1 Knocking on Wood
After bragging, it’s a common gesture to tap on something wooden—a chair, a door, or (for the remaining few who still insist it’s funny) your own head—in order to show humility and the hope that circumstances remain the same. But a few thousand years ago, our ancestors were thumping on trees. To them, trees represented the homes of the gods. So whenever a favor was needed, a tree was touched, and, when the favor was received, the tree was touched again in appreciation. Centuries later, medieval Christians wore pendant wooden crosses, like the one Christ was crucified on, which they tapped in reverent apology whenever they caught themselves boasting to remind themselves of their humility.
Ancient Egyptians swore on garlic the same way people today take oaths on the Bible.
2 Tossing Coins into Fountains
Nope, this tradition did not start at your local mall. It actually began in ancient times, when it was believed that spirits lived in the bottom of wells. The thinking was that if one made a wish and then tossed money into the well, the spirits would be pleased and would grant the wish. However, there is another story associated with the origin of this practice.
According to Greek mythology, mortals would bury their dead with an obol (a very small coin) under the deceased’s tongue. At the time, Greeks believed that the souls of the dead needed money in order to cross the river Styx, which served as the crossroads between the living and the dead. If they had money, Charon, the greedy ferryman, would send them across to a peaceful afterlife; if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be allowed to cross.
3 Throwing Rice at a Wedding
Throwing rice onto the bride and groom after they’ve said their vows stems from ancient Hindu and Chinese religions. As a primary food source, rice became a symbol of health, prosperity, and fertility. It was also thrown in hopes of appeasing any malicious spirits that may have been lurking nearby.
4 Walking under a Ladder
This superstition most likely originated in ancient Asiatic countries, where a criminal who was sentenced to death (as most criminals were) was hanged from a ladder propped against a tree. And since it was believed that death was contagious, people were forbidden to walk underneath ladders for fear that they’d “catch death.” Later, the onset of Christianity helped to spread this conviction, as early paintings of Jesus’ crucifixion depicted a ladder leaning against the cross with Satan standing underneath. Being caught under a ladder therefore became associated with being in Satan’s territory.
5 Throwing Salt over Your Shoulder
Salt was pretty valuable to the ancient Greeks. Not only did they use it to preserve food, but many Greeks were actually paid in salt (called their salarium, from which the word salary stems). Because of its importance, they concluded that salt could also protect them from evil spirits. But why throw it over your shoulder? Well, the Greeks believed that spilling salt was a sign from your guardian spirit that dark apparitions were on the prowl. As to which shoulder these demons were lurking over, it was commonly thought that positive spirits congregated on the right side of the body, while negative ones resided on the left. Many thought that the pinch of salt they were throwing over their left shoulder served to bribe the demons, while others were just hoping some would land in their eyes and blind them.
The U.S. Mint reported a loss of $42.6 million on the production of pennies and nickels in 2010.
6 Fear of Breaking a Mirror
Long before breakable mirrors existed, a shiny surface was considered a tool of the divine. In addition, early man (believing that his reflection in still water was an image of his soul) feared having his reflection harmed in any way. About the first century BCE, the Romans, who believed that life renewed itself every seven years, reasoned that breaking a mirror would summon seven years of bad luck.
7 Fear of Black Cats
A black cat crossing your path is supposed to bring bad luck, a throwback to the Middle Ages when it was believed that this creature was the companion and mascot of a coven and that it changed into a witch or Satan after seven years of service. Therefore, it stood to reason that a black cat crossing one’s path might be a witch or the devil in disguise.
8 Paraskevidekatriaphobia
Yup, a fear of Friday the 13th is now classified as its very own phobia. Historically, both Friday and the number 13 have had unlucky associations, so it only stood to reason that a fear of the combination of the two would arise. The most commonly cited explanation for fearing Friday the 13th is that there were 13 people at the Last Supper, one of whom betrayed Jesus, and that the Crucifixion fell on a Friday. During the days of the Druids, Friday was the night of the witches’ Sabbath, where they always gathered in covens of 12 + 1—the thirteenth member believed to be the devil.
Editor’s note: Because most superstitions have existed for so many centuries, multiple stories of their origins exist. The origins listed in this article are simply the most prominent and well-researched derivations.
The only number whose letters are in alphabetical order is 40 (f-o-r-t-y).