It’s Friday the 13th and we thought it would be fun to recap for you some of the weirdest superstitions we have heard.
We ourselves are not that superstitious. In fact, the only superstition we believe in is that if you don’t keep your files in pCloud, you may have bad luck.
Nonetheless, we did have loads of fun researching the topics, talking to our international friends about local superstitions, and looking online. Some superstitions we found a bit too intense – like the irrational fear of the number 4 in China. Others seemed a bit reckless – for example, Gibraltarians throwing plant pots from their windows. There were the obvious ones – breaking a bottle by accident bringing bad luck (you gotta clean up what spills out of the bottle and all the glass and whatnot)…
Are there any weird superstitions or quirky rituals in your country? Drop us a comment, we’d love to learn about them!
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Here ‘s the full list:
- In the Philippines, people believe that one should not wear red during a storm, as the color attracts lightning.
- In Japan, it is believed that breaking a bottle will bring you luck – but only if you break it by accident.
- Brits and Americans believe that saying “Rabbit, rabbit” on the first day of a month will bring them success and prosperity in the said month.
- In Bulgaria, you are not to put a pillow on the table – it brings bad luck. The same goes for opening an umbrella indoors!
- In Gibraltar, people grow a pot of grass in December and look for how tall the grass will grow: if it’s short, the coming year will be bad; tall grass means a good year to come. Then they throw the pots out the windows on New Year’s Eve!
- Cubans never declare a last drink – or el ultimo – because they’re convinced this teases faith and you will die soon after you do so.
- When in South Korea, don’t leave a fan running in a closed room while you’re sleeping – the locals believe this will kill you.
- A superstition popular in Italy and Portugal is that you shouldn’t walk backwards because the devil will be able to find your way and cause you grief.
- The number 4 is terrifying for the Chinese – it sounds too much like the Chinese word for death, therefore it is believed to bring bad luck and is vigorously avoided. There is even a term for that – tetraphobia!
- In many countries around the world, it’s a tradition to wear red underwear on New Year’s Eve to make sure your love life is in good shape.
- Syrians think that playing with a yo-yo will bring drought, so the yo-yo is a no-no.
- In Germany, it is considered bad luck to congratulate someone before their actual birthday. Germans have the theory that if you do so, bad demons will hear the good wishes and they will not come true.
- In Spain and Greece, Friday the 13th is a day like any other – but Tuesday the 13th brings bad luck.