Six Strange Superstitions

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    Ever since we were little kids we have heard of superstitions, the main ones being, if a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck and if you break a mirror you will have ten years bad luck. Being children, we would have instantly believed these superstitions told to us by our parents, until one of them occurred and we realized... nothing happened. Now, we just look back on those days and laugh at how ridiculous those superstitions were. Because it is always interesting to learn about strange superstitions, I have provided six more you may not have heard of as well as their origins.

1. Stay Forever Young by Carrying an Acorn - In Ancient Britain, it was believed that because the oak tree was thought to provide longevity, if you kept an acorn in your pocket you would stay looking young.

2. Tuck Your Thumbs in When Passing a Graveyard - In Japan, the thumb is known as the “parent-finger” so when passing a graveyard hiding your thumbs means you are protecting your parents from death.

3. Don’t Praise Babies in China - In China, it is believed that if you praise a baby it will attract the attention of ghosts and demons, which of course means bad luck.

4. Don’t Chew Gum at Night - In Turkey, it is believed that if you are chewing gum at night, you are actually chewing the flesh of the dead.

5. An Awkward Silence Means an Angel is Passing Over - This superstition is dedicated to Dylan Thomas, who wrote in Portrait of the Artist a line that says ‘a host of angels must be passing by ...What a silence there is!’. Meaning, that the cause for such a silence must be an angel passing by.

6. If a Bird Defecates on Your House, You’ll be Rich - In Russia, if a bird defecates on you or your property it’s a sign of good luck, and may cause you to become very wealthy.