Do You Believe in Superstitions?
Do you ever wonder why people don’t walk under ladders or don’t open umbrellas inside the house? Many people believe in such superstitions. Some superstitions are so old that we do not know how they started or they where come from. Actually, historians believe that superstitions have existed as long as people. Thousands of years ago people did not always understand why certain things happened, so they must have invented ways to explain them. Many of these explanations have survived through the ages, and people ac in certain ways because of some long-forgotten beliefs.
Walking under a ladder
One old belief is that if you walk under a ladder, bad luck will follow. To prevent this from happening, you must quickly cross your fingers and make a wish. Historians say that this superstition may have started because a ladder leaning against a wall forms a triangular shape. The triangle is considered the symbol representing the Holy Trinity in Christian religions. So walking through a triangle seemed to ignore its sacredness.
The Unlucky Number Thirteen
In some countries, the number thirteen does not exist in addresses. The address 12 is often followed by number 121/2, and then by 14. Many building in the United States do not have a floor labeled 13, and the buttons on elevators skip the number thirteen. Some people will not buy or use anything that has the number thirteen on it. Historians guess that the origin of number thirteen’s unlucky reputation could be based on the Bible. Thirteen represents the number of people present at the Last Supper before Christ was put to death.
Breaking a Mirror
According to another belief, breaking a Mirror brings seven years of bad luck. If a mirror breaks, you must take the pieces out of the house quickly and bury them. Before the invention of mirrors, people must have first seen their own images in water. If a person’s image was distorted by the water, it meant that bad luck would follow. When glass mirror came into use, the bad luck became associated with breaking a mirror, rather than with the movement of water. It was believed that the person’s image was shattered when the mirror broke. Historians think that the number seven might have come from a Roman belief. The Romans thought that a person’s body renews itself every seven years.
Knocking on Wood
Knocking on wood there times is supposed to keep your luck from turning bad. This superstition was traced to ancient times when people believed they were touching magic when they touched wood.
Getting out of Bed on the Wrong Side
Getting out of bad on the left side is supposed to make a person’s entire day unhappy. You must rise from the right side of the bed and put your right foot down first. The origin of this superstition must have been the ancient belief that right was good and left was bad.