Many call superstitions an irrational belief of the supernatural, actions that stem from ignorance or fear of the unknown. But these “irrational” acts are actually more normal than you may think.

60 Common Superstitions That People Around The World Believe

Everyone has common superstitions or little rituals they do to feel safe or to take back a sense of control. Superstitions are the general belief in supernatural forces; these stem from a desire to influence unpredictable factors.While many superstitions stem from an individual’s own experience and beliefs, superstitions also find deep roots in culture and tradition.For example, psychologists have actually found that during periods of deep uncertainty, people turn towards superstitions to reduce stress and anxiety.

What are common superstitions and why do people believe them?

Superstitions give their believers a sense of security: carrying charms, wearing certain clothes, visiting places associated with good fortune, preferring certain colors over others, and favoring a certain number are all examples of how superstitions make us feel safe.Superstitions are everywhere, whether we realize it or not. They help us feel secure in a risky decision, or they might even encourage you to make an impulsive choice. No matter what, these little habits we practice in our everyday lives are here to stay. Here are 60 common superstitions around the world that people believe.

Security in Certainty

To me, there’s nothing creepier than a mirror, or your own reflection for that matter. According to Joshua Partlow, "Washington Post" Mexico bureau chief, putting two in front of each other opens a threshold for the devil.

1. Never place two mirrors opposite of one another.

In Moscow, if you kiss or shake hands with someone across a doorway, across two different rooms, then your lover or friend will become your mortal enemy.

2. Never shake hands or kiss across a threshold.

In Afghanistan, according to Tor Khan from Bethesda, MD, if you sweep the floor and your broom touches the feet of a loved one, one of your parents will die.

3. Never allow the broom to touch the feet of anyone you know.

In the Philippines, you usually make a pitstop after a wake to “shake off” the bad spirit, whether that be a fast food place or even just a coffee shop. The idea is that you need to keep the bad spirits away from your house and that you can’t let it come in.

4. Don’t go home right after a wake.

In China and Japan, poking your chopsticks straight down into your food is a huge taboo. Not only is it rude, but it makes the utensils look like incense sticks that are used at funerals. Sticking your chopsticks down into your bowl invites death, so make sure to be mindful of how they are placed.

5. Never stick your chopsticks straight up.

In Lithuania, it is forbidden to whistle indoors, because the noise is believed to summon demons.

6. Whistling indoors invites evil.

Sometimes, when you’re designated driver, it is necessary to cheers with a cup of free tap water. But in Germany, if you cheer with water, you are actually wishing death on the people you are drinking with.

7. Don’t 'cheers' with water.

Not only is it gross, but in Britain it is considered bad luck because it symbolizes the death of a loved one.

8. Keep your shoes off the table.

In Turkey, an itchy right-hand means you will come into some money, while an itchy left hand means you’ll lose out big time.

9. An itchy hand might be telling of your financial future.

In some coastal regions of China, it is bad luck to flip over a cooked fish, as many believe this will lead to a ship capsizing. Instead, many families will use chopsticks to pick the meat from the bottom of the fish when they are finished with the top.

10. Don’t flip over a cooked fish.

In Italy, it is considered bad luck to put bread upside down, either on a table or a basket. The most popular explanation is that the bread represents the body of Christ, and so it needs to be treated with respect.

11. Don’t place bread upside down.

More vulgar than superstitious, in Sweden people don’t put their keys on the table. That’s because, during the olden days, sex workers would put keys on the table in public areas to attract clients.

12. Don’t put your keys on the table.

In Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries, it is Tuesday the 13th, not Friday the 13th, that gets people nervous. Martes, or Tuesday in Spanish, comes from the Roman god of war Mars, which ties the day to violence, death, and bloodshed.

13. Tuesday the 13th, not Friday the 13th, is bad luck

In Hungary and Russia, sitting at the corner of a table will mean bad things for your romantic life. The unlucky person who comes in late and has to squeeze into the side, according to superstition, will never get married.

14. Don't sit at a table corner.

According to Argentinian legend, there’s a superstition that the seventh son will turn into a werewolf... unless the president of the country adopts them, of course.

15. Don’t have seven children.

Irish brides wear bells on their wedding dresses to ward off evil spirits that try to ruin their special day. Better hope that slim a-line dress can fit over 50 discrete wedding bells!

16. Wear a lot of bells on your wedding day.

Singing in the Netherlands during dinner means that you are singing to the devil and praising him for your food.

17. Don’t sing at the dinner table.

In Spain, walking into a room with your left foot will bring you bad luck. Instead, lead with your right foot.

18. Don’t enter a room with your left foot.

A fairly universal superstition, it is bad luck to open an umbrella before you head outside because bad luck will “rain” on you. This came from the British in the 18th century when waterproof umbrellas were told to cause injury if opened inside the home.

19. Don’t open umbrellas inside.

In Japan, it’s common practice to tuck your thumbs in when passing by graveyards to protect your parents. This is because the Japanese word for thumb loosely translates to “parent-finger,” so hiding it protects them from death.

20. Hide your thumbs when passing a graveyard.

We usually say “knock on wood” to ward off bad luck, but this very popular saying is said to have originated in Europe. Many churches claimed to have pieces of Jesus’ cross, so knocking on wood is said to bring good luck.

21. Knock on wood for good luck.

When you chew gum at night, according to Turkish legend, it turns into the flesh of the dead.

22. Don’t chew gum at night.

Spilling water behind someone, in Serbia, actually brings them a lot of good luck! People will often spill water behind a loved one who is about to go on a long trip or a job interview to wish them luck.

23. Spill a lot of water.

Four, in China, sounds similar to the character used for death. Four is a popular omen; people will avoid having children, getting married, or having big trips on days ending in that number.

24. Avoid the number four.

Yellow flowers in Russia symbolize death, separation, and infidelity. So avoid these flowers like the plague if you want to make a good impression on someone for a first date.

25. Don’t give someone you like yellow flowers.

In South Korea, many will not sleep in a closed room with a fan on. It is commonly believed that prolonged exposure to a running fan will cause hypothermia and asphyxiation.

26. Don't sleep in a room with a running fan.

Placing empty bottles on the ground is considered good luck in Russia, so don’t be shy about leaving your empty beer bottles on the ground when you’re done with them.

27. Don’t put empty bottles on the ground.

If you have butterfingers, don’t fret. While it may seem it would cause a bigger mess, throw the spilled salt over your shoulder to get some good fortune on your side.

28. Throw salt over your shoulder if you spill it.

Don’t give something sharp to someone you are trying to start a relationship with. But if you do receive a knife set or scissors as a present, give the gift-giver a coin as a present in return.

29. Give a penny if you’ve received something sharp.

According to Japanese superstition, sleeping with your head in this direction is bad luck because that’s how the deceased are laid to rest.

30. Don’t sleep with your head facing north.

In Africa, the same superstition exists if you sleep with your head facing west.

31. Avoid sleeping with your head to the west.

Don’t idly play with scissors or it will bring bad luck, according to Egyptian folklore.

32. Don’t play with scissors.

It might seem gross or unlucky, but stepping in dog poop is actually considered good luck in France if you do it with your left foot.

33. Step in dog poop with your left foot.

You might’ve heard this after an unfortunate picnic date, but a bird pooping on you actually will bring you good luck.

34. Bird poop brings good luck.

There’s a superstition in Egypt that if you see or hear an owl, terrible news is coming. They also bring death if you bring them into your home.

35. Owls are bad luck.

If you’re in Iceland, keep the knitting inside, unless you like the cold weather. There’s a superstition that doing your needlework on your front porch will keep the temperatures freezing.

36. Knitting outside can bring longer winters.

Syria banned yo-yos because they are believed to cause droughts.

37. Don’t play with yo-yos.

Getting a haircut on Tuesdays in India will cause bad luck.

38. Don’t get a haircut on a Tuesday.

There’s a Canadian superstition that expectant mothers who crave fish but don’t eat it will end up having a baby with a fish head. So, make sure not to deny your body what it wants.

39. Pregnant women should give into their cravings.

This superstition dates back to medieval Europe: walking under the ladder symbolizes the gallows and death.

40. Don’t walk under a ladder.

Full Moons, other than their obvious associations with werewolves, bring bad luck, especially near hospitals.

41. Be careful of Full Moons.

Whether it be a major surgery or a routine checkup, going to the hospital on a Wednesday means good luck and good health.

42. Go to the hospital on Wednesdays.

In the Philippines, people believe that red attracts lightning. So if you don’t want a nasty surprise on a rainy day, make sure to stay away from this bold shade.

43. Don’t wear red during a storm.

In many cultures, a horseshoe is an incredibly lucky symbol. If you find one with the open end pointing towards you, you will have an especially great day.

44. A horseshoe is good luck.

In the Middle Ages, people believed that black cats were witches. Even worse, people thought that these cats could turn their owners into demons after seven years.

45. Black cats are bad luck.

In Latvia, it is bad luck to return home for something you forgot, so if you forgot your keys at home, tough luck! You can look into your mirror before you leave to neutralize the bad omens.

46. Don’t return home for something you forgot.

In India, it is bad luck to sneeze only once — that’s why you should force a second one.

47. Don’t just sneeze once.

In the United States, some believe that if something terrible happens to you, the terrible thing will happen to you two more times. Make sure to keep an eye out.

48. Bad things happen in threes.

In Thailand, you shouldn’t comment on a person’s cute baby, as many families believe it will take the beauty away.

49. Don’t comment on a particularly cute baby.

Thirteen to a table is similar to the ratio in The Last Supper, and we all know how well that story went for all of its dinner guests.

50. Never sit with 13 people at a table.

While we have to worry about cracks breaking our mother’s backs, in Sweden, the thing to look out for is manholes. If you step on one with a letter A, this will bring you a broken heart, a much deeper pain as we all know.

51. Don’t step on a manhole cover.

Many cultures believe that cutting your nails after sundown is a big taboo. One Japanese superstition believes that it causes premature death.

52. Don’t trim your nails at night.

You think jumping over your six-year-old nephew will make you a big hit at the family reunion, but all you will do, according to Turkish superstition, is curse the child to be short forever.

53. Don’t jump over kids.

If you do, you will curse your baby to a lifetime of drooling.

54. Don’t kiss babies on the lips.

Fishermen don’t bring bananas on boats, as it brings bad luck out on the open seas.

55. Keep your bananas off a cruise ship.

Want to be young forever? Many women in Ancient Britain kept acorns in their pockets to ensure a forever youthful complexion.

56. Carry an acorn to gain immortality.

In Brazil, people believe that if you put your purse on the ground, you will become penniless. Better work out those arms, because you can't let that tote rest on the floor for even a second.

57. Don’t let your purse touch the ground.

In Cuba, if you declare that it’s your last drink of the night, some believe that you are tempting fate and that it will truly be your last drink of the night, and forever. Don’t tempt fate! A common way to mitigate this is to knock on wood after you say a particularly daring statement.

58. Don't announce your last drink of the evening.

Not only is it a lame gift (well, actually, depends on the clock), but according to Chinese culture, the phrase to describe giving a clock has a similar pronunciation to the phrase of attending someone’s funeral.

59. Don’t give clocks as gifts.

Want to start your morning off right? When making your cup of morning coffee, put your sugar in before your coffee to get your daily dose of good luck.

60. Add your sugar before your coffee.

60 Common Superstitions From Around The World

Here Is A List Of Superstitions Around The World That People Still Believe, Revealing That We Are All Superstitious In Our Own Way.

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“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.”

“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”

“Find someone who has a life that you want and figure out how they got it. Read books, pick your role models wisely. Find out what they did and do it.”

“Imagination creates reality.”

“Never stop fighting no matter what anyone says. If it’s in your gut, your soul, there’s nothing, no worldly possession that should come between you and your expression.”

“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.”

“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

“Everything is scary if you look at it. So you just got to live it.”

“Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.”

“One thing I’ve learned is that I’m not the owner of my talent; I’m the manager of it.”

“You can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready.”

“You build on failure. Use it as a stepping stone and close the door on the past. Don’t try to forget the mistakes, but don’t dwell on it.

“You can’t give up something you really believe in for financial reasons.”

“I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.”

Be your own artist, and always be confident in what you’re doing. If you’re not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.

“Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people.”

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”

“You don’t have to believe everything you think.”

"Where’s your will to be weird?”

“There’s always that argument to make – that you’re in better company historically if people don’t understand what you’re doing.”

“Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.”

Musicians have done much more than just give us great songs to enjoy. Here are 50 great quotes from musicians to inspire you.

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Quotes from Musicians About Life, Love, Work & More

“Life is very interesting… in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.”

“Be nice to people on the way up, because you may meet them on the way down.”

It’s never too late – never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.

“Sometimes you can have the smallest role in the smallest production and still have a big impact.”

“Never worry about bad press: All that matters is if they spell your name right.”

“Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.”

“Whatever art form you’re working in, it’s crucial to see it clearly, to feel it clearly, and not to worry about the results, or how someone else will see it.”

"You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That’s a part of it. I’d be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I’d been given. I’d be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.”

“Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary.”

A lot of people give up just before they’re about to make it. You know you never know when that next obstacle is going to be the last one.

“He who has the gold makes the rules.”

“As a young man, I prayed for success. Now I just pray to be worthy of it.”

I believe you make your day. You make your life. So much of it is all perception, and this is the form that I built for myself. I have to accept it and work within those compounds, and it’s up to me.” – Brad Pitt

“The minute that you’re not learning I believe you’re dead.”

“There are no regrets in life. Just lessons.”

“Life’s tough, but it’s tougher when you’re stupid.” –

This nice and inspiring collection of quotes are from some of our most well loved celebrities on the big screen, who have risen to the peak of their field through hard work, sacrifice and dedication, earning a little wisdom along the way.

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Movies & Shows

Inspirational Celebrity Quotes

By 1434, Cosimo de Medici had consolidated power for himself and his family in Florence, all the while maintaining the appearance of a democratic government. Cosimo clung to his position as a private citizen, but it was clear to all that he ruled the city of Florence from behind the scenes.

What did the medici family rule?

Medici family, French Médicis, Italian bourgeois family that ruled Florence and, later, Tuscany during most of the period from 1434 to 1737, except for two brief intervals (from 1494 to 1512 and from 1527 to 1530).

Italian Renaissance (1330-1550) quizzes about important details and events in every section of the book.

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History

Italian Renaissance (1330-1550): Florence and the Medici (1397-1495)

By the time he was five years old, Mozart had complete mastery of keyboards and violin, and had written his first five compositions. At six, he toured Europe as a child prodigy; by 16, he'd already written three operas and 25 symphonies.

How old was Mozart when he wrote his first song?

British Library Treasures | The British Library

Account <a href="https://twitter.com/UpSkillYourLife">@UpSkillYourLife</a> on Twitter shared a very nice thread about this bok <a href="https://twitter.com/UpSkillYourLife/status/1556200636433448960?t=IrtIN3DTdNYGDvnEnttocw">https://t.co/RteHg3z7RP</a>

12 Lessons From "The 10X Rule"

As long as you are alive, you will either live to accomplish your own goals and dreams or be used as a resource to accomplish someone else's.

Until you become completely obsessed with your mission, no one will take you seriously.

Average is a failing plan! Average doesn't work in any area of life. Anything that you give only average amounts of attention to will start to subside and will eventually cease to exist.

One of the major differences between successful and unsuccessful people is that the former look for problems to resolve, whereas the latter make every attempt to avoid them.

Never take the position that things just happen to you; rather, they happen because of something you did or did not do.

A short and easy to understand points from @UpSkillYourLife taken from the book "The 10X Rule". 

Achieve "Massive Action" results and accomplish your business dreams! While most people operate with only three degrees of action-no action, retreat, or normal action-if you're after big goals, you don't want to settle for the ordinary. To reach the next level, you must understand the coveted 4th degree of action. This 4th degree, also know as the 10 X Rule, is that level of action that guarantees companies and individuals realize their goals and dreams. The 10 X Rule unveils the principle of "Massive Action," allowing you to blast through business clichŽs and risk-aversion while taking concrete steps to reach your dreams. It also demonstrates why people get stuck in the first three actions and how to move into making the 10X Rule a discipline. Find out exactly where to start, what to do, and how to follow up each action you take with more action to achieve Massive Action results. Learn the "Estimation of Effort" calculation to ensure you exceed your targets Make the Fourth Degree a way of life and defy mediocrity Discover the time management myth Get the exact reasons why people fail and others succeed Know the exact formula to solve problems Extreme success is by definition outside the realm of normal action. Instead of behaving like everybody else and settling for average results, take Massive Action with The 10 X Rule, remove luck and chance from your business equation, and lock in massive success.

The 10X Rule

Find 100+ Facts about Art - Curated by others from trusted sources like Books, Podcasts & Articles - Genuine Insights from like-minded Users like You!

60 Common Superstitions That People Around The World Believe

Quotes from Musicians About Life, Love, Work & More

Inspirational Celebrity Quotes

Italian Renaissance (1330-1550): Florence and the Medici (1397-1495)

British Library Treasures | The British Library

The 10X Rule

Paris - Wikipedia

The 4-Hour Work Week

Lies You've Been Told About the World

Society and Solitude and Other Essays

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

60 Common Superstitions That People Around The World Believe

Quotes from Musicians About Life, Love, Work & More

Inspirational Celebrity Quotes

Italian Renaissance (1330-1550): Florence and the Medici (1397-1495)

British Library Treasures | The British Library

The 10X Rule

Paris - Wikipedia

The 4-Hour Work Week

Lies You've Been Told About the World

Society and Solitude and Other Essays

It's time to Read like a Pro.

It's time to
Read like a Pro.