten their servants with working several years without pay if they broke them while cleaning them.
The number 13
The number 13
Both the number 13 and Tuesdays and Fridays that fall on this date are considered to be bad luck. The origin, again, is religious. At the Last Supper there were twelve apostles plus Jesus (13), and one of them, Judas, was a traitor. As a result, it is believed that a table with thirteen people is bad luck. In the case of Friday because it is when Christ was crucified. And Tuesday because it is dedicated to Mars, the god of war.
Open an umbrella inside
Open an umbrella inside
On the one hand, it was considered that they interrupted the rays of the Sun and, for that very reason, it was considered sacrilege to use it in a shady place and alien to the power of the star king. In addition, people opened it before going out into the street, and did not close it when entering the house. This caused them to collide with the door and there would be accidents with the rods, which led to considering it bad luck to open it inside the house.
Toast with water
Toast with water
One of the most widespread theories is that wine is the result of human labor, while water is not, and toasting with water would be like turning your back on that effort. However, for some time many people have rebelled against this superstition that all it does is encourage the consumption of alcohol.
Waking up with the left foot
Waking up with the left foot
One of the reasons for this superstition is that the Bible says that the right is the way to paradise. Furthermore, in ancient Rome divinations were made by observing the flight of birds, and movements to the left were related as negative omens, and to the right, as positive. In fact, the word "sinister" comes from the Latin sinister, which means left.
Are you one of those who cross your fingers or knock on wood to get good omens and run away in terror when they see a black cat? If so, you are a bit superstitious …
What are superstitions?
Superstitions are nothing other than irrational beliefs that attribute a magical explanation to events. And something that conditions the lives of people who believe in them if they do or stop doing something with the conviction that, otherwise, they could suffer misfortune.
As you have seen, although these are conceptions without any scientific basis, almost all superstitions come from mythical or historical facts.
From the outset, many of these events had a certain logic that had little or nothing to do with bad luck, curses or anger of a certain god. But over time, and passing from generation to generation, they end up settling in the collective imagination and become something commonly accepted by everyone, like when we eat the grapes on New Year's Eve.
And in the end some of these superstitions are interpreted as simple hollow tricks, such as that the paintings are twisted because of the spirits, while others seem even logical and necessary, such as avoiding damaging oneself with an umbrella when entering and leaving the house.
