Sometimes the origin of a custom can be more interesting than the custom itself.
Superstition: It’s important to say “God bless you” when someone sneezes.
Why We Believe It: It was once considered good luck to sneeze. It meant that evil was being expelled from your body. Then, in 590 A.D., a terrible plague swept through Europe and many people became very sick, some sneezing violently. Most people who got the plague died, so sneezing soon became identified with impending doom. Pope Gregory the Great passed a law on February 16, 600 A.D. that required everyone to ask God to bless the sneezer.
Superstition: If you spill salt, bad luck will come your way.
Why We Believe It: A long time ago, salt was considered very valuable—more precious than gold. Why? Because it could preserve meat, flavor foods, and even cure illnesses. It was very important to never waste it. If you did spill some salt, it meant the devil was close at hand. To scare him away, you would toss a pinch of the spilled salt over your left shoulder. If you had really good aim, you’d hit him in the eye.
The term plus in mathematics is short for surplus.
Superstition: Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. (Or: Step on a line, break your father’s spine.)
Why We Believe It: People used to think that lines and cracks in the earth were gateways to other worlds. To step on a crack was a very scary thing because your soul could slip through it into the underworld. Or worse yet, the underworld could reach up and hurt a member of your family, like your mother or your father.
Superstition: Walking under a ladder is bad luck.
Why We Believe It: You might think that it’s obvious why walking under a ladder is considered bad luck—a hammer or a can of paint could fall on your head. This makes sense, but it’s not the reason. The real reason has its roots in ancient Egypt, where people believed that triangles represented their three most sacred gods and thus had special powers. If you walked through the triangle formed by a ladder leaning against a wall, you were defying the gods.
Is there anything you can do to ward off bad luck if you accidentally walk under a ladder? The Romans would make a fist, with the thumb protruding between the index and middle fingers, and thrust it toward the ladder. It was called the sign of the fico and was thought to ward off bad luck.
Pantophobes are afraid of everything.