Articles and Stories

May 19, 2015

By Amanda Scott

 There are quite a few superstitions in the United States; breaking a mirror, having a black cat cross your path, or walking under a ladder may all bring you bad luck. Having a rabbit’s foot or horseshoe is said to bring about good luck.

 Here are some weird superstitions from around the world:

 Russians have strict beliefs on flowers, so when your anniversary rolls around, please make sure you have an odd number of flowers and that they are not yellow. Giving an even number of flowers is a sign of death and yellow flowers represent infidelity.

 Also in Russia if a bird poops on you, it’s considered good luck and is thought to bring you riches. The more birds, the richer you may be.

 Syria has gone as far as to ban yo-yos. Using a yo-yo is said to bring on a drought.

 In South Korea sleeping with a fan on can cause death. Their belief is so strong that medical doctors there actually advise against. The theory, sleeping with a fan may cause hypothermia or suffocation.

 At Indian weddings the rings are typically placed in a large bowl of milk and the bride and groom have to fish them out. The superstition says whoever finds the first ring wears the pants in the family.

 Most countries have lucky and unlucky numbers. In China, the pronunciation of the number 4 is so close to the Chinese word for death that it is avoided at all costs. They don’t use it in addresses, phone numbers, or license plates. Most buildings even skip the fourth floor and some taller building skip any floor containing the number 4.

 Mongolians, who have long been nomads, believe their souls are constantly traveling as well. They think the soul continually wanders to different parts of the body.

 In Turkey they don’t chew gum at night. They believe that if you chew gum at night you are actually chewing the flesh of the dead.

 Spaniards skip the kiss on New Year’s Eve and eat grapes at midnight instead. This is said to bring 12 months of good luck.

 In Ancient Britain, women carried acorns in their pockets hoping to stay looking young. The oak tree has long been rumored to provide longevity and ward off illness.

 In Argentina women touch their left breast and men their left testicle to avoid bad luck falling upon them.

 Nigerians believe that an eclipse is God showing anger to a sinful nation. The Chinese had their own take on the eclipse. They thought a dragon was trying to swallow the sun so they would make lots of noise during an eclipse in order to scare the dragon away.

 In Iceland avoid knitting outside on your doorstep or you may be in for a long winter.

Superstitions, strange as they may be, seem to be a part of every culture. What seems weird to us here in the United States is the norm in other parts of the world and vice versa.