Superstitions

            Hello, lovelies.

      Does seeing 1 single magpie send you into a panic until you can spot its mate and can recite the rhyme? Do you avoid looking into a broken mirror, afraid that it might bring 7 years bad luck? On dropping a knife will it stay there until someone else picks it up? If a black cat crosses your path, does that really denote bad luck? And if 13 people sit down at a table, does it really mean that someone is going to die? Is there something behind all these old folk laws and superstitions? Are they there to help save and protect our lives? Or are we just living in the shadow of our collective ancestors as they struggled to make sense of the mysterious world around them?             

            I never used to think that I was partially superstitious. Okay, so I will never look into a cracked mirror. Not because I still believe that in doing so would cause 7 years bad luck, (Okay, maybe just a little) but because having never done so, it would be almost impossible to do so now. I hate to only see 1 magpie but salute to it if I do. And you better not say the name of the Scottish play in front of me! I know why saying that name (except on a stage) is a massive no, no, and I am pretty sure that if I did say it nothing would actually happen to me. But I’m not going to try it. No thank you. I would be happier to recite the name Bloody Mary or Candy Man 3 times into a mirror than to say the name of the Scottish play. But is there really something behind these superstitions? And what is it?

            A superstition is a belief or practice resulting from ignorance and fear of the unknown. That doesn’t sound good. It’s also a trust in magic, chance or a false conception of causation. And lastly, it’s an irrational abject attitude of mind toward the supernatural and force of nature. But we all, to a certain degree, have a fear of the unknown. That there must be something or someone that made that bump in the night. And by uttering the magic words or salting the ground that we would continue to be safe. And that makes sense. But we know more about the world now, and yet we still have those superstitions.

            I was driving to work early one morning, and as I was sitting at the traffic lights, I watched as a man walked along the pavement. He was only walking on the paving slabs and not stepping on the cracks. I remember doing that as a child, but this man was about my age. So why hadn’t he let go of those old fears? Was he afraid that if he stepped on a crack then he would jinx himself? As the saying goes, “Step on a crack, break your mothers back.” Many of our widely known superstition are a modern take from medieval times. Knocking on wood came from European churchgoers who would touch wood the churches that claimed to be from the cross.  Touching the wood supposedly gave a connection to divinity and therefore good luck. Black cats have always had a bad rap, especially around Halloween, given their perceived allegiance to witches. The poor cats are avoided most of the time, as many people wanting to adopt a cat hardly ever want a black one, choosing a tabby instead. In South Korea, crows are seen as bad luck and possibly even harbingers of death. Ravens too, especially in England could foretell doom. There's an old British superstition that says six ravens must remain at the Tower of London at all times or the crown will fall. They still keep the ravens at the tower and clip their wings so that they could never fly away.

Now, I absolutely hate people whistling. It’s a sound that goes right through me, the way that nails down a chalkboard do. But whistling, okay, so not just whistling in general, but specifically whistling indoors and at the sun are both ill-advised actions according to Russian and Norwegian superstitions. Whistling indoors supposedly leads to financial problems in Russia. In Norway, whistling at the sun supposedly causes rain. And you must never whistle in the wings of a stage, as it used to be the signal for the cloths to be lowered, so unintentional whistling could result in a heavy cloth being dropped on your head.

So maybe superstitions do have a reason. For example, not walking under a ladder. It was meant to mean breaking the Holy Trinity, but it makes sense not to walk under a ladder.  Shoes on the table are seen as bad luck, because centuries ago when someone had died, they were laid out on the table and having their shoes removed and placed next to them. But not having your dirty shoes on a table is a good hygienic thing to do. And salt, being an incredibly important seasoning and prescriptive, it makes sense that to ward off bad luck you throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder. Spilling salt has been considered unlucky for thousands of years. Around 3,500 B.C., the ancient Sumerians first took to nullifying the bad luck of spilt salt by throwing a pinch of it over their left shoulders.

Superstitious beliefs have been shown to help promote a positive mental attitude. Although they can lead to irrational decisions, such as trusting in the merits of good luck and destiny rather than sound decision making. But by saying bless you when someone sneezes is polite, and is no longer meant to stop the devil from stealing their soul.

But for many engaging with superstitious behaviours provides a sense of control and reduces anxiety. It has been recorded that levels of superstition increase at times of stress and angst. This is particularly the case during times of economic crisis and social uncertainty, like wars and conflicts.

So, there is a place for superstitions in our modern-day. We may no longer believe in the evils of witches and the devil lurking at the edge of a dark and scary wood. But if we can cope just that little bit better by touching wood, or burning certain incenses to bring good luck, then I think that’s all for the better. As long as we don’t allow our collective fears to stop us from moving forward.