Superstitions we still follow today

Ever wonder where our quirky little traits come from? Here's some insight.

1. Friday the 13th. There is a belief it is unluckiest number and that is the most widespread belief today. There are few reasons. Loki invited all the Gods to dinner, 13 in total, and had Baldur killed. There are 13 steps to reach the judgement of death in Ancient Egypt. King Phillipe of France betrayed the Templars on Oct 13th, having what remained of the sacred order of Knights put to death or imprisoned to be burned at the stake later.

2. Wishing Wells- offerings were once placed in bogs, lakes an sacred springs by nearly every culture around the world believing that these were nexus points between our world and the world of Gods. Because the Gods require gratitude for the prayers they answered, an offering made. Hence the wish before tossing the coin into the well.

3. Knock on Wood- we do it now believing it to be an anti-jinx method but in ancient times it was to free the woodland spirits or the spirits of witches that might be hiding in the tree or called it their home. Knocking on wood allowed them to escape before the tree was cut down ensuring no ill will would befall them.

4. Tossing salt over the shoulder - Salt was once worth more than gold. Because of that spilling it was seen as a misfortune. To break that misfortune, you were to toss the salt over the shoulder and return it to the earth to break the misfortune since at one time fortunes rose and fell on the availability of salt.

5. Walking under a ladder- when a ladder is leaned against a building it forms a triangle. Crossing beneath it breaks the connection of the three sides. The Graces came in threes, the triangle is a symbol of Life in Ancient Egyptian culture, the Furies came in threes, and so did much of the hierarchy of the Gods of Europe. To break the symbol of life was considered a sacrilegious notion.

6. Black Cats- in London and Japan a black cat crossing your path is considered good luck. But most Christian traditions link it to doom. Black cats were considered to be the most powerful familiars of witches mostly because it was a black cat the served the Goddess Hecate, who was later greatly vilified by Witch Finders.

7. Breaking a mirror- while this still continues today, the true fear behind this lay in the cost and the rarity of mirrors. While they are commonplace today, the best mirrors once made came of Venice and were very costly during the Renaissance era. It also came from far beforehand when ancient philosophers used them to for divination. Breaking a mirror broke the connection with the divine therefore angering the Gods.

8. Carrying your bride across the threshold - When a Roman girl married, she was severed from the protective numen or spiritual elder spirits of her own family. her childhood toys were destroyed before leaving and she donned the clothes of a woman. Many of the trappings of the wedding were designed to protect her during her transition to becoming married. While she was married upon reaching the threshold of her new home house, she had not yet officially been accepted by the numen of her spouse'sfamily. That occurred with offerings of fire and water, which the bride made once she was inside. The tricky part was getting the bride over the threshold protected so the bride made offerings to the gods of the threshold. She anointed the doorframe with wolf fat, pig fat or olive oil and wooden fillets tied about it to ensure good luck. Because it was important that her feet did not touch the threshold in any way someone else had to carry her inside or evil spirits could afflict her and curse the marriage. The bride had to be carried- but not by the groom. Instead, two male pronubi, official wedding guests who were friends of the groom with the restriction of having had only been married to one woman, had to lift and carry the bride over the threshold. Once this was achieved, the new wife was safely under the protection of the spirits of her new home and family. She would never again have to worry about the perils of crossing a threshold again unless remarried, then it all had to be repeated.

9. Four leaf clovers- Ancient Celts believed they could prevent curses. The welsh said a white clover was extremely potent in that regard, and a green one was said to provide luck. It made it's way into modern household due to St Patrick and his conversion of the masses to Christianity stating the father, son, holy spirit and the grace of God were a symbol seen in the four leaf clover.