There is a very well-knoyrn superstition that it
is unlucky to walk under a ladder. This would seem quite sensible
since you never know what might fall down on your head by
accident. However, if you think about it, being right under a
ladder is probably safer than being either side of it. In fact
the fear of walking under a ladder is an old piece of folklore.
One explanation is that when a ladder is placed against a wall,
it makes the shape of a triangle. This is the sign of the
Christian Holy Trinity, and to walk through it is thought to be
disrespectful.
There are two ways of stopping a run of bad luck if you walk
under a ladder by accident. Either cross your fingers and
keep them crossed until you see a dog, or spit on your shoe and
allow it to dry.
The fear of walking under certain things (not always ladders) is
common to a lot of countries.
In Japan, people believe that walking under telephone wires will
make you possessed by devils.
Ladders are not always bad news. It's good luck to climb one
which has an odd number of rungs.
The ladybird, with its fiery red colouring, has
always been a bringer of good luck, especially if it actually
lands on you. Some people say that if you count the number of
spots it has on its back, you will know how many months of good
luck it has brought with it. The more spots it has, the better
your chances!
But be careful - brushing a ladybird roughly off your body
instead of gently blowing it away can turn your luck bad.
There is even a superstition that a ladybird can cure toothache.
Apparently when it gets frightened, it gives off a yellow
Liquid.If you rub this on to the tooth which hurts it is supposed
to get better. Though how you manage to get it off the ladybird's
tiny body without using a microscope to see it is anybody's
guess.
Have you noticed that whenever a new ship is
launched, someone breaks a bottle of champagne against the hull?
It's usually done by a famous person. The QE2, for example, was
launched by the Queen herself. As the chosen person lets go of
the bottle, he or she usually says something like, 'Long live
this ship, and all who sail in her.' It would be sensible to
assume that champagne is used because it is expensive, and
associated with celebrations. However, there could be another
explanation.
There is an old tradition of giving 'life' to a ship before it
sails. When this was done the sailors used to smear the hull with
human blood, hoping to transfer the 'life' in the blood to the
ship. As years passed and people became more civilised, red wine
was used in the place of real blood, because it is a similar
colour, and now champagne is the thing.
There is a leap year every four years. In a leap
year there are 366 days instead of 365, and this extra day always
falls on 29th February, giving February an extra day. Because
such years are rarer than normal years, they have become lucky
omens.
The 29th February itself is a specially important day. Anything
started on this day is sure of success.
It is also traditional for women to propose marriage to men every
four years on 29th February. If they remember to do this, they
have a great chance of marrying the man of their choice.
In Scotland, however, to ensure success, they must also wear.,a
red petticoat under their dress - and make sure that it is partly
visible to the man when they propose.
Lightning is so sudden, and can be so powerful
and frightening, that the Ancient Greeks believed it was the
anger of the gods. Many superstitions have been built up around
it over the centuries largely because of its mysterious force and
origin.
One of the most common is the saying, 'Lightning never strikes
twice in the same place.'This is, in fact, absolute rubbish. The
Empire State Building in New York, for example, is hit up to
fifty times a year by lightning!
There is also a belief that you cannot be killed by a flash of
lightning while you are asleep. And it is a good omen to be
wokenup by it.
If you look straight at a flash, it is meant to turn you mad.
(It's probably more likely to temporarily blind you since the
flash is so bright.)
In America it is unlucky to use any wood from a tree which has
been struck by lightning when building a house. The
Americans think that it will also cause that house to be struck.
Lions are often called the kings of the jungle.
It is probably because of this that there is a tradition, common
to several countries, that a lion will never harm a royal prince.
Instead the lion will show respect for someone it considers its
equal in the human world. It's bad luck for other humans, though,
who can be injured because they are not 'royalty' like the lion
and the prince.
In Africa there are people who think that there is only one
animal of which the lion is afraid. That animal is the game-cock.
It's a larger version of a normal farmyard cock. Because cocks
have crests on their heads that look like crowns, and sharp spurs
on their legs they look like kings. The lion is supposed to be
jealous of them as they strut
around in their 'royal' dress and do not seem to show any respect
for lions.
The Masai people in Africa believe that giving a piece of a
lion's heart to a young boy will make him a stronger warrior when
he grows up.
Back to MAVWEB or SUPERSTITIONS INDEX PAGE