filling souls did you know it's believed in the u.s. that spilling salt will
bring you bad luck some people believe that it's bad luck because Judas is said
to have spilled salt during the Last Supper where he betrayed Jesus or more
likely it's considered bad luck because salt was an expensive commodity a long
time ago in order to counteract the bad luck it is said that you must throw salt
over your left shoulder whenever I spill salt though I always
forget if I'm supposed to throw salt over my left shoulder or my right
shoulder Lucky Penny in the u.s. it's believed that if you find a penny
face-up on the ground meaning the side with Abraham Lincoln's face on it but
you should pick it up it's long believed that metal and money bring more wealth
so if you find a penny face up it might mean that a guardian angel is watching
over and protecting you find a penny pick it up all day long you'll have good
luck
stepping on a crack in the ground did you know it's believed in the u.s. that
stepping on a crack in the ground is considered bad luck this superstition
stems from one variation of an old children's rhyme that goes step on a
crack break your mama's back so if you don't want to break your mother's back
don't step on a crack step on a crack break your mama's back step on a line
break your mama's spine
rabbit's foot in the US it's believed the left hind foot of a rabbit brings
good luck in many stores you can buy a rabbit's foot guide bright colors and
attach to a keychain rabbits are often associated with
abundance due to their breeding habits this tradition may have Celtic roots or
may even come from African American folklore humans like to keep a rabbit's
foot keychain for good luck but rabbits prefer to have all four feet walking
under a ladder did you know it's believed in the u.s. that walking under
a ladder will bring you bad luck this superstition probably arose to deter
people from walking under a ladder to reduce risk of ladder related injuries
other sources say that it's because a ladder forms a triangle a symbol of the
Holy Trinity and walking through it is blasphemous if you walk under a ladder
it's three times between the rungs or cross your fingers until you see a dog
hanging a horseshoe in the US it's believed that hanging a horseshoe
especially above a doorway is good luck make sure to hang it so that it makes a
u-shape otherwise the luck will drain out supposedly the iron in the horseshoe
repels and causes pain to any evil spirits that try to enter the house like
most American superstitions the act of hanging a horseshoe has Christian and
Pagan origin
Friday the 13th did you know it's believed in the u.s. that if a Friday
falls in the 13th day of any month that it considered an unlucky day
the origins of this superstition aren't clear it's possible but since some
Christians believe 13 is an unlucky number and Friday is an unlucky day
Friday the 13th is especially unlucky there's even a famous horror movie
created after the superstition called Friday the 13th the number 13 is already
an unlucky number but Friday the 13th is an especially
unlucky creepy day
knock on wood in the u.s. it's believed that knocking on wood after talking
about the future can prevent an event that was spoken about from taking place
or to ensure that it will indeed happen it's probably because in many cultures
it's believed spirits live in trees knocking on wood is a way to avoid
tempting fate you knock on wood to remind yourself that the future is still
uncertain I had a great job interview and knock on wood I think I might be in
the running
opening an umbrella inside did you know it's believed in the u.s. that opening
an umbrella while inside a building will bring bad luck this superstition most
likely stems from pure pragmatism umbrellas used to be larger and more
unwieldy so opening them inside tends to result in broken things and accidents
bringing an already opened umbrella inside however it's totally fine hey
wait till we're outside don't you know it's bad luck to open an umbrella
indoors
four leaf clovers in the US it's believed that four-leaf clovers will
bring good luck the more leaves the better this superstition has its origins
in pre-christian Ireland where the Druids believe that three leaf and four
leaf clovers help them see evil spirits approaching the chance of the finding a
four-leaf clover are ten thousand to one did you enjoy this series on American
superstitions click here to go to English class 101.com to learn more
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