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Superstitions
Beliefs and practices resulting from the human need to find causation in the everyday happenings of life. This is where we will try to unravel some of the unusual and esoteric things people ask us about.
1,659 Questions
Is it bad luck for a frog to jump on you?
In Middle Eastern and Persian cultures, and some Ancient beliefs by the Egyptians, picking up a frog can lead to bad luck. They are generally avoided and left alone when seen. This myth is still very strong today in all the Middle East, and more by the elderly who know more about these wise tales. And I have personally seen very bad luck on someone who didn't listen to this warning.
What are superstitions about spilt salt?
Salt was valuable in ancient societies. It had a lot of symbolism and superstition attached to it. Salt was used as a preservative and came to symbolize life. It became a sign of hospitality, trust, and friendship because of its high price. Soldiers in Rome were often paid in salt, and that is where the saying that a person was "not worth his salt" originated. To spill salt then was an extraordinary waste and the superstition that claimed bad luck would visit anyone who spilt salt was invented specifically to deter this behavior. * If salt was spilt in a particular person's direction, bad luck was coming to that person. * Spilt salt should not be cleaned up but should instead by tossed over the left shoulder, into the face of the Devil. * Enough tears must be cried to dissolve the spilt salt in order to reverse the bad luck that was coming your way.
How is superstition the same with proverb?
Superstition and proverbs are both passed down through generations as ways to explain or guide behavior or events. However, superstition often involves irrational beliefs or fear of supernatural forces, while proverbs are more grounded in wisdom and practical advice for daily life.
What are the cons of superstition?
The disadvantage of superstition is emotional inhibition derived from the superior influence of leaders and elders. This emotional inhibition is generally a fear created by religious or superstitious concepts that are imposed upon the innocent mind of children. It is the ultimate fear of damnation and persecution for failure to gullibly accept the fascist dictates of the parental cult. There is the fear of ruthless reprisals for marriage or relations outside of the rules of the respective cult.
How long have superstitions been around?
The very oldest pieces of writing talk about superstitions. It's highly likely that as long as human have been around, there've been superstitions. Homo sapiens sapiens (that's us) evolved about 400,000 years ago. The first superstitions are probably also from that period.
Answer
Not sure why this one got flagged as inflammatory or offensive (the mention of evolution maybe?) but I figured I'd throw my two cents in real quick: Superstition (religious/spiritual beliefs not recognized by the modern "big" religions as being real) is as old as mankind. As far back as we can go in the archaeological record there seems to be an unanimous use of amulets/totems/charms and as pointed out above, the earliest writings include practices that today, would be considered superstitious. It seems to just be an ingrained part of human nature.
What are huck Finns superstitions?
He believes that Friday is the most unlucky day of the week and that dead cats remove warts. He believes that Friday is the most unlucky day of the week and that dead cats remove warts. He believes that Friday is the most unlucky day of the week and that dead cats remove warts.
If your necklace is backwards does that mean that someone is thinking of you?
There is no scientific evidence to support the idea that a backward necklace indicates someone is thinking of you. Superstitions like these are based on folklore and have no basis in fact. It's purely a myth.
What are some superstitious beliefs?
that either : walking under a ladder, seeing a black cat, opening an umbrella in the house etc. means bad luck.
Some example of superstitious beliefs?
Many people have superstitious beliefs. Some examples of these are having bad luck if you spill salt, walk under a ladder, or break a mirror.
No, poinsettias are not considered bad luck. In fact, they are often associated with the holiday season and are popular decorations during that time. They are generally viewed as symbols of celebration and joy.
To offend a Seelie, you could disrespect their traditions, betray their trust, or harm the nature and creatures they protect. They value respect, honesty, and harmony with nature, so actions that go against these principles are likely to offend them.
Is it true that losing a golden ring is bad luck?
Culturally, some believe that losing a golden ring is a sign of bad luck. The extent of this belief varies among different societies, with some seeing it as a symbol of lost love or fortune. Ultimately, whether it brings bad luck or not is subjective and depends on individual beliefs and superstitions.
It wasn't anyone person. Superstitions because of the evolution of myth and folklore. As belief systems grow larger, more complex and more heavily influenced the doctrines of that belief twisted to influence more primitive man's daily life there were customs, which they believed in, they honored to either bring good luck or prevent bad luck.
Does a white owl crossing your path bring death?
It sounds like an untrue superstition. How would this "bring death"? If it were true, it must work very slowly - a white owl crossed my path many, many years ago and I'm still very much alive!
The superstition of Throwing salt over your left shoulder after spilling some applies to, apparently a devil is sitting on your left shoulder, and the force of the tiny salt particles knocks him off and he lands in a little heap on the floor. Then you should stamp on him.
Do not throw it over your right shoulder as this is where your guardian angel is supposed to sit.
This superstition is believed to come from the middle ages.
Superstitions in the adventures of Tom Sawyer?
One great superstition found in Tom Sawyer is the ability to remove warts by going to agrave yard at midnight, go to the grave of aperson whorecently died, and wait at their grave until the devil comes up. Once appeared, you throw a dad cat at the devil saying "warts be gone" and other words that are part of cahnt. The devil thenvanishes and the warts are gone.
To see red birds daily what does that mean?
Seeing red birds daily could be a sign of good luck, love, or a message from a loved one who has passed away. In some cultures, red birds are considered messengers or symbols of passion and vitality. It could also just be a pleasant coincidence or a reminder to pay attention to the beauty of nature around you.
Is there such a thing as bad luck?
No the only reason we have bad luck is because our four fathers created to make sure we were safe. Bad lucky is just another way of saying comen sense that we have not used. These are not bad luck: Broken Mirror- Glass can be very painful if you cut yourself. Walking under a ladder In the old days ladders were not like the ones we have now and could quite easerly slip whilst you were under them. Number 13- The amount of people at the last supper
Why is it considered bad luck to leave your hat on the bed?
Like a lot of superstitions this might be tied into morbid angles. People do not normally wear hats indoors. Leaving a hat on a bed might suggest somebody had died. I seem to recall at the funeral of Juliette Gordon Low, the lady was dressed in her Girl Scout uniform but the hat (for obvious reasons) was placed at her feet or over trhe closed portion of the casket. a hat on a bed might have the same connotation of a flag half-way up or half-mast. That is a mark of respect for the dead. In Portugal, the superstition is that a hat on a bed fortells a family argument. Rodeo riders see a hat on the bed as a premonition of a rodeo injury or death. Some sources cite that the hat-on-a-bed superstition has its roots in practical hygeine. Hats are a good source of head lice, and laying down naked on a bed full of head lice is bound to cause some itching.
Which shoulder do you throw salt over?
Throwing salt over your left shoulder is a common superstition believed to help ward off evil spirits or bad luck. This practice is often associated with spilling salt, as salt was historically considered a valuable and protective substance.
If one is superstitious over which shoulder should one throw salt?
Traditionally, if one is superstitious and spills salt, they should throw a pinch of salt over their left shoulder to ward off bad luck or evil spirits. This superstition comes from the belief that the devil tends to linger over one's left shoulder.
Are there superstitions regarding consecutive deaths in a family involving an accident?
There are called family curses. It is the belief that bad luck and accidents may follow a blood line or lineage. It is however considered a superstition. You may find more reading about Curses. Answer It may also be the superstition that "bad news comes in threes." This could also relate to three deaths in the family but if superstition is anything to go by then after the third there will be no more strange deaths.
What are examples of superstitious beliefs?
- You will have bad luck for 7 years if you break a mirror
- Dont let a black cat cross your path, it will bring you bad luck
- Opening an umbrella indoors will bring you bad luck
- Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck
- Rain on your wedding day is a good omen -Do not ride a bicycle if you're a woman because you will not be pregnant
What are some examples of superstitious beliefs?
Bad Luck, general
- Walking under a ladder is bad luck.
- Spilling salt is bad luck, to avert this throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder.
- Putting your clothing on inside out or backward is only unlucky if you remove the piece of clothing and turning it "right."
Bells
- the sound of bells is said to frighten away evil spirits, which is why they are rug at weddings, funerals, and on New Years Day.
- "Gremlin" bells are commonly hung on motorcycles to keep "bad" spirits from catching a ride.
Birds,
- Crows tell fortunes per the following poem:
One is for bad news,
Two is for mirth.
Three is a wedding,
Four is a birth.
Five is for riches,
Six is a thief.
Seven is a journey,
Eight is for grief.
- Crows - It is bad luck to have a crow fly across your path. To avert this, recite the alphabet as fast as you can, before the crow completes its flight.
- Blue birds are a favourite tattoo of sailors, ensuing a safe return home.
- Any bird flying into your house through an open window and out again is said to predict a death in the household.
Cats, black
- It is bad luck to have a black cat cross your path. This is a regional thing as black cats are considered lucky in some areas of the world.
- If a black cat walks toward you it will bring good luck to you.
- If a black cat walks away from you, it will take your luck with it.
Colours
Red - Do not wear red in an electrical storm, the colour is said to attract lightening
Green - Green was once said to be the colour of a witch; actors believe green will bring bad weather or "natural disaster".
Yellow - Believed to be the colour or cowardice.
Black - Believed to be the colour of death and funerals.
Death
- When a person dies and their eyes are still open, they are said to be awaiting the arrival of more souls of family members.
- It is considered inauspicious to speak ill of the dead.
- The inexplicable howling of dogs is said to foretell the death in the household.
- A last meal is often laid for the departed spirit, to assure them a good passage to the next world.
- A candle is often lit to "light their way."
- When a person dies at home, all the windows in the house should be opened to allow the soul to depart easily.
- Mirrors are covered so the dead will not be startled by their reflection.
Fridays (including the 13th)
- Never start a journey, a business proposition or a marriage on a Friday.
- Black Friday, also known as Friday the thirteenth (see separate answer in related questions)
Good luck charms etc.
- It is lucky to meet a chimney sweep.
- Carrying a rabbits foot is lucky (for everyone but the rabbit).
- Find a penny pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck.
- Hang a horseshoe (ends up) over a doorway, or in a room to bring good luck. If the horse shoe is from the rear hoot of a grey horse, all the better.
- Seeing a grey horse is good luck, riding in a cart pulled by one is even better.
- Finding a four-leafed clover is fortunate.
- Seeing a butterfly on the first day of the year will bring the viewer a prosperous year.
- Catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn and you will not catch cold that winter.
Hygiene
- Sweeping at night will reduce your "blessings."
- Never sweep dirt out of your door, you will sweep your good luck out with it.
- Bathing at night is the equal of a cup of blood lost.
- Do not allow the birds to use your hair as part of their nest, as it will cause you to become confused.
Jewellery
- Allowing anyone else to wear your wedding band is an invitation for your spouse to be unfaithful.
- Buying opals for yourself is unlucky unless they are your birthstone.
- Certain specific gems (frequently diamonds) for example the Hope Diamond, are "cursed".
- A bride will shed tears for every pearl she wears to her wedding.
Mirrors
- Breaking a mirror brings seven years bad luck.
- Mirrors should be covered in a household in mourning.
- Covering a mirror during a thunderstorm will keep the thunder from shattering it.
- It is unlucky for a baby to see its reflection in a mirror before its first birthday. Doing so, could cause the child to have crossed eyes or to stutter.
- Looking into a mirror over someone's shoulder will result in a quarrel between the two people.
- If a mirror falls from the wall (unaided) and breaks, it foretells of a death in the household.
Miscellaneous
- Always enter a room/building on your right foot.
- Always enter and leave a building by the same door.
- Always enter and leave a bed on the same side.
- Cover your mouth when you sneeze, your soul is said to take leave of your body in this manner. This is also why people say "Bless you" to someone who sneezes.
- Giving a wallet without money in it will mean the wallet is empty in future.
- Never give a knife as a gift (the recipient should always pay, even a penny) or it will turn on its owner.
- Peacock feathers are unlucky if kept indoors, doubly so if you purchased them for yourself.
- Step on a crack, break you mother's back.
- Sleeping late, will cause a decline in blood (cause illness).
- Sleeping with wet hair, will bring snakes to sleep with you.
- Three people on a match (lighting three cigarettes on one match) is very unlucky.
- Do not turn a loaf of bread upside down after you have sliced it.
Umbrellas
- Opening an umbrella inside the house brings bad luck to the person, and the entire household.
- Opening one under a roof, you will drown the next time you swim.
- Placing an umbrella on a bed or table brings misfortune.
- If you drop an umbrella, you should not pick it up yourself. A woman who picks up her own fallen umbrella will never marry.
- An umbrella (particularly a black one) is unlucky on a ship.
Weather
- Rain on your wedding day is considered good luck.
- Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning.
- Seeing a rainbow, particularly one that is a complete arch, is good luck.
- Keep an acorn on the window sill will keep the household safe from lightening.
Weddings
- It is unlucky for a groom to see his bride, on the day of the wedding, before the ceremony starts.
- It is unlucky for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony starts.
- It is unlucky for the bride to wear her wedding dress (other than for fittings) before the day of the wedding. If she does the marriage is said to be at risk of cancellation.
- Purchasing the engagement ring and the wedding band at the same time is considered bad luck.
- Wearing your wedding band before the ceremony is bad luck.
- Dropping the wedding band during the ceremony will doom the marriage to failure.
- A bride should never wear the colour green on her wedding day.
- A bride should throw away all of the pins from her dress and veil to avert bad luck.
- It is good luck to find a spider in your wedding dress
- It will bring prosperity to the marriage for the bride to have a coin in her left shoe.
- Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. A bride should have all these to ensure a happy marriage.
- Before she leaves the house, a bride should feed the family cat (if there is one) and look at herself, just once in a full length mirror.
- It is good luck for a bride to encounter a lamb or a dove on her trip to the church.
- On the way to the wedding, it is unlucky to pass an open grave, cross running water, or encounter a blind or cross-eyed person.
- It is important that both the bride and the groom step into the church on their right foot.
- A groom should give alms to a poor person on the way to the church and the bride give alms to a poor person on the way from the church.
- The bride usually throws her bouquet over her shoulder as she departs the reception. The young woman who catches it is said to be the next to marry.
- Brides are often carried over the threshold of their new homes as it is unlucky to enter on the left foot, and unluckier still to trip when entering.
- Do not wear green to a wedding, it will bring misfortune to the couple.
- It is bad luck to wear black to a wedding, black being the colour of death & funerals.
- Marrying a man who's surname starts with the same letter as yours is said to be unlucky.
- The spouse that falls asleep first, is believed to be the one who will die first,
Wishes
- Wishes made on the first star seen of an evening are said to come true.
- If you make a wish and blow all of the candles on your birthday cake out in one breath, the wish is said to come true.
- Falling stars are favourite things to make wishes on.
1 - Dont pass salt (it passes bad luck);
2 - Having an elephant ornament facing your door drives away evil spirits;
3 - New shoes on a table (bad luck);
4 - Walking under scaffolding (I don't know why but it freaks me out - I think its either bad luck or something will fall on me);
5 - If you masturbate hair will grow on the hand you use;
6 - Having sex standing up is a form of contraception (NO! It isn't :P)
7 - Walking under a ladder is bad luck;
8 - If the cows are laying down it will rain;
9 - An itchy nose means a surprise;
10 - Burning ears mean there is someone talking about you behind your back.
From this website: http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/
xx
PLEASE JUST give me a answer
Superstition (Latin superstes, "standing over", "set above") is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge. The word is often used pejoratively to refer to supposedly irrational beliefs of others, and its precise meaning is therefore subjective. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, prophecy and spiritual beings.
Is it true that green color may signify bad luck in Ireland?
not in the area in which i was reared - south east. i can't answer for everywhere else. No way! green is not a symbol of bad luck in Ireland.It shows of prosperous green lands. Im from the west coast. I have never heard of it being unlucky It did in years gone by. Green is the favourite colour of the Little People. If you wore too much of it, you could offend them and they would dry your cows, steal your children, ruin your crops etc. This belief only died out in the mid twentieth century.
Certainly my Grandparents would not wear green, and very little green cloth was sold here until the 1950s. Answer I grew up in Dublin (born 1932) and nobody thought green unlucky; you saw it everywhere. Gates, railings, fences, letterboxes, telephone booths etc were always painted green. Since ancient time Ireland has been known as the Emerald Isle and the old Irish flag was green with a gold harp. Green was symbolic of Ireland and of Irish nationalism and perhaps some people may have avoided wearing it in case they might be suspected of being "rebels". (Cf. references to green in rebel songs: Wearing of the green - 1798; Boolavogue - 1898; Wrap the green flag round me - 1916). I never heard that green was unlucky until I started mixing with English people and assumed their belief was based on the association green/Irish and the fact that their Irish "subjects" had always given them trouble!
