i probably shouldn't have left the house today... because it's the double trouble friday 13... and i don't know why, but everybody seems to believe that this is an awful day for anything you would commence... but why do people believe in superstitions?
superstition 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, particularly the irrational belief that future
events can be influenced or foretold by specific, unrelated behaviors or occurrences.
to medieval scholars the word was applied to any beliefs outside of or in opposition to Christianity; today it is applied to conceptions without foundation in, or in contravention of, scientific and logical knowledge.
OK, so that's the basis... now let's have fun with superstitions
- friday 13... bad bad luck... i'll tell you more later
- walking under a ladder...this came from the early Christian belief that a leaning ladder formed a triangle with the wall and ground. you must never violate the Holy Trinity by walking through a triangle, lest you be considered in league with the devil...it is said that this can be undone by immediately walking backwards back underneath the ladder
- "if you are to step on a crack
your mother would then break her back" - throw salt over their shoulder after they spill it, in order to blind the devil, who sits at your left shoulder...is said to cause a fight or argument during the day
- breaking a mirror is considered to cause 7 years of bad luck. to "undo" this, take the shards of glass and bury them underneath the moonlight. in ancient times, the mirror was said to be a window to the viewer's soul. if that mirror were to break, it would take time (or 7 years) for that 'cracked' soul to heal as 'time heals all wounds'
- in India, there is a superstition that a pregnant woman should avoid going outside during an eclipse in order to prevent her baby being born with a facial birthmark
- in Iran, birthmarks are called 'maah-gereftegi' which means eclipse
- in Korea, there is a superstition that leaving a fan on in a closed room will suffocate the occupants
- in the theater, it is bad luck to wish someone "Good luck." instead, one is to say "Break a leg."
- uttering the word "Macbeth" in a theatre is said to bring bad luck, unless performing the show. it is commonly referred to as "The Scottish Play"and is supposedly cursed.
- whistling in a theater is bad luck. the most plausible explanation is that in early theater, the flyspace was operated using an advanced system of whistles, and nonchalant whistling may cue a tech person to do their cue too early and screw up the performance.
- the green room should never be painted green
- seeing a peacock in or near a theater is bad luck. peacocks were once believed to possess the "evil eye" in their tails. most bad luck in theater can be expelled by having the person responsible turn around themselves to the right three times, then spitting or farting... say whaaaat?
- if all of the candles on a birthday cake are blown out with one breath, while making a silent wish, the wish will come true.
- black cat crossing one's path is dependent upon culture: some cultures consider this a sign of impending bad luck, while some cultures consider this a sign of impending good luck.
- opening an umbrella indoors is said to result in 21 days of bad luck. some traditions hold that it is only bad luck if the umbrella is placed over the head of someone while indoors.
- placing a hat on the bed is, apparently, bad luck. (South Carolina)
- placing keys on a table is considered unlucky. (Sweden)
- it is bad luck to put new shoes on a bed (or a table) (comes from the tradition of dressing a corpse in new clothes and shoes and laying them out so everyone can give their respects) (UK)
- collect seven or nine different flowers on midsummer eve and place them under your pillow and it is said that you will dream of your future spouse. (Sweden)
- the phrase "See a pin and pick it up then all day you'll have good luck" is a superstition created from the first line of a poem in the book "The Real Mother Goose". Modern variants sometimes substitute the word "penny" for pin.
- when you speak of bad luck, it is said that one should always knock on wood. also knocking when speaking of good luck apparently helps with having good luck. this is an old Celtic tradition related to belief of wood spirits.
- before traveling a person should, apparently, sit on their luggage. (Russian)
- two people breaking a wishbone is said to lead to good luck for the person with the larger piece.
- once a wedding ring has been placed on the finger, it is considered bad luck to remove it.
- there are numerous sailors' superstitions, such as: it is considered bad luck for a ship to set sail on a Friday, to bring anything blue aboard, to stick a knife into the deck, to leave a hatch cover upside-down, to say "pig", or to eat walnuts aboard. Some beliefs state that it is bad luck to have a woman aboard ship, while others say that a storm will give way to calm if a woman bares her body to it, which may explain why female figureheads are often bare-breasted.
- some motorcycle enthusiasts hang a biker's bell from a portion of their bike to protect themselves from evil road spirits.
- it is bad luck to kill a ladybug because it represents the Virgin Mary
- even saying 'God bless you!' when someone sneezes started with a superstition... during the plagues that swept through Europe in the medieval period. according to legend, during the time of a plague, Saint Gregory I the Great ordered that people say "God bless you!" when somebody sneezed, to prevent the spread of the disease
Today is Friday the 13th and, if you're not careful, an evil spirit could enter your body and steal your soul - or, at the very least, cause you to drop a meatball on your crisp white shirt. To ward off bad luck, protect yourself with any of these five rituals or tokens employed by cultures around the world.
Muslims call it the Hand of Fatima, while Jews refer to it as the Hand of Miriam, hamsa hand or hamesh hand. Both faiths, however, agree on its powers. The hand with the colored eye -- found on necklaces, ornaments, stickers, etc. -- will shield you from the powers of the evil eye.
Layer on the eyeliner and smoky eye shadow. Ancient Egyptians believed that makeup prevented the evil one from entering your eyes.
Show the 'horned hand.' It looks like a secret greeting among Metallica-heads, but Italians do the mano cornuta for protection. To form the gesture, use your thumb to hold down your middle and ring fingers, then extend your pointer and pinkie like horns. Though this might ward off evil spirits, it could also attract heavy-metal rockers or University of Texas fans.
In Jewish tradition, you have a few options: Spit three times on your fingertips, then wave them in the air; throw salt; say, in Yiddish, kayn aynhoreh ("no evil eye"); or eat lots of garlic. For Transylvanians, the garlic (worn, not ingested) also frightens off vampires and werewolves.
Grab a carrot,a replica of the Washington Monument or any other phallic object. According to Romans, such objects seduce the evil spirit away from you -- however, your carrot might then be possessed
oh....these are some lyrics i found expressing sarcastically my opinion on all these
"I throw salt over my shoulder
Got a rabbit's foot round my neck
I'd try any kind of Voodoo
To get you back, by heck
I'm fussy about mirrors
I do not step on cracks
I can't walk under ladders
I pull kittens out of sacks
These silly superstitions
Are driving me insane
If you come home I will be good
I just can't stand the strain
I don't mess with umbrellas
I always knock on wood
Cross my heart and hope to die
I promise to be good
All my pennies go in wishing wells
I never sit on hats
I won't have shoes on tables
And I can't abide black cats
I give nuns complete attention
Light candles by the score
I'm so involved in magic
I won't be bad no more
I help old ladies crossing streets
I don't give people knives
I never play with matches
Or other fella's wives
I don't mess with umbrellas
I always knock on wood
Cross my heart and hope to die
I promise to be good"
