Joanne OSullivan - Book of Superstitious Stuff: Weird Happenings, Wacky Rites, Frightening Fears, Mysterious Myths & Other Bizarre Beliefs

Luck, love, good fortune, and happinessmost of us spend the better part of our lives in their pursuit and the rest our time trying to thwart anything that will stop us from acquiring them. Thats what superstitions are all about.

Today we have more education, technology, and data than our superstitious ancestors could ever have dreamed of, all of it pointing to the fact that logic, not superstition, has the answers were looking for. But that doesnt stop us from walking around a ladder instead of under it, or saying, knock on wood when we want to protect something. While some observe superstitions only out of tradition, others are true believers, and still others just dont want to tempt fate. If theres even a slight chance that eating long noodles will let you live longer, some say its worth a shot. And if garlic over your door keeps evil at bay, why not string some up?

Superstitious?

In a world where so much can be explained through science and rational thought, sometimes its nice to keep hold of a little mystery. In fact, researchers say that as our connection to beliefs of the past starts to slip away, there are some we stubbornly cling to. The rich, the poor, the educated, the unschooled, and even a military juntapeople from all walks of life are superstitious (and you wont believe some of the things people believe).

THOSE SUPERSTITIOUS AMERICANS

According to a poll conducted by the Associated Press in 2007:

34% of Americans believe in ghosts

19% believe in spells or witchcraft

48% believe in extrasensory perception (ESP)

THOSE SUPERSTITIOUS BRITS

In a survey conducted by Dr. Richard Wiseman at the University of Hertfordshire in 2003:

77% of Brits touch wood for luck

65% cross their fingers for luck

50% avoid walking under ladders

39% believe smashing a mirror will bring bad luck

28% carry a good luck charm

26% believe the number thirteen is bad luck

In this collection of superstitions and their stories, youll find explanations for some familiar beliefs and discover others youve never heard of. Youll see that everywhere in the world, superstitions are far from dead. In fact, people just keep finding new ways to interpret them. From the curse of the lottery winners to the good feng shui of a McDonalds franchise, old superstitions are keeping pace with the modern world, helping us make sense of all the uncertainty life throws our way.

H EALTH , wealth, fame, and love they can all be yours if youre lucky. But good luck doesnt just fall into your lap. There are certain things you must do to attract it while simultaneously avoiding luck of the bad variety. There are countless superstitions about good and bad luck in cultures all over the world. Lucky numbers, lucky colors, lucky days, lucky charmsand for every one of them, theres an unlucky equivalent. Good luck keeping track of them all!

Its no coincidence that the lotterythe ultimate game of chanceis based on numbers. Ever since humans invented numbers, theyve had superstitions about which ones are good luck and which are bad. Sure youve heard of unlucky thirteen, but did you know you should be careful of three, four, and seventeen as well? When you add it all up, you cant really count to ten without running into some misfortune.

They say, Third times a charm. But then again, Bad things come in threes. The number three has been considered a spiritual number since ancient times. There were three main Egyptian and Hindu gods. In Christianity, God has three incarnations: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three often turns up in traditional fairy tales, too: the three bears, three little pigs, and three wishes granted by magical creatures, for instance. Counting to three is often a precursor to a surprise, and three shows up in sports, too: three strikes youre out, three hockey goals equals a hat trick. Its an old gamblers superstition that if youre having bad luck at the table, get up, turn around three times, and go back. Your luck will have reversed itself, and youll be a winner.

According to the Bible, 666 is the devils number. Like the number thirteen, 666 is frequently absent from hotels, hospitals, airline-flight schedules, and street addresses, because it gives people the creeps. Horror and suspense movies such as The Omen have only played up the superstition.

When a San Francisco taxi driver was assigned to drive a cab with the number 666, he had the vehicle blessed at a local church. But he said that he still had bad luck after having received the number and asked to have it switched. (The commission in charge of cab licenses said no.)

Workers at a law firm in Birmingham, England said that their officein an old Victorian home with the street address 666is cursed and haunted, and they refused to work late. One coworker was found dead at her desk after working late, and several others have experienced misfortune. The employees believe that the office address is to blame.

Ronald and Nancy Regan shared those sentiments about the spooky street address. When they left the White House, they bought a home with the address 666 St. Cloud Road, but they had the address changed to 668.