Do you believe in superstitions and myths in your culture? The modern dictionary defines superstition as a belief in something beyond reason, an irrational fancy of sorts.
It comes from the Latin word ‘superstitio’, which can mean an excessive fear of Gods. That doesn’t mean that every time you crack a mirror, you must repent and save yourself seven years of bad luck.
Nonetheless, superstition relates to an omnipresent being, or spirit, that can insinuate itself into your life after you’ve committed a certain act.
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But even non-religious people carry around lucky coins, and totems, or avoid walking on cracks in the sidewalk.
Today we’ll look at some crazy superstitions and myths around the world.
10. Knocking on Wood, USA
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The American website Ranker.com polled 18,000 people about their superstitions and the one thing most of the respondents did, or believed in, was knocking on wood when they didn’t want to curse themselves for something they said.
As with most superstitions and myths, the origins of knocking on wood are mostly guesswork.
It’s thought that in the past, pagans believed spirits lived in trees; you could knock on a tree and ask for forgiveness or even prevent bad spirits from hearing you.
9. Dance of the Devil, Europe
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While most superstitions and myths are strange, some are stranger than others and sometimes not easy to avoid. The sunny parts of Europe have lots of them.
Take for instance Italy and Portugal where you shouldn’t walk backwards. Do so and the next thing you know the devil will be dancing on your back.
8. Magpie, Ireland
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Let’s now move across the pond to Ireland, a country noted for its superstitions and myths. A type of crow, the magpie, is an important bird all over the British Isles.
They even have a rhyme for how many you spot at one time. “One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for boy…”
Seeing one of these noisy black and white birds is not a good omen, and an Irish superstition says that if you open the house door and see just one magpie you will soon be dead; a curse similar to watching that film in the movie The Ring, but before TVs and what not.
The birds were related to witchcraft in the past, which may have come from their habit of stealing shiny things and eating other birds’ eggs.
If you want good luck in Ireland, just find a four-leaf clover, and if you see a solitary magpie while looking in the field, say “Hello Mr. Magpie” and you won’t get cursed.
Incidentally, in China, the magpie is a good fortune bird, and in South Korea it’s the national bird.
7. Death-note, Japan
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Sticking with Asia, let’s have a look at Japan, a country fond of creating chilling ghost stories. Most cultures have death-related superstitions, but horror-laden Japan excels at creating deathly curses.
Rather than explain each, we’ll tell you what you can do in Japan if you want instant death: Write your name in red ink, or if you want someone else to die quickly, write their name in red ink.
Children shouldn’t clip their nails at night, lest they want to die before their parents do. Two more things you shouldn’t do is sleep with your head facing north, that’s how the dead are laid to rest.
And if you ever see a hearse in Japan, just be sure to hide your thumbs. If you don’t your mum and dad will soon meet the grim reaper.
6. Even Numbers, Russia
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Moving East to Russia we found that a survey by the Levada Center in 2013 tells us that the Russians are superstitious.
According to the poll, 52 percent of Russians believe in “omens, prophetic dreams, and astrology.” One thing you shouldn’t do in Russia is give someone a bouquet with an even number of flowers in it.
According to the English language weekly The Moscow Times, even numbers are reserved for funerals, and so giving someone 10 roses is cursing them.
Now you know what not to do on a date in Russia. The website understandingrussia.com says it’s common for Russians to observe superstitions, and drop things features heavily.
Drop a glass and if it smashes someone will wish you good luck. Drop a fork or a knife and a mysterious man will visit your house. If it’s a spoon an unexpected woman will arrive.
Another thing you should not do is shake hands over a threshold. That will bring bad spirits to your house.
5. Inauspicious, India
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Most Indians believe that cutting their nails or hair on Tuesdays is inauspicious. The reason for this, it’s believed that Tuesday is an auspicious day, and activities like cutting nails and haircuts are considered inauspicious.
Also, you should avoid dusting the house in the evening, because the Goddess Lakshmi will be chased away from your home if you do. And since Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, no one wants to chase her away.
Have you ever considered crossing paths with a black cat as bad luck? Poor black cats are blamed just for being black. It’s a popular belief in the West that, if a black cat crosses your path, it’s a bad omen.
The Indians believe that black represents Shani and therefore brings bad luck. It is said that if a black cat crosses your path, then your day’s tasks get delayed or postponed.
This reminds me, when going to take an exam or going to work, if a black cat crossed, never they were delayed or postponed.
4. Spirit House, South East Asia
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Speaking of houses and spirits, if you visit the South East Asian countries of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, or Laos you’ll find outside almost every house, office, hotel, or building in general, a spirit house.
What’s more surprising to visitors to those countries is that locals will ply the spirit house every day with a snack and a drink. That is often a bottle of soda, fruit, and some rice and meat.
Just about all people do this as the spirits need a place to stay, and of course, they require something to eat and drink. This is a superstitious part of the world, and superstition affects all walks of life.
Throughout the year in Thailand, there are news reports about people queuing up to worship strange-shaped fruit. They might even sometimes pay to sit in front of the fruit as it’s auspicious. Often the superstitious locals ask the fruit for the next day’s lottery numbers.
Another superstition religiously followed in Thailand is that it’s bad luck to get your haircut on a Wednesday. Almost all barbers and salons in the country are closed on Wednesdays.
Some people believe it’s because that’s the day kings would choose to get their hair done, and so commoners had no right to do the same.
3. The Zoo, Africa
Keeping with the hair issue, in parts of Africa people believe that cutting a baby’s hair before it reaches the age of one is bad luck. It might also mean that the child’s hair will never grow properly.
Maybe the most amusing African superstition we came across is that pregnant women should never visit a zoo. The reason? Because if you do the baby will end up looking like one of the animals.
Another way to apparently look and even act like an animal in Africa is when you eat goat’s meat in Rwanda. An old wives tale says that if women do that, they’ll grow a beard and start acting stubborn.
2. Chewing Gum, Turkey
Another one that would be easy to slip up on is chewing gum in Turkey after it gets dark. The Turks don’t do this as the gum will represent dead flesh and you will become a zombie for the night.
While this sounds crazy, expat-focused websites in Turkey say it’s true.
1. Spitting, Greece
If it’s easy to get bad luck in some places, it’s also easy to get some good luck. Across from Turkey in Greece, one superstition taken seriously is spitting on people to give them good fortune.
This might happen at a wedding to give good luck to the couple, as seen in the movie ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’.
One blogger who grew up in Greece writes, “I was last spit on when a family friend was telling me of a local girl who had ended up marrying a not-so-handsome or affable man.”
Apparently by spitting on her, the friend made sure that wouldn’t happen to her. Thankfully, the spitters are generally releasing more noise than phlegm.
So there you go, these are some of the whacky things we believe in worldwide. Are you superstitious? If so, how? What are the strangest superstitions and myths you’ve seen being upheld? Let us know in the comments!
