Considering the sheer size of the world, it’s pretty remarkable that no matter where you hail from, chances are you grew up being told at least one or two superstitions that sound a bit … suspect.
Ridiculous though some superstitions may seem, it turns out humans’ propensity to believe in bad omens — and link seemingly innocuous actions with summoning certain death — might actually be a biological trait we developed.
In a 2017 article published by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, psychologist Stephen Graef suggests humans create — and adhere to — superstitions in an attempt to gain some control over the scary unknown.
We do this by creating links between our thoughts and feelings to different actions, objects, or symbols.
“These associations develop in an attempt to predict or control the unknowns of life and usually have a root somewhere in our personal histories,” Graef says.
This might explain why nearly every culture has its fair share of superstitions. From avoiding black cats to throwing salt over our shoulders, it seems all we want is a little predictability in an otherwise unpredictable world.
Regardless of where you’re from or where you’ve traveled, you’ve probably come across some superstitions that make you wonder where actually on earth those beliefs came from.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of our most common superstitions here in America come from quite literally all over the world.
We’ve all heard that crossing paths with a black cat means bad luck, but from where did the notion these furry animals bring misfortune originate?
The National Library of Medicine says this belief harkens as far back as plague-ridden Europe, where infected Europeans searched for something — anything — to blame their illness on.
Because of their ability to blend with shadows, black cats were deemed “mysterious” and therefore likely carriers of witchcraft and other assorted ill-wills.
In fact, this superstition has persisted so heavily in American culture that the NLM reports black cats have the lowest adoption and highest euthanesia rates of all shelter cats in America, and they’re also the most frequent victims of occult practices.
The problem has gotten so bad that some shelters have even stopped allowing their black cats to be adopted around Halloween.
A newer superstition, at least according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is the western tradition of brides choosing to wear white on their wedding day. Since many cultures associate the color white with purity and virtue, it makes sense a bride would be expected to display said purity on such an occasion.
For practical purposes, however, women actually wore a variety of hues until Queen Victoria popularized the color white during her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert.
These days, many women continue to follow in Queen Victoria’s footsteps by choosing white gowns, although this may have become more of an aesthetic choice than a superstitious one.
Another belief that’s persisted through the ages is the idea it’s bad luck to walk under an open ladder.
Although somewhat debated, this notion may have actually originated in Ancient Egypt, where the triangle was considered a sacred shape that represented the trinity of the gods. Because a ladder leaning against a wall forms a triangle, walking through the formation was considered a form of desecration and would result in the offender’s misfortune.
Why do we throw salt over our shoulders? As odd as this one may seem, this superstition actually has roots in several cultures.
Salt itself holds deep meaning in many religions. Web.archive.org explains that in Leonardo DaVinci’s famous painting “The Last Supper,” Judas is depicted as having spilled a bowl of salt — a sign of evil and bad luck.
Buddhism believes salt repels evil spirits, and it’s customary in buddhist cultures to throw salt over your shoulder before entering your house after a funeral to ward off malicious spirits that may be tempted to follow.
Web.archive.org also claims in modern-day India, gifts of salt now symbolize good luck — a reference to Mahatma Gandhi’s symbolic walk to the sea to gather tax-free salt during his campaign to liberate India from British rule.
According to The Sun, Northern European lore says a sailor dies every time a cigarette is lit with a candle (instead of a match).
Despite already being somewhat dangerous, it’s possible this superstition was started by the sailors themselves, since the idea was reportedly born of the fact sailors were known for selling matches on the side to make a little extra money, and a reduction in match sales inevitably would result in a dip to their income.
Perhaps more practically, some parts of Africa warn women against celebrating a pregnancy before the child’s birth, with the supposed reason being that premature celebration will incur the wrath of the mother’s ancestors.
Because pregnancies can be hard to predict, this superstition may have arisen from a place of wanting to put celebrations on hold until the delivery of a healthy baby was imminent.
In some parts of China, it’s believed that flipping a fish at the dinner table will cause a ship to capsize.
Table manners aside, culinarylore.com suggests reasoning behind this one is pretty simple: turning over a fish is thought to be similar to turning over a fishing boat, and offenders risk bringing death and disaster to their family.
What these examples make clear is the need to bring order and consistency to our lives transcends both distance and time.
