Why are People Superstitious?

Although many people will insist that they aren't superstitious, omens and superstitions actually play a part in all our lives. Common-sense should by rights, triumph over instinct. But that's not always the case! Suppose for instance, you're looking out of a window and someone kicks a football in your direction. You will automatically flinch even though you know the glass will protect you. Instinct wins over common sense!

Superstions: Primitive Instincts

Superstitions too, are primitive instincts that continue to lurk in the back of our mind, no matter how intelligent or practical a person we might be. At the same time, how can we condemn beliefs which have primarily come from early man's effort to understand and explain Nature and his own Existence?

Superstitions come in three main forms. The first one implies that certain actions or omens will attract or signify bad luck. It is believed, for example, that it is bad luck to sew anything onto a garment you're actually wearing, or to sew something new onto something old. Around the Mediterranean, there are old women who say that if the thread on the needle gets tangled while a garment is being mended, this will bring health and prosperity to the owner.

Love Superstitions

An itching sensation on the lips is believed by some to be an omen that someone is going to kiss you soon!

Love letters should always be written in ink. To write in pencil is an ill-omen for the courtship. It is not a good omen to propose by mail and if a girl receives two letters from different lovers at the same time, she will marry neither of them.

To find out if your lover is true, set fire to his or her love letters. If the flame burns bright and full, the love is true but if the flame is small and blue, you are not meant for each other. It's also said to be unlucky for a man to propose marriage on a train or in any public place. While a man who has been refused three times is best advised to stay a bachelor!

It is said to be an unlucky omen if the wedding ring is dropped during the wedding ceremony, and only the person conducting the service should pick it up, or the life of the couple may turn out unhappily.

Seemingly, it is unlucky for a bride to make her own wedding dress or try it on before the wedding day, especially if she sees herself in a full-length mirror. Unable to resist this temptation, some girls will try on their dress but leave off a shoe or a glove, out of respect for this old tradition.

The second form of superstitions imply that a certain action or ritual will bring about desired results.

Ritualistic Superstitions

Some people might always wear a certain item of clothing when attending a favourite sporting event to help make their 'team' lucky.

And superstition of course, is at the root of the old verse dealing with the bride's outfit. "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue."

Flowers are an ancient symbol of sex and fertility which is why the bride carries a bouquet to ensure her own marital happiness.

Good and Bad Omens

The last form of superstitions is the reading of omens by which a good or bad event will occur. The adder, for instance, is said to be an omen of good luck and if you kill the first one you seen in the Spring, this will ensure triumph over your enemies. Ants are said to be an omen of bad weather whenever they're seen to be particularly active.

Then, of course, there are those totally false ideas that men whose bodies are covered in hair are more vital than those who are not. Can it really be that Latin men and those from hot countries have more sexually potency because of the generative power of the sun? - Superstition says this is so! - While some of the strangest sex superstitions seem to have no sensible origins at all. Blondes, for instance, are supposed to be dumb but more eager for love, while red-heads are more sexually curious than brunettes. Girls, so some might tell you, are able to prevent pregnancy with a coca-cola douche. - Don't you believe it!

Finally, superstition says that the luckiest things you can find are horseshoes, four-leaf clovers and teeth!