Top 10 Common Superstitions

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lucky rabbit's foot

Number 7

Rabbit's foot

A rabbit's foot is considered lucky by many, if carried in a pocket. Although many people opt to hang them from rearview mirrors and the like, this lucky charm's influence dates back to 500BC. The claim that rabbits are rather prolific was linked to luck, especially when it came to the life of others. But because of rabbits' proximity to land, their fertility was believed to help families with their crops, and as a result, general finances and family.

Those in Ancient times believed that because the rabbit's strong hind legs touched the ground before its front ones did, the rabbit's foot was a powerful charm against evil.

Number 6


Salt has several connotations; for one, spilling salt is seen as bad luck. Some contend that Judas spilt salt during the last supper (but this, like most claims, cannot be proven) and it is for this reason that spilling salt is bad. But others argue that since salt was an expensive commodity (around the Middle Ages at least), spilling it was highly undesirable.

If one did spill salt, they were required to throw some over their left shoulder (the right one in Italy and Argentina) into the face of, guess who? The evil spirits of course! This was believed to prevent sickness and disease. Ironic, since salt was actually used for medicinal purposes.

To this day, some people actually put salt on the doorstep of a new home to ward off evil spirits. They must live in cold areas, since today we use salt, albeit a different kind, to melt the ice and avoid injuries...

bite me

Number 5

Black cats

Let's start with the creatures first: cats were feared way back by the Druid Celtics, who believed that cats were dark and evil creatures. It was in ancient Egypt, though, that black cats got the double burden: the goddess Bast (Artemis in Greek mythology) was a worshipped black female cat. At the same time, Christian priests sought to eradicate all other religions; they convinced their less knowledgeable followers to vilify black cats, and older women who cared for these cats were labeled witches.

Ironically, some add the superstition that a black cat that walks towards you will bring good fortune, whereas one that walks away takes good luck away with it. It was also widely believed that black cats take the breath away from babies... so just get yourself a puppy and avoid the confusion.

Number 4

Walking under a ladder

Early Christians believed that any ladder that was leaning formed a triangle, with the wall and ground being the other two sides. This triangle supposedly represented the Holy Trinity, and walking through it violated it: a religious faux-pas rendering you a devil. As you can imagine, such a devil label was not going to improve your life, hence bringing you bad fortune.

As public lynching grew in popularity, so did the preferred method of hanging. As a result, ladders were used to remove the corpse from the pole. If anyone were to walk under it, they would essentially be coming face to face with death as the hangman would catch their eyes.

With time, a more obvious reason for this superstition was the logical assumption that anyone on a ladder was doing some kind of work that was dangerous or potentially messy. From public hangings to public paintings, stay away from the ladders.

You can avoid bad luck (if you believe in that sort of thing) by walking under the ladder backwards and making a wish.

More bad luck if you don't knock on wood...


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