Superstitions

Many superstitions may seem foolish, some border on the ridiculous, but they continue to influence our behaviour, and probably always will! Superstitions can be defined as, "irrational beliefs, especially with regard to the unknown." They cause us to act in the strangest of ways; believe in odd things and leave us unable to explain the reasons why. In most cases those reasons behind the most common of superstitions, can be traced back to medieval or even ancient times. They are quite often even more peculiar than the beliefs they attempt to explain. For example, some of the most universal superstitions centre around black cats. They are the source of literally hundreds of unlucky superstitions. It's a sign of bad luck if they walk in front of you, and it is unlucky to step on their tails - unlucky for them too! They are even said to bring bad luck into a house if they sneeze inside it! This unfortunate connection with misfortune dates back to the Middle Ages when they became associated with witches and were thought to harbour evil spirits. There are very practical reasons for thinking twice before walking under a ladder, but a more mysterious explanation can be traced back to ancient Egypt. The early Egyptians believed that the shape of the pyramids had a special power. It was considered very bad luck to break the 'power' of this shape and it was strongly believed that by walking underneath a ladder this was exactly what would happen! In Roman times people had the habit of looking at their reflections in pools of water. Some believed that these reflections were in fact 'glimpses of the soul'. Any disruption to the water, such as a stone being thrown into the pool, would bring bad luck to the person looking in. This superstition lives on to some extent in present times, with the fear of bad luck from breaking a mirror.

Certain groups of people involved with dangerous or unpredictable activities tend to be very superstitious indeed. With actors there are lot's of Do's and Don'ts to be followed backstage in the theatre. One of the biggest Don'ts concerns the name of Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. If anyone says the name backstage then the cast will have all sorts of unlucky problems and the show will certainly fail. Also, actors never wish each other, 'good luck' before a performance as it might have the opposite effect. It's safer to tell an actor heading for the stage to, 'break a leg'! With sportsmen there are many little peculiarities. The great Michael Jordan wore his old college shorts underneath his Chicago Bulls uniform for an extra bit of good fortune on the court. The order in which kit is put on plays a big part in a football player’s pre match routine, be it left or right sock, boot or even shin pad, many have to stick to one or the other going on first. Tiger Woods favours wearing the colour red on Sundays for similarly superstitious reasons. Amateur golfers can have a successful day on the course if they start their round with odd numbered clubs and don't use balls with numbers higher than 4! It's also lucky to set out on a rainy day, but definitely not okay to borrow your partners umbrella! We’ve put together on this site, various types of superstitions, including: good and bad luck; weddings; nautical and some good old fashioned old wives tales. There is also a page on the famous superstition mountains. Take a look through, hopefully you’ll find it interesting and educational at the same time!