Very superstitious

Don’t walk under a ladder or throw a pinch of spilled salt over your shoulder. Never open an umbrella inside a building. What happens if you do those things? Will bad luck befall you or is it just hullabaloo?

Superstitions are around us and most people, whether or not they admit it, believe in some set of traditions they follow to either feel lucky or avoid those that may forsake their future.

Superstitions aren’t limited to one person, or to any one place — they are spread all across the world and no culture is exempt. They take form in the little things we do to maintain control over our lives and they usually are so automatic we don’t even notice we are doing them. No one knows what the future holds, but doing (or not doing) something that will bring us good luck will at least assure us that we are trying to make it a better one… knock on wood.

The number 13, black cats and broken mirrors are common images that are believed to bring bad luck in parts the world. These traditions are passed down from generation to generation, and there is a good chance that you will deem the same rituals as either good or back luck.

Every culture in the world has some sort of superstition, but typically countries that have had a rougher history are bound to have many more such traditions — generally, with a larger amount of the population believing in them.

China is one of the most superstitious places, while those within North America believe in very little. Some of the traditions in China to avoid bad luck: people should have a well shaven face (or well-groomed facial hair), a house facing north will bring ruin to the family (bad chi) and that if a person hits another with a broom the hitter will receive horrible luck and ruin their life. These superstitions come from old folklores and most of their origin unknown. A lot of these habits seem unnecessary to some, and may even seem crazy to others, but many people often feel that it does something to alter the outcome.

There are lots of countries that have some other interesting habits: don’t gift a wallet unless you put some money in it before hand; seeing a goat is a good thing as they absorb any evil or harm; eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Years will bring a year of luck and whistling inside is bad for money.

It is very good luck to see someone carrying full buckets of water in the morning… but the chances of waking up and seeing someone toting buckets of water seem pretty slim in Calgary.

There are too many superstitions to list off or count; they are prevalent everywhere. And we often don’t even notice that we probably follow the same habits as our grandparents in order to avoid bad luck.

While they may seem like they are irrational practices, we all seem to have that lucky shirt or something we like to do before a big event. Superstitious or not, there is usually no harm in believing in luck — unless it’s negatively effecting your life.

Go ahead carry that rabbit’s foot around and flaunt that lucky pencil. If you think it brings you luck, then who is to say it doesn’t? And who can’t use a little more luck in their lives?