OUR LAST MEETING/DINNER GOT PRESS!!!
SPOOKY CLUB REVELS IN TABOOS OF FRIDAY THE 13th
This Friday the 13th, while many will consciously guard their luck,
a group of 13 will take fate into their own hands and gather to break
mirrors, spill salt, walk under ladders and break bread. It's just
another day for members of the HOLLYWOOD FRIDAY THE 13TH CLUB. An unusual
meeting, the 13 will gather at a predisposed restaurant known only
to the members. The meeting will start with a toast by the founder
of the club, followed by the group tearing up chain letters (pre-mailed
to members) and a raffle for items like Ouija boards and lottery tickets.
The unholy group will then eat hardily and mock superstitions. Salt
will be spilled. Black umbrellas will be opened. Mirrors will be cracked
and ladders will be passed under. Then the group, bellies full of grub
and ale, will crack fortune cookies and nibble from the club trademark
all-black cake (complete with black cat decoration). They will finally
pay the bill and depart, never to see each other again until the next
Friday The 13th.
Is nothing sacred?
The club has been meeting on random Friday the thirteenths since 1994
when Kalynn Campbell, an artist in Los Angeles, decided to honor the
dark side of superstition with a party. He read about a group in New
York that had been meeting for lunch every Friday the 13th since 1936.
Campbell loved the idea. "I thought to myself, this is brilliant!,
too bad I'm not in New York for this." So he started his own club
based in Hollywood, "You'd be amazed by the level of superstition
in this town, just about every actor has a good-luck charm, so I knew
a Friday the 13th club here would shake up the natives".
"My mother was born on a Friday the 13th, so the day was always considered lucky around our house", Campbell related. "It always amazed me how people would recoil at my flippant disregard for the superstitions surrounding both the number 13 and the day in particular. I know some reasonable, highly educated people who remain guarded on Friday the 13th. In fact, it's the most widespread superstition in America. I read that an estimated 21 million people suffer from the phobia of Friday the 13th, amazing numbers. It's quite a black and white issue with people as well, tell them you are throwing a dinner party on Friday the 13th with exactly 13 guests all with the objective of making fun of that day and watch the reaction. They'll either love the concept or they'll move away from you very slowly, like you're a doomed man." When asked why he continues to host the club dinner year after year, he smiles and says, "It's very empowering to throw up a middle finger to the taboos of 13, it's downright exhilarating!"
Little is known of the exact origins of the superstition, but most suggest it has roots in Christianity. The head count for the Last Supper was 13, and of course one of the guests betrayed Jesus Christ (who would be crucified on a Friday). Eve was tempted by the preverbal red apple on a Friday, as began the Great Flood and on and on. Others note Pagan beliefs, such as the number 13 in a covet of Witches. Most likely it was a melding of many beliefs and superstitions that has led to our current state of fear.
There is even a term for the Phobia associated with Friday the 13th, Paraskevidekatriaphoba (say that 3 times fast!), and sufferers have a deep morbid fear of that day - many stay at home, some even remain in bed until the day has passed.
"To Paraskevidekatriaphobics, we're the Baker's Dozen of the Damned", Campbell said.
SCROLL DOWN FOR PICTURES OF THE 2007 MEETING/DINNER
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE AGAIN AT THE NEXT FRIDAY THE 13TH
CLUB EMAIL:
---------------------
TO THE ROULETTE STUDIOS HOME PAGE
NEXT MEETING JUNE 13, 2008
On Friday May 13, 2011, the digits in the month, day, and year will add up to 13
FRIDAY THE 13th POEM
This was published in the Kansas City Star in 1942 on a Friday the 13th.
The poem was signed, simply, "anonymous". It was no doubt written
to discourage Friday The 13th Parties.
---
On a 13th Friday
Gallows creaked in the wind
13 sat judgement
And 13 paid for sin
On a Friday like this
13 was the day
13 children ran freely
13 children at play
The cross of the gallows
A shadow it made
A curse was upon them
A curse had been laid
Their fathers before them
Souls not saved
All came to rest
In a Friday 13 grave
The children were burdened
Though they did not know
They carried the blood
That the 13 did sow
Fathers and Brothers
Uncles no more
Just the 13 children
With death at the core
For it was a Friday
13 was the day
The sinners were cursed
That their children would pay
And so it is said
They will die one by one
A 13th Friday
When this curse will be done
They will gather together
On that wretched day
"13 is so lucky"
They will laugh and say
They'll eat and drink
No superstitions they'll fear
They'll curse that number
So evil can hear
And they will boast
Without any care
But all will be dead
Within the new year
So when on a Friday
13 be the day
Shall 13 plan to gather
Shall 13 plan to play
Remember this warning
For no soul saved
With 13 a tombstone
And Friday a grave
THE BLACK CAKE IS SERVED....
MEMBERS SCRAMBLE TO FINISH THE SUPERSTITION CROSSWORD FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A 1912 TITANIC - CURSED MERCURY DIME....
IT'S POURING BAD LUCK EVERYWHERE, BUT WE'RE PREPARED....
"May all your 13's be lucky
and your Fridays come fast
May money fill your pockets
and enemies kiss your ass"
THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO ATTENDED THIS YEAR
Friday 13th - Truly Unlucky For Some
People who see themselves as unlucky should stay indoors on Friday the
13th, according to new research.
A study suggests those who consider themselves unlucky are more likely
to believe in superstitions associated with bad luck, such as the number
13.What is more, the researchers say, this
belief alone can actually lead to "bad luck".
Psychologist Dr Richard Wiseman, who carried
out the research, said: "Unlucky
people tend to buy into negative superstitions, like having seven years
bad luck after smashing a mirror. "If you're one of these people,
the fact that it's Friday the 13th could make you anxious and that will
make you more likely to have accidents, drive less well, and perhaps find
it harder to relate to other people. "So
your bad luck could be your own doing."
More controversially, Dr Wiseman believes some people actually want to
be unlucky because it helps them to avoid taking responsibility for their
own failings."It's a way of copping out," he said.
Dr Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire, said a quarter of those
surveyed thought the number 13 was unlucky.
A total of 4,000 people were asked if they
considered themselves lucky or unlucky, and whether they engaged in any
superstitious behaviour. The survey found that "lucky" people
tended to believe in superstitions designed to bring good luck, such as
touching wood, crossing fingers and carrying a lucky charm.
A black cat crossing your path is said to bring bad luck
"Unlucky" people were drawn to bad luck superstitions, such as breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder, or having anything to do with the number 13.The results showed that 49% of lucky people regularly crossed their fingers compared with 30% of unlucky people. In contrast, just 18% of lucky people became anxious if they broke a mirror, compared with 40% of unlucky people. But the number 13 brought out the biggest difference between the lucky and unlucky, with more than half of people who considered themselves unlucky dreading the number, as opposed to just 22% of lucky people.
The most widely held superstitious belief was touching wood, which 86% said they did. That was followed by crossing fingers (64%), not walking under ladders (49%), fear of breaking a mirror (34%), being worried about the number 13 (25%), and carrying a lucky charm (24%). Dr Wiseman said: "These are surprisingly high figures, and indicate that superstition is alive and well in modern Britain. "Indeed, amazingly, 86% of Brits said that they carried out at least one of these superstitious behaviours. "Even scientists are not immune from superstition. For example, 15% of people with a background in science said that they feared the number 13."
Dr Wiseman has set up a website to continue his Luck Project, where anyone can contribute to the research. -BBC
'Jinxed' Lotto
Deaths Shock Town
Winning Tattslotto could not guarantee long and happy lives for two Victorian
brothers, who both died soon after pocketing big payouts.
Gordon Young and his wife Bev were planning to spend their recent $800,000 Tattslotto
jackpot win on a dream tour around Australia when they were struck and killed
by a car during an afternoon walk on Tuesday.
The death of the recently retired couple from near Leongatha, both in their early
60s, stunned Mr Young's older brother Eric.
Another brother, Keith, died from diabetes after sharing a $1 million Tattslotto
win about seven years ago.
"It's really a freak coincidence that Bev and Gordon died after winning
the money, especially as Keith died a few years after winning $200,000," Mr
Young told AAP.
"I will never buy a Tattslotto ticket again because that's now two brothers
who have died and I don't want to be next."
He said Gordon and Bev Young, from Meeniyan near Leongatha, had been looking
forward to spending their winnings on a tour round Australia.
"Everyone in the town is very shocked because Bev and Gordon were so popular
and they lived life to the full," said Eric Young.
"They were into lots of sports like golf, tennis and bowls and they got
involved in everything."
Mr Young retired in July after working for 24 years as a depot supervisor at
the South Gippsland Shire Council, a shire council spokeswoman said.
His brother said the couple often went walking on the stretch of road near Meeniyan
where they were hit.
"The road is on a crest of a hill but it is not considered dangerous," he
said.
"But I have been driving coaches for 45 years and I know that things happen."
The couple leave behind three children, Mr Young said.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been finalised.
Police today said the driver of the vehicle had been interviewed but no charges
had been laid.
Locals in the small township of Meeniyan told AAP they were too distraught today
to speak about the couple, who were born and bred in the town.
Unlucky Restaurant Reopens On Unlucky Day
CINCINNATI -- After one very unlucky month earlier this
year, a Cincinnati restaurant is thumbing its nose at fate -- by reopening
on Friday the 13th.
Twice during May, cars crashed into the Washington Platform Saloon and
Restaurant at its corner location downtown.
Owner Jon Diebold jokes that his place should now be known as the "home
of the one-two punch."
He's had T-shirts made up with a bull's-eye on the back
and the slogan, "You can't miss us." And, there's a sign outside
telling customers: "Restaurant Open, Drive-Thru Closed."
Diebold is hopeful the Washington Platform won't be knocked out of commission
again. The corner entrance has been rebuilt with a concrete and steel post
that he said would stop a bus.
MOST DANGEROUS DAY
OF THE YEAR NOT FRIDAY THE 13th
By Lisa Adams
IT'S the perfect excuse to climb back into bed and pull the covers over
your head.
You can forget Friday the 13th because November 27 - is officially the unluckiest day of the year, according to research. Astudy of one million insurance claims showed that people were most likely to have an accident on this date than on any other. Car crashes, DIY disasters and house fires are just some of the hazards which people struggle with.
Kevin Sinclair, managing director of AA Insurance, said: "Friday the 13th is associated with bad luck, but records show you're statistically more likely to have an accident or break something on November 27." The disaster stories include a man who put his foot through a ceiling while fetching Christmas decorations from the loft. Then there was a woman who forgot she had left the tap running, causing her bath to overflow and flood thehouse. And a family saw their home wrecked when their cat knocked over a candle, causing a fire. Stormy weather, longer nights and leaves on the roads in November also make driving conditions more treacherous, according to the AA.
If you need any more reasons to take the day of f and try again tomorrow, here's our rundown of some of the events through history which make November 27, the 331st day of the year, so unlucky.
1703 The first Eddystone Lighthouse in Corn w all was destroyed in a storm. Owner Henry Winstanley who was on the lighthouse completing additions to the structure, disappeared without trace.
1880 When English chemist Joseph Wilson filed the patent for the electric light on November 27, he thought he'd make a fortune with the invention. But unluckily for him, Thomas Edison had come up with the same idea at exactly the same time thousands of miles away in America. The pair became locked in a costly legal battle before eventually being forced to share the limelight by merging as the Edison and Swan United Electric Light Company.
1934 Bank robber Baby Face Nelson died in a shoot-out with the FBI. Nelson, an enforcer for gangster Al Capone, robbed a bank a day for a month. But Nelson's luck ran out at 8pm on November 27, when he was shot 17 times after a high-speed chase.
1942 The Nazi army's grip of Europe tightened and at Toulon on November 27 the French navy took the difficult decision to scuttle its ships and submarines to keep them out of enemy hands.
1970 Pope Paul VI was attacked at the airport in Manila, Philippines, by a Bolivian knifeman. He suffered a chest wound but recovered, remaining Pope until his death in 1978.
1975 Guinness Book Of Records co-founder and editor Ross McWhirter was shot dead outside his home by an IRA gunman. He had offered a reward of £50,000 for information leading to the arrest of IRA bombers.
1978 In San Francisco, California, city mayor George Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by former supervisor Dan White. Thousands turned out to mourn the two murdered politicians, carrying candles as they marched through the heavily gay Castro neighbourhood in Milk's district and filed past City hall.
1983 A Colombian Boeing 747 crashed near Madrid's Barajas Airport, killing 183. Only 11 passengers survived.
1989 107 people were killed when a bomb exploded aboard a Colombian jetliner.
1996 23 people died when a Russian Ilyushin- 76 military cargo plane crashed in central Siberia. It may have crashed because it was carrying too heavy a load.
1997 Four people died when their twin-engine plane crashed into a hangar at a US airport in Nevada. The plane blew up, destroying the hangar and another plane which was stored there.
2002 Much-married Hollywood socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor, then 85, was badly injured in a car crash.
Moms-to-Be Delay Births on June 6, 2006
Superstitious mothers-to-be take steps to make sure babies aren't born
on June 6, 2006
(AP) Around the country, some superstitious mothers-to-be took steps Tuesday to make sure their babies were not born on the most bedeviling of dates, 6-6-6.
In New York, "people are canceling left and right because of what today represents," said Liza Washington, an administrative assistant at Children's Hospital of the New York-Presbyterian Medical Center. More than a dozen deliveries were postponed because of 666, which is said to be the "Number of the Beast" in the Book of Revelation. Many of the expectant mothers had been scheduled to deliver babies by Caesarean section or after doctors artificially induced labor.
Julie Haley, 33, of Reading, Mass., went into labor Monday. As of Tuesday afternoon, she still had not given birth. "We were going to try to get it out before midnight or I was going to keep my legs closed," she said. "I don't want her to have that stigma for the rest of her life. When she gets older, her friends would say that anything bad would be because of her birthdate."
n Wichita, Kan., a woman suddenly realized that her delivery date was June 6, and asked her doctor to delay the birth, said Dr. James Whiddon of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Wichita Clinic.
Another baby was born early because of 666.
Tabitha Unternahrer of Wayland, Iowa, was supposed to have a C-section on Tuesday but called her doctor and had the date moved up. Her daughter, Taryn Reney, was born May 31.
Lucky Days ~ is today your lucky day?
Below lucky meanings and influences of someone's day of birth have been collected from books and other sources. No claims are made.
Do you have a lucky day? Is it today your perhaps tomorrow? Well, any day can be. But the day you were born on can have as much influence on the luck of your life as the star you were born under.
Born on a SUNDAY
Born on the first day of the week, you probably have an optimistic outlook
on life. It is said that your luck, generally good, will be even better
if you wear gold. Sunday is also a lucky day for people born under the
sign of Leo.
Born on a MONDAY
Silver charms, especially crescents, will bring you luck if you were born
on a Monday. You are likely to have an active imagination, and people
find you attractive.
Born on a TUESDAY
You will find luck in wearing red if your birth date was on a Tuesday.
You are enthusiastic about life and have a great influence over others.
If you were born under the signs of Aeries or Scorpio, Tuesday is your
lucky day.
Born on a WEDNESDAY
If you were born in the middle of the week, blue is your lucky color and
jewelry with blue stones should always be set in silver. You get along
extremely well with all kinds of people. If your birth date is in the
sign of Aquarius, Gemini, or Virgo, Wednesday is your lucky day.
Born on a THURSDAY
A Thursday baby will grow up with an overpowering love of travel and the
adventure of discovering new places. When you go, be sure to wear a charm
representing an ankh or a cross of some kind for good luck on your journey.
People born under the sign of Sagittarius can expect good luck to come
their way on Thursday.
Born on a FRIDAY
If you were born on a Friday, you will be very lucky in love. Diamonds
are your best friend and they are sure to bring you luck in everything
you do. Friday is among the luckiest of all days, considered auspicious
for people born under four different astrological signs: Cancer, Libra,
Pisces and Taurus. Possibly that is why so many agree with the expression, "Thank
God it's Friday!"
Born on a SATURDAY
Born on a Saturday, you are likely to be a workaholic. But you don't mind.
You know that hard work pays off. You can increase your luck at work
by wearing a charm in the form of an hourglass. But you will also find
a gold watch a luck-bringer, unlikely as that may seem. It is a lucky
day for Capricorns.
jinx (jĭngks)
n.
1. A person or thing that is believed to bring bad luck.
2. A condition or period of bad luck that appears to have been caused by
a specific person or thing.
tr.v. jinxed, jinx·ing, jinx·es
To bring bad luck to.
[Possibly from jynx, wryneck (from its use in witchcraft), from Latin iynx, from Greek iunx, perhaps from iuzein, to call, cry.]
-------
A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is:
• A sort of curse placed on a person
that makes them prey to large numbers of minor misfortunes and other forms
of bad luck;
• A person afflicted with a similar curse, who, while not directly subject
to a series of misfortunes, seems to attract them to anyone in his general
area.
• An object or animal that brings bad luck.
• A common slang term used when two people say the same thing at the same
time (said as a game amongst the young and young hearted which suggests
some kind of spooky supernatural interference).
The superstition is sometimes used when talking about a future event with
too much confidence. A statement like "We're sure to win the contest!" can
be seen as a jinx by tempting fate. After such a statement, failure would
be ironic. For the human mind, the irony makes it all the more likely.
This therefore brings bad luck: it is a "jinx".
The etymology of the word is obscure.
• It may come from Latin iynx, that is, the wryneck bird, which has occasionally
been used in magic and divination and is remarkable for its ability to
twist its head almost 180 degrees while hissing like a snake. The Jinx
bird is found in Africa and Eurasia.
• It may be the plural of jink treated as singular.
The earliest use of the word "jinx" to refer to something other
than the bird seems to have been in the context of baseball; in Pitching
at a Pinch (1910), Christy Mathewson explained that "a jinx is something
which brings bad luck to a ball player."
Barry Popik of the American Dialect Society suggests that the word should
be traced back to an American folksong called Captain Jinks of the Horse
Marines, which was first popular in 1868. One verse in one version goes:
The first day I went out to drill
The bugle sound made me quite ill,
At the Balance step my hat it fell,
And that wouldn't do for the Army.
The officers they all did shout,
They all cried out, they all did shout,
The officers they all did shout,
"Oh, that's the curse of the Army."
The reference to various misfortunes and a curse lend plausibility to this
explanation.
The Online Etymology Dictionary entry for jinx states that the word was
first used, as a noun, in American English in 1911. It traces it to a 17th
century word jyng, meaning "a spell", and ultimately to the Latin
word iynx[1].
African American blues songs make many mentions of
jinxes, far more than are found in Anglo-American usage. As in earlier
sports references, it may be spelled jinks, and some blues singers treat
the word as a plural ("these jinks"):
• Papa Charlie Jackson sang in 1926 that a "bad luck woman is a
jinx and a worry too."[1]
• Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded a song in 1928 in which he said "that
brown in Chicago have put that jinx bug on me."[2]
• Buddy Moss recorded "Jinks Man Blues" in 1934, with the lyrics, "I'm
just a mistreated man, and the jinx is on poor me."[3]
• Peetie Wheatstraw was in double trouble in 1934 as he sang, "Last
Sunday I had the blues, last Monday night I had the jinx."[4] and
in 1936 he complained "Somebody's put a jinx on me, oh well, well,
and I can't have no luck at all."[5]
• Bo Carter, a Mississippian, claimed in 1936 that his girlfriend was
so powerful that "she can stand in Memphis, man, and put the jinx
on me."[6]
• Johnnie Temple had better luck, for he sang about his girlfriend, "Jinkie
Lee", who took the jinx off of him.
• Will Weldon sang, "Well, the jinx on me, I can't see the reason
why; but seem like these jinx sure oughta pass me by."[7]
• Charley Jordan recorded in 1936, "I woke up this mornin', baby,
with the jinx all over me."[8]
• Son House recorded the definitive two-part "Jinx Blues" in
1942, beginning with the line, "I woke up this morning with the
jinx all around my bed."[9]
• -----http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinx
Official Rules of Jinx
Here are the official rules of Jinx. Of course, different
communities may have different rules, which I consider perfectly valid
when in those communities.standard in your area.
1. If two people say an entire word simultaneously, the first person to
subsequently say the word "Jinx" places a Jinx on the second
person.
2. Someone who is Jinxed is not allowed to speak. If he or she speaks,
the Jinxer has the right (but not the obligation) to punch the Jinxed person.
3. A Jinx can be broken in two ways. First, anyone saying the Jinxed person's
name instantly releases the Jinxed person. The other way to break a Jinx
is to say a word simultaneously with any other person. Once this happens,
the Jinxed person can say "Jinx" to pass the Jinx on to the new
person. Of course, the Jinxed person runs the risk of saying a word that
does not synchronize with a word uttered by a third party. Then, he or
she risks being punched by the original Jinxer. Let me illustrate this
with an example:
Bob, Koosh, and Tom are all having a conversation. Bob happens to say a
word at the same time as Koosh, and Bob yells "Jinx". Now, Koosh
is jinxed. Whenever Koosh attempts to break his Jinx using the synchronous
word method, Bob punches him. Finally, Koosh succesfully synchronizes a
word with Tom. Koosh yells "Jinx", and now Tom is the Jinxed
person.
4. When releasing someone from a Jinx, any familiar variant of that person's
name (including nicknames) is permissible.
5. If, after a simultaneously spoken word, both speakers simultaneously
yell "Jinx", then a personal Jinx scenario is available. The
speakers must count aloud from 1 to 10 as fast as possible, while clearly
enunciating each number. After reaching 10, they must yell "Personal
Jinx". If "Personal Jinx" is spoken in synchrony, the count
must restart from 1 again. A Personal Jinx is much stronger than a traditional
Jinx in that the only way to break a Personal Jinx is to be released by
the Jinxer. Again, either saying the person's name or synchronized speech
is sufficient for a Jinx release.
6. Multiple way Jinxes are possible and encouraged. If three people simultaneously
say a Jinx, one person can Jinx the other two by simply shouting out "Jinx".
Using this method, I was able to Jinx several thousand people at Fenway
Park who were stupidly shouting "Let's Go Red Sox" in synchrony.
Many of them are still under Jinx and I still entertain the right to punch
them whenever they talk.
7. Partial word Jinxes are strictly forbidden. The ENTIRE word must be
spoken in synchrony, not just the last syllable. If there is doubt to whether
or not synchrony was achieved, the Jinx is declared void. I realize this
is a harsh rule, but it is necessary to prevent renegade Jinxing. After
a successfully timed Jinx, the Jinxed person realizes that he is caught
and the honor of the game prevents him from protesting the Jinx. If you
come across dishonorable Jinx players, simply refuse their participation
in your Jinx community.
Well, I think that's enough rules to get you started in Jinx! Of course,
like any sport, there are countless nuances and subtle rules, such as the "Dropped
Third Strike Jinx". But I think you have enough to digest for now.
Good luck and happy Jinxing! Remember, it's just a game! -http://alvinlin.blogspot.com/2005/10/official-rules-of-jinx.html
Superstition Sparks
Toilet Cleaning Craze in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) - Cleanliness has long been next to godliness for the hygiene-conscious
Japanese, but fortune-tellers are now advising those who want to succeed
in life to start by scrubbing the smallest room.
"Cleaning the toilet to attract luck" published this month is
the latest in a series of books advising readers on how to attract good
fortune using a brush and an array of cleaning fluids.
"Don't just wipe the floor, polish it," the book instructs. "It's
important to maintain a positive mood while cleaning."
The books are inspired by Buddhist teachings and feng shui, a traditional
Chinese belief that people's fortunes are determined by their surroundings.
The idea that Lady Luck may be hiding in the lavatory has been taken up
by magazines and television programmes.
"I won the lottery! I married my ideal person! I got pregnant!" read
some of the claims on the cover of another book on the topic, published
last year.
The idea that a clean toilet can bring good fortune, or even make you more
beautiful, has existed in Japan for many years, according to Yuka Soma
of Makino Publishing in Tokyo, editor of one of the toilet books.
But she is still waiting for a big stroke of luck.
"I've always cleaned my toilet every day, so it never really gets
dirty," she said. "At least it's easy that way and it probably
helps keep my family healthy," she said.
(c) Reuters 2007
----
Marines Superstitious Of Apricots
LIVING SUPPORT AREA SEVEN, Kuwait
- Better not say the "A" word
around some Marines getting ready for war with Iraq. Superstitions are
almost as common as M-16's among the soldiers and Marines in the Kuwaiti
desert. One of the no-no's is apricots. For some reason the fruit is considered
bad luck among the tank crews. They toss away the dried fruit and won't
even sip a drink containing apricot juice. But that's not good enough for
some Abrams tank crews. The Wall Street Journal reports they won't even
utter the "A" word — and simply call it the Forbidden Fruit.
----
Statue's Toe is Source of Superstition
EDINBURGH, Scotland (UPI) -- The big toe of a statue in Scotland honoring philosopher David Hume has become a regular destination for people seeking instant insights.
The 9-foot tall statue that resides in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh is a touchstone for students and children seeking knowledge or philosophical enlightenment over the years, the Scotsman reported.
Sandy Stoddart, the sculptor who created the piece, said Hume would likely not condone the superstitious practice. He said the practice, however, is likely to last well into the future.
"The great thing is that it's so ironic that David Hume, who is the patron saint of all the atheists, should now have his toe adored," Stoddart said.
"We are seeing the birth of an ancient tradition with this toe rubbing," he added. "What we are seeing is the future -- they will be doing this 100 years from now."
Hume's statue may now be added to a short list of worldwide statues used for superstition -- such as George Mason University's statue to its namesake and a London sculpture of Winston Churchill -- the newspaper said.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
----
Friday the 13th is lucky for woman
April 15, 2007
LA CROSSE, Wis. --Friday the 13th turned out to be lucky for one Wisconsin
woman.
Sara Wrobel narrowly missed a 15-to-20 ton piece of construction equipment
that became unhinged from a dump truck and fell in front of her as she
backed out of her driveway.
She said she walked out of her house a few minutes early Friday and pulled
out of her driveway, and as she waited for her garage door to close the
equipment -- a rock screener -- fell.
"I heard this weird noise, and the thing crashed right in front of
me," said Wrobel, who is pregnant and due any day.
The screen became unhinged from the dump truck, hit a telephone pole, flipped
over the embankment and landed on the driveway, she said.
Wrobel wasn't too upset about the damage to her concrete, for which the
equipment's owner Kraemer Co. will pay, she said.
"They were wonderful," she said of the company. "I was actually
really calm. The driver came by and was shaking like a leaf. It was an
accident. You don't plan these things."
© Copyright 2007 Associated Press.
----
CAR CRASH CLAIMS 'HIGHER FOR FRIDAY 13TH'
12.04.07
Superstitious motorists take note - Friday the 13th really is an unlucky
day for drivers, according to new crash statistics.
Claims for accidents are considerably higher than average if the 13th falls
on a Friday, a survey by insurance company Norwich Union found.
Analysis of the six Friday the 13ths which occurred between 2002 and 2006
shows that claims on this day were higher than the average - spookily by
a factor of 13 per cent.
By contrast, whenever a 13th in that period did not fall on a Friday,
claims were lower than average.
When the value of claims is assessed - rather than the number of claims
- Friday the 13th was the second worst day of the month for the cost accidents
behind the first day of the month.
The "safest" day to travel is the 26th of the month, which saw
an eight per cent drop in the number of claims compared with an average
day.
Norwich Union motor underwriting manager Nigel Bartram said: "Our
analysis on dangerous days for driving has given some credence to people's
superstitions regarding Friday the 13th."
He added: "Though it's difficult to say for certain why this is, one
reason could be that people alter their driving behaviour in response to
a perceived 'unlucky' day.
"In reality, changing driving behaviour in reaction to a perceived
risk - as opposed to a real risk such as snow or ice - does not necessarily
translate to safer driving.
"Therefore, by altering driving behaviour to change their luck, motorists
may create a decidedly unlucky self-fulfilling prophecy."
"It's Friday the 13th
with so much to dread.
Some people embrace it
and just stay in bed." -anon
Nail Penetrates Worker's
Skull On Friday The 13th
CHENNAI : There is a superstitious belief that bizarre events happen on
Friday the 13th.
Whether 18-year-old Kannikaraj is of the superstitious lot or not is quite
uncertain, but he did have a freak accident on that day, something that
he might not forget quickly.
On Friday, Kannikaraj of Padappai, who works as assistant to a carpenter
employed by a small firm, was rushed to hospital with a nail lodged in
his scalp. The drilling gun used by his senior, who was fixing a nail at
a height, slipped and fell on his head, embedding the nail in the scalp.
Doctors at the Government Stanley Hospital found that a five-cm nail had
penetrated the right side of his skull. About three cm of the nail was
inside the brain.
Neurosurgeons performed an emergency surgery and have placed him under
observation for a week to rule out infection-related complications.
---
Friday the 13th Proves Unlucky for Father and Son
FRIDAY 13 proved to be an unlucky day for a North Tyneside playwright when
he was forced to cancel performances in the borough.
Peter Mortimer has taken 12 years to finally complete his explosive play,
Chain, a compelling and harrowing tale of life on the Meadowell Estate.
But a run of bad luck meant that Peter was without his son and lead man,
Dylan, for the opening performances at the Buddle Arts Centre, Wallsend.
Ironically, Dylan, 19, who plays a troubled teenager on the council estate
who is beaten up, was attacked himself in the town two days before he was
due to take to the stage.
Peter said: "Dylan was attacked in town by several youths and got
a broken nose, plus a broken hand, two black eyes and a severely swollen
lip.
"As a result we were unable to perform at the Buddle on Friday - the
13th naturally.
"He was still too injured to perform on the
Saturday."
But the bad luck was set to continue for the pair. They decided to put
on a public dress rehearsal free of charge in an attempt to make it up
to audiences.
But in true Friday 13 style, just before the play would finally go ahead,
the Buddle's stage lighting system failed, meaning that good-will gesture
had to be abandoned.
Peter added: "We had sold a good many tickets for the Buddle and have
offered people their money back.
"This is the first time Cloud Nine has had to cancel a first night,
and a bizarre sequence of events, as well as being very distressing.------
Thirteen Not Unlucky for India's Top Judges
NEW DELHI – Justice in India involves
endless patience and a little luck but the country's top judges have decided
there is no room for superstition.
The Supreme Court has encouraged a private plea from a man in the southern
state of Kerala who argued that not to have a number 13 court ran counter
to the country's secular constitution as it was based on a fear implicit
in Christian thought.
As in many other countries, Indian buildings rarely have a 13th floor,
hotels rarely have a room number 13 and aeroplanes do not have a 13th row.
But in February local judges had rejected N.K. Chandramohan's plea as 'frivolous'
and fined him 10,000 rupees ($220) for trying to 'malign' them.
On Monday, however, the Supreme Court said such beliefs had no place in
the country's legal system.
'Such superstitious behaviour cannot be encouraged,' a three-member bench
said in New Delhi, and said it would hear the case again soon.
Sociologists have many theories as to the provenance of the belief in the
negative powers of the number 13.
Some say it is based on ancient pagan beliefs but others argue it stems
from the Biblical story that 13 people attended the Last Supper of Jesus
Christ.
'The High Court is one of the instrumentalities of the state and cannot
have any peculiar affinity or hatred to the outlook and belief of a particular
religion,' Chandramohan said in his petition.
Bad Fortune Telling
Leads to Beating
(Shanghai Daily)
A Hubei Province native was charged yesterday with assaulting his roommate
for misreading his fortune.
The roommate, who prosecutors only identified by the surname Xiong, was
left blind in his left eye by the beating last July.Prosecutors said when
the suspect, who they only identified by the surname Dai, learned that
his roommate was good at fortune telling, he asked for a reading early
last year. Xiong told Dai he would have good luck in June 2005. Dai was
very happy with the news and paid Xiong 200 yuan (US$25). But when June
came, Dai faced bad luck instead of good luck, he told prosecutors. He
had previously purchased a car, but he didn't transfer the ownership or
pay all of the necessary fees. So his car was seized temporarily in June
and Dai was asked to finish the necessary process, which cost him a lot
of money. Dai said he didn't have any good luck during the entire month.
In July, Dai accused Xiong of misreading his fortune. But Xiong argued
200 yuan payment was so little and Dai wouldn't get an accurate fortune.
Dai became angry at the words and allegedly punched Xiong in the face,
rupturing his left eyeball and leaving him blind in that eye. According
to law, Dai faces three to 10 years in jail if found guilty, said the prosecutors.
Number 13 unlucky in Lottery
Number 13 is the unluckiest ball in the UK National Lottery. According
to organisers Camelot In the 12 years since the Lotto was launched in the
UK, 13 has only been drawn 132 times.
Couple Flout Friday
the 13th with Wedding Day
MOUNT ZION - What's with all the superstition hype?
Thomas Cummins and his fiancee, Tonya Nolen, don't have a phobia of Friday
the 13th and see it as a good day to get married.
Today, unlike other couples, they are dismissing any notion of having ill
luck, not leaving their house, not running away from a black cat that crosses
the road or even checking into a hotel with a room 13.
Cummins and Nolen have been together for 13 years and waited until today
to tie the knot. Their wedding and reception will be at the Lion's Center
in Mount Zion.
Nolen, 38, was hesitant to get married on Friday the 13th, but she said
her fiance insisted on a date that has always been lucky for him.
"I believe you make your own luck," said Nolen, who doesn't believe
in superstitions.
On the other hand, Nolen's brother's wife will not leave the house on Friday
the 13th, and her sister-in-law doesn't plan on attending the wedding because
she remains fretful about the date.
As for Cummins, his luck began when he first got his tonsils removed on
a Friday the 13th in 1970. He said he's never been sick since.
About 20 years ago, on a Friday the 13th, Cummins was working at a car
wash on Eldorado and a $20 bill blew his way, he recalled.
A couple of years ago, also on a Friday the 13th, Cummins and his son entered
a catfish tournament at Lake Decatur. He said it was getting late, and
he had only caught four small fish near the dam area. They decided to move
closer to the marina and ended up catching a 19-pound white head catfish
and won the tournament
"I've been teasing my fiancee, Tonya, that I was going to get a black
cat to let loose at the wedding," he said, laughing about his good
luck day.
Wayne and Angie French of Decatur traveled this week to Ohio where their
son, Matt French, 25, is getting married today.
Angie French said her new daughter-in-law picked the day by default because
she wanted an outdoor wedding at a particular park.
"The park is very popular and had very few dates available, and it's
a beautiful setting with a center to hold an indoor reception," French
said, noting that her family usually isn't superstitious.
She thought it was funny how the Fellows Riverside Garden Park in Youngstown,
Ohio, where the wedding will take place, has a two-hour limit for events
and is always booked. Now, her lucky family has use of the park for the
entire day: Friday the 13th.
By SHEILA SMITH - H&R Staff Writer
Friday 13th Brings Good Luck To Yankee
On 4th Try At Record
Clemens Gets 300th Win
The Rocket finally reached 300 wins Friday night and entered an even more
exclusive club, becoming only the third pitcher with 4,000 strikeouts as
he led the New York Yankees over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2.
Friday The 13th Bad-Luck Day For Singer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- You can't blame country singer Gene Watson if
he's a little superstitious about Friday the 13th. Watson, 63, and his
Farewell Party band were on their way from Houston to perform on the
Grand Ole Opry when their bus caught fire just outside of Nashville.
The blaze ignited from a broken axle shaft spewing grease. Watson and
his band were trying to keep it from spreading under the floorboard.
They fought it for about 30 minutes until firefighters arrived, she said.
No one was harmed, though Watson did singe his hair.
Friday The 13th Is His Lucky Day
John Tobin, a 53-year-old former salesman, likely will never look at Friday
the 13th as a day of doom again.That's because the Palm Harbor resident
found out he won a Florida Lotto jackpot estimated at $33-million on
Friday, April 13.
NOT LEERY OF EERIE 13
PROOF THE TIMES ARE CHANGING
Does the 13th floor have a lower market value? Especially
today - Friday the 13th? Some hoteliers and developers must think so, because
for decades, many hotels and high-rise apartments have bowed to superstition
and forgone a 13th floor or labeled it the 14th. But directors at the new
Embassy Suites in downtown Tampa don't see what the fuss is about. The
20-story building opened Nov. 12, with - you guessed it - a 13th floor.
There wasn't really any debate around the decision, said Jeff Silsbee,
director of the front office. "The builders asked our director of sales if she minded having
a 13th floor," he said, "and she saw no reason not to." Maybe
two or three people have asked to be moved from the 13th floor, Silsbee
said. But "more people will say, 'It's the lucky 13th floor.' " Count
Microsoft as still respectful of the specter. It will reportedly name its
next Office release Office 14. Its last release: Office 12. By Christina
Rexrode, Times Staff Writer
If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all. (Blues Song)
Luck is the rich Uncle you wish would visit more often. - K.C.
"The elusive clover, tiny leaves of four, find one growing, be unlucky
no more....
One leaf for fame, One leaf for wealth, One leaf for love, And one leaf
for health-
A root for under and A stem for over, The green is for life, all in a 4-leaf
clover."
A RABBIT FOOT MOJO
So your soul is sick
and your luck is black
your head is low
and your job was sacked
No penny with luck
no 4-leaf clovers grow
no horseshoe will hang
no relief from woe
No mojo bag helps
no hot-foot powder too
well here's the goods
to fix bad hoodoo:
Just pick a Friday
thirteen on the day
and hunt up a hare
in this exact way
Visit the graveyard
with a small barrel gun
and cross your eyes
till the deed is done
A hack from a blade
when the moon is new
only a left hind foot
of a jackrabbit will do
now take this charm
dry and don't boil
then rub it well
with Van Van oil
so strong it will be
luck will never wain
if carried real close
or as a keychain
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 http://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.
-----------------------------------------------------------
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.
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
There are various theories surrounding 13. Since Christianity has had
a extremely large influence on all societies as a whole, we shall look
there first. At the "Final Supper" or "Last Supper" (whoever
you chose to term it) there were 13 guests. Some believe Jesus to be
the 13th at feast, occurring just before he was Crucified. This is a
largely debatable theory, however. How does one know where to start counting?
Many chose to go by the painting "The Last Supper," forgetting
that this is an artist's interpretation of an event he did not attend.
The painting depicts the disciples and Jesus at a table, but evidence
suggests that the last supper was not conducted at a table. Rather the
participants were seated on the ground where it was cooler. (The climate
in Israel, at that time, suggests they would have stayed on the ground
to keep cool.) Furthermore, where to start counting (when assuming the
picture is accurate)? If one started with Judas, Jesus became the 13th
guest. Conversely, if the count began at Jesus, it was indeed Judas who
was 13. Both options would contribute to the mystique surrounding 13:
Jesus, for he was killed soon after the feast, Judas for he was the betrayer
of Jesus.
On an additional, though little proven, note, some have claimed to be
a 13th tribe of Israel. The bible proclaims only 12, and a very high
percentage of Christians and Jews deny that a 13th tribe even exist.
However, a few recognize that a group had, falsely, identified themselves
as a 13th tribe. The members of the "13th tribe" were labeled
as "witches" and "sorcerers," an evil group who determine
to destroy followers of God. Plainly, this does not lend any favor to
13, and adds more propaganda against Witchcraft. The fact that so many
haven’t even heard of this 13th Tribe makes the probability of the labeling
of "Witches" being accurate extremely low. (Furthermore, the
low probability simply further illustrates the false propaganda Christian
organizations are willing to put forth in order to label Witchcraft as
evil.)
Friday the 13th comes into play when it is observed that Jesus was Crucified
on a Friday. Obviously, should one chose to accept this theory, the day
associated with the death of the Savior would lend to the supposed bad
luck which occupies this particular date. It is said, also, that it was
a Friday when Adam and Eve ate the fruit. Furthermore, Friday used to
be the 6th day of the week, it was not until more recent times that it
became the 5th day. 6, being the number biblically associated with man,
relates to the Devil. 3 is the number of the Holy Trinity, therefore
with 6 being the number of man, 666 was denoted as the number of the
Beast. (A Trinity of Six, signifying the God of Man, Satan) One can hardly
find this connection to Satan adding to the "good name" of
Friday the 13th.
Also, any month with a Friday the 13th must begin with a Sunday the 1st.
Curiosity leads one to ask if a significance lies in the observation
that only months that begin with the day God decided to rest (Sunday),
after "creating the world," yield a day of such supposed demonic
evil and misfortune.
To the Norse Friday was the luckiest day of the week, being named after
Freya, one of their Deities. Also named after Venus, in Rome and France.
For Mohammedans, Friday after sunset is also the Sabbath. The implications
connecting Darkness, and hence Sunset (the transition from light to dark),
and Evil would indeed lend to the idea of misfortune which surrounds
Friday the 13th, to those who find the Muslim path as evil and heathen.
Mohammedans also say that Adam was created on a Friday. It can be seen
that it is largely within the Christian ranks that Friday takes on a
significant connotation of evil when teamed with the 13th.
To continue on, perhaps extending a bit further in the past than Christian
influence, a mythological occurrence presents: At the banquet in Valhalla,
of which there were 12 guests, Loki, God of Deceit, intruded, becoming
the uninvited 13th guest. In Norse mythology, Balder was the god of light
and beauty. The most beloved of the gods, he was the son of Odin and
Frigg and the husband of Nanna, goddess of the Moon. Balder was killed
by Loki’s treachery during the proceedings. Through Loki’s interference,
the return of Balder, from the possession of Hel, was an impossible task.
To return Balder, Hel demanded that all living things beg for the god’s
return. All respond except a giantess, Thokk (Loki in disguise), whose
refusal to weep forces Balder to remain in Hel's domain.
There are 13 members which make up a Wiccan/Pagan Coven to fully cast
the Circle. 13 was sacred because it represented the amount of lunar
months in year (Thirteen Full Moons). It has also been speculated that
13 was maximum # of people that could fit comfortably in a traditional
Circle with a 9 foot diameter. 6 male-female couples and a priest or
priestess.
Not so surprising is the understanding that 13, being a sacred number
to most Pagan traditions, was therefore considered evil by early Christians.
It took very little for the religious leaders to invent a dogma to counter
the Pagan’s sacred number. The question can be posed: If the mystique
surrounding 13 is not invented dogma, why then do hotels hold rooms labeled
#666? Why is this number not also omitted? For a superstition to spread
so far it must be distributed through a largely influential source, such
as Christianity. Notice again, 13 is still considered good luck in Italy,
home of the Roman Catholic church, which separated from the rest of Christianity
due to conflicting political and theological disagreements. Moreover,
Friday was considered sacred by both Norse traditions and Muslims, both
which are considered enemies to Christianity. Instituting Friday the
13th as a day of evil worked to prevent losing followers to either path,
utilizing fear as a binding weapon.
A recent article shows that a new superstition has been 'invented' involving
the number 13. Now some serial killers has been bunched under the 13
letter group, and it goes something like this:
• Jack the Ripper- 13 letters
• John Wayne Gacy- 13 letters
• Charles Manson- 13 letters
• Jeffrey Dahmer- 13 letters
• Theodore ( Ted ) Bundy- 13 letters
Lizzy Borden uttered a total of 13 words at her trial.
The driver of Princess Diana hit pillar #13 at Place de l'Alma when she was killed
in Paris, France.
• 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
-------------------
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.
A wad of gum stuck on a player's hat brings good luck.
It is bad luck if a dog walks across the diamond before the first pitch.
Some players believe it is good luck to step on one of the bases before running off the field at the end of an inning.
It is bad luck to touch the baselines while running off and onto the field between innings.
Lending a bat to a fellow player is a serious jinx.
Some players actually sleep with their bat to break out of a hitting slump or stay in a groove.
If a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter, never speak of it while it's going on.Basketball- The last person to shoot a basket during the warm-up will have a good game.
Wipe the soles of your sneakers for good luck.
Bounce the ball before taking a foul shot for good luck.Bowling -To continue a winning streak, wear the same clothes.
The number 300, a perfect score, on your license plate will increase your score.
Carry charms on your bowling bag, in your pockets, or around your neck for good luck.
Fishing- Fish may not bite if a barefoot woman passes you on the way to the dock.
Spit on your bait before casting your rod to make fish bite.
Throw back your first catch for good luck.
It is bad luck to change rods while fishing.
Don't tell anyone how many fish you've caught until you're done or you won't catch