5 Common English Superstitions
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Superstition is a belief that is mainly based on the supernatural. People believe that superstitions bring good or bad luck. Though it has no scientific basis, many people believe in the inevitable consequences of some actions connected with superstitions. We’ve collected the 5 most common English superstitions to share with you.
Seeing magpies
As it’s believed seeing 1 or 2 magpies is a sign of good luck. However, seeing a lot of them means you should expect bad news, sometimes it is considered to be a sign of death.
Opened umbrellas inside the house
This belief has a long history. Back in ancient Egypt people needed protection from the Sun. They used peacock feathers and papyrus. However, nobody ever dared to use them inside the house, because it would insult the God of the Sun. Later this superstition was applied to umbrellas. The reason to keep them closed inside actually made sense. In Victorian times umbrellas had steel spikes, that injured some people by being opened inside the room. Despite having a better understanding of safety people still tend to believe that opening umbrellas indoors may bring bad luck.
A four-leafed clover
This sign of good luck made it to be one of the most popular choices for the tattoo. The reason why people believe in its magical power to bring good luck is that finding one is a real challenge. It is thought there are 10, 000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leafed one.
A black cat
This superstition is widely spread, and poor black cats get avoided by many superstitious believers worldwide. The reason why people are scared of a black cat crossing their road is that cats are often associated with demons and witches. However, in the UK if a black cat comes towards you, it means good luck is approaching you as well. Those black cats that walk away from you take good luck with them.
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Number 13
Many people believe that the number 13 is a sign of bad luck. However, for instance, in China, the number 4 means death and triple 6 is a symbol of success. The reason why people take numbers seriously is hidden in each country’s culture. The number 13 has a negative meaning among Christians: in the Last Supper, Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is thought to have been the 13th guest to sit down. Similarly, Jesus’ crucifixion was on Good Friday, hence the origin of Friday 13th being extremely unlucky.
Here you can find 5 fun facts about Halloween.
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