BABY’S HAIR
When a mother cuts a lock of her baby’s hair and puts it away for safekeeping, she is creating a lucky charm. From ancient times in cultures around the world, such mementos were intended to ensure a long and healthy life, as long as the lock of hair was kept in a safe place.
BIRTHDAY CANDLES
Today when we place candles on a birthday cake and hope that we succeed in blowing them out with one breath so that we can receive our wish, we probably don’t consider that this was an ancient worship ritual for the Greek goddess Artemis. Artemis was the goddess of the moon, marriage, and childbirth, and for the celebration of her birth, special cakes were formed in the shape of the moon and candles were placed on the temple altars. If worshipers blew out the candles in one breath, Artemis would watch over them and bring them good fortune, as well as make their wishes come true. A similar custom began in Germany in the Middle Ages, when a cake was placed on the dinner table early in the morning of someone’s birthday. It was surrounded by a circle of candles that burned throughout the day to ward off evil spirits. The candles were also a reminder that life is transitory and represented the candles that would one day be lighted for one’s funeral. The person celebrating his or her birthday makes a silent wish while blowing out the candles on the cake. It is said if the person is able to blow out all candles in one breath it signifies that the wish would be answered and that the person would enjoy good luck in coming year. By blowing them out, the person celebrating the beginning of a new year of life is demonstrating the ability to control destiny. Blowing all of them out at one time is considered lucky because it implies mastery over one’s fate.
CORNERSTONE
Even buildings made of steel and glass usually have a cornerstone, often engraved with the date construction began and filled with things important to the building’s original owner. It is a talisman intended to bring luck not only during construction, but throughout the life of the building. The custom has its origins in prehistoric times, when it was believed the gods must be compensated for the land a structure occupies.
CROSSING FINGERS
Among the best ways to avert bad luck when you don’t have a lucky charm handy is to cross your fingers. The power of such an act dates back to the early Christians who were forced to worship in secret. While they couldn’t have representations of the cross to inspire them, they could, and did, create a reminder of Christ’s passion be making a cross of their middle and index fingers.
KNOCKING ON WOOD
In some places it’s called “touching wood”, but knocking on wood for luck is an almost universal compulsion. The idea probably dates back to prehistoric times, when people believed that the gods lived inside trees. Touching a tree was a way of acknowledging the deity and of securing its favor. It all began with the idea that the air around us is filled with demons whose sole purpose is to cancel out good fortune. The best way to prevent that is to be careful not to talk about good things that come your way. But if the words should slip out, the next best thing is to knock on wood to get the attention of the good spirits. They will use their power to help you keep your good luck. It helps if you knock three times. Evil spirits can’t cope with the power of the number three.
RICE SHOWER
One of the oldest wedding customs in the world is to shower the bride and groom with rice. It comes from ancient China, where rice was a symbol of fruitfulness. In the Middle Ages, Europeans substituted wheat for rice, but the meaning was the same.
RINGING EAR
In times past, as well as today, people believed that when the ear is ringing, someone is talking or gossiping about the sufferer. This idea originated from the belief that even when people were at great distance, they could still be heard. The older superstition specified that if your right ear was ringing, someone was speaking of you in a spiteful manner, and if your left ear was ringing, someone was speaking of you in a loving manner. Vengeance could be axacted on the gossiper, too. When the right ear was ringing, you could pitch your own ear, and the person who was speaking ill of you would bite his tongue and stop speaking.
SNEEZING
It is almost a reflex action among Americans to say “God bless you” when someone sneezes. The custom, perceived as a wish for luck, goes back to America’s European roots. In many parts of Europe, there is an old belief that a sneeze can expel the soul from the body. Because of this, the blessing serves as a verbal charm to protect the sneezer from death. Sometimes, however, the blessing isn’t completely necessary. A corollary belief holds that if two people sneeze simultaneously, both will enjoy very good luck. A solitary sneeze is considered a lucky omen in many parts of the world. The Maori people of New Zealand believe it is symbolic of the act of creation. In parts of Africa, sneezing is considered a sign that the body has been taken over by good spirits. And most Native American tribes believed that a sneeze was a sign that the brain was being cleared of evil. <br>Also, “God bless you” is frequently used as a form of well-wishing. It is considered a wish for good health. Since sneezing was a symptom of the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages in Europe, the custom of blessing people after they sneeze persisted and has been handed down until today. For the Hebrews, Greeks, Indians, and Chinese, breath was a tangible sign of the soul’s existence, and any loss of breath, especially in a sneeze, was exceedingly bad luck.
SPITTING
Gamblers spit on their hands to guarantee luck. Merchants spit on the first coin they receive each day to encourage more to follow. Boxers usually spit on their fists before delivering what they hope will be a final blow. Aboriginal people in the South Pacific spit whenever the name of a dead person is mentioned. The ancient Greeks made it a point to spit three times when they saw a madman. The custom of spitting for luck isn’t as common today as it once was. But, for centuries, it has been a means of warding off evil and encouraging the interaction of good spirits. It began as protection from the evil eye. Just as it was believed that harmful effects could come from the eyes, it was thought that the body received bad spirits through the mouth. To avoid them, people simply spit them out. In most cultures, spitting three times was most effective, as the number three has long been considered magical
THUMBS-UP
If approval means luck, the thumbs-up sign is a lucky signal. To the ancient Roman gladiators, it meant they would live to fight another day. To us it is still a message of hope. The significance of the thumb as a symbol dates to prehistoric people, who noticed that babies are usually born clutching their thumbs. This was interpreted as the first sign of life.
TOASTING
In the good old days it wasn’t at all uncommon to slip a bit of poison into someone’s drink. As a means of avoiding sudden death, people began requesting that their host take a sip or two from their glass. Eventually, it became necessary only to touch each other’s glasses together making a sound that would frighten away evil spirits. The touching was accompanied by a wish for health, which was another way of saying “I haven’t poisoned you.” In the days when wine and ale were drunk almost as soon as they were made, sediment collected at the bottom of the glass. The problem was solved by dropping a piece of toasted bread into the glass to soak up the bitter bits. The result was a tastier drink if not a healthier one. And that’s how the term "toasting" came about.
TOSSING A COIN INTO A FOUNTAIN
There aren't many people who can pass a fountain or a wishing well without tossing a coin into the water for luck.It is a tradition that dates back to the ancient Greeks and possible even further into antiquity. The ancients believed that a gift of a little money to the gods who inhabited their wells would keep the wells from running dry. They and others also believed that the gods of the sea could be kept happy if a few coins were occasionally thrown their way as a tribute. It was more convenient, and just as acceptable to the gods, to throw coins into fountains as into the sea itself. A custom oberserved all over the world says that if you look for your reflection in the water and then make a wish after throwing a coin into it, the wish will be granted. But when in Rome, remember that their sea gods will accept no less than three coins.
