Seeing as how today is Friday the 13th, i was curious as to some bad/good luck superstitions were started. It's always interesting to me that a lot of the things we practice today started from just a little rumor or bedtime story, and also just as interesting is that not all of them started the way we might think they did.
Friday the 13th. Apparently the number 12 is good, it represents completion, it's 'perfect'. But you add one more, you ruin the perfection. It's 'bad'. Then add in a little Norse Mythology. You have a Norse goddess who was banished by the newly converted christians, so of course she is going to be a little mad. So every Friday it was rumored that she met with 11 witches and Satan himself, a meeting of 13, and they planned evil revenge for those that banished her. Hence, we see Friday the 13th as a very unlucky day!
Walking under a ladder. I never ever got this one. Yes, it is common sense that walking under a ladder can be dangerous. Someone on the ladder could fall off or other things could fall and hit you. But that's not why it is considered unlucky. Back in 'the day', a ladder rested up against a wall, creating a triangle; ladder, wall, floor. It was believed that a triangle represented the Trinity. Also, anything with three points was seen as somehow connected to the Trinity. Someone who walked under a ladder like this was seen as someone who rejected the Trinity, and bad luck was assumed on them. Ladders and bad luck are still around today.
Broken Mirror, 7 Years Bad Luck. Now back before mirrors, people looked into a pool of water to see their reflection. It was said that if that image distorted or rippled, the person had impending doom. Then the mirror came along. This made the superstition worse because unlike a pool of water, a broken mirror will not smooth out and return to normal. A broken mirror was seen as a permanent distortion, uber bad luck! The 7 years part comes from the belief that man renews every 7 years, so bad luck can only last a maximum of that long.
Stepping On Cracks. Now we've all heard that if you step on a crack you will break your mom's back! But this is not how the rhyme used to go. It was actually a racial rhyme back in the time of slavery. "Step on a crack and your mother will turn black" was how it originally went. Because of the racism towards blacks, stepping on cracks was avoided! But down the road the rhyme changed and is how we know it today.
I don't know about you, but except for the cat, i didn't know any of the history behind these things. It makes you wonder how other ordinances, practices, and everyday commonalities we use today were started. Go look some up!
Black Cats. This one is easy. These actually started as good luck! Egypt saw cats as gods. It soon became associated with witchcraft, so seeing a black cat around was said to bring witches. Black cat=bad luck.
Broken Mirror, 7 Years Bad Luck. Now back before mirrors, people looked into a pool of water to see their reflection. It was said that if that image distorted or rippled, the person had impending doom. Then the mirror came along. This made the superstition worse because unlike a pool of water, a broken mirror will not smooth out and return to normal. A broken mirror was seen as a permanent distortion, uber bad luck! The 7 years part comes from the belief that man renews every 7 years, so bad luck can only last a maximum of that long. 
Stepping On Cracks. Now we've all heard that if you step on a crack you will break your mom's back! But this is not how the rhyme used to go. It was actually a racial rhyme back in the time of slavery. "Step on a crack and your mother will turn black" was how it originally went. Because of the racism towards blacks, stepping on cracks was avoided! But down the road the rhyme changed and is how we know it today.
I don't know about you, but except for the cat, i didn't know any of the history behind these things. It makes you wonder how other ordinances, practices, and everyday commonalities we use today were started. Go look some up!
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