Do you believe in Superstitions?

Lots of people believe in superstitions but for most of them, they are not based on reason. Where does the word “superstition” come from? The word superstition comes from two Latin words: “Super’’ and “Stare”. Super means “above” and stare means “to stand”: Stand Above.

Do you know anyone who does not have a superstition? Most people, more or less, believe in them. Superstitions change from culture to culture, but they are all around the world. Their influence in our lives is obvious and can be seen all the time. There are two types of superstitions: good luck superstitions and bad luck superstitions. Let’s have a look at some of very common ones around the world.

In many countries the number 13 is very unlucky. But why? One reason is that 12 was a lucky number in ancient times, so 13 is unlucky. Another one is that at the Last Supper there were 12 apostles and Jesus. The people who believe in the bad luck of number 13 also think that Friday the 13th is a very unlucky day. This is because a lot of bad things such as the death of Jesus happened on a Friday. In some countries, it is impossible to see a 13th floor!

Breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck. The main reason of this is the Romans. They believed that the reflection in a mirror was a picture of a person’s spirit. As a result, they think that it will bring bad luck if you break one.

Spilling salt is also very unlucky. This is because salt was very valuable in the past. In Roman Empire soldiers received salt instead of money. Salt is the origin of the word “salary”. Salt was also used as a medicine. If you spill salt, you must throw it over your left shoulder so that you don’t become ill.

In Britain, it is good luck if a black cat crosses in front of you because in ancient Egypt the cat was sacred. Different than that in some countries people believe that if you see a black cat, you will have bad luck.

Finally, touching wood is good luck and comes from the time when the Celts believed that gods lived in trees.