Bad Luck: A bat flying into the house

Bad Luck: An owl hooting 3 times

Bad Luck: 3 butterflies together

Bad Luck: Looking at the new moon over your left shoulder

Bad Luck: A 5-leaf clover

Bad Luck: Breaking a glass while proposing a toast

Bad Luck: Putting a shirt on inside out

Bad Luck: Red and white flowers together

Bad Luck: Hearing a rooster crow at night

Bad Luck: Cutting your nails on a Friday

Bad Luck: Putting a hat on a bed

Bad Luck: Getting out of bed left foot first

Bad Luck: Violets blooming out of season

Bad Luck: A picture falling

Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror

Bad Luck: Singing before breakfast

Bad Luck: Opening an umbrella indoors

Bad Luck: Giving away a wedding present

Bad Luck: Stepping on cracks in the sidewalk

Bad Luck: An itch inside your nose

Bad Luck: Crossed knives

Bad Luck: seeing an owl during daylight

Bad Luck: If a dog suddenly barks for no apparent reason in a house that has a sick person then

Bad Luck: You must wear new clothes at Easter or you will have bad luck

Bad Luck: There will be an argument if knifes are crossed at a table.

Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror means 7 years of bad luck, unless you take the pieces outside & bury them in moonlight. Also, an undisturbed mirror in a house suddenly fall & smashes then it means that there will soon be a death.

Bad Luck: Unless you were born in October, the wearing of an Opal will be ill-fated

Bad Luck: If pepper is spilt, then you will have a serious argument with a friend.

Bad Luck: Sparrows are said to carry the souls of the deceased to the after-life. To kill one means that you will be cursed.

Bad Luck: It is extremely unlucky to open an umbrella inside a house.

Bad Luck: If a groom drops the ring during the ceremony then the marriage is doomed to failure.

Bad Luck: Breaking a plate, especially if it had not already been cracked.

Bad Luck: To see the new moon for the first time through glass. Upon seeing the new moon you should turn whatever silver you have in your pockets or handbag, and thus ensure prosperity for a month.

Bad Luck: To upset pepper

Bad Luck: The blossom must never be cut from the tree and brought into the house before May 1, or ill fortune will attend you.

Bad Luck: Never mend a garment while you are wearing it, or misfortune will follow.

Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror portends seven years of bad luck. It is also extremely unlucky to receive a mirror as a present

Bad Luck: To make a present of a knife or any other sharp instrument unless you receive something in exchange.

Bad Luck: Walking under a ladder, unless you cross their fingers while doing so.

Bad Luck: It brings ill fortune if a lease or any contract is signed in the months of April, July, or November.

Bad Luck: To spill ink threatens worry, annoyance, and the failure of a project that is on foot.

Bad Luck: Crossing two table-knives by accident portends bad luck.

Bad Luck: To give a pair of gloves to a friend unless you receive something in exchange.

Bad Luck: To encounter a gravedigger coming towards you. Usually this means there will be a severe illness.

Bad Luck: For those who completely rake out a fire before retiring. A few embers should always be left.

Bad Luck: To break a glass bottle portends misfortune

Bad Luck: If you fasten a button into the wrong buttonhole

Bad Luck: if a candle falls over

Bad Luck: For a golfer to borrow your partners umbrella

Bad Luck: Throwing stones into the sea cause bad luck

Bad Luck: Starting a cruise on a Friday

Bad Luck: Stepping on board a ship with your left foot

Bad Luck: To open an umbrella in the house

Bad Luck: It is unlucky to sit on a table unless one foot is touching the ground

Bad Luck: If a person stumbles when leaving his house at the beginning of a journey, or trips or stumbles more than once during the course of the journey, it is advisable to postpone it.

Bad Luck: To pass anyone on the staircase.

Bad Luck: New shoes should never be left on a table

Bad Luck: To put on the left shoe before the right, and it is worse still to put the right shoe on the left foot, or vice versa.

Bad Luck: Friday the Thirteenth - The Scandinavian's believed that the number 13 was unlucky due to the mythological 12 demigods being joined by a 13th, an evil one, who brought misfortune upon humans. It was also said that Christ was crucified on Friday and the number of guests at the party of the Last Supper was 13, with the 13th guest being Judas, the traitor.

Bad Luck: Walking under a ladder - A leaning ladder forms a triangle with the wall and ground. Triangles represent the Holy Trinity, and violating the Trinity by breaking it (walking through it) would put you in league with the devil himself.

Bad Luck: Black Cats - In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed. In the process, they also destroyed the kindly ladies who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches. Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.

Bad Luck: Spilling Salt - Salt used to be an expensive commodity used mainly for medicinal purposes. For this reason, spillage was to be avoided at all costs. The idea that it is unlucky to do so probably stems from the belief that Judas spilt salt during the last supper. Throwing spilt salt over the left shoulder is linked to its medicinal use. If it could not be administered, the next best thing was to throw it into the eye of the evil spirits that brought sickness upon us. These spirits were thought to lurk behind your shoulder, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Bad Luck: Spilling salt. If both salt and pepper are spilt at the same time, the force of this ill omen is doubled.

FROM www.oldsuperstitions.com/bad_luck.html

DEATH BY SUPERSTITION

There is a funeral going on in your town, do not travel long distances or travel out of your town. You have to stay in your town until the funeral is over, for if you leave during a funeral before it has finished your trip will be full of bad luck.
If you hear 3 knocks and no one is there, it usually means someone close to you has died. The superstitious call this the 3 knocks of death.
If you leave something that belongs to you to the deceased, that means the person will come back to get you.
If a firefly/lightning bug gets into your house someone will soon die.
If you smell roses when none are around someone is going to die.
If you don't hold your breath while going by a graveyard you will not be buried.
If you see yourself in a dream, your death will follow.
It is said that if a dead person appears to you in a dream and asks you to go somewhere with them, don't do it! No matter how much you loved the person in life, if you agree to go somewhere with them you will soon follow them in death.
If someone dies and a child that is too young to understand death was close to that person, you must cross them over the open grave or they will be haunted with memories of the deceased.
If you look at a full moon over 20 times in one night, bad luck will be cast upon your whole family, with a following death not late after.
If you see an owl in the daytime, there will be a death.
If you dream about a birth, someone you know will die.
If it rains in an open grave then someone in the family will die within the year.
If a bird pecks on your window or crashes into one that there has been a death.
If a sparrow lands on a piano, someone in the home will die.
Two deaths in the family means that a third is sure to follow.
You're not supposed to walk among a cemetery with open graves without a veil over your head. Especially children.
If a bird gets into a house there will be a death
When you experience a chill up your spine, someone, somewhere has just walked across your future grave site.
If a picture falls off the wall, there will be a death of someone you know.
If you spill salt, throw a pinch of the spilt salt over your shoulder to prevent death.
·Never speak ill of the dead because they will come back to haunt you or you will suffer misfortune.
If you take pictures of someone while in their casket, you will bring death into your family immediately.
You must always leave the house using the same door as you came in or face a horrific death.
If a clock that's stopped working chimes suddenly then a death will befall the family.
If a mirror is broken and a piece of it lands over the threshhold of your house then the next person to enter your house will die.
If a robin redbreast flies in the window of your house, there will be a death in the house.
Once you have left a cemetery, if you remember something you have left behind (a scissors for cutting flowers, a trowel for planting blooms) you cannot go back for it and must leave it there because you risk bringing death away with you if you do.
If you say the name Mary Worth 100 times into a mirror in a darkened room and she appears in the mirror, you will soon die.
If you look into the eyes of the deceased, they will haunt you forever.
If your dog becomes rabid, it fortells a death in the family.
If you are the last one who talks to someone who dies, they will be with you always.
If you wear a necklace with a cross, and it breaks, your death is near.
If a white dove flies at the windsheild of your car someone in your household will die a natural death soon.
When a loved one dies, pour bourbon around the room in little drops to prevent evil spirits from coming into the house.
If a group of people are near a fireplace on New Year's Eve and one of the people's shadows does not have a head, that person will die within the year.
Look up at the moon and if there is something red passing by it, someone close to you will die very soon.
Leaving shoes on a table for an extended period of time will bring sickness or death.
If you take three steps backwards while walking away from a loved one's grave, you will die within the next three months.
A grain of salt takes a second of life away. if u get covered in salt you will most certainly die soon.
If you see an ant in the winter, it means death for all people living in your house.
If you brush your hair more than 111 times a day, you or somebody very close is sure die.
If your hair begins to turn grey before the age of 30, you will probably die 20 years earlier than expected.
If any animal dies in the household, you must get rid of all memories of him or he will haunt the house.
Water in the grave (when dug out for the coffin) means they will be restless in death
If you see a raven flying toward your house, the woman you love is doomed to die unless you can keep it away from landing on your house.
If you see an ambulance or a hearse you must touch a button or you'll be the next one in it.
The cry of a curlew or the hoot of an owl foretells a death.
A single snowdrop growing in the garden foretells a death.
Having only red and white flowers together in a vase (especially in hospital) means a death will soon follow.
Bringing hawthorn blossom into the house will be followed by the death of the mother of the house.
Sailors believe that a sick man on board ship will not die until land has been sighted.
If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him.
Mirrors in a house with a corpse should be covered or the person who sees herself will die next.
Pregnant women should not attend funerals.
Nothing new should be worn to a funeral, especially shoes.
When a good life was lived, flowers will grow on the deceased's grave. But if the deceased was evil, weeds will grow.
It is bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on.
Funerals on Friday portend another death in the family during the year.
If a broom is rested against a bed, the person who sleeps there will die soon.
Taking ashes out of a stove after sundown will bring a death in the family
If you count the cars of a passenger train, you will hear of a death.
When you see large drops of rain, there has been a death.
Seeing a white chicken on your way to a funeral brings bad luck.
If a woman is buried in black, she will return to haunt the family.
If rain falls on a corpse, the deceased will go to heaven.
Thunder following a funeral means that the dead person's soul has reached heaven.
You will have bad luck if you do not stop the clock in the room where someone dies.
If your rose blooms twice in the same year, it brings death.
If a cow moos after midnight, it is an evil omen.
If you prick your finger on the thorn of a red rose that looks black, you will die.
A white moth inside the house or trying to enter means death.
To see a tree blooming out of season means death as does dreaming of a white horse.
Hearing a hen crow means death, unless you kill the hen.
If a hearse stops while passing your house, it will choose its next victim from your house.
If the coffee grounds in the bottom of a cup form a long, straight line, anticipate a funeral.
Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.
A diamond-shaped fold in clean linen portends death.
A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen. It can be reversed by reaching under the bed and turning over a shoe.
·If you touch a loved one who has died, you won't have dreams about them.
A hat on the bed means death in the family.
If an owl looks in the window of your home during daylight hours, a death will occur in the family.
Never hand scissors to someone or they will encounter a painful death.
If you hold your breath while you drive by a cemetery, evil spirits can't enter your body.
You should always cover your mouth while yawning so your spirit doesn't leave you and the devil never enters your body.
The soul of a dying person can't escape the body and go to heaven if any locks are locked in the house.
If a cow raises its head and smells the air, someone has died nearby.
Never put your shoes on the table or you will die by hanging.
If rain falls on a funeral procession someone related to the deceased will die in the near future.
Rain falling upon an open grave means bad luck for the family.

United States of America

The number of original colonies the United States was founded from. The original flag had thirteen stars, one for each state. New stars have since been added whenever a new state joins the union, but the idea of adding stripes for new states was soon dropped, so the American flag to this day has thirteen horizontal stripes: six white ones and seven red ones.
The Great Seal of the United States has:
13 levels of the truncated pyramid,
13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", which appears in the banner running through the eagle's beak on the right side of the bill's reverse.
13 letters in the phrase "Annuit Coeptis", which appears over the pyramid on the left side of the bill's reverse.
13 stars above the Eagle,
13 leaves on the olive branch,
13 olives on the olive branch,
13 arrows held by the Eagle, and
13 bars on the shield.
The number of guns in a gun salute to U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps Major Generals, and Navy and Coast Guard Rear Admirals Upper Half.
The Naval Jack of the United States has 13 stripes, 7 red and 6 white, the rattlesnake has 13 buttons on its rattle, and the motto "Don't Tread on Me" has 13 letters

Bad Luck Charm

A woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to he motioned for her to come nearer.

As she sat by him he said You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired you were there to support me. When my business failed you were there. When I got shot you were by my side. When we lost the house you gave me support. When my health started failing you were still by my side... You know what?

What dear? She asked gently.

I think you bring me bad luck.

LUCKY COINS
Many people consider it lucky to carry a coin with their birth date. Some say that coins found heads-up are also lucky, and that a coin minted in a leap year will bring good fortune. Luckiest of all are coins that are bent or have holes in them, espesically if they turn up as change after making a purchase. The luck of such coins is enhanced if they are carried in a left-hand pocket or worn around the neck. Coins can bring luck in literally hundres of ways. You will have good luck if you keep a jar of pennies in the kitchen. The first coin you receive each day should be placed in an otherwise empty pocket and it will attract more. A coin in a new jacket, handbag, or wallet will bring good luck. If you get pennies as change on a Monday, you will have good luck all week long. Click here to read about why we can not resist of tossing a coin into a fountain or wishing well for good luck.

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Black Cat Superstitions

In Scotland, a strange black cat on your porch is a sign of upcoming prosperity (that means lots of money and success).

In some countries, if a black cat crosses your path, you will have GOOD luck. In other countries, it is bad luck.

Some people believe that if you talk nice to the cat or stroke the cat 3 times, it will make the bad luck go away and bring good luck. Others believe that if you take 12 steps backwards (from where you came), it will change to good luck.

In Ireland, when a black cat crosses your path in the moonlight, it means there is going to be an epidemic illness (many people are going to get sick and die).

Hundreds of years ago in Italy, it was believed that if a black cat lay on the bed of a sick person, that person would die.

Many years ago in England, fishermen's wives kept black cats in their houses while their husbands went away to sea in their fishing boats. They believed that the black cats would prevent danger from occurring to their husbands while they were away.

It is not known where this superstition began. Stroking the tail of a black cat will cure a sty in the eye. (A sty is a sore on your eyelid.)

Here is another unknown country where this began. Thirteen cats in a theater are bad luck. Another superstition is that one black cat in an audience of an opening night at a theatre will mean a successful play.

tI is believed that seeing a black cat in a dream may mean something bad may happen in your life.
In some countries, if a black cat comes into a house it is considered a lucky sign. People should not chase the cat away because the good luck will leave with the cat.

Black Cats and Halloween

Some believe that black cats have special powers and abilities. Others believe that black cats are witches in disguise. It is also believed that witches had black cats as helpers for performing their witchcraft. Others believe that black cats are the demon in disguise.

Black cats have become a Halloween symbol because it was believed that spirits could come back in the body of an animal. It was also believed that witches owned black cats because they were their spirit friends.

Good luck associated with black cats include:
• Possessing a black cat.
• Having a black cat greet you at a door.
• Having a black cat enter your home.
• Meeting three black cats in succession.
• Touching a black cat.
Bad luck associated with black cats include:
• Meeting a black cat early in the morning.
• Having a black cat turn its back on you.
• Scaring or driving away a black cat from your property.
• Walking under a ladder after a black cat has walked underneath it.

Actors and Actresses
• The superstitions surrounding actors and actresses were more prevalent in the Middle Ages, when performances would take place live in a theatre. Apparently theatre actors were some of the most superstitious people of all time, with thousands upon thousands of magical beliefs that would dictate their lives and work.
• Here's a sample:
• Good Luck Superstitions:
• It is good luck to wear a wig
• Visitors must enter a dressing room with their right foot first
• When you leave your dressing room, leave with the left foot first
• It is good luck to fall once during a performance
• To stave off bad luck during the performance, trip when first going on stage
• It is good luck to be pinched before your performance
• Have dolls and other lucky charms in the dressing room
• If you spill powder, dance on it for good luck
• Accidently smear lipstick on your teeth when you are putting it on your lips
• If you kick off your shoes and they land on their soles, you will have good luck
• A bad rehersal means the performance will be great
• It is good luck for someone to wish you "Break a leg!" before the performance
• Start a performance thirteen minutes late
• Have a cat backstage for luck (although if it runs onstage it means bad luck)
• It is good luck to say "shit" or "merde" at least once during the performance
• It is good luck to perform Cinderella
• It is good luck for one actor to be a hunchback
• Drink champagne on opening night
• The same costume should be worn night after night when performances are a success
• Bad Luck Superstitions:
• It is bad luck to have a play open on a Friday
• It is bad luck to open a play on the 13th of the month
• It is bad luck to use yellow, green or blue on stage
• If shoes are placed on a chair in the dressing room it is bad luck
• Having three candles on stage or in the dressing room is bad luck
• It is bad luck to leave a piece of soap behind that you've been using on tour
• It is bad luck to have real flowers on stage
• Do not use real food, drink, or jewelry on stage
• Do not open an umbrella on stage
• It is bad luck to use the words "turkey" and "bomb" in the play
• It is bad luck to whistle at any time during the performance
• It is bad luck to perform Macbeth or Robin Hood
• It is bad luck to look over the shoulder of another actor while they apply makeup
• Do not have pictures in the dressing room
• People should not knit near the stage
• It is bad luck to have a picture of an ostrich on stage
• It is bad luck to wear peacock feathers
• Do not quote the last word of a forthcoming play before the performance
• --------
• Sailors
• Sailors have attributed superstitions to almost all aspects of their work and life on the sea. One of the common traits of superstitious belief is that the subject matter of the superstition usually involves some uncertainty and because of our desire to feel secure, we create superstitions to account for all the possible outcomes, thereby minimizing our lack of control (or making us feel as though we have reduced the risk.) This concept can be seen most clearly in the sailing profession and is largely due to the uncontrollable weather that the sailors life and work is powerless before. The job, more so in the past than in the present and in the days of pirates, was a very dangerous one and the slightest mistake could spell disaster for all on board. To deter any type of dangerous action and behavior, superstitions could serve as a warning and therefore minimize future calamities. It also brought comfort to passengers and crew.
• One of the most repeated verses that originates from a sailor superstition is below:
• Red sky at night, sailor's delight
Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning
• For sailors, it was lucky:
• to smash a bottle against the boat just before sailing
• for sailors to have tattoos
• to throw an old pair of shoes overboard just after launch
• to have a black cat on board
• for a child to be born on the ship
• for sailors to wear gold hoop earrings
• to touch the collar of a sailor
• to step aboard using the right foot first
• For sailors, it was unlucky:
• to name the boat with a word ending in "a"
• to have the bottle not break when used in the launch ceremony
• to change the name of a boat
• to sail on a green boat
• to sail on a Friday
• to see rats leaving a ship
• to have someone die on the ship
• to whistle on board a ship
• to cross an area where another ship once sunk
• to lose a bucket at sea
• Other sailing superstitions:
• Women and clergymen as passengers bring bad luck
• If you meet someone with red hair, a clergyman, or someone with cross-eyes on the way to the harbor, you are encouraged not to set sail
• A bell ringing by itself on the ship is a death omen for one of the crew
• The word "drown" can never be spoken at sea or it may summon up the actual event
• A ship without its figurehead will not sink
• Horseshoes on a ship's mast help turn away storms
• A ship will sail faster when fleeing an enemy
• A ship carrying a dead body will sail slower
• Seabirds are thought to carry the sould of dead sailors
• Whistling, cutting nails and trimming beards at sea will cause storms

• Raven
• The raven is said to be the most prophetic of birds, with knowledge of both private and public misfortune; we still speak of having 'the foresight of a raven'. The American Indians call it the 'Messenger of Death'. Perhaps the most famous superstition associated with it is that if the famous ravens living in the Tower of London should be lost or fly away, then the reigning royal family will die and Britain itself will fall. The bird is indeed widely regarded as a creature of ill omen, and if one is heard croaking over a house then there will be sickness or death inside before long. An explanation has been ventured that the bird has a particularly acute sense of smell and can discern the odour of decay from some considerable distance. If the bird actually flies about the chimney croaking when someone lies ill inside, then that person's fate is sealed. Scottish deerstalkers, however, believe it bodes well for the hunt to hear one before setting out. Ravens facing the direction of a clouded sun are said to presage hot weather, while if they are seen busy preening themselves, there is rain on the way. And if they are seen flying towards each other then this is an omen of war.
• Cricket
• A cricket on the hearth has been a sign of household luck for thousands of years. And the idea is prevalent in every corner of the world. Possibly the belief stems from prehistoric times, when a cricket's chirping provided a kind of companionship. The cricket has also served as a watchdog in China and otherAsian countries for generations. At any sign of danger, the chirping will stop. Almost every Native American tribe believed in the cricket as a bringer of luck, and they regarded imitating the sound a cricket makes as disrespectful. In the Far East as well as across Europe, it is considered very bad luck to kill a cricket, even by accident. Images of crickets appear on charms and amulets, particularly those intended to ward off the evil eye, in most ancient cultures of the Middle East and Europe. One of the best-known in America is the large weather vane on Boston's Fanuel Hall, a copper cricket fashioned by our Colonial forefathers to protect the building. •
Sapphire
In the ancient Middle East, this blue stone was believed to have supernatural powers, It was said to have been the center piece of King Solomon's ring. In India, it has the Power to bring health and wealth. Among its other powers in other parts of the world are the ability to repel spiders, to protect virgins, to turn away envy, and to attract the attention of the gods.

• Mirrors
• Breaking a mirror can even make a skeptic shudder for a brief moment! The superstition is an old one and has managed to keep its strength over the years. In fact, many superstitions exist for mirrors but the particular beliefs centering around broken mirrors are the most common today.
• Mirrors are thought to have two supernatural abilities:
• They bring bad luck
• The help tell the future
• Before mirrors came along, any reflective surface was considered to be magical and credited with the ability to look into the future. In ancient mythology we can often find the gods and goddesses, as well as mere mortals, looking into the still water to catch a glimpse of their fate. The power of reflective surfaces to captivate and deceive are also featured strongly in such myths as Narcissus and Snow White. Reflective surfaces like shiny metals and mirrors were also used to receive messages from the gods.
• Queen Elizabeth's court magician and well-known alchemist, John Dee, used a mirror for scrying. He has been credited with prophesying the plot to kill King James in 1605.
•
• Because mirrors were thought to hold the key to the future, to break one was to shatter your own future. One of the techniques devised to reverse the bad luck was to bury all the pieces deep within the earth. Another superstition for breaking a mirror was that shortly thereafter a family member would die.
• Other Mirror Superstitions:
• To see your reflection in a mirror is to see your own soul, which is why a vampire, who are without a soul, have no reflection.
• If a couple first catch sight of each other in a mirror, they will have a happy marriage.
• If a mirror falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will soon die.
• Any mirrors in a room where someone has recently died, must be covered so that the dead person's soul does not get trapped behind the glass. Superstition has it that the Devil invented mirrors for this very purpose.
• It is bad luck to see your face in a mirror when sitting by candlelight.
• Before mirrors, in ancient societies, if you caught sight of your reflection or dreamt of it, you would soon die.
• Someone seeing their reflection in a room where someone has recently died, will soon die themselves.
• Babies should not look into a mirror for the first year of their lives.
• Actors believe that it is bad luck to see their reflection while looking over the shoulder of another person.
• To see an image of her future husband, a woman is told to eat an apple while sitting in front of a mirror and then brush her hair. An image of the man will appear behind her shoulder.
•  
• ----
• Pennies
• Lots of superstitions center around money. Almost all forms of currency have at least one superstition associated with them. The most common superstition heard today, with respect to the penny, is the rhyming verse: "Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you'll have good luck." This may have originated in the rhyme: "Money on the floor, more at the door."
• Penny superstitions also include:
• Carry a penny for luck.
• Tossing a penny overboard while traveling at sea will ensure a safe trip.
• Keeping a jar of pennies in the kitchen is good luck.
• If giving a gift of a purse or wallet to someone, put a penny in it for good luck. (With inflation, this superstition has now grown to a dollar bill!)
• Keep a coin in a baby's pram or crib and the baby will grow up to be healthy, wealthy and wise.
• Finding a penny means more money is coming your way.
• Putting the first penny you receive each day into your pocket will attract more throughout the day.
• Coins with holes in them are especially lucky.
• Tossing a penny when you have a problem will allow the fates to take care of the problem for you.
• Tossing a penny over your left shoulder, into a wishing well or body of water, while making a wish, will make your wish come true.
• ___________________________________ 
Giving birth:   "A child born on a Friday is doomed to misfortune."   (1846)
Getting married:   "As to Friday, a couple married on that day are doomed to a cat-and-dog life."   (1879)
Recovering from illness:   "If you have been ill, don't get up for the first time on a Friday."   (1923)
Hearing news:   "If you hear anything new on a Friday, it gives you another wrinkle on your face, and adds a year to your age."
Moving:   "Don't move on a Friday, or you won't stay there very long."   (1982)
Starting a new job:   "Servants who go into their situations on Friday, never go to stay."   (1923)

When it's raining and the sun is shining, the Devil is beating his wife. If you want to hear it, you have to put a nail in the ground and put your ear to the head of the nail and listen.
When you're sleeping and you try and try to wake up, but you can't, it means that the witch is riding your back. You have to lay a broom across the door to stop this from happening.
• If you do not present a new pair of shoes to a poor person at least once during your life, you will go barefoot in the next world.
• If you make a bedspread or a quilt, be sure to finish it or marriage will never come to you.
• A spider is a repellent against plague when worn around the neck in a walnut shell.
• Salty soup is a sign that the cook is in love.
• An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.
• An acorn should be carried at all times to ensure a long life.
•
If you have a dream about fish you, or some one you know is pregnant. This usually happens among women. Fish, specifically salmon are known to go to great lengths to spawn.

Old shoes should be worn on Friday the 13th for good luck.
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Unlucky $50 bills - NASCAR Racer and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch turned down a $50 bill from the outgoing speedway president of Charlotte Motor Speedway this past week. Speedway president Humpy Wheeler was handing out personally signed $50 bills to various drivers as a going-away souvenir.
So what's the big deal? Long time Las Vegas gamblers have always been superstitions about $50 bills, considering them bad luck. I've personally seen people sit out a hand of blackjack or call their craps bets off when a $50 bill has been placed on the table.
I'm not sure of the origins of this notion, but I've always made it a point to change a $50 at the casino cage if I was going to play a table game. Bottom Line: Next time you put down a $50, now you'll know why if some funny looks come your way!
Ted Newkirk - www.las-vegas-news-reviews.com

Hawaiian Superstitions
September 14th, 2008 by Rodney
Shauna’s (Mis)fortune or perhaps a better prize? blog entry touched upon good and bad luck and favorite numbers. Some of her readers contributed versions of their superstitions.

KAN mentioned not carrying pork over the Pali highway at night or whistling at night. Ynaku listed a Big Island version of not carrying pork over Saddle road at night or vacuuming at night.

Opso share how he got major scoldings from his grandparents for sticking his chopsticks into a bowl of rice. I’ve always heard of this one but never saw it until my uncle passed away. After the funeral, we went to his house and my auntie had us all offer incense at the butsudan. And right there in front was a bowl of rice. The rice was shaped into a mound and the two chopsticks were stuck in - pointing straight up. After I saw that, I NEVER poke my chopsticks into my rice. It gave me chicken skin when I saw it.

BC listed one that many of us didn’t know about: Never empty a pot of water in the sink by pouring away from you because that’s how they bathe the deceased. Always pour the water towards you or to the side.

HNL2LAS listed about opening an umbrella in the house, cutting fingernails at night, and never looking into a mirror at night in the dark. After a weird nightmare the other night and using the bathroom, the mirror at night thought crossed my mind. After turning off the bathroom light, I just headed straight back to bed. Did not look back towards the mirror. Doubt if I ever will anymore.

The Dork Knight touched upon a couple more funeral related superstitions. Never pass food chopstick to chopstick because that’s how bones of the deceased are transferred. And never make round musubis (but he didn’t know why). Snow chimed in and shared with us how she actually saw round musubis at a funeral.

Ynaku remembered a Filipino custom where the people used to wash their hands in vinegar water - a cleansing ritual after touching the dead.

Hemajang shared one that I never heard of - when you get a fish bone stuck in your throat, make a cross (x) with your chopsticks on top your chawan (rice bowl) and sip tea from each quarter space of the crossed chopsticks. Anklebiters was taught to drink chazuke (tea/rice) to dislodge the fish bone. He said that one always worked for him.

And 9th Island Girl wanted to know the origin of why one should never point in a graveyard. I was told never to point at a graveyard and if I did, I should bite my finger - which I do.

So with Shauna’s blessing, I thought we could explore more superstitions - albeit for good luck, bad luck, or just because.

I remember my mom telling me not to cut my fingernails at night. When I asked her why, she didn’t know for sure but said maybe it had to do with the old days when kerosene lamps were used for lighting and since the lighting was so dim, it wasn’t a good idea. Makes logical sense to me.

Here’s a few others:
Poking food with your chopstick - bad luck. May be similar to the chopsticks in the chawan, but logic tells me that there’s more chance for the item of food to slip off the chopstick and drop.
Never pour for someone backhand (palm facing up) - bad luck. My friend told me how he got scolded by a nisei for doing that. He said it’s a dead man pour.
Always give odd number of things - I believe this stems from Japanese culture. Odd numbers are good, even numbers are bad. I’m guessing that this has to do with the number 4 in Japanese culture as being a bad luck number.
Don’t turn the calendar before the first of the month - bad luck. My Filipino friend shared this one with me. When I asked her why, she said she didn’t know, that it was something that her mother told her.
Never step on a grave - bad luck. I think it simply has to do with respect.
Always eat the food offered after a funeral - even if you’re not hungry. Again, I think it has something to do with respect for the deceased.
Always include money when giving a wallet as a gift - good luck. The theory is that if you include money in the wallet, it’ll never be empty of money.
Never give a pregnant person a lei that’s tied - superstition has it that if the lei is tied, the ambilical cord will wrap around the unborn child’s neck.
Never light more that 2 cigarettes with one match - aka Three on a Match. My friend told me that this superstition has to do with war time. When you light the first cigarette, the enemy will spot you. When you light the second cigarette, the enemy will take aim. When you light the third cigarette, the enemy will fire.
Always tape a coin on a knife when giving it as a gift. This one gets complicated because the receiver is supposed to give a knife with a coin taped on it back to the giver - or something like that. The coin is supposed to symbolize sincerity and that the person receiving the knife shouldn’t take it as a threat. Returning the favor is to signify that the recipient acknowledges the sincerity of the gift.
Never blow out the flame on incense - shake the incense until the flame goes out.
Never throw away rice - otherwise you’ll become poor.
If you spill salt, throw some over your shoulder. To ward off bad luck.
If you see a big moth in your garage, that means someone close to you will die soon. However, I like to think of it as someone deceased is visiting.
Never look at a night marcher.
If you see a rock that resembles a face - leave it alone.
Never take the last one of something - aka The Old Maid syndrome. My father-in-law will not take the last one of something. For example, if there is one piece of tofu left, he’ll cut it in half and eat one half. Then he’ll cut the leftover half in half again and eat one half. And repeat the process until the piece is too small to cut. Then he’ll leave it.
A doctor that Paula used to work for said that the chicken isn’t the one who takes the last piece. It’s the one who takes the second to the last piece.

How about some Las Vegas superstitions:
Rub the Buddha’s stomach at California Hotel - brings you good luck.
If you’re a first time crap shooter and you’re a male - don’t tell them. First time male crap shooters are considered bad luck.
If you’re a first time crap shooter and you’re a female - announce it. First time female crap shooters are considered good luck.
FROM -midlifecrisis.honadvblogs.com/2008/09/14/superstitions/
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I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you dislike? ~Jean Cocteau

Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck. -Orson Welles

I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me and the second one didn't.
-Patrick Murray

Luck is believing you're lucky. - Tennessee Williams

Luck is the champion of the undeserving - Phil Phrog

Luck is only a 4-letter word when it happens to someone else. -Corky Thompson
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF
Friday the 13th

By CLAIRE SUDDATH Friday, Feb. 13, 2009

Face it, you're screwed. Today is Friday the 13th — the unluckiest day on the calendar — so try not to crash your car, fall down a flight of stairs, set yourself on fire, or do anything else that might compromise your well-being. And for God's sake, stay away from men in hockey masks.

The number 13 has been unlucky for centuries. Some historians peg the superstition to the thirteen people who attended the Last Supper (neither Jesus nor Judas came out of that one OK), but ancient Babylon's Code of Hammurabi omits the number 13 in its list of laws, so the superstition dates back to at least 1700 BC. Thirteen is so unlucky, in fact, that in 1881 an organization called The Thirteen Club attempted to improve the number's bad reputation. At the first meeting, the members (all 13 of them) walked under ladders to enter a room covered with spilled salt. The club lasted for many years and grew to over 400 members, including five U.S. presidents: Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Despite the club's efforts, triskaidekaphobia (that's fear of the number 13) flourished; even today, most tall buildings don't have a 13th floor.

The number's association with Friday, however, didn't take hold until the 20th century. In 1907, eccentric Boston stockbroker Thomas Lawson published a book called Friday the Thirteenth, which told of an evil businessman's attempt to crash the stock market on the unluckiest day of the month. Thanks to an extensive ad campaign, the book sold well: nearly 28,000 copies within the first week. In 1916, the book was turned into a feature-length silent film.

Wall Street's superstitions about Friday the 13th continued through 1925, when the New York Times noted that people "would no more buy or sell a share of stock today than they would walk under a ladder or kick a black cat out of their path." Some stock traders also blamed Black Monday — Oct. 19, 1987 — on the fact that three Fridays fell on the thirteenth that year. The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute estimates that $700-$800 million dollars are lost every Friday the 13th due to people's refusal to travel, purchase major items, or conduct business.

Then came Jason. In 1980, Paramount Pictures released Friday the 13th (tagline: "Fridays will never be the same again"), a slasher flick about a series of murders at a summer camp. Apparently Jason, born on Friday the 13th, chooses that date to take revenge on oversexed campers much like the ones who allowed him to drown in Crystal Lake. So much for trust falls and lanyard making.

Friday the 13th grossed almost $40 million at the box office and inspired a long-running franchise: Friday the 13th Part II; Friday the 13th Part III; Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (it was not); Friday the 13th: Jason Lives; Friday the 13th: The New Blood; Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan (he left the summer camp?); Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday; Jason X; and 2003's Freddy vs. Jason. Maybe the number 13 isn't so bad afterall.
Friday the 13th Myths:

• If you cut your hair on Friday the 13th, someone in your family will die.
• A child born on Friday the 13th will be unlucky for life.
• If a funeral procession passes you on Friday the 13th, you will be the next to die.

Friday the 13th Anecdotes:

•In 1913, a New York pastor tried to assuage couples' fears by offering to marry them for free on Friday the 13th.
• In 1939, a small town in Indiana forced all black cats to wear bells on Friday, October 13th. When the measure seemed to work (nothing bad happened, at any rate) the town continued the practice for the next three years.
•At the time, October 13, 1989 was the second largest Dow drop in history. Nicknamed the "Friday the 13th mini-crash," these days it's not even in the top 10. That might be the scariest fact of all.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1879288,00.html

REPRINTED FROM TIME on CNN

• Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue.

Lucky objects or occurrences:

Finding a penny with head facing up
Horseshoes
Four-leaf clover
A rabbit's foot
Amanita muscaria mushroom (fly agaric)
Ladybugs (Ladybirds)
Elephant with its trunk pointing up
The numerals seven, eight (in China), and nine (in Thailand) [1]
Knocking on wood
Crossing one's fingers
A Buckeye nut
Maneki Neko (in Japan)
A thumbs-up
A shooting star
Throwing salt over your shoulder
Tossing a coin into a wishing well
Winning the lottery
Bamboo
Having a bird poop on you
Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day
Being born on Christmas Day
Throwing rice at a bride and groom

------------------------------------------Unlucky objects or occurrences:

The number 13 (many buildings do not have a designated 13th floor; numbering skips from the 12th to the 14th floor.)
The number 4 (in China, the word's pronunciation in Mandarin and Cantonese is similar to "si", which means death. A similar belief is present in Japan and Korea.)
A black cat crossing one's path (the opposite belief prevails in Great Britain and parts of Ireland.)
Stepping on a crack (doing so would cause your mother's back to break; rhymed as "step on a crack, break your momma's back".)
Stepping on a line in a pavement or floor cover (similar to above, rhymed as "step on a line, break your poppa's spine".)
Breaking a mirror will give you seven years of bad luck. (Mirrors were once luxury items. If one were broken, it could cost a servant seven years' worth of wages to pay for the damage.)
Spilling salt (dates to when salt was a precious commodity; spilling salt meant that a demon was trying to steal from you. Tossing some salt over your left shoulder would make the demon leave.)
Putting a hat on a bed
Opening an umbrella indoors
Killing a ladybug/ladybird
Killing a spider in the home
Walking under an open ladder (when being hanged, the condemned man would pass under the ladder before climbing up to the gallows.)
Replying "thank you" to someone wishing good luck
Picking up a penny lying face-down (can be avoided by giving the penny away.)
Putting shoes on a table. (In the UK, this is thought to bring extremely bad luck, such as the death of someone in the house. Sometimes it is only applied to new shoes.
In the British Navy it was considered unlucky to have a woman on board ship.
In some navies, launching a ship (especially a maiden voyage) on a Friday is unlucky. (possibly related to an attempt to dispel the myth by launching an HMS Friday on a Friday, captained by a Captain Friday. It sank.)
Among sailors it is considered unlucky to kill a porpoise or an albatross (see The Rime of the Ancient Mariner where the title character is cursed for killing this bird.)
Among sailors it is considered bad luck to have anything blue aboard.
When launching a ship by breaking a bottle on its hull, a failure of the bottle to break is considered bad luck.
Saying "good luck" (especially to an actor going onstage, where the preferred expression is Break a leg.)
In the theater, "Macbeth" must not be uttered by anyone unless it is necessary to the production. For example, if the company is performing Shakespeare's Macbeth, one says "the Scottish Play" and refers to the characters as "Mackers" and "Lady Mackers".
Sinistrality (being left-handed)
Seeing one magpie
A bird flies into one's window (a person in the family will die today, or has died last night). Some say this only applies if the e bird dies.
Using a Ouija board; (it is believed to attract evil spirits.)
In Japan and China putting chopsticks upright in rice is considered very bad luck (since it resembles the incense used in offerings to the dead.)
Killing a mockingbird is considered bad luck (inspiring the title of the book To Kill a Mockingbird)
Cutting your nails at night
Turning a horse shoe upside down is said in Britain to drain the good luck from it and bring bad luck .
Avoiding eye contact when toasting with another person
Shaking your leg while sitting
Saying "rabbit" on the Isle of Portland
Saying "Bloody Mary" while looking in a mirror (you will supposedly see the Queen Mary, covered in blood.)
Sitting on a table top (one of your relatives will die).
The Ides of March (March 15)
Looking at your watch at 9:11, AM or PM
Picking a three-leaf clover
Wishing someone a good night on Friday the 13th
Shoeing the right-hind leg of a horse first.
3:00 AM (the supposed hour of the devil)
Falling off a bike more than once in a day. (Some people believe that a ghost is haunting them)
Striking a match three times. (From the first world war, first strike for a sniper to spot, second to aim, third to fire).

Rituals of luck

Breaking a shoe lace
Blowing out candles on a birthday cake and making a wish. If you reveal the wish, it will not come true.
Eating cheesecake in a certain order (from the tip to the back crust)
Blowing the fluff from a milkweed and making a wish.
Two people pull apart the breastbone of a turkey or chicken and the one who gets the longer end will have his wish come true.
Eating an apple on Christmas Eve will assure good health in the coming year.
Tossing salt over your left shoulder if you spill it
Spitting if a black cat crosses your path
If you break a mirror, waiting seven hours (one for each year of bad luck) before you pick it up, and then burying it outside in the moonlight should counteract the bad luck.
Walking into your room backwards, wearing your pajamas inside out, and sleeping with a spoon under your pillow are supposed to ensure that school will be cancelled the next day due to snow or ice.
Making a wish on an apple, then pulling the stem, will result in your wish being granted, but only if the stem remains intact.
Seeing a timepiece stand at 11:11 allows the viewer's wish to be granted.
Helping a turtle on its back to be upright again grants four wishes.
Repeating the bad luck action, such as walking under a ladder then walking under again, nullifies the bad luck.
In the Middle East, houses are painted blue to ward off the evil eye.
Wearing a red string around the wrist as a good luck charm.
A hamsa, in the shape of a hand, is believed to protect against evil
Saying Gompi 5 times into the reverse side of a mirror

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In Scotland, there is no terminal 13 in any airport, instead there is a terminal 12B.
Some aeroplanes skip a row 13, going straight from 12 to 14.
Some tall buildings have resorted to skipping the "thirteenth floor", either by numbering it "14" or as "12a".
Some streets do not contain a house number 13.
The Code of Hammurabi, a collection of laws created ca. 1760 BC, does not contain a thirteenth law.
On the 13th day of the Persian new year (Norouz), people consider staying at home unlucky, and go outside for a picnic in order to ward off the bad luck.
Most race car drivers consider 13 a very unlucky number, as a car carrying that number has never won the Indianapolis 500 or a NASCAR Nextel Cup race, and almost all Formula 1 teams are no longer given the number 13 when car numbers are given out to teams on basis of points. Usually the team finishing seventh in the previous year's championship will take numbers 14 and 15, instead of 13 and 14. Only once in recent years (1991, Ricky Johnson) has an AMA Motocross rider chosen #13 instead of #14. Some NASCAR tracks refuse to have a pit stall #13.
On the Universal Studios sound stages in California, there is no sound stage numbered 13.
The creators of the online game entitled "The Kingdom Of Loathing" avoid the number 13 in all of their programming.

In Sikhism, the number 13 is considered a special number since 13 is tera in Punjabi, which also means "yours" (as in, "I am yours, O Lord"). The legend goes that when Guru Nanak Dev was taking stock of items as part of his employment with a village merchant, he counted from 1 to 13 (in Punjabi) as one does normally; and thereafter he would just repeat "tera", since all items were God's creation. The merchant confronted Guru Nanak about this, but found everything to be in order after the inventory was checked.
Several successful athletes have worn the number 13. Alex Rodriguez is said to be one of the most talented baseball players ever, and he has also signed the biggest sports contract wears the number 13. Dan Marino, an American football player known for passing more yards than any other quarterback in NFL history, wore the number 13. Another athlete Wilt Chamberlain wore the number 13 on his jersey throughout his NBA career. Also, FIBA rules require a player to wear the number in international competitions (only numbers from 4 to 15 could be worn, and as there are 12 players, one must wear 13); Chris Mullin, who wore #20 in college and #17 in the NBA, wore #13 for both (1984 and 1992) of his Olympic appearances. Shaquille O'Neal wore #13 in 1996, Tim Duncan wore #13 in 2004, Steve Nash is currently wearing it for the Phoenix Suns, and Mats Sundin wears 13 in the NHL.Bad Omen? Beckham will join Galaxy on Friday the 13th.
If one considers the number 1 to be prime, then 13 is the 7th prime number, and 7 is often considered a lucky number.

13 The number of Plutonium slugs in Fat Man, the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
The number 13 on a Hells Angel's, Ton-Up or other biker patch or tattoo refers to the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, M, which signified their link with a motorcycle club (13th letter is M), not marijuana as many suspect.
13, or "X3", is the number of the Mexican street gang Sureños. It refers to the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, M, for the Mexican Mafia.There are thirteen letters in macabre-fiction writer Edgar Allan Poe's name.

Sports Superstitions

We all hear popular superstitions when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday. And no player wants to wear the number 13. It is said that superstitions have been a part of sports since their beginning. Players and fans alike have their ways of avoiding bad luck.

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Rabbit's Foot
Rabbits and hares were considered very lucky animals as they were associated with spring and the return of flowers and other plants. Spring was also a time of fertility and so rabbits were considered good luck to be seen running through the fields. To see a rabbit running through your yard meant that it would be a good year to have children or that your garden would be especially fertile this year.
The manner in which rabbits run gave birth to the superstition about rabbit's feet. Apparently their unusual stride amkes the back feet touch the ground ahead of their front feet and so the back feet were considered especially lucky.
For luck to had,  however, the original owner must give their rabbit's foot away and it would be the receiver of the gift that would also be the recipient of the good fortune. If the owner kept the foot for himself, he would be visited by bad luck. If the recipient of the rabbit's foot lost his lucky charm he would also be visited with bad luck.
Animal rights activists are rightfully concerned about this particular superstition and are encouraging it to die out.
Other Superstitions for Rabbits:
• It is good luck for a rabbit to cross your path
• Seeing a white rabbit is a death omen
• Seeing a black rabbit is unlucky
• Seeing a rabbit on the way to work is unlucky
• If you dream about a rabbit it means you will be visited by misfortune
• Wearing rabbit-skin socks protects against pleurisy
• A child who eats rabbit brains will improve his or her behavior!
• Seeing a rabbit cross behind you means bad luck is on its way
• A rabbit running down the street means there will be a fire in the neighborhood
• Saying "white rabbits" on the first of each month or on the first day of a new moon will bring good luck
• When sitting around a campfire, saying "white rabbit" will make the smoke go in another direction
• To predict the coming winter, if you see a rabbit with a thick coat, expect a hard winter; a rabbit with a thin coat means the winter will be a mild one
-UMBRELLAS
• Umbrellas also have other superstitions attached to them, most often those that bring bad luck.
• It is bad luck to give an umbrella as a gift.
• If you drop an umbrella, do not pick it up. Instead, have someone else do it for you, or you will be the recipient of bad luck.
• If a single woman drops an umbrella, she will never marry.
• If an umbrella is opened outside when it is not needed, rain, and other bad weather, will follow.
• ----
• Horseshoes
• The horseshoe is considered very lucky and used to be hung in many homes to protect and attract good fortune for the family residing inside. As with many superstitions, there are contradictions to be found with the beliefs associated with the horseshoe. For instance, many believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out. Others believe that no matter which way you hang the horseshoe, good luck will come. According to this superstition, the ends-pointing-down display simply means that the good luck is able to flow out and surround the home. If the horseshoe is hung over a doorway, ends up will catch good luck and ends down will let the good luck spill over the door and stop evil from entering. Perhaps a combination of the two was used so that after a few days, when the horseshoe was filled with good luck, it would then need to be emptied so that residents could benefit from that luck and the process would be repeated until the end of time.
• Horseshoes were also considered lucky because they were made by blacksmiths, which is also considered a very lucky trade. Because they worked with elemental fire and magical iron, they were thought to have special powers. It was believed that a blacksmith could heal the sick and if a couple was married by a blacksmith, their marriage would be a happy one. Their work with horses also brought them much power and prestige, not just because they made the lucky horseshoe but also because they were the keepers of the Horseman's Word (the basis for the movie, The Horse Whisperer.)
• Horseshoes were originally made from iron, which may also account for the superstitions that are associated with this object. Iron was considered magical because it was able to withstand fire and was much stronger than other metals. The superstitions for iron are thought to originate in prehistoric times. It was used as a charm to ward off evil spirits.
• Another aspect of the horseshoe that added to it's good luck was the fact that it was commonly held in place by seven iron nails. Since ancient times, the number seven was considered very important. Life was divided into seven ages; a rainbow has seven colors; astrology once held that seven planets made up the universe; there are seven deadly sins; a seventh child was thought to have special powers; there are seven days in a week; the moon changes from one phase to another every seven days; and a long-held belief states that the body goes through a radical change every seven years.

• Cracks
• Ill-fortune is said to be the result from stepping on a crack in the pavement. Present day society usually associates the superstition behind treading on cracks to the rhyme: "Step on a crack, break your mother's back" but the superstition actually goes back to the late 19th - early 20th Century and the racism that was prevalent in this period.
• The original rhyming verse is thought to be "Step on a crack and your mother will turn black." It was also common to think that walking on the lines in pavement would mean you would marry a negro and have a black baby. (Apparently this superstition only applied to Caucasians and because of the rampant prejudice against black people, was considered an activity to avoid.)
• Stepping on cracks also had significance for children. In the mid-20th Century it was popular to tell children that if they stepped on the cracks in the street, they would be eaten by the bears that congregate on street corners waiting for their lunch to walk by.
• Also, the number of lines a person would walk on corresponded with the number of china dishes that the person would break, later in the day.
• Only in the last few decades has the rhyming superstition resurfaced to be the recognized "step on a crack, break your mother's back" and in some areas, two superstitions above are melded together to include the number of lines one steps on will correspond with the number of your mother's bones that are broken. ----------------LADDERS
• Walking Under Ladders
• People will go to great lengths to avoid walking under ladders. Many origins for the superstition have been surfaced over the years. One provides a source in medieval times. A leaning ladder was thought to resemble the gallows and so by walking underneath a ladder, you are playing out your own execution. Another explanation points to the triangular shape a ladder will take when erected or leaned up against a wall. The triangle is considered the symbol representing the Holy Trinity and to walk through a triangle violates and desecrates God while you, the perpetrator, fall prey to Satan.
• If you walk under a ladder by accident, however, there are several measures that you can take to avoid bad luck:
• Spit three times through the ladder's rungs
• Cross you fingers until you see a dog
• Spit on your shoe and continue walking, but don't look down at the shoe until the spittle has dried
• Walk backwards, out from the ladder the same way you came in, and make a wish as you go back out.

-• Spiders
• Apparently the superstition surrounding spiders dates back to Egyptian times when spiders were associated with riches. Charms were made in the form of spiders, much like the more common scarab, and carried on a person throughout the day and night. It was the hope that by doing this, money and good fortune would arrive their way in the near future.
• In the Middle Ages, spiders were also considered lucky. People would trap spiders inside walnut shells and then make a necklace with silk out of them. The purpose of this was to protect against illness. Another primitive medical cure associated with spiders was to capture one in a box or bag and wait until it died. When it finally died the spider was thought to also take your disease or illness along with it. 
• It is considered very bad luck to kill a spider. Considering the many, many people who have killed spiders it certainly doesn't make the future bright, according to folklore! No matter how scary and ugly they are, however, having one in your home was considered good luck as the spider would protect the house and family from any misfortune. To have a spider living in your home meant that happiness would be yours so long as the spider remained. A spider dangling from the ceiling meant that money was coming your way and the small, red spiders, no matter what they were doing or where you found them, also meant financial reward. Seeing a spider outside was also considered lucky.
• A spider in the morning is a sign of sorrow;
A spider at noon brings worry for tomorrow;
A spider in the afternoon is a sign of a gift;
But a spider in the evening will all hopes life.
• ----
• Spilt Salt
• Salt was once considered a very precious commodity; as important as money has grown to be. Because it was so valued within ancient societies and was very expensive to buy and also very difficult to extract, it has had quite a lot of symbolism and superstition attached to it over the course of human history. Salt was used as a preservative and, in this sense, began to symbolize life and the avoidance of decay. It became a sign of hospitality, trust and friendship because of its high price. Soldiers in Rome were often paid in salt and, in this way, it was also a form of currency. This latter use of salt is the source of the expression that a person was "not worth his salt."
• To spill salt then was an extraordinary waste and the superstition that claimed bad luck would visit anyone who spilt salt was invented specifically to deter this behavior.
• If salt was spilt in a particular person's direction, bad luck was coming to that person.
• Spilt salt should not be cleaned up but should instead by tossed over the left shoulder, into the face of the Devil.
• Enough tears must be cried to dissolve the spilt salt in order to reverse the bad luck that was coming your way.
• Other superstitions for salt:
• Wearing a small bag of salt around your neck protected you from the Evil Eye.
• A pinch of salt was left in a baby's crib until it was christened.
• Salt was an unlucky word for sailors and should never be mentioned at sea.
• Salt was thrown on the threshold of a new house for good luck.
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Gambling Superstitions – Invite Good Luck with These Tips!

Superstitions rule every aspect of human life, at least some people believe so. Superstitions are associated with luck, and in an activity like gambling where a player’s fate can sometimes rest on luck, you can bet superstitions abound. Gambling superstitions have been around for as long as the first bet was made. Gamblers from different countries have different set of beliefs as to what are lucky and unlucky, these beliefs range from the believable to the absurd. Whether you like it or not, superstitions will be around for a long time so it’s best to find out what they are. Who knows, you might just win more games if you follow them.
While some gamblers do have their own, unique set of beliefs, there are many superstitions most gamblers share. The first among these shared superstitions is the brining of any lucky item, such as a horseshoe, a rabbit’s foot, and a four-leaf clover, among others, to improve chances of winning. The item may not be taken in its literal form – the horseshoe may be a graphic print on a tee; the rabbit’s foot, an embossed figure on a handkerchief; and the four-leaf clover, a pendant. Bringing a lucky article of clothing is also considered tradition by many serious gamblers who follow superstitions in the hope of winning.
Games that involve rolling dice carry one superstition for good luck: the player must knock at his door before rolling the dice. One the other hand, games that involve gambling chips require the chips to be stacked neatly o bring in good luck. Most players of both types of games believe that crossing the fingers or resting them on the color red is lucky. Things generally considered as bad luck is walking under ladders, getting near dogs, and breaking mirrors.
The Chinese are perhaps one of the most superstitious peoples in the world, and Chinese gamblers are known to follow some of the strictest gambling superstitions there are. Chinese gamblers know better than to count money while a gambling activity is still in session; stop to see or talk to monks, nuns, or religious people before entering a casino; touch someone’s shoulder during a gambling session; and go inside casinos using the main entrances. All of these things are considered unlucky among Chinese gamblers and should be avoided at all cost. Lucky activities include wearing red underwear, bringing women who are menstruating, and turning on all the lights at home before heading out the door to gamble.
Every culture has its own set of gambling superstitions, passed on from generation to generation of gamblers. While following these superstitions does not really guarantee a winning streak every time, gamblers continue to rely on them for good luck. Studies have shown that the reason for this stubborn, almost illogical, belief on superstitions come from gamblers’ collective resistance to randomness. Gamblers all around the world don’t like to think that winning rests entirely on chance, so they either practice their skills or follow superstitions – or both – in order to bring some “sense” into the game.
Use coins you find on the street to buy luckier lottery tickets.
-www.casinodeals.ca/

Baby superstition: When children loose a tooth they ask a fairy for money.

What Are the Odds?
A lucky Starbucks barista wins the lottery in Los Angeles and suffers a fatal case of bad luck and dies of a heart attack in a Pioneer Square parking lot.

Many women in Shenyang, China resort to Plastic Surgery to look 'Lucky'.

"Now Friday came, you old wives say, Of all the week's the unluckiest day." - old saying

"12 a dozen, 13 a death"

Mark Twain once was invited to be the 13th guest at a dinner party. A good friend warned him not to go, he said it was bad luck to be the 13th guest.  Twain later told his friend he was right,  "It was bad luck, They only had food for 12." 

Superstitious diners in Paris often hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest for dinner parties.

13 Facts About Friday the 13th
By LiveScience Staff
On Feb 13, 2009, at 8:33 AM, mattes wrote:
If you fear Friday the 13th, then batten down the hatches. This week's unlucky day is the first of three this year.
The next Friday the 13th comes in March, followed by Nov. 13. Such a triple whammy comes around only every 11 years, said Thomas Fernsler, a math specialist at the University of Delaware who has studied the number 13 for more than 20 years.
By the numbers
Here are 13 more facts about the infamous day, courtesy of Fernsler and some of our own research:
1. The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.
2. The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date's digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.
3. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.
4. Fear of Friday the 13th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.
5. Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in).
6. Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.
7. Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.
8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.
9. Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.
10. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."
11. Woodrow Wilson considered 13 his lucky number, though his experience didn't support such faith. He arrived in Normandy, France on Friday, Dec. 13, 1918, for peace talks, only to return with a treaty he couldn't get Congress to sign. (The ship's crew wanted to dock the next day due to superstitions, Fernsler said.) He toured the United States to rally support for the treaty, and while traveling, suffered a near-fatal stroke.
12. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.
13. The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle's head, 13 war arrows in the eagle's claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there's been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.
Origins of Friday the 13th
Where's all this superstition come from? Nobody knows for sure. But it may date back to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune.
Meanwhile the belief that numbers are connected to life and physical things — called numerology — has a long history.
"You can trace it all the way from the followers of Pythagoras, whose maxim to describe the universe was 'all is number,'" says Mario Livio, an astrophysicist and author of "The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved" (Simon & Schuster, 2005). Thinkers who studied under the famous Greek mathematician combined numbers in different ways to explain everything around them, Livio said.
In modern times, numerology has become a type of para-science, much like the meaningless predictions of astrology, scientists say.
"People are subconsciously drawn towards specific numbers because they know that they need the experiences, attributes or lessons, associated with them, that are contained within their potential," says professional numerologist Sonia Ducie. "Numerology can 'make sense' of an individual's life (health, career, relationships, situations and issues) by recognizing which number cycle they are in, and by giving them clarity."
Mathematicians dismiss numerology as having no scientific merit, however.
"I don't endorse this at all," Livio said, when asked to comment on the popularity of commercial numerology for a story prior to the date 06/06/06. Seemingly coincidental connections between numbers will always appear if you look hard enough, he said.