Superstitions are beliefs - not based on reason or scientific knowledge, generally associated with the supernatural, that can influence an event. You have probably heard countless of them in your lifetime and have most likely engaged with them. Even if you consider yourself a sceptic, do you still say “bless you” when someone sneezes? Whilst it’s a common courtesy today, our ancestors believed that a sneeze separated one’s soul from their body, therefore chanting “bless you” would prevent the devil from stealing their soul. Superstitions are everywhere, but where did they come from? Here are the suspected origins of the most common superstitions in today’s world.
“It’s bad luck to walk under a leaning ladder.”
The origins of this superstition largely has to do with the shape of a triangle, which a ladder forms when it’s leaning up against a wall. In Christianity, the triangle is used to represent the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Thus, walking under a ladder is seen as sacrilegious and some believe it attracts the devil. This superstition also traces back to ancient Egypt, where triangles were regarded as sacred shapes (hence the pyramids). Egyptians believed that the space between the ladder and the wall was home to both good and evil spirits. These spirits were best left undisturbed, therefore walking under ladders was forbidden. If you find yourself accidentally walking under a ladder, it is believed that you can reverse your misfortune by walking backwards under the ladder and taking a different route, or crossing your fingers and keeping them crossed until you see a dog. But it might just be easier to avoid walking under the ladder altogether.
it is believed that you can reverse your misfortune by walking backwards under the ladder and taking a different route
“Breaking a mirror gives you seven years of bad luck.”
This superstition traces back to the Romans, who believed that your reflection represented your soul. Therefore, if you break a mirror into pieces, you break your soul into pieces. The Romans believed that people’s health regenerated every seven years, therefore you and your damaged soul – unable to protect you – would have to wait out seven years of bad luck until you could get a new soul. The supposed remedy for the ill-fate of breaking a mirror is to completely dispose of the mirror. You can bury the fragments in the moonlight or you could toss the broken shards into a south running stream, which will wash away the back luck in seven hours. Either way, be careful when handling glass.
“It’s bad luck to open an umbrella indoors.”
This superstition can be dated back to ancient Egypt, when umbrellas were used as protection from the hot sun. Egyptians saw opening an umbrella indoors – away from the sun – as a blasphemous act, one that would anger the sun god. Many historians have also traced this superstition back to Victorian England. Rainy days were not a rare sight in eighteenth-century London and rigidly spoked, metal umbrellas with spring mechanisms were everywhere. Many big families were living in small living spaces, therefore umbrellas posed quite the hazard if opened in a small room, knocking over fragile objects or poking a child in the eye. Therefore, it is believed that this superstition was started for safety reasons. If you do happen to open an umbrella indoors, the ritual to reverse the bad luck is to leave the umbrella open and let it dry; this stops you from allowing misfortune to ‘rain’ on you.
it is believed that this superstition was started for safety reasons.
“It’s bad luck to put new shoes on a table.”
This superstition has been said to originate from the mining industry. When a miner lost his life down in the mines, his family would leave his boots on the table as a tribute. This common practice has led to leaving shoes on a table being seen as a harbinger of death. Additionally, the Chinese practice of feng shui warns against placing shoes high off the floor because walking underneath them implies you are being stepped on. To reverse your bad luck, the person who put the shoes on the table must spit on the soles of the shoes or knock under the tabletop to ward off the bad luck. Regardless of where the superstition came from, keeping shoes away from where people eat seems practical in a hygienic sense.
