Last Updated on March 17, 2022
Looking for a little luck or perhaps bad luck?
We all have heard some superstitions and some of us even believe them.
Most of the time these are picked up from our families, grandparents, or things we watch on TV. Some of the most common superstitions include broken mirrors as a sign of bad luck, a black cat crossing your path, and people knocking on the wood.
If you believe in a certain kind of superstition, you are not alone. In a poll in 2019 done in Statista, only about 35 percent of Americans believe that they were not superstitious.
That means about 65 percent of the people are. While we all understand that superstitions are not the most rational response.
However, when you are surrounded by plenty of spooky movies, scary games, and some old-age grannies, you might end up feeling a little superstitious.
Let’s look at the most common superstitions most of us believe in:
Itchy Bum
This one is surely a very interesting superstition and has a number of meanings.
An itchy bottom is typically considered to be a positive sign for women and is associated with the huge hurdles being solved, achieving something, and hard work paying off.
For men, it is associated with the changes in the working area.
In married individuals, it is seen as a bad omen and an indicator of marital troubles in the future.
Read more about an Itchy Bum here.
Ear Itching
Feeling an itching sensation in your left or right ear?
Guess someone is talking about you.
Are they saying good or bad things?
Well, let’s leave it up to your imagination.
Some believe that itching in the right ear means someone is praising you while itching in the left ear means that someone is talking badly about you.
Read more about Ear Itching here.
Eye Itching
Eye itching is a very popular superstition and has different meanings associated with it.
If you are experiencing an itchy eye, you are bound to have one of the following experiences:
You are going to meet your romantic partner very soon, you might end up meeting an old friend, your luck is knocking on your door, or you are about to cry soon (this one seems to be the most realistic explanation through).
Read more about Eye Itching here.
Knocking on Wood
In a lot of cultures, people knock on wood after saying something good about themselves or their lives.
The purpose is to bring them good luck and ward off bad luck.
Eye Twitching
I am sure most of you have heard of this superstition at least once in your life.
The key here is to notice which eye is twitching.
If your left eye is twitching, you might hear bad news.
If your right eye is twitching, you will soon meet someone from the past (you haven’t seen in a while).
Read more about Eye Twitching here.
Itchy Nose
There are various superstitions associated with an itchy nose.
The most common one is that you are going to meet someone significant in your life.
That person doesn’t have to be a romantic partner but will leave a lasting impact on you.
Other superstitions associated with an itchy nose are:
Holy Spirit will visit you, you might receive a spiritual gift, good luck is about to knock on your door, you are going to meet the love of your life, and your life is about to change.
Read more about having an Itchy Nose here.
Ears Ringing
If you are experiencing a buzzing or ringing sensation in your ears, be vary as someone is talking about you (and not in a good way).
We would suggest that if your ears are ringing for more than 24 hours, you shouldn’t think about who is talking behind your back and consider visiting a doctor.
Read more about Ears Ringing here.
Ears Burning
We rarely experience burning ears but trust me when I say there is a superstition associated with it too.
If your right ear is having a burning sensation, someone is talking very highly of you.
On the other hand, if your left ear is burning, someone is talking badly behind your back.
This one is quite similar to the ear itching.
Read more about Ears Burning here.
Feet Itching
Having itchy feet is associated with a new journey.
It might indicate your hippy nature and urge to hop from one place to another or might point towards an upcoming travel experience.
Get excited folks and tell us if this superstition has become true for you in the past or not.
Read more about Feet Itching here.
Butterfly Lands on You
A butterfly landing on you has a very spiritual connotation.
It essentially represents a season of transformation, growth, spiritual pursuits, and discovering your truth and inner wisdom.
Possibly, you are on a very deep spiritual journey or an internal change that will lead you towards a massive transformation.
Read more about when a Butterfly Lands on You here.
Black Cat Crossing Your Path
This is perhaps the most common tale we have all heard.
Did you know that it is related to the witches?
In the Middle Ages, a lot of people believed that witches kept cats as their spies and companions.
The belief that witches could also take the shape of black cats to move around as spies.
That is the reason most people believe that a cat crossing their path is an ominous sign of something witchy.
Believe it or not, this superstition has led to low adoption rates of black cats.
Walking Under a Ladder
Well, this one has some common sense into it.
Nobody likes to walk under the ladder and expect paint to fall over their head.
There is more than that to the belief system.
Most ancient religions and mythologies believe that triangle is a symbol of life.
As an open ladder forms the triangle, walking through it seems tainted.
Broken Mirror
This one is another hyped one.
A lot of religions believe that mirrors show a reflection of the soul.
Breaking the mirror can have dire consequences.
Don’t worry as it is just a myth and there is a mythical way to reverse luck.
Simply gather up the broken mirror and bury it in the moonlight.
Friday the 13th
A lot of people believe that Friday the 13th is a cursed day.
This superstition is as old as Christianity.
As per Christian belief, Judas was the thirteenth last supper guest and Jesus was crucified on Friday.
Believe it or not, a lot of people don’t make important decisions on this date.
Opening an Umbrella Indoors
We all have tempted our fate with this one at least once.
Nobody likes to open their umbrella while they are outside and standing in the rain.
Umbrella was often seen as a magical thing that protects you from the sun and rain.
People believe that it can bring bad luck, and might offend the gods of sun and rain.
Nobody wants that. Or do you?
Step on a Crack, Break Your Mama’s Back
For the longest time, a lot of people believed that cracks on the ground were essentially portals to another dimension/world.
Stepping on them was equated to stepping on one of the evil spirits and that could mean potentially disastrous results for your mother and other relatives.
What is more terrifying than getting hurt?
Hurting someone you love.
And that is why for the longest people believed in this superstition.
Tossing Spilled Salt Over Your Shoulder
This is another not very common but a surely interesting one.
Many people believe that spilling salt is a sign of bad luck.
Why is it so? I thought you might ask.
Well, because salt has been viewed as a valuable resource for many years and was even used in the place of money.
The thought of spilling it attracts evil spirits who want to steal stuff from you.
On the contrary, if you take a pinch of salt and toss it over your shoulder, it will supposedly ward them off and is considered a sign of good luck.
Itchy Palm
I am sure you have heard it and believed it as a kid.
Some people believe that if you have an itchy palm, you are bound to get some money.
Some also believe that you are about to meet someone new.
The reason behind this is simply associated with the fact that you hold your hand out to accept money and shake hands.
However, you are not supposed to scratch your hands as it will bring bad luck.
Most people see it as a reversal of good luck or simply, unjinxing.
The idea behind this one is pretty basic.
A lot of people believe to this date that saying good things aloud jinxes it and ruins it for them.
Knocking on the wood is a simple act of reversing and deleting it.
This belief comes from the times when some of the ancient religions believed that gods live under the trees.
Hence, knocking once means a sign of favor, and knocking twice means a sign of gratitude.
Lucky Pennies
Money has always held value since the ancient world.
Coins were used as a currency in the past.
That is the reason a lot of people believe that finding a penny randomly on the ground is fortune’s way of smiling at you.
There are certain variations here.
Some people believe that it only means good luck when you find a coin with a heads up.
If you find tails one, you should flip it again, turn the head side up and leave it for some other person.
If you didn’t get a dose of luck, some other person might get it.
Rabbit’s Feet
Did you own those dyed lucky rabbit’s foot keychains as a child?
I surely did.
But did you know that there is actual superstitious reasoning behind it?
Celts believed that rabbits are super lucky as they lived underground, making it easier to communicate with the gods.
Turns out all our parents were superstitious or maybe they didn’t know about this one and only wanted their kids to own a cute keychain.
Inside Out Clothes
As per a Russian Superstition, putting your clothes in an inside-out way makes you more vulnerable to getting beat up.
If you put your clothes on the backway or the wrong way, you must fix it asap.
At least that’s what the superstition says.
You can go further and ask your friend to smack you in the shoulder to tell the universe you have got beating for the day.
Supposedly, it prevents you from getting mugged up and knocked out. This one is personally very amusing to me.
Mixing Beer
As per drinking 101, you should never mix your alcohol but beer seems to be an exception.
I am sure we all have mixed beer at some point.
However, it is not appreciated by the Czechia culture.
As per the culture, pouring one glass of beer into another brings bad luck and invites negative energy to your life.
Beware of Tuesdays
Most of us hate Mondays but there is something associated with Tuesdays too in the Latin American Culture.
Tuesdays are considered to bring bad luck and a lot of people avoid doing anything important on this day.
Getting married, traveling, going on a trip, making a business decision, joining a new office and the list goes on.
Don’t Stand Your Chopsticks in Your Food
Sticking your chopsticks straight into your food seems like the obvious choice.
However, in Japan, it is considered bad luck.
When chopsticks are planted straight into food, it essentially looks like Japanese number four which is an indicator of death.
As per Japanese, unless you want to die, avoid putting your chopsticks straight into the food.
Avoid Saying “Happy Birthday” Too Early to Anyone
We all have celebrated our birthday early at one point or at least wished someone an early birthday.
However, in Russia, it is considered a big no as it supposedly brings bad luck to the person on their actual birthday.
Save the festivities for the actual birthday, my friend.
Avoid Facing Your Mirrors toward Each Other
We have all heard of the broken mirror but two mirrors facing each other aren’t appreciated either.
While the reflection of the infinite mirrors looks stunning, it is a doorway to hell as per the Mexican legend.
Hence, people avoid it as nobody wants the devil to climb through the doorway into their lives.
Keys and Tables
You will be surprised to hear it.
In Sweden, tossing your keys on the table is considered a sign of bad luck.
It dates back to the time when prostitutes would leave keys on the table to invite clients to their rooms and chambers.
In order to avoid confusion, it was deemed as bad luck so people would stop doing it.
No Complimenting
We all have used the phrase; “OMD, your baby is too cute” at least once in our life.
In Serbia, complimenting an infant is supposed to bring bad luck.
Believe it or not, people believe that it will bring misfortune to the kid.
So, essentially calling the babies ugly is acceptable but calling them cute isn’t.
So, these were a few of the most common superstitions we have heard about.
Do you believe them or do you have some unique ones to share?
We would love to find out.
