Most countries have certain beliefs rooted in the popular culture of their habitants, superstitions embedded in the unconscious of the human being, so much so that even the most skeptical person feels some kind of disturbance when, for example, he has to go under a staircase or if a black cat crosses the road, even when he's so sure of his "rational" interpretation of how things works. There are many superstitions with which we live daily, which we have inherited and continue to pass to the next generations, because they have become our own, but not all are bad, we also believe in formulas to attract good luck. Next, I bring you some of the most popular superstitions:
- Get rid of unwanted visits:
place a broom with the bristles up behind the door and so will these annoying people who were not invited leave your house. Since witches fly on brooms, unwanted visitors will "fly". Simple!
- Don’t sweep your feet:
if someone is sweeping near you, run. Because, if sweep your feet by accident, your luck will sweep away. Especially if you're a girl who wants to get married ... you won't. The association of the broom with a wedding is due to the fact that in some cultures, this cleaning tool was used to seal matrimonial rites.
- Don't sit at the table:
the objects in your house have meanings, learn them. Having a horseshoe is a symbol of fertility and fortune, rice attracts abundance, so the bride and groom are sprayed at the exit of the church, the ornate elephants always turning their backs to the door and in odd numbers for the good luck. Oh, and don't open an umbrella indoors.
- Mirror Mirror on the wall:
It is one of the most widespread superstitions, and have several origins, but the most accepted is that the first glass mirrors with silver-coated back, made in Venice, were very expensive, so they were treated with great care and the servant who break a mirror would have to work for seven years to be able to pay his owner his value, in addition to the respective punishments that would be imposed on him. And they are seven years because according to the Romans, it is the time it takes the body to change its health cycle, that is, to renew itself.
- Beware of knives:
place two crossed knives on the balcony or in the garden, to keep rain away or stop it. Very useful if you want to have an outdoor party. Don't give away sharp objects (knives, scissors, can openers) and in case you are the one who receives a gift like that, ask the person for money (a symbolic payment) so that the friendship between the two is not broken. Oh, and of course, if you let fall out a knife, a man will visit you, but if it's a spoon that falls out, a woman will visit you. If you don't like it, remember to put the broom behind the door.
- Learn to distinguish butterflies:
you will receive news of a death if large and black butterflies fly inside your house. But if the ones flying are blue or yellow, great! They are a symbol of good omen. It seems to me that the poor little butterflies are victims of racial discrimination.- Pon atención a las manos:
- Pay attention to the hands:
the white spots in the middle of the nails mean lies that have been said. When the palm of the right hand itches, it means that soon you will receive money, don't scratch it, by contrary, put it in your pocket, so, when the money arrives, you won't spend it soon. "What if my left hand itches?" Well, you'll have to pay. The most daring say that if a woman it itch her buttock or a breast, it's because a man is wishing her.
- And what about the other parts of the body ?:
someone is talking about you if you feel your ears whistle or buzz, then ask someone to tell you a number and look for the corresponding alphabet letter, which will be the first letter of the name of the person who is mentioning you. If you drop a tab, put it on your thumb and press it with the thumb of another person, who has the tab, will have good luck. Although in the Middle Ages there was a belief that the Devil collected eyelashes, then you had to blow it away and make a wish.
- Of pregnancies and children:
if a pregnant woman has a lot of acidity, it's because her baby will be born with a lot of hair. And if you deny her a craving, the baby will be born with his mouth open and you will also get a stye. If your baby has hiccups, you should place a piece of thread wrapped and wet with saliva on the forehead.
- In thirteen and tuesday, neither marry nor embark:
this superstition has its origin in The Last Supper, in which Christ announces to his 12 apostles that one of them will betray him. Since then, it's believed that each time 13 people sit down to dinner, one of them will die within a year. With respect to Tuesday, is for Mars, the Roman god of war.
- Don’t spill the salt:
don't do it! But if by accident it happens, you should take a little bit of the spilled salt and throw it back over the left shoulder, otherwise you run the risk of being deceived and disappointed in your personal relationships, because salt is considered a symbol of incorruptibility and, therefore, symbol of the lasting relations, that don't "rot", this by its use for conservation of foods.
- Turn the ladder over, don't cross under it:
bad, very bad luck if you cross under a ladder, it's the only thing that we know, since the origin of this superstition, is somewhat confusing. On the one hand, it's related to death, since the executioners climbed on it to place the ropes for those who would later hang and on the other, there is the triangular geometric figure that forms the staircase resting on a wall, which resembles the sacred symbology that represents the Holy Trinity or the Eye of God, for which it's considered sacrilege to cross that threshold.
- Cross your fingers:
to protect yourself from bad luck, cross your fingers, when you ask that your wish please be fulfilled, cross your fingers. Although we also cross our fingers when we swear to fulfill something that we know we will not do. The origin of this superstition is attributed to Christianity, since the fingers form a cross, but other experts say that it's linked to paganism where crossing the fingers means perfect unity. In either case, it's used to attract positive energies.
With this, I finalize the list of best-known superstitions in my country, which are still valid. Do these superstitions have any meaning? I don't know, but they are part of our culture, of our roots and of our being, as well as being funny to see how people cross themselves when they find out something not so good that has happened to another person, in a effort to get away the possibility of that can happen to them too.
And you ... do you have any?