While many excuse knocking on wood or avoiding black cats as normal behavior, these are actually cultural superstitions with origins from thousands of years ago.
Cultural superstitions are beliefs tied to specific cultures that involve rituals or symbols thought to affect events or predict outcomes. They come from historical, religious or societal backgrounds and usually deal with luck, fate or supernatural forces, varying widely across different cultures.
A common superstition is knocking on wood to prevent bad luck or to avoid jinxing oneself. However, most people are unaware of the origin of this superstition. This belief originates from ancient beliefs about trees and wood. People used to knock on wood to call on these spirits for protection or to avoid bad luck. This practice dates back to pre-Christian pagan traditions in Europe, where trees were seen as sacred.
According to Jerimiah Rodriquez, from CTV News, the commonly known superstition in the Latin community, eating grapes under the table on New Year’s Eve, originates from Spain in the 1800’s and serves for good luck for each month of the year. Whichever grape tastes bitter indicates a rough month. The practice comes up from Spanish farmers in the 1880s who had a good harvest and were unsure what to do with the excess crop. It was more of a practice for the upper class until it traveled to America.
In some Asian countries, the numbers four and nine are considered unlucky. The number 4 sounds similar to the word death in the Chinese language. The number 9 sounds similar to the Japenese word for torture or suffering. According to National Geographic, people in China usually skip the fourth floor due to the fear of attracting bad luck.
“Ever since I was a child, I’ve always been told by my mom not to open umbrellas inside the house or the car because it’s bad luck. I’m not sure where it comes from but I do believe in it,” sophomore Christian Estrada said.
According to Wonderopolis, ancient Egyptians believed that opening an umbrella indoors — away from the sun — was a disrespectful act that would anger the sun god. Angering the sun God caused him to take his anger out on anybody in the house which the umbrella was opened in. In other words, the sun god gave bad luck to whoever lived in the house.
“A superstition I participate in that I see many people do as well is crossing my fingers for luck. I have looked into the meaning of it and it is very interesting and even though I’ve been doing it for years I just recently found out what it meant,” freshman Zamirah Ramirez said.
People will usually cross their fingers when they’re about to receive results or even when making a big decision. This superstition comes from Early Christians who used the gesture to ask for protection from the Holy Cross. It now is believed to give you good luck and to help hope for your favored outcome.
Cultural superstitions show how different cultures try to shape their luck and avoid bad fortune. Whether it’s knocking on wood or avoiding the number four, these practices reveal a lot about the values and traditions of various cultures. They give us a peek into how people around the world deal with the unknown and seek good fortune.