Even those who say they are not superstitious tend not to walk under a ladder, or they throw spilled salt over their left shoulder, superstitions have been the stuff of legends for centuries. What do you think if a black cat crosses your path? I think “I love black cats”, you may think, it’s bad luck. The power of superstition lies in your belief system look below to see what you do and don’t believe in.
Good Luck
A horseshoe hung above a door brings good luck
It is good luck to eat black eyed peas on New Year
If a frog enters your home it’s a sign of great luck
If a spider spins its web in the morning it’s a sign of good luck
Its good luck to plant green beans on Good Friday
A lock of hair from a baby’s first haircut should be kept for good luck
Carrying an acorn in your pocket will give you good luck
If the first butterfly you see in the year is white you will have good luck all year.
Never mention you have good luck without knocking on wood
Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck
When playing cards which ever seat faces the door will have the best luck, the most unlucky seat is the one with its back facing the fireplace
A rabbit’s foot brings good luck
Goldfish in the pond bring good luck
A beginner will always have good luck: beginner’s luck
Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck
Bad Luck
It is bad luck to close a knife someone has opened
Killing a cricket is bad luck
It is bad luck for a pregnant woman to go to a funeral.
If you see a single magpie it’s a sign of bad luck
The American two dollar bill brings bad luck, gamblers should avoid using this note.
Breaking a mirror will give you seven years bad luck.
To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck
Placing a hat on a bed will give you bad luck
Placing keys on a table will bring you bad luck.
Leaving a building from a door different to the one you entered will bring bad luck
You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck
If a shark follows you in a ship, it is a sign of bad luck
Wild birds that enter your house are a sign of bad luck.
It is bad luck to give a partner a watch as a gift before getting married, as it’s a sign that your time together is running out.
It is bad luck to walk under a ladder
It is unlucky to sit crossed legged while playing cards
It is unlucky to wash a baby’s head for the first 12 months
If you drop a comb while combing your hair bad luck will follow
It is bad luck to milk a cow that is being sent to the markets
It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunset
It is bad luck to change a horse’s name
If you start to go somewhere but have to go back for something you will have bad luck.
Turning a loaf of bread upside down after someone has taken a slice from it is bad luck
It is bad luck to take a broom with you when you move, you should throw it out
You will have bad luck if you start a trip on a Friday
It’s bad luck to light more than two cigarettes with the same match
Finding a four leaf clover means great luck, but if you lose it you lose the luck
It is unlucky to open an umbrella inside a house
You must wear new clothes at Easter or you will have bad luck
It is unlucky to cut your nails on Friday and Saturday
You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle
To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck
Friends and Lovers
If your nose inches a friend will soon appear
If your ears burn someone is talking about you
If a husband sees his wife in the wedding dress before the wedding they will have an unpleasant marriage
If you sweep underneath a person they will never get married.
You must give a coin to whoever gives you a knife as a gift or the friendship will soon end
Never give a neighbor a knife for a gift, or you will soon become enemies.
On the honeymoon whoever goes to sleep first will be the first to die
If you drop a fork a man will soon visit you
If you drop a spoon a women will soon visit you.
If a groom drops the wedding ring the marriage is doomed.
If you say bye to a friend while standing on a bridge you will never see them again
If your cheeks are burning, someone is saying nice things about you.
If you spill pepper you will have an argument with a friend
Dropping scissors warns that your lover is unfaithful
Signs
If you drop a piece of jewellery, which ever direction it is pointing someone will approach from
Spilling salt may cause an argument later in the day.
The ancient Roman army believed seeing ants fight is a sign that the enemy is near.
If a baby is born with teeth it will be a selfish child
If a baby is born under the waning moon the next child will be born the opposite sex of this child.
Having empty pockets on New Year’s means you will have a poor year.
If your hands itch you will soon receive money
If two deaths occur in your town a third death will follow.
A ringing bell means an angel got his wings
If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip
A bird in the house is a sign of death
If you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween don’t look behind, as it’s the dead following you and you could soon join the dead.
If all the food is eaten from a table it will be a clear day the next day.
If two forks are placed in front of you at a dinner but no knife you will soon be invited to a wedding
If leaves on a tree turn upwards a storm is coming
If a candle flame turns blue there is a spirit in the room
If chimney smoke goes to the ground bad weather is coming
A person born on Halloween will have the ability of communicating with the dead.
A ring round the moon means rain will come in three days
A bat flying in your house is a sign of death
If a person experiences great honour, their hair turns white.
Planting seeds on February 14 will make good crop
If you catch a leaf on the first day of autumn you will have good health all winter
To dream of lizards means you have a secret enemy
If you dream of running you will have great changes in your life
If a bee flies into your home you will have a visitor soon, if you kill the bee the visitor will be angry
Seeing a single crow is unlucky, seeing two crows is lucky, three is good health, four is wealth, five crows means sickness and 6 means death.
General Superstitions
Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires
A potato in your pocket helps cure arthritis
If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get your wish
If a pregnant mother doesn’t eat fish when craving it, the baby will be born with a fish shaped head
Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve
If a pregnant woman gives birth wearing high heels the baby will be born crossed eyed
At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold
Eating fish makes you smart
Toads cause warts
Throwing salt behind you three times will help reduce labour pains
To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
The term “god bless you” said when a person sneezes, originated from the great plague of Europe where people began sneezing before they died, the pope then passed a law that they must be blessed.
If you cut your hair on Good Friday you won’t have headaches for a year
It wards off evil if you tie a handkerchief into a knot
You must never say thank you if someone gives you a plant as a gift or it will die
The first snow from March can be used to help skin problems
Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle
A cat will try to take the breath from a baby
Hanging a horseshoe in your bedroom will stop bad dreams
Sprinkling salt in the doorway of a house prevents evil from entering
Chinese Superstitions
When having a baby if you use glue while pregnant will cause a difficult child birth
If you hit an animal while pregnant the child will look and act like the animal that was hit
Praising a new born child will invite evil spirits into your life
If a baby has thick ears it will be very prosperous
It is lucky for a bride to wear red, white or yellow but unlucky to wear black blue or grey
A couple with the same surname cannot be married as they belong to the same ancestry
A boy rolling over the bed of a newly wedded couple will ensure good luck and a baby boy
It is bad luck to marry someone who is 3 or 6 years older or younger than you
Its bad luck to have two doors that face each other
It is lucky to have an even number of stairs in a staircase
It is bad luck to have two room doors face each other.
It is bad luck to have a door that directly faces a road.
It’s bad luck to have a house that faces north
The master bedroom should be above the garage
The dining room should not be under a second floor toilet
A poorly made funeral will bring misfortune
The statues of deities at a funeral should be covered in red cloth
It is bad luck to have a mirror or see a mirror at a funeral
After a funeral do not go straight home as the ghost of the dead will follow you
It is bad luck to clip toenails at night
If a man’s ears burn between 11pm and 1pm there will be harmony between him and his lover
Hitting someone with a broom will bring great misfortune to that person
Growing a moustache is bad luck
Your ears will be cropped off if you point at the moon
Japanese Superstitions
The number four is considered unlucky as it’s pronounced the same as the word death, many hotels and offices will skip the number 4 completely
During funerals chop-sticks are placed into rice then placed onto thed alter, so in general, sticking your chop sticks into your food, especially rice, is considered bad luck.
You will be visited by a snake if you whistle at night
You will be cured of the flu once you give someone else your flu
If you hiccup 100 times in a row you will die
If you clip your nails at night you may die an early death
You must hide your thumb if you see a funeral car or a family member will die
Girls born in the year of Hinoe Uma (Fire Horse) will be evil, (last one was 1966, next is in 2026)
You will turn into a cow if you lay down after you eat
Seeing a spider in the morning is good luck and seeing one at night is bad luck
You must hide your belly button if you hear thunder or the thunder god will eat it
It is unlucky not to wear shoes in the morning
It is bad luck to sleep with your head facing north
You’ll stop growing if you wear a basket on your head.
If you wish on a shooting star three times you will get your wish
You must finish your bowl of rice or you will go blind
If you leave a fan on all night death will follow
If you swim during August the dead will take you with them
Keeping snake skin in your wallet will bring fortune
Cleaning the toilet while pregnant will give you a beautiful baby
Valentine’s Day Superstitions
Seeing a squirrel on Valentine’s Day means you will marry a gold digger
If you find a glove on Valentine’s Day your future lover will have the other glove
The first person’s name you hear on Valentine’s Day is the name of the person you will marry
If you see a robin on Valentine’s Day you will marry a policeman.
You can see how many children someone will have by them cutting an apple in half on Valentine’s Day, the amount of seeds found inside indicates how many children
Seeing a flock of doves on Valentine’s Day means you will have a happy marriage
To be woken by a kiss on Valentine’s Day means good luck
Cats
A Japanese myth is when a cat dies it becomes a super spirit. According to Buddhism, the body of a cat is the temporary resting place of the soul of very spiritual people
Some believe that cats can astral travel at any time. They also believe that if a cat adopts you, it will stay with you forever, even after death.
King Osorkon, of the twenty-second dynasty, placed a white cat in the center of a magnificent temple and ritually endowed it with supreme power.
It will rain if a cat washes its ears.
If a cat washes its face and paws in the parlor, a visitor will soon arrive.
Seeing a black cat behind you is a bad omen
Cats can predict earthquakes.
If a cat sleeps with all paws under, rain is coming
If a cat sneezes once, rain is coming
If a cat sneezes twice, you will catch a cold
A cat sneezing is a good omen for anyone that hears it.
If you find a white hair on a black cat you will have good luck
A bride will have a great married life if a black cat sneezes on her wedding day
If a black cat crosses your path under the moonlight this means death is coming
If you kick a cat you will have leg problems
If you drown a cat you will drown
To kill a cat brings seventeen years bad luck
Dreaming of a white cat is good luck.
If you dream of a black and white cat you will have luck with children or it means a baby is coming
To dream of a cat with no tail means you have lost your independence
It is bad luck to cross a stream while carrying a cat
It is bad luck to see a white cat at night
If a black cat walks towards you it means good luck, if it walks away from you, you will lose luck
To dream you are scratched by a cat means sickness and trouble
Dream of a ginger cat and you will be lucky in money and business.
Dream of a tabby and you will have luck with your home.
Dream of a multicolored cat and you will have luck making friends.
A kitten born in may will be a witch’s cat
Some black cats are witches in disguise
To keep a cat off your car, place a hat on the roof
When moving to a new home, always put the cat through the window instead of the door, so that it will not leave.
Sailors believed that if a cat licked its fur against the grain it meant a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed, rain was on the way; and if it was frisky, the wind would soon blow.
If you are a farmer and kill a cat all your cattle will mysteriously die
In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would always kiss the family cat to bring good luck.
In Transylvania, if a cat jumps over a corpse, the corpse will become a vampire.
The folklore that a cat has 9 lives possibly came about because #9 is the “trinity of trinities” and was considered lucky.
Dogs
A common belief is that dogs are colour blind, this is not true dogs can see in colour but can’t tell the difference between yellow, green or red, they can distinguish between shades of blue and grey. In fact they can tell the difference between shades of blue, violet and grey better than people.
If a dog licks the face of a new born baby, the baby will be a fast healer
A dog howling at night may be a sign of death or illness
Dogs can see ghosts, spirits, deities, and fairies and if the dog barks it may be alerting you to a spirit
In some parts of the world, a black dog is considered unlucky.
A dog eating grass is a sign of rain to come.
If a strange dog comes to your house this means a new friendship.
Meeting a spotted or black and white dog on the way to a business appointment is believed to be lucky.
Greeks thought dogs could foresee evil.
Three white dogs together are a sign of good luck.
If a dog eats grass it means rain is coming
Dogs that howl on Christmas Eve will go mad before the end of the year.
Playing cards with a dog in the room causes disputes.