Wacky Superstitions

I do not know anyone who does not have at least ten superstitions. They are strange thoughts that even extremely rational people carry with them throughout their lives. If you asked someone, what foundation their superstition is based upon, they would have no answer for you. They are steeped so far back in history, yet the superstitions that were constructed to alleviate fear have survived which fosters the fear of not adhering to superstition.

There are a few that a lot of people share, such as, breaking a mirror, a bird flying into a house is a bad omen, and not stepping on a crack for fear of breaking your mother's back. As silly as they sound, we all want to do whatever we can to ward off bad luck. Whether it is the belief in karma, what goes around comes around, or reaping what you sew, we all want good things to come to us.

Do you know why you say "God Bless You" after someone sneezes? Besides being polite, why are those words chosen? There are several legendary explanations for this. One explanation is that when you sneeze, the devil has the chance to get in through your mouth. Another is that during the time of the plague a sneeze was believed to be the body expelling any illness that was in the body so they said "God Bless You" as a congratulations.

There is another legend connected to the Black Plague that the Pope passed a law that everyone should say "God Bless You" when someone sneezed in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease.

Here are some strange superstitions that are a part of American culture:

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

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

It is bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to enter.

To rid yourself of a sty, stand at a crossroads and recite, "Sty, sty leave my eye. Take the next one coming by."

It is bad luck to say the word "pig" while fishing at sea.

If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn, you will not catch a cold all winter.

Unless you were born in October, it is unlucky to wear opals.

If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying, the pencil will remember the answers.