"Achoo!" "Bless you!" - Superstitions
In Elizabethan times it was believed that if one was to sneeze with their mouth open it would allow ease of passage for the devil to enter the body without harmful provocation. Hence the saying of ‘bless you’ or ‘god bless you’ would make the sneeze with open mouth a blessed place and avoid possible possession of the devil.
Superstition can be described as Supernatural Causality: the belief that one event will, without physical process, lead to the cause of another.
In the 1st century superstitio or superstitio vana (vain superstition) was used to describe religious cults in the Roman Empire. Early Christianity officially outlawed this. The Greeks and Romans relate superstition to religion by taking the meaning to come from a fear of scorn if god is disobeyed. To take superstition to a level where it consumes normality was said to be a perverse excess of religion.
Customary belief, religion, old wives tales; no matter the origin of a superstition it would be fair to guesstimate that the majority of the human race has obeyed a superstition at least once in their lifetime. Upon researching popular superstitions it was apparent that many were foreboding of bad luck if a particular event took place.
Avoid walking under ladders – A ladder placed against a wall creates a triangle and to walk through that triangle was believed to be a violation of the Holy Trinity, sacrilege. Egyptians cherished the triangle symbol, to them the triangle represented the trinity of the gods and to pass through one was to desecrate them. During the
crucifixion of Christ a ladder was rested against the crucifix, symbolizing wickedness, betrayal and death. In England during the 1600s, criminals were forced to walk under a ladder on their way to the gallows.
If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck – Many cultures agree that black cats are powerful omens. The Ancient Egyptians believed that all cats were a sign of good luck. King Charles I kept a black cat as a pet and when it died it was said that his luck lamented as the very next day he was arrested and charged with
high treason. It was during the Middle Ages throughout Europe that cats, especially black cats, became bad luck. Black cats were the companions of witches or even witches in disguise and that for a black cat to cross ones path was said to bring bad luck.
It’s bad luck to open an umbrella indoors – This traces back to Ancient Egypt and the superstitions that surrounded Pharaohs. The sunshades of the day were bulky and difficult to maneuver, much the same as in Victorian times when an umbrella was opened indoors they were clumsy and dangerous either breaking fragile ornaments or even injuring people in its path. The bad luck is said to come from unpleasant words and quarrels that would follow such an event.
Seven years bad luck if you break a mirror – This arose from the belief that a mirror can take in part of the human soul. In early times when there was a death in a home all the mirrors would be covered or turned to the wall to prevent the soul of the newly deceased becoming trapped in the mirror. Whilst there are numerous superstitions
with regards to mirrors the most common is breaking one brings seven years bad luck. To overturn this it is believed that one is to take a piece of the mirror to a cemetery, crush it into a powder and bury it.
If you spill salt, toss a pinch over your left shoulder to avoid bad luck – Dating back to 3,500BC, the ancient Sumerians wanted to nullify bad luck and began to throw a pinch over their left shoulder. This ritual came forth with the Egyptians, Assyrians and the Greeks. In times gone by salt was considered a prized seasoning for food and was highly valued and that to spill some was considered as a loss of value and worth.
Don’t place hat on a bed - There are many different superstitions regarding hats, from removing them as a sign of respect and where to place them. This stems from the fact that the bed looks like a coffin and hats are placed on the coffin of a soldier as a sign of respect. It is a common belief that to place a hat of a bed bad luck will forebode.
Knock on wood – To knock on wood is thought to be a protection from bad luck. This comes from the belief that good spirits reside in trees, nature spirits.
These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to superstitions. Thousand year old beliefs still carry on today. I’m sure many of you avoid walking on cracks so you don’t break your mothers back or struggle to remember if its an itchy right or left palm brings money. There are those who take these age-old beliefs as gospel and eccentrically avoid harmless things to get by each day and there are those who think its all hogwash. Either way it’s interesting to know where superstitions stem from as they are rich in history and help form the make up of what we believe today.
http://www.superstitionsof.com/egyptian-superstitions.htm
http://history.knoji.com/ancient-egyptian-beliefs-traditions-superstitions-regarding-the-afterlife/
Nic Hume - January 2013
Superstition can be described as Supernatural Causality: the belief that one event will, without physical process, lead to the cause of another.
In the 1st century superstitio or superstitio vana (vain superstition) was used to describe religious cults in the Roman Empire. Early Christianity officially outlawed this. The Greeks and Romans relate superstition to religion by taking the meaning to come from a fear of scorn if god is disobeyed. To take superstition to a level where it consumes normality was said to be a perverse excess of religion.
Customary belief, religion, old wives tales; no matter the origin of a superstition it would be fair to guesstimate that the majority of the human race has obeyed a superstition at least once in their lifetime. Upon researching popular superstitions it was apparent that many were foreboding of bad luck if a particular event took place.
Avoid walking under ladders – A ladder placed against a wall creates a triangle and to walk through that triangle was believed to be a violation of the Holy Trinity, sacrilege. Egyptians cherished the triangle symbol, to them the triangle represented the trinity of the gods and to pass through one was to desecrate them. During the
crucifixion of Christ a ladder was rested against the crucifix, symbolizing wickedness, betrayal and death. In England during the 1600s, criminals were forced to walk under a ladder on their way to the gallows.
If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck – Many cultures agree that black cats are powerful omens. The Ancient Egyptians believed that all cats were a sign of good luck. King Charles I kept a black cat as a pet and when it died it was said that his luck lamented as the very next day he was arrested and charged with
high treason. It was during the Middle Ages throughout Europe that cats, especially black cats, became bad luck. Black cats were the companions of witches or even witches in disguise and that for a black cat to cross ones path was said to bring bad luck.
It’s bad luck to open an umbrella indoors – This traces back to Ancient Egypt and the superstitions that surrounded Pharaohs. The sunshades of the day were bulky and difficult to maneuver, much the same as in Victorian times when an umbrella was opened indoors they were clumsy and dangerous either breaking fragile ornaments or even injuring people in its path. The bad luck is said to come from unpleasant words and quarrels that would follow such an event.
Seven years bad luck if you break a mirror – This arose from the belief that a mirror can take in part of the human soul. In early times when there was a death in a home all the mirrors would be covered or turned to the wall to prevent the soul of the newly deceased becoming trapped in the mirror. Whilst there are numerous superstitions
with regards to mirrors the most common is breaking one brings seven years bad luck. To overturn this it is believed that one is to take a piece of the mirror to a cemetery, crush it into a powder and bury it.
If you spill salt, toss a pinch over your left shoulder to avoid bad luck – Dating back to 3,500BC, the ancient Sumerians wanted to nullify bad luck and began to throw a pinch over their left shoulder. This ritual came forth with the Egyptians, Assyrians and the Greeks. In times gone by salt was considered a prized seasoning for food and was highly valued and that to spill some was considered as a loss of value and worth.
Don’t place hat on a bed - There are many different superstitions regarding hats, from removing them as a sign of respect and where to place them. This stems from the fact that the bed looks like a coffin and hats are placed on the coffin of a soldier as a sign of respect. It is a common belief that to place a hat of a bed bad luck will forebode.
Knock on wood – To knock on wood is thought to be a protection from bad luck. This comes from the belief that good spirits reside in trees, nature spirits.
These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to superstitions. Thousand year old beliefs still carry on today. I’m sure many of you avoid walking on cracks so you don’t break your mothers back or struggle to remember if its an itchy right or left palm brings money. There are those who take these age-old beliefs as gospel and eccentrically avoid harmless things to get by each day and there are those who think its all hogwash. Either way it’s interesting to know where superstitions stem from as they are rich in history and help form the make up of what we believe today.
http://www.superstitionsof.com/egyptian-superstitions.htm
http://history.knoji.com/ancient-egyptian-beliefs-traditions-superstitions-regarding-the-afterlife/
Nic Hume - January 2013