What is Superstition?

Web definition: “ An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear”

Originally the word superstition meant something like "standing still in apprehension or awe," but since has been rather watered down in its application and use. According to the writer Raymond Lamont Brown: "Superstition is a belief, or system of beliefs, by which almost religious veneration is attached to things mostly secular; a parody of religious faith in which there is belief in an occult or magic connection."

Another way to put it is that superstition is an irrational or nonscientific belief in the existence of certain powers operant in the world, with positive or ill (usually ill) effects, and therefore a concomitant belief in the counter-effects of amulets, tokens and such, and the power of certain actions (or avoidance of some actions, such as not walking under a ladder) to diminish or deflect these ill effects and/or to promote the positive influence (i.e. crossing one's fingers, or rubbing a beneficent stone, for good luck) of these indeterminate and usually unnamed powers.

A few other familiar examples:

Breaking a mirror will result in years of bad luck. The number 13 is "unlucky" and the numbers 7 and 9 are "lucky." It will bring you bad luck if you step on the cracks in a sidewalk. Finding a four-leaved clover will be a boon to your fortune.

Another view.

The world is dominated by ignorance. Although much of the ignorance is the result the of superstition, and superstition is, itself, a kind of ignorance, all ignorance is not superstition, and the difference is very important.

Ignorance that is not superstition has several different causes, such as the unavailability of information, honest mistakes in reasoning, or intellectual inability, for example. Superstitious ignorance has only one cause, the intentional misuse of the rational faculty to avade, distort, or obfuscate the truth.

The importance of this difference is that ignorance resulting from a lack of information or mistakes in reasoning can be corrected by obtaining more information or using the same process (reasoning) to correct the mistakes. Even where ignorance is the result of a limited intellect, more effort and time will often overcome the limitation, and even limited knowledge, rationally obtained, is better than superstition.

Superstitious ignorance, however, cannot be corrected by the process which caused it, and often leads from a mild form of ignorance to belief systems so bizarre as to be little distinguishable form mental illness. In fact, the more superstitious one's views are, the more one's thinking and behavior resemble what is called insanity. But if mistakes and errors can cause beliefs which are incorrect, how does one decide if false beliefs are the result of superstition, or merely ignorance and error?

The test is the source of the belief. If the source is rational, even if mistaken, it is not superstition, but mere ignorance, and can be corrected. If the source is irrational, it is superstition, and more of the process that caused it will only make matters worse.

Take, for example those who get caught up in religious enthusiasms that promise joy and happiness, not as the result of any clear rational process one can understand, but through "faith," by which is meant "credulity" in whatever that particular religion's leaders are hawking. When their faith does not produce the desired objective, instead of rejecting the failed process and walking away from the nonsense, they believe their leaders when they tell them, the reason for their failure was not their faith, but their failure to have enough faith. This is a kind of fantastic syndrome that frequently leads to such bizarre and seemingly inexplicable behavior as that associated with [Jim Jones][more][more] or [Heaven's Gate][more].

Some examples of irrational causes for beliefs may help to make this clear. Feelings, for example, are irrational. This does not mean that feelings are illegitimate, or that we should not pay attention to our feelings or the feelings of others, but that they are not a source of knowledge about anything except how we feel. When attempting to decide if something is right or wrong, for example, feelings can never give the answer. It may turn out that what is rationally right is also the thing we "feel" is right, but it might just as well turn out that what is right will not "feel" right at all. Beliefs based on feeling, or even beliefs that have been adjusted to take account of feeling, away from a strictly rational view, are superstitious.

Other irrational sources of belief are, the opinions of others, especially, those closest to us such as family, friends, and peers; the opinion of authorities such as teachers and "experts"; media (books, papers, radio, television), tradition, general opinion (everyone knows that), popular views (or consensus), tastes, or desires.

Believing what one's family or friends, authorities or teachers say does not automatically make one's beliefs superstitious. If the beliefs are held because one's family or friends, authorities or teachers say it, and only because they say it, the belief is superstitious, but, if one understands why what they believe is true, and how their family, friends, or teachers came

to that conclusion, the belief may be rational. Learning from others is one good and rational way to much knowledge.

When one simply believes what they hear, read, or are told by others, without understanding either why what they have been told is true or what the source of the authority is, such beliefs are superstitious. It is entirely rational to learn from others so long as the learning is understanding and not mere "acceptance" or "credulity."

Why Men Love Superstition and Hate the Truth

When we understand what superstition is, it is obvious it can never result in the truth, that whatever one believes irrationally, is at best a mistake, but at worst, leads to actions and choices that produce bad results and are frequently self-destructive.

It is almost unbelievable that men can believe the things they do.What could possibly make men choose falsehood over truth, what motive is so universal that it can make men everywhere prefer to believe what reason could never believe?" We have already answered that question, but it belongs here too. We quote "Truth and Superstition." Mankind, generally hates reality, just because mankind does view reality as ruthless, demanding, cruel, and unforgiving. What mankind wishes for is a reality that is pliable, easy-going, kind, and forgiving. At bottom, mankind hates reality, hates the necessity of having to work hard all the time, hates the necessity of having to learn so much, hates never being able to act on whim, or passion, or impulse without consequences, hates knowing they cannot do wrong and get away with it, hates knowing you cannot get something for nothing.

What mankind wants is exemption from consequences and a shortcut to success, wealth, happiness, or whatever else their current whims and fancies convince them they want. Reason does not show them how to have or achieve what they want the way they want it. Reason only enables them to understand the truth that describes reality as it is. They don't want truth, either. The truth just condemns them for their hate of reality. They hate the truth, too.

Here, finally, is the secret, that unrevealed factor, the mystery of why almost all men prefer their superstitions to the truth.

At the heart of all superstitious beliefs, sometimes explicit, but always implicit, is the promise that there is something more than reality, something above reality, something which cancels the requirements of reality, a secret that enables those who know it to rise above mere reality, to defy it and get away with it. Superstition, which is never called superstition, is a magic wand that makes exist what in reality cannot exist, a metaphysical wild card that makes one automatically a winner, the

universal "get-out-of-jail-free" card that allows one to escape the consequences of their choices and actions, the flying carpet that defies all of reality to give its owner a free ride to success and happiness.

Dangers and Evil of Superstition The danger of superstition is not just ignorance or mistaken beliefs. All ignorance and all mistakes can be dangerous, but as we have already stated, plain ignorance and mistakes are correctable, but superstition never is. Those who are ignorant or those who hold mistaken ideas do not choose to be either ignorant or mistaken. Those whose views are superstitious are superstitious on purpose. Their ignorance is intentional. At some level, to hold a superstitious belief, one must intentionally choose to embrace something as true, knowing full well, there is no sound rational reason for believing it true, while stubbornly insiting on some unidentified "higher" source of knowledge.

What is "higher" than reason? Well nothing, but there are plenty of things people hold as higher, such as, "the good of Society," or "compassion," or "revelation," or "mystic insight," or "their feelings," or "others feelings," or "nature," or anything else they can think of to use as an excuse for refusing to think and be responsible for their own lives and choices.

The more you understand about the nature of the world you live in, the nature of society, and the nature of the people that make up societies (which is how you understand the nature of societies), the more successful you are likely to be. Since superstition is a dominant trait of human beings, we conclude this article with four comments about the nature of the superstitious, and how to deal with them.

1. Since most people are irrational, by their own admission ("I am a person of faith"), most of the people you will deal with in this world are going to be at least partially irrational and unreasonable by their own admission. While most people are not totally irrational and in their day-to-day activities must maintain a certain level or rationality to survive, in those areas that are affected by their "faith" or "higher convictions" they are irrational, and their own words warn you, "about these things I am not willing to reason." So, be warned. You cannot trust the irrational, and to the extent people's beliefs and values are based on superstition, you must be wary. While it is very frustrating to the rational when dealing with the irrational, it is not necessary to try to "understand their point of view," (it is wrong), or convince them of their mistakes, (they cannot understand and you'll only aggravate them), or be concerned about their feelings or losses (their bad feelings and losses are the result of their irrationality, not your rationality).

2. Animals are predictable, but irrational human beings are not. Most human beings are dangerous for just this reason. (A great deal of irrationality also makes most human beings unnecessarily paranoid,

fearful, and cowardly. These factors frequently mitigate their dangerousness. Still, you must be wary.)

3. Since all human behavior is determined by what individuals believe, and since they can apparently believe anything, there is no evil of which they are not capable. This is too easy to dismiss. Recent history shows the price of this dismissal.

4. When dealing with the irrational, you must always remember, any clear-cut rational explanation of their error is a threat to them. They have built their lives around their beliefs, all meaning and purpose for them is in their superstitions, every emotion they feel is disturbed the moment their convictions are threatened. Even rational people, who have long held mistaken beliefs, are disturbed when something forces them to face the truth of their error. The difference is a rational person knows the bad feelings arising from an exposed error are the result of error, and prefers to correct the error rather than assuage the feelings. The feelings will come around on their own. The superstitious would rather kill you and protect their feelings and cheished superstitions, than to face that fact their cherished superstitions are self-destructive and morally evil.

Superstition (Latin superstes, standing over) is conceptions without foundation in, or in contravention of, scientific and logical knowledge.

In the folklores the term "superstition" is used to denote any general, culturally variable beliefs in a supernatural "reality". Depending on a given culture's belief set, its superstitions may relate to things that are not fully understood or understood at all, such as cemeteries, animals, demons, a devil, deceased ancestors, the weather, ripping one's sock, gambling, sports, food, holidays, occupations, excessive scrupulosity, death, luck, and spirits. In Western folklore, superstitions associated with bad luck include Friday the 13th and walking under a ladder.

Indians believe in the superstition that a pregnant woman should avoid going outside during an eclipse in order to prevent her baby being born with a facial birthmark. In Iran, birthmarks are called 'maah-gereftegi' ( which means eclipse). In Korea, there is a superstition that leaving a fan on in a closed room will suffocate the occupants. Atheists, agnostics, deists, and skeptics regard religious belief as superstition. Religious practices are most likely to be labeled "superstitious" by outsiders when they include belief in extraordinary events (miracles), an after-life, supernatural interventions, apparitions or the efficacy of prayer, charms, incantations, the meaningfulness of omens, and prognostications.

Some of the Common Superstitions.

Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck. If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck. To break a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck. To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck. To find a horseshoe brings good luck. Step on a crack, break your mother's back. You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle. (circumambulations in the temple prakarams?) Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires. Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck. Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck.(Provided you know your Janma Rasi and the asterism) If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get whatever you wish for. An itchy palm means money will come your way. A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck. A cat has nine lives. A cricket in the house brings good luck. Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true. After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty. A bird that comes in your window brings bad luck. To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck. Goldfish in the pond bring good luck. Goldfish in the house bring bad luck. For good luck, wear new clothes on Easter. An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house. If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip. When a dog howls, death is near. It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom. A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown. To find a penny heads up, brings good luck. To cure a sty, rub it with a gold wedding band . A drowned woman floats face up, a drowned man floats face down A person cannot drown before going under three times. To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming. To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye. You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck. Warm hands, cold heart ; Cold hands, warm heart. It is unlucky to rock an empty rocking chair. To kill an albatross is to cause bad luck to the ship and all upon it.

Wearing an opal when it is not your birthstone is bad luck To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck. A forked branch, held with a fork in each hand, will dip and point when it passes over water. ( the water diviner's tool).

Is there a real connection between religion and superstition? Some, particular adherents of various religious faiths, will often argue that the two are fundamentally different types of beliefs. Those who stand outside of religion, however, will notice some very important and fundamental similarities which bear closer consideration.

Obviously, not everyone who is religious is also superstitious and not everyone who is superstitious is also religious. A person can faithfully attend church services all their life without giving a second thought to a black cat walking in front of them. On the other hand, a person who completely rejects any religion whatsoever may consciously or unconsciously avoid walking under a ladder — even if there is no one on the ladder who might drop something.

If neither necessarily leads to the other, it might be easy to conclude that they are different types of beliefs. Moreover, because the very label “superstition” seems to include a negative judgment of irrationality, childishness, or primitiveness, it is understandable of religious believers wouldn’t want their own faiths to be categorized with superstitions.

We must, nevertheless, acknowledge that the similarities are not superficial. For one thing, both superstition and traditional religions are non-materialistic in nature. They do not conceive of the world as a place controlled by sequences of cause and effect between matter and energy. Instead, they presume the added presence of immaterial forces which influence or control the course of our lives.

Furthermore, there is also the appearance of a desire to provide meaning and coherence to otherwise random and chaotic events. If we get hurt in an accident, it is might be attributed to a black cat, to spilling salt, to failing to pay sufficient honor to our ancestors, to performing the appropriate sacrifices to the sprits, etc. There seems to be a genuine continuum between what we tend to call “superstition” and the ideas in animistic religions.

In both cases, people are expected to avoid certain actions and perform other actions in order to ensure that they do not fall victim to the unseen forces at work in our world. In both cases, the very idea that such unseen forces are at work seems to stem (at least in part) both from a desire to

explain otherwise random events and from a desire to have some means of affecting those events.

These are all important psychological benefits often used to explain the reason why religion exists and why religion persists. They are also reasons for the existence and persistence of superstition. It seems reasonable to argue, then, that while superstition may not be a form of religion, it does spring from some of the same basic human needs and desires as religion does. Thus, a greater understanding of how and why superstition develops can be useful in gaining a better understanding and appreciation of religion.

What is Superstition?

To believe in spite of evidence or without evidence.

To account for one mystery by another.

To believe that the world is governed by chance or caprice.

To disregard the true relation between cause and effect.

To put thought, intention and design back of nature.

To believe that mind created and controls matter.

To believe in force apart from substance, or in substance apart from force.

To believe in miracles, spells and charms, in dreams and prophecies.

To believe in the supernatural.

The foundation of superstition is ignorance, the superstructure is faith and

the dome is a vain hope. Superstition is the child of ignorance and the

mother of misery.

In nearly every brain is found some cloud of superstition.

A woman drops a cloth with which she is washing dishes, and she

exclaims: "That means company."

Most people will admit that there is no possible connection between

dropping the cloth and the coming of visitors. The falling cloth could not

have put the visit desire in the minds of people not present, and how could

the cloth produce the desire to visit the particular person who dropped it?

There is no possible connection between the dropping of the cloth and the

anticipated effects.

A man catches a glimpse of the new moon over his left shoulder, and he

says: "This is bad luck."

To see the moon over the right or left shoulder, or not to see it, could not

by any possibility affect the moon, neither could it change the effect or

influence of the moon on any earthly thing. Certainly the left-shoulder

glance could in no way affect the nature of things. All the facts in nature

would remain the same as thought the glance had been over the right

shoulder. We see no connection between the left-shoulder glance and any

possible evil effects upon the one who saw the moon in this way.

A girl counts the leaves of a flower, and she says: "One, he comes; two, he

tarries; three, he courts; four, he marries; five, he goes away."

Of course the flower did not grow, and the number of its leaves was not

determined with reference to the courtship or marriage of this girl, neither

could there have been any intelligence that guided her hand when she

selected that particular flower. So, counting the seeds in an apple cannot

in any way determine whether the future of an individual is to be happy or

miserable.

Thousands of persons believe in lucky and unlucky days, numbers, signs

and jewels.

Many people regard Friday as an unlucky day -- as a bad day to commence

a journey, to marry, to make any investment. The only reason given is that

Friday is an unlucky day.

Starting across the sea on Friday could have no possible effect upon the

winds, or waves, or tides, any more than starting on any other day, and the

only possible reason for thinking Friday unlucky is the assertion that it is

so.

So it is thought by many that it is dangerous for thirteen people to dine

together. Now, if thirteen is a dangerous number, twenty-six ought to be

twice as dangerous, and fifty-two four times as terrible.

It is said that one of the thirteen will die in a year. Now, there is no

possible relation between the number and the digestion of each, between

the number and the individual diseases. If fourteen dine together there is

greater probability, if we take into account only the number, of a death

within the year, than there would be if only thirteen were at the table.

Overturning the salt is very unlucky, but spilling the vinegar makes no

difference.

Why salt should be revengeful and vinegar forgiving has never been told.

If the first person who enters a theater is cross-eyed, the audience will be

small and the "run" a failure.

How the peculiarity of the eyes of the first one who enters, changes the

intention of a community, or how the intentions of a community cause the

cross-eyed man to go early, has never been satisfactorily explained.

Between this so-called cause and the so-called effect there is, so far as we

can see, no possible relation.

To wear an opal is bad luck, but rubies bring health. How these stones

affect the future, how they destroy causes and defeat effects, no one

pretends to know.

So, there are thousands of lucky and unlucky things, warnings, omens and

prophecies, but all sensible, sane and reasoning human beings know that

every one is an absurd and idiotic superstition.

List of urban legends on superstitions;

Acorn

An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life. An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.

Albatross

An albatross flying round a ship in mid-ocean was an omen of wind and bad weather to come. It was very unlucky to kill it because it was thought to embody the restless soul of some dead mariner.

Amber

Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds.

Apples

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you

will also know how many children you will have.

Baby

To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy.

For more superstitions about babies, see Pregnancy.

Bad Luck

A bat flying into the house An owl hooting 3 times 3 butterflies together Hearing a rooster crow at night Getting out of bed left foot first A picture falling

Reverse your luck by turning three times counter clockwise.

Baseball Bat

Spit on a new bat before using it for the first time to make it lucky

Bed

It's bad luck to put a hat on a bed. If you make a bedspread, or a quilt, be sure to finish it or marriage

will never come to you Placing a bed facing north and south brings misfortune. You must get out of bed on the same side that you get in or you will

have bad luck. When making the bed, don't interrupt your work, or you will spend a

restless night in it. Never turn your mattress on a Sunday, or change a bed on Friday or

you'll have bad dreams.

Make the foot of the bed before the head, or else my dear, you'll never wed!

Bee

If a bee enters your home, it's a sign that you will soon have a visitor. If you kill the bee, you will have bad luck, or the visitor will be unpleasant.

A swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.

Bell

The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud noise.

When a bell rings, a new angel has received his wings.

Bird

If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow.

Birthday Cake

If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake with the first puff you will get your wish.

Bread

To cut bread in an uneven manner is a sign that you have been telling lies.

Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it. A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has

been cut from it.

Bridge

If you say good-bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.

Broom

Do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.

If you sweep trash out the door after dark, it will bring a stranger to visit.

If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps over your feet, you'll never get married.

Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.

To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately after they leave.

Butterfly

If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.

Three butterflies together mean good luck.

Candles

If a candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits are nearby.

Calf

If the first calf born during the winter is white, the winter will be a bad one.

Cat

If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.

Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.

A cat onboard a ship is considered to bring luck.

Cedar Tree

If half a cedar tree dies on a couple's property, one half of the couple is going to die.

Cemetery

You must hold your breath while going past a cemetery or you will breathe in the spirit of someone who has recently died.

Tuck your thumbs into your fists when you pass a cemetary, it will protect your parents.

Chimney Sweep

It's very lucky to meet a chimney sweep by chance. Make a wish when sighting one, and the wish will come true.

Cigarettes

It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

Clock

If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

Clover

It's good luck to find a four-leaf clover. Clover protects human beings and animals from the spell of

magicians and the wiles of fairies, and brings good luck to those who keep it in the house.

Coins

It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up. Good luck comes if it's heads up.

Comb

To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.

Corpse

If a woman is buried in black, she will return to haunt the family. If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with

him. Mirrors in a house with a corpse should be covered or the person

who sees himself will die next. If there is a corpse in a house (say, during a wake), you should cover

all the mirrors because if the spirit sees themselves in a mirror their soul will get trapped behind the glass. Following this, the mirror then becomes a haunted object.

Cowboys

10 Rodeo Superstitions

A saddle bronc rider always puts the right foot in the stirrup first. Never kick a paper cup thrown down at a rodeo. Cowgirls often wear different colored socks on each foot, for luck. Don't compete with change in your pocket because that's all you

might win. Never put your hat on a bed -- you may be seriously injured or killed. Eating a hotdog before the competition brings good luck.

Never read your horoscope on competition day. Never eat peanuts or popcorn in the arena. Always shave before the competition. Never wear yellow in the arena -- it will bring bad luck.

Crack

Don't step on a crack on a sidewalk or walkway. Step on a crack break your mother's back.

Cricket

A cricket in the house brings good luck.

Crows

One's bad, Two's luck, Three's health, Four's wealth, Five's sickness, Six is death.

Dishes

An old Mexican belief is if a dish or pot falls and breaks for no reason, someone in your family has died.

Dog

If a dog howls 3 times, someone is going to die.

Fingers Crossed

By making the sign of the Christian faith with our fingers, evil spirits would be prevented from destroying our chances of good fortune.

Fish

When eating a fish, you should begin at the tail and work towards the head.

Fork

To drop a fork means a man is coming to visit.

Friday the 13th

Paraskevidekatriaphobics - people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th

The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times. Their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year denotes more misfortune than some can bear. Folklorists say it's probably the most widespread superstition in America (and no doubt in other parts of the world, as well).

Those who know about these things, inform us that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah's flood started on a Friday, and Christ was crucified on a Friday. Christians also noted that twelve witches plus one devil are present at Satanic ceremonies so Friday and 13 make a deadly combination.

God Bless You

When the great plague swept Europe, sufferers began sneezing violently which was a sign of death. At the same time, it was expected that anybody sneezing would cover their mouth with a cloth or their hand. This was obviously to stop the spreading of the disease, but many believed that it was to keep the soul intact. Up until this time, the opposite was true. Those who sneezed were congratulated, as it was believed that a violent sneeze would expel evil from their bodies. (See Also Sneeze)

Good Luck

Spilling wine while proposing a toast Looking at the new moon over your right shoulder Finding 9 peas in a pea pod Picking up a pencil in the street Finding a ladybug on you Carrying an acorn with you will bring good luck Finding and keeping a four leaf clover will bring you tremendous

good luck Dolphins swimming near a ship A spider spinning in the morning

Reverse your luck by turning three times counter clockwise.

Hand

If the palm of your right hand itches it means you will soon be getting money.

If the palm of your left hand itches it means you will soon be paying out money.

Hiccups

People with hiccups were once thought to be possessed by the devil.

Horseshoe

A horseshoe, hung above the doorway, will bring good luck to a home. In most of Europe protective horseshoes are placed in a downward facing position, but in some parts of Ireland and Britain people believe that the shoes must be turned upward or "the luck will run out."

A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.

Knock on Wood

It was believed that good spirits lived in trees, and that by knocking on anything made from wood, we could call upon these spirits for protection against misfortune.

Ladder

It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.

Lipstick

When making up, an actress regards it as a sign that she wins receive a good contract if she accidentally smears some lipstick on to her teeth.

Mirror

To break a mirror means 7 years bad luck. It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight. A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts

lightning. If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the

house will die soon.

Money

Greeks believe that Money attracts money, so never leave your pockets, purses or wallets completely empty and never completely empty your bank account. Always leave at least a coin or two. It was also considered good luck to give a gift of a wallet or a purse with a coin or two in it.

Nails

Don't cut your nails on Sunday or you'll see your blood the next day.

New Year’s Day

How you start the year is how you will end it, so you must ensure that you are wearing new clothes & looking your best, have paid off all your debts & are with your partner (to ensure that you are still with them at the next New year).

Nose

If your nose itches.....

You will soon be kissed by a fool. You will get in a fight. You will get money soon.

Penny

See a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck! See a penny, let it lie, all day long you'll have to cry.

Photograph

If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.

Pregnancy

"Old Wives Tales" to predict the sex of the baby...

Superstition Boy Girl

You are carrying the extra weight... Out front In your hips &

butt

During this pregnancy, the hair on your legs is... Growing faster Not growing

faster

Carrying the baby... Low High

Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the... North South

During this pregnancy, your feet are... Colder Not colder

When eating from a loaf of bread you... Choose the heel Refuse the heel

Dad-to-be's weight has been... Going up with Mom Stayed the same

The maternal grandmother has.... Gray hair Not grey or colored hair

Morning sickness early in pregnancy? No Yes

Chest development during this pregnancy?

Not very dramatic Very dramatic

Sum of the mother's age at conception & the # of the month of conception is...

Even Odd

A needle on a thread held over your belly moves.... In circles Side to side

Color of your urine... Bright yellow Dull yellow

You have been craving... Salty foods, meats &/or cheese

Sweets &/or fruit

Your nose has.... Spread out Hasn't changed

Your baby's heart rate is.... 140 beats per minute or less

140 or more beats per minute

Having headaches? Yes No

Your belly looks like a... Basketball Watermelon

When asked to show your hands you do so... Palms down Palms up

You pick up a mug by the... Handle Body of the mug

Rabbit's Foot

A rabbit's foot will bring luck and protect the owner from evil spirits if carried in the pocket.

Salt

Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt unless a pinch is thrown over the left shoulder into the face of the devil waiting there.

Put salt on the doorstep of a new house and no evil can enter. Salt used to be an expensive commodity used mainly for medicinal

purposes. For this reason, spillage was to be avoided at all costs. The

idea that it is unlucky to do so probably stems from the belief that Judas spilt salt during the last supper.

Scissors

Dropping a pair of scissors is said to warn that a lover is unfaithful. Breaking one blade of a pair of scissors is an omen of quarreling and

discord; if both blades are broken at once; a calamity is to be feared. Scissors should always be sold, they should never be given.

Shoes

If you accidentally see footwear turned over (ie: shoes, slippers, etc.) you will quarrel with someone close to you.

Sneeze

Place a hand in front of your mouth when sneezing. Your soul may escape otherwise.

The devil can enter your body when you sneeze. Having someone say, "God bless you," drives the devil away.

Sneeze on Monday sneeze for danger Sneeze on Tuesday kiss a stranger Sneeze on Wednesday sneeze for a letter Sneeze on Thursday something better Sneeze on Friday sneeze for woe Sneeze on Saterday a journy to go Sneeze on Sunday, your safety seek for the devil will have you the rest of the week!

Star

It's good luck when you see a falling star. Make a wish on it and it will come true.

Theatre

The play Macbeth is considered the unluckiest play in theatre. It is such bad luck that actors don't like to mention the title. They refer to it as "The Scottish Play" or "Mr. and Mrs. M" or "That Play".

When rehearsing a play, the actors ensure that they are perfect in every line except the last one, or tag, as it is called. This is never uttered until the first night of the actual performance, when the success or otherwise of the production is ascertained by the extent of the applause which follows the last line.

Actors never wish each other "good luck" before a performance as it might have the opposite effect. It's safer to tell an actor heading for

the stage to "break a leg", "knock 'em dead", or "see you on the green".

Thirteen

If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over.

Tounge

If you bite your tounge, someone is talking badly about you. Bite your sleeve to make them stop.

Biting your tongue means you are going to kiss a fool.

Umbrella

It's bad luck to open an umbrella inside the house, especially if you put it over your head.

Wood

Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.

Woodpecker

If you hear a woodpecker your purse will be full.

My view:

I think that's giving superstition too much credit, actually. To me, superstition is the belief in causality where none exists. Either there is no evidence for the causality, or plain common sense indicates there is no causal connection, yet it is believed anyway. Thus the only sense to which superstition "works" is entirely coincidental, like a gambler claiming that it "works" to blow on the dice. Not every time of course, and yes they have lost more often than they've won, but blowing has kept them from losing even more than they would have otherwise. Hasn't it? Science involves actually checking the belief, when the belief comes with testable consequences. This is also the difference between superstition and religion, in my view-- if the belief has no objectively testable consequences, it's religion. If it has testable consequences that falsify the belief, it's superstition. And if it has testable consequences that validate the belief, it's science.