If you are spooked by Friday the 13th, you are not the only one. Over 17 million people fear Friday the 13th.
Here are 13 of the most common superstitions.
13. Beginner’s luck
Usually grumbled by an expert who just lost a game to a novice, “beginner’s luck” is the idea that newbies are unusually likely to win when they try something for the first time. In some cases this is true because the novice is less stressed out about winning. Too much anxiety can hamper performance.
12. Find a penny, pick it up …
… all day long, you’ll have good luck. This little tune may arise because finding money is lucky in and of itself.
11. Don’t walk under that ladder!
This superstition is pretty practical. Who wants to be responsible for knocking a painter off his ladder?
10. Black cats crossing your path
Americans collectively keep more than 81 million cats. So why is a black cat bad? Most likely, this superstition arises from old beliefs in witches and their animal familiars, which were often said to take the form of domestic animals like cats.
9. A rabbit’s foot will bring you luck
Trinkets are a time-honored superstition of keeping away evil; consider the crosses and garlic that are supposed to keep away vampires.
8. Bad luck comes in threes
When a couple things go wrong, people tend to look for the next. So, the third wrong is a confirmation of a bad day.
7. Careful with that mirror
According to folklore, breaking a mirror will give you seven years of bad luck. The superstition seems to arise from the superstition that mirrors don’t just reflect your image; they hold bits of your soul.
6. 666
This superstition goes back to the Bible. In the Book of Revelation, 666 is given as the number of the “beast,” and is often interpreted as the mark of Satan and a sign of the end of time.
5. Knock on wood
This action is supposed to keep away bad luck after tempting it with something good. This may come from old myths about good spirits in trees or even an association with the cross.
4. Make a wish on a wishbone
Legend has it that earlyRomans used to fight over dried wishbones — which they believed were good luck. If it accidentally broke, whoever has the largest bit of bone gets their wish.
3. Cross your fingers
This may go back to the time when two people used to cross index fingers when making a wish, a symbol of support from a friend to the person making the wish. Really, anything associated with the shape of the Christian cross was thought to be good luck.
2. No umbrellas inside
Like the “don’t walk under a ladder” superstition, this seems to be a case of a myth arising to keep people from doing something that is dangerous in the first place – opening an umbrella inside.
1. Friday the 13th
If you’re not scared of Friday the 13th, you should be scared of the word used to describe those who are: friggatriskaidekaphobics. Friday has long been considered an unlucky day (according to Christian tradition, Jesus died on a Friday), and 13 has a long history as an unlucky number.
How should a Christian handle superstitions?
Superstition is based on the ignorant faith of an object or action having magical powers. The Bible does not support the idea of things occurring by chance, because nothing is done outside of God’s sovereign control. Either He causes or allows everything in keeping with His divine plan. We should get our faith not from objects or rituals of man-made origin, but from the one true God who gives eternal life.
Are you superstitious? Do you know of any other superstitions?