Friday the 13th is not just a movie about a guy in a hockey mask with demonic rage issues (but click here for funny videos about Friday the 13th). It is a real fear for some people. Common superstitions (and their origins) might not be based in reality, but when people believe in something so powerfully it doesn't seem to matter. Whether it is avoiding walking under ladders or crossing paths with black cats to blessing someone when they sneeze, some of these superstitions are so much a part of our lives we don't even know why we do it.
While some of these superstition origins come from religious thoughts, some come from a practical place. (Really, it's probably a good idea not to open an umbrella in cramped spaces.)
These are the top 13 common superstitions and their origins.
http://www.ranker.com/list/the-13-origins-of-the-most-common-superstitions/ariel-kana,
Opening Umbrellas Indoors
While some of these superstitions could be considered a little crazy, some are actually quite practical. Really, one should never open an umbrella indoors. Not because of bad luck, but because it could seriously hurt someone.
There is a thought that this is actually where the superstition came from. The introduction was the mechanical umbrella happened in the Victorian Era of England. The first versions of it were made with stiff steel poles that, when opened indoors, could cause major injuries like cuts and possible eye loss. (I would call that pretty unlucky.)
While that might be the case, the myth goes all the way back to the ancient Egyptians who also had umbrellas, though back then they were parasols, made for blocking the sun instead of the rain. If you were to open one indoors, where there was no sun, it was considered an offence against the sun god Ra who would curse you for it.
Broken Mirrors
While we all know that broken mirrors are a pain to clean up, it's the threat of the 7 years bad luck that keeps most of us from carelessly knocking them over.
Some people believe that the reason breaking a mirror causes all those years of bad luck comes from an age when mirrors were considered luxury items and the cost of replacing a broken one would be equal to 7 years of a peasants salary. The superstition actually extends back quite a bit further to the Romans.
In Roman times there was a special form of doctor that was part physician and part mystic. They would use mirrors to divine the health of their patients. (Kind of like an ancient xray I guess.) The doctor would fill a mirrored plate and glass with water and look at the reflection of the patient. If for some reason the reflection looked distorted the patient would be deemed ill. If, however, the mirror were to crack during the procedure, it would mean that they would be very sick for 7 years, the time the Romans believed it took for the human body to be completely renewed.
Hat On Bed
There are so many different things to do with hats indoors, from removing them as a sign of respect, to where to place them. It is a common thought that if a person places their hat on the bed, something horrible will happen to them.
This comes from the fact that the bed looks like a coffin and when a person or solider died, their clothes and armor were placed on the lid as a sign of respect. Another thought is that a priest will always wear their hat indoors except for when they have to change into their vestments to perform final rites on the dead.
Either way, it's only good manners to place your hat anywhere but the bed anyway.
Black Cat Crossing Your Path
Though cats have been adored for ages by many ancient peoples including the Egyptians, Sumerians and Aunt Mildred, having a black cat cross your path is supposed to come with horrible consequences.
The thinking behind this started during the witch hunts. Witches were thought to be able to communicate with certain animals and make them do their bidding. The cat was the chief among those "familiars". A black cat was thought to be the worst as it was said to contain the soul of Satan himself. Therefore seeing a black cat meant that the devil was watching you.
Wishing
Every child knows that once everyone has finished singing "Happy Birthday" they must blow out ALL the candles on their cake in one breath, and make a silent wish. If you don't blow them all out at once, or you tell someone the wish...you're screwed.
The origin of this strange superstition is impossible to find. When doing the research I couldn't find anything, which led me to believe this is just another "because I said so" moment for parents...as if they were running low on those.
The more I thought about this superstition the more angry I became, that is a whole lot of pressure to put on a little kid! Birthday's are a child's favorite day (other than Christmas) it's a day honoring themselves, and kids are the most self-centered people on the planet. So, we take the day that's all about them, and we have them play games, and run around and get all excited to open presents!! Yay!! Presents!! They're jumping up and down, clapping their little jam hands...but wait you have to blow out your candles first.
Yeah, that's right after you've been running around, screaming, jumping up and down, and your little heart is pounding so fast at the idea of material possessions it's about to leap out of your chest and do a riverdance, you have to take your still developing lungs and blow out all these ridiculous candles OR YOUR WISH WON'T COME TRUE! It's a bit harsh.
Itchy Palms
This superstition states that if the right hand itches, money coming in, but if the left hand itches money coming out. Or you're having an allergic reaction to medication, and I don't know why the South paw gets the raw deal but this sounds a bit funny to me.
Again the origin for this one is unknown, but the earliest recording of it comes from Shakespeare, in Julius Caesar, Brutus says, "Let me tell you Cassius, you yourself are much condemned to have an itching palm." ooo sick burn Brutus.
Spilling Salt
Spilling salt may have been more of a manners issue than a bad luck issue...and then the it just became habit. Long ago salt was an expensive commodity, and one that had many useful purposes. Wasting salt was frowned upon, and so it is suggested that people just started saying it was bad luck so that people would be careful with it. Although, starting a rumor that to undo the bad luck is to waste more salt doesn't make sense to me...but I'm not from long ago.
So now you have this "throw salt over your shoulder" to undo the bad luck...but not just any shoulder you have to throw it over your left shoulder. Why left? You throw it over the left shoulder because in some Christian beliefs the Devil hangs about over the left side of the body, looking for an opportunity to invade. Spilling salt, seen as an invitation for the Devil to do his deeds, because it's such an abomination to be clumsy. The Devil needs to be put back in his place so you take the salt and throw it over the left shoulder (where he's been hanging out) and it puts it right in his face! So, basically you invite the guy to come in and when he gets to the door your throw something in his face and tell him to go away, no wonder he's so angry all the time. Another thought as to why spilling salt is bad is linked to the last supper. In Da Vinci's painting Judas is seen spilling the salt, so if you spill the salt you might as well just go turn in your best friend so they can be executed.
Walking Under Ladders
Even though it's always tempting, everyone knows that walking under a ladder is cause for some very very bad luck. The origin of this practical myth comes from a few different sources depending on who you are to believe.
When a ladder is placed against a wall it forms a triangle, one of the holiest symbols to the Egyptians. (As can be seen by their pyramids.) The thought was that if one walked underneath a ladder they break the symbol and anger the gods. This concept was taken later by the Christians, but instead of the triangle, they called it the Holy Trinity. The consequences where the same though.
People believed this so strongly, that prisoners were forced to walk underneath the ladder that led to the gallows. This scared them more than the actual hanging itself.
In the end it's another superstition that just makes common sense, but it's probably just easier to scare someone rather than risk having a hammer fall on their head.
Knock on Wood
What do you do if you say something out loud that you want to come true? You knock on wood. It's strange, but of all the superstitions on this list, this is the one that is still most commonly done reflexively. (The most would probably have to be God Bless You when someone sneezes.)
The reason that people knock on wood comes from the pagan belief that good spirits lived in the trees. In order to get something that you want, you were to whisper the wish into the tree and knock two times to ensure the spirit was awake to take on the wish.
On the flipside, some people believed that you knock on wood to ward off bad spirits that would make the wish not come true.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
This wedding chant became a popular mantra and symbol of good luck in a marriage in the 1500's. The full verse goes:
"Something old, something new
Something burrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe."
The old is to keep connected with the brides past and her family. The new means optimism for the life after marriage. The burrowed thing usually comes from a friend who is in a good marriage as a charm for good luck. The reason for blue was that in Roman times, blue was the color of love which the Christians turned into meaning fidelity. (Most bridal gowns were blue up until the late 19th century.) Finally, the sixpence in the shoe was another good luck charm, this one from the Scots who believe that a coin in the shoe guarantees money