Superstitions from Around the World

Most people have heard of common superstitions about Friday the 13th or breaking a mirror bringing bad luck for seven years, but what about other weird and creepy superstitions found around the world?  From avoiding trimming your nails after dark, to not walking under an open ladder, read more about these superstitions from around the world. 

• Cutting Your Nails at Night: If you want to live a long life, only cut your nails during the daytime!  In certain countries such as India, South Korea, Japan, and Turkey, it is believed that trimming your fingernails at night leads to premature death.  This superstition could be because in the past, cutting your nails in poor lighting could result in infections, that ultimately led to death. 

• Tuesday the 13th: In Spain, rather than Friday the 13th, Tuesday the 13th is a superstitious day for most people.  This is because the Spanish word for Tuesday– Martes– comes from Mars, the Roman god of war and is associated with violence and death for many people. 

Tuesday the 13th is also considered unlucky for many Greeks.  The origin of the Greek’s superstition of this date is that Constantinople fell on a Tuesday the 13th during the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and again on Tuesday in 1453 to the Ottomans, which led to 400 years of Turkish rule in Greece.  

• Toasting with Water: Saying a toast or “cheers” with just water is equivalent to wishing death upon someone, according to one morbid German superstition.  This deadly superstition stems from Greek mythology.  Spirits of the dead would drink from the river Lethe, and the goddess of the river would cause any who drank from the river to forget their past life and move on to the underworld, or death.

• Mirrors: Many people are familiar with the superstition about breaking a mirror bringing seven years of bad luck.  This is because it is believed that once a person looks into a mirror, the mirror captures part of their soul and it dies when the mirror cracks.

Make sure you hang your mirrors in the correct position!  Another common superstition in Mexico and other Latin countries is the belief that placing two mirrors opposite of the other opens a doorway for evil to enter. 

• Don’t Turn Back After Leaving for a Trip: In parts of Eastern Europe & Central Asia, once you have left for a trip, it’s bad luck to realize you forgot something & go back home. So what happens if you forgot a suit case or realized you didn’t pack any underwear? If you must go back for something, you need to look into a mirror & smile before leaving your place again.

Related: Superstitions to Travel More in the New Year

• Don’t Stick Your Chopsticks Straight Up: In Japan, most people will never place their chopsticks sticking straight up in their bowl.  That is because placing the chopsticks like this resembles the unlucky number four which symbolizes death in Japanese culture.  Always place your chopsticks lying down next to your dish.

• Don’t Go Straight Home After a Funeral: In the Philippines, a superstition called “pagpag” says that you should never go right home following a funeral.  This is because spirits might follow you home.  In order to ditch the lingering spirits after a funeral, many Filipinos will stop off at a restaurant or bar after attending a funeral.

• Don’t Walk Under a Ladder: You have likely heard the common superstition about walking under an open ladder bringing bad luck.  This superstition originates from the Middle Ages when ladders were used to walk people up to the gallows to be hanged. 

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