Avoid walking under a ladder on your way to work? Get skittish if a black cat crosses your path?
We sometimes become so accustomed to superstitions like these that we completely forget why we act in certain ways.
Although discovering the exact origins of these superstitions can be a difficult task, these behaviours tend to be rooted in very real fears that people experienced in a day when folklore and fact were intertwined.
On this Friday the 13th, let's dive right into some of the superstitions that spook up our lives and explore their strange beginnings. Just a warning, things are about to get creepy!
1) Triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13)
This one is perfect for today. Fear of the number 13 finds much of its roots in Christian theology, according to National Geographic. There were 13 people present at the Last Supper, the night that Judas betrayed Jesus. As well, Jesus was crucified on a Friday, leading to the superstition around Friday the 13th.
Others say the idea that the number 13 is unlucky comes from before Jesus' time. Thomas Fernsler, an associate policy scientist in the Mathematics and Science Education Resource Center at the University of Delaware in Newark, says 13 may have a negative connotation because of its placement after 12, which is considered a 'complete' number by numerologists. From the 12 months in a year to the 12 signs of the zodiac, to the 12 gods of Olympus and 12 labours of Hercules, it seems like a pretty important number. 13 is just beyond this sense of 'completeness'.
No matter what its origins are, the superstition is here to stay, it seems. There are airlines still skip the number 13 when denoting seat rows, as do some buildings when naming their stories.
2) Black cats
We are huge fans of black cats (especially Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch), but Pope Gregory IX was absolutely NOT. In 1233, he declared that black cats were actually the devil incarnate. Sadly, this meant that many devout Christians burnt black cats alive, to such an extent that they were extinct in certain parts of Europe by the 14th century, according to HowStuffWorks.com.
Their supposed satanic link meant that black cats were associated with witches, too. Just owning a black cat was enough to get you sentenced to death during the famous witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Unfortunately, this is a superstition that still seems to have a very tangible effect on black cats. A 2013 study from Colorado State University found that it takes black cats four to six more days to be adopted from a shelter than their differently-coloured counterparts.
3) Stepping on a crack
Does anyone else remember singing "Step on a crack and break your mother's back" as a kid why they skipped down the pavement?
Well, the origins of this eery tune are difficult to trace, but in general, it seems that people were afraid that these empty spaces contained an evil spirit, or represented a gap in the boundaries between our realm and the metaphysical one. Stepping on the crack, or interacting with it at all, was thought to bring doom upon you or your loved ones, HowStuffWorks.com reports. There is, of course, the idea that you could literally 'break your mother's back' by stepping on the crack, but others thought that doing so would free a spiritual entity that would destroy your family.
4) Bananas
Fishermen are an awfully superstitious lot, and crab boat fishermen are particularly well known for their superstitious behaviour. One of their odder beliefs about luck is that having a banana onboard will bring misfortune. Some crews have gone as far to ban items from brands with 'banana' in the title (like Banana Republic clothes) from their boats.
The reasons for this banana hate are varied, HowStuffWorks.com explains. There's one superstition dating back to the 1700s that claims boats with bananas on them won't catch fish. This is because boats during this time carrying bananas in the Caribbean had to travel quite quickly so their cargo didn't spoil. Consequently, trying to catch seafood on these fast-moving vessels proved difficult for the fisherman.
Others believe that having a banana onboard will cause the boat to sink. This superstition also developed around the 1700s, when a number of boats failed to reach their port of call, and all of them had cargoes of bananas. Then there's the idea that there may be venomous spiders lurking in the bunches of bananas that could kill unlucky crewmembers.
Whatever the reason is, we certainly won't bring a banana the next time we board a crab boat!
5) Ladders
Besides the practical reasons for not walking under a ladder (what if the person on it falls down?), there are a number of theories for why people want to avoid doing so. One reason may be because the triangle formed by a ladder leaning against a wall represents the Holy Trinity. By walking through the triangle you are 'breaking' the Trinity, a blasphemous act that could conjure the devil.
Others think that ladders are unlucky because they're linked to gallows, HowStuffWorks.com reports. People being hanged used to have to climb up a ladder in order to get to the rope.
6) Birds
If you are terrified of Hitchcock's The Birds, then this superstition will resonate with you. Some say that if a wild bird enters your home, a spell of bad luck is coming your way or, according to others, there will be a death in your family.
In order to prevent all of these terrible happenings, you are supposed to keep birds out of your house completely, even when it comes to bird-patterned wallpaper or dishes. According to HowStuffWorks.com, Lucille Ball is rumoured to have been so wary of birds' bad luck that she refused to stay in hotels with bird-themed decor.
7) Holding your breath by a cemetery
One superstition posits that you should hold your breath whenever walking by a graveyard, lest one of the souls in the cemetery slip in while your mouth is open. It's thought that the dead aren't quite ready to pass on, HowStuffWorks.com says, so the spirit may force you to share your body with them - or even send you to an early grave!
8) Breaking a mirror
First off, we hate the idea of breaking a mirror because of the mess and all those sharp edges. But beyond that, there is the idea that you bring seven years of bad luck upon yourself if you do so.
This superstition originates from the notion that mirrors don't just reflect your beautiful face - they also contain part of your soul. This means that your soul is harmed because the mirror has been, too.
And if you're thinking that seven years is an awfully specific amount of time for bad luck, you'd have to look back to the time of the Romans for an explanation. According to Snopes, some people claim that the reason broken mirrors lead to seven years of bad luck is that the Romans believe life renewed every seven years. Due to the idea that shattering a mirror was the equivalent of damaging your own health, it makes sense that a seven year cycle would have to pass before you're well again.
9) Opening an umbrella indoors
Our hesitancy about opening umbrellas indoors likely originates from the 18th century, when the contraptions were relatively new. The early versions of the umbrella tended to be difficult to wield - when opened it could easily put out someone's eye with its metal spokes or knock over valuable household objects. It's a superstition with quite practical origins.
HowStuffWorks.com also notes that some believed opening an umbrella before going outside could upset the good spirits inside your house.
The superstition could even be traced back to Ancient Egyptian times, when their royalty basked in the shade of parasols made of papyrus and peacock feathers. Because the shade of these umbrellas was considered sacred, anyone who was royal and entered it would have bad luck.
10) Giving knives as gifts
It makes sense that people would be wary of knives, considering how sharp they are. However, we don't like the idea that we may need to change our present ideas - these seem so practical for newlyweds!
Apparently gifting someone a knife could sever the ties of friendshipm according to superstition. You can get around this bad luck by taping a penny to the knife. The recipient must then swiftly remove the penny and hand it to the gift giver as a form of payment, HowStuffWorks.com says.
And when it comes to giving knives as wedding presents? Forget about it! Doing so could cut the bonds of marriage, according to superstition.
11) Sticking your chopsticks straight up
Beware! In Japan, people never stick their chopsticks down in their food. The reason why is because when this is done, it resembles the number four in Japanese, which also means death. As well, they resemble the incense sticks used at funerals when propped up this way, Good Housekeeping reports.
12) Toasting with water in your glass
Saying 'cheers' and clinking glasses when you're just drinking good ol' H-2-O is actually unlucky. According to Huffington Post, the superstition comes from the days of the Ancient Greeks.
The Greeks toasted to their dead with glasses of water to represent the journey their deceased loves ones would take on the River Styx into the Underworld. As well, the dead would apparently drink from the River Lethe once they had passed on in order to forget their lives on Earth.
This has translated into the superstition that proposing a toast with a glass of water is the same as wishing misfortune or death upon the person you are toasting to. If you're toasting with a glass filled with water, then you're actually wishing death upon yourself.
13) Sleeping with your head facing north
This Japanese superstition is, like many of those included in this article, linked to cultural custom around death.
As Good Housekeeping notes, in Japan, it is bad luck to sleep with your head facing north because that is how their dead are buried.
Did any of these superstitions surprise you? Did we leave out your favourite?
