What kind of bad luck

Opening an umbrella indoors is supposed to bring bad luck, though the origins of this belief are murky. Legends abound, from a story of an ancient Roman woman who happened to have opened her umbrella moments before her house collapsed, to the tale of a British prince who accepted two umbrellas from a visiting king and died within months.

Like the "don't walk under a ladder" superstition, this seems to be a case of a myth arising to keep people from doing something that is slightly dangerous in the first place. If you're not scared of Friday the 13th, you should be scared of the word used to describe those who are: friggatriskaidekaphobics. An alternative, though just as tongue-twisty, word for the fear is "paraskevidekatriaphobia.

For a superstition, the fear of Friday the 13th seems fairly new, dating back to the late s. Friday has long been considered an unlucky day according to Christian tradition, Jesus died on a Friday , and 13 has a long history as an unlucky number.

Many may fall prey to the human mind's desire to associate thoughts and symbols with events. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter livescience and on. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Politics Covid U. News World Opinion Business. Share this —. Follow NBC News. By Stephanie Pappas. Stephanie Pappas. Paul Getty Museum. In Russia, yellow flowers in particular are seen as problematic as they are thought to represent infidelity, separation, or even death! Or at least be careful. South Americans believe that if your feet are swept over by a broom you will remain single for the rest of your life.

The curse can be broken, if you immediately spit on the broom. The exact origins of this superstition are unknown, but legend has it that a woman who cannot keep house, does not a good wife make. It is a common belief that an itchy left palm means you will owe money soon, whereas an itchy right palm means money is coming your way. There is an explanation that might tell us why such a distinction. The left hand seems to hold passive energy, and the right hand active energy which symbolically could explain the coming in and out of money.

Nazar boncuk amulet Mucem. The only way to scratch it without stopping the effect is to use lucky wood or brass. The shape of an open ladder is a triangle, which signifies life in some mythologies. You also run the risk of awakening spirits that live within the triangle, including evil spirits who may not be happy with the disturbance.

If you do accidentally walk under a ladder, you can counteract the bad luck by placing your thumb between your index and middle fingers and holding it for at least 5 seconds, orcross the fingers of both hands while calling upon the sign of the cross to protect you from evil.

Breaking a Mirror: Bad Luck Many superstitious people say breaking a mirror sets you up for 7 years of bad luck. That may be because 7 years is the time it takes to replace all the cells in your physical body. In a more superstitious time, mirrors were thought to be reflections of the soul.

So breaking a mirror was believed to be harmful to the soul. To end the chain of bad luck, take the broken mirror outside and bury it in the moonlight. Finding a Horseshoe: Good Luck In many cultures, a horseshoe is the luckiest of all symbols, especially if you find one with the open end pointing toward you. If you find one of these good-luck charms, pick it up with your right hand, spit on one end, make a wish and toss it over your left shoulder.

Then leave it where it lands. Bathing in that water seems to be OK, though; according to the ministry, "People, who bath[e] under the moonlight and in shadow, will shine as bright as the moon.

According to What They Say in New England , a book published in , the only remedy was to go back and walk over the thing again. Instead, you need to say that a newborn is ugly. Same goes for cloths used for general house cleaning. Some versions of this superstition warn of just general unluckiness, while others say that a child whose nails are cut before 6 months of age will become a thief. According to the book Welsh Traditions and Superstitions , instead of cutting nails, the mother should instead "bite them off as they grow.

Proposed reasons for the superstition range from the practicalities of wielding sharp things near your hand at night, to concern that separating a nail in the darkness could attract spirits. This superstition might have something to with the two sides of metal touching each other.