Superstitions Around The World
Everyone has their own beliefs when it comes to luck or bad omens, but where did all of these beliefs start?
Benin: Voodoo Dolls
The origin of voodoo dolls is somewhat up for debate, but most believe that they started in Benin, a country in West Africa. Depending on where you are in the world, voodoo dolls may have a different look or meaning — but let’s talk about the original. A voodoo doll is typically a soft doll made of cloth that can be used for things ranging from love to cursing.
Different colors of dolls can have different meanings, such as blue for love and peace, or black to summon negative energy or get rid of it. The part we’re all familiar with from movies, however, would be the pins. Pins of different colors are shoved through the dolls to communicate with spirits. They say to communicate with the right spirit, it's best to have a piece of hair or clothing from that person pinned to the doll.
England: Bloody Mary
Standing in a dark bathroom and chanting “bloody mary” until someone got too scared was basically a right of passage at slumber parties. My question is: Why would a bunch of 12 year olds intentionally scare themselves?
Let’s go back to 16th century England for this one. Mary Tudor, also known as Queen Mary I, is the “Mary” in question for this superstition.
After her father, King Henry VIII, married Anne Boleyn, Anne had parliament declare Mary an illegitimate heir to the throne — this put Mary last in line to become queen. After a few marriages and deaths, Mary did become queen. She wanted to unite her people under one religion, which resulted in about 240 men and 60 women being burned at the stake for being Protestants in the Marian Persecutions. This is where “Bloody” Mary got her start.
Japan: The Number Four
A lot of people have heard of thirteen being unlucky, but what about number four? In some east Asian countries, the number four sounds very close to the word for “death”. The fear of the number four actually has a name — tetraphobia. It’s said that this superstition is taken so seriously that the number is hard to find on license plates and in phone numbers. Some hotels are even known to leave the number four out of their floor numbers!
England: Knock On Wood
Knocking on wood is a superstition I grew up with; however, it originated in England. This story goes back to medieval times, back when churches claimed to have pieces of Jesus’ cross. Officials of the church believed that knocking on the wood of the cross would bring you good luck.
Korea: Fan Death
I know that a lot of people like to sleep with a fan on at night (including myself), simply for the white noise it provides. What if I told you that some think electric fans are a surefire way to an early death? In Korea, the superstition is that being in a closed-off or secluded room with an electric fan running will literally be the death of you. I feel like this is something that was started to scare people into being more energy-efficient, but whos to say for sure.
Russia: Lucky Empty Bottles
If you’re needing a little extra luck, try putting an empty bottle on the ground. No, I’m not talking about littering — that’s bad. This superstition goes back to the late 19th century in Paris.
Russian soldiers were charged per empty bottle that was left, rather than paying for each bottle upfront. Naturally, they tried to figure out a way around this, so they would hide bottles below the table. It wasn’t necessarily “luck” that got them free drinks, but I’ll try anything once!
Greece: Broken Mirrors
Probably one of the most classic, well-known superstitions. Break a mirror, and you’re doomed to seven years of bad luck — not ideal for those of us with clumsy tendencies.
The origin of this story was in Greece in the early 1900’s. If you were sick, then you would dip a mirror in water and look into the glass. If your reflection was warped, then it was said you were near death. Was this a fair assessment of someone’s health? Probably not, but who am I to judge?
United Kingdom: “Rabbit Rabbit”
On the first day of each month, you’re supposed to say “rabbit rabbit” as soon as you wake up. This is supposed to bring an abundance of luck! If you happen to forget one morning, saying “tibbar tibbar” right before you go to bed that night is supposed to give you the same lucky effect! I’m super thankful there’s a reverse option for this one because I can barely remember my name in the morning, let alone something about rabbits.
Rwanda: Eating Goat Meat
In Rwanda, women specifically are warned to stay away from goat meat due to the fact that it could cause them to grow facial hair. I’ve spent my entire life in Ohio, and I’ve definitely eaten goat meat once or twice. I don’t have a beard yet, but anything is possible.
Canada: Pregnancy Cravings
I feel like people stereotypically relate Canada with maple syrup and hockey, or at least they do in movies. Have you ever heard anything about Canada and babies with fish heads though? Supposedly if a pregnant woman is craving fish but doesn’t give in to her cravings, her baby will come out with a fish head — talk about karma.
Mexico: Infinite Reflections
Placing two mirrors across from each other can create a really cool effect. The reflections bouncing off of each other creates an infinite loop of reflections inside one another. However, in Mexico, the belief is that this infinite reflection is creating a doorway for the devil. I’ve definitely heard about mirrors being doors to alternate dimensions, but this is a new one for me.
Italy: Jinx!
“Jinx, you owe me a coke!” — everyone's said it a time or two. However, jinxing something typically means to bring bad luck. In fact, there’s even an Italian superstition behind it.
If you happen to say the same thing and the same time someone else does, you’re dooming yourself to never be married. This could be a blessing or a curse, depending on the person. If you want to undo your misfortune, you’re supposed to touch your nose as fast as you can.
South America: Swept Off Your Feet
If someone sweeps over your feet with a broom then you are, once again, doomed to be single for eternity. Superstitions really seem to be in favor of love though, because this one can be undone if you spit on the broom right away. Seems a little rude, but then again, so is cursing someone to a lonely life.
Ireland: Magpies
Magpies are a black and white bird that is pretty famously known for stealing shiny objects. Magpies are no joke no matter where you are in Europe, but Ireland specifically takes magpies very seriously. There’s a children's nursery rhyme that determines your fate depending on how many you see:
- One for sorrow
- Two for joy
- Three for a girl
- Four for a boy
- Five for silver
- Six for gold
- Seven for a secret, never to be told
- Eight for a wish
- Nine for a kiss
- Ten for a bird, you must not miss
- Eleven is worse
- Twelve for a dastardly curse
Ireland/Scottland: Jack O’ Lanterns
A good majority of people at least know about carving pumpkins for Halloween, even if they haven’t done it themselves. Does anyone know why we do it though?
In the Celtic origins of Europe, a man named Jack was sentenced to an afterlife in Purgatory. He roamed the Earth lighting the way with a carved turnip containing a piece of coal from the devil himself. This is where we get the term “JACK o’ lantern”. Spooky!
Egypt: Walking Under A Ladder
Walking under a ladder has been a no-no for centuries, dating all the way back to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed that a ladder against a wall formed a sacred triangle, which should not be disrupted.
In France, prisoners had to walk under a ladder leading to the gallows — which would understandably be an unlucky experience!
India: Unlucky Thirteen
Can you imagine THIRTEEN people cramming around a dinner table? If you have a big family, probably. Regardless, in ancient India, it was considered highly unlucky for 13 people to gather around a dinner table together. And of course, we all know about Friday the 13th being considered a particularly spooky and unlucky day. If I know one thing for sure, it’s that you should never eat dinner with 13 people around the table on Friday the 13th.
Turkey: Chewing Gum
In the 1980’s film Gremlins, you aren’t supposed to feed these fluffy little creatures after midnight or things get a little scary. Well, in Turkey, if you chew gum after dark, it’s said to actually be chewing on the flesh of the dead. I’m not entirely sure what the correlation is there, but I have a feeling it was so kids would stop asking their parents for sweets at bedtime.
Japan: Hide Your Thumbs
Cemeteries are pretty spooky in general, but what if spirits could potentially come after your parents? The word for “thumb” in Japan roughly translates to “parent finger”, so it is customary to hide your thumbs in your pockets when walking through a cemetery. Not only will your thumbs be toasty warm, but your parents will be safe from evil spirits as well. Seems like a win-win to me!
The Philippines: Lightning Attractor
They say lightning never strikes the same place twice. Well, it might not anyway, unless you’re wearing red! In the Philippines, it’s believed to be bad luck to wear red during a storm as it is said to attract lightning.
Note to self: Do not wear red around bulls or during storms.
Vietnam: Nightmare Mirror
Putting a mirror at the end of your bed is supposed to plague you with nightmares. This is actually a superstition I’ve heard a lot about, especially since I started working for a company that manufactures glass and mirrors. While it’s honestly a natural reaction due to seeing a reflection (of yourself) out of the corner of your eye, it’s super understandable that this could cause nightmares of something going bump in the night.
Germany: Toasting With Water
Giving a toast in someone’s honor is generally supposed to be a good thing. We give toasts at weddings, birthdays, any type of celebration really. However, the luck in the action all depends on what’s in your cup.
In Germany, if you toast with water in your cup then you are wishing the person you’re “toasting” with into an early death. So if alcohol isn’t your thing, I’d recommend giving the toast with a nice sparkling juice just to be safe.
Argentina: Seventh Son
In Argentina, your 7th son is said to be fated to be a werewolf. So much for lucky number seven! The wolf-like creature is supposed to emerge from the boy on the first Friday after his 13th birthday. So not only is the poor kid going through puberty, but he’d also have to navigate his new wolfy tendencies. Though, if you already have 6 little boys running around, chaos should be something you’re semi-used to, so I don’t think a werewolf in the family would be so bad.
Switzerland: Wedding Tree
In Switzerland, it’s common for newlyweds to either plant a tree outside their new house or to actually incorporate the tree into their wedding ceremony. This tradition is supposed to bless the couples union and bring them good fortune/fertility.
I think this is actually a very sweet superstition and it’s not only a nice gesture for the couple but a nice gesture for the environment as well. Not necessarily spooky, unless you’re scared of commitment. In which case, this would be the most terrifying superstition of them all.
United States: Burning Old Kitchen Towels
An old American superstition that makes sense more for cleanliness reasons rather than superstitious reasons would be burning old dish towels. It was said that if you brought dish towels from your old house into a new house, you were bringing all the mess and bad luck of your old place with you.
Horseshoes, rabbit's feet, and four leaf clovers might not be able to save you from these spooky superstitions — but it can’t hurt.
