Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. That last minute rush to buy someone a present weve all been there. This curse could be placed by not only wizards and witches, but old ladies and people with unusual eyes such as those that had eyes too close together, had inflamed eyes or were cross-eyed. Spilling pepper, complimenting a baby, and cutting your fingernails after dark are just a few of the things that will earn you bad luck around the world. To prevent this they shut the cat out of the bedrooms at night. Its easy enough to avoid a superstitious catastrophe when youre at home and know all about the culture and folklore, but what about when youre outside your native country? If you are moving into a new French house, bring the table in first to be sure of good luck. And if a black cat crosses your path at night then prepare for some bad fortune coming your way. Perhaps the most concerning French superstition with cats only affects folk in Normandy. Another strange New Years tradition can be observed in Denmark, where people hold on to all of the broken dishes and chipped cups theyve accumulated throughout the year and then leave them on the porch of a good friend. "Fan death" is a widespread fear among people in South Korea,As a result, many South Koreans will never sleep in a closed room with a fan on. The Ancient Romans linked owls to evil forces due to their nocturnal nature. "66 Funny Romanian Superstitions." Following the theme of things you should never do at night, in Turkey chewing gum after sun down is a big no-no. For other occasions, if youre stumped for ideas, you can always plump for a nice new leather wallet. June 9, 2012. Smoking cigarettes has been a popular pastime among troops since the very first line formed at the armory. May be you are having difficulties trusting your own judgment and decisions. 6. Instead of counting down to the new year and clinking Champagne flutes, Spaniards traditionally stuff 12 grapes into their mouthsat the stroke of midnight. The Attachment rails, officially known as the rail integration A few thousand years ago, our ancestors wore Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! If your visitor is a man, though, you'll have good luck. Thinkingthat trimming your nails at night will bring bad luck is a common belief in India, for example, while many people in the US seepennies as a sign of good luck. To sell more matches. Seems there's a superstition about everything. We often look at college students as punk kids, lazy frat guys or any other kind of social stereotype. Lighting one cigarette with a match alerts a sniper. We could save hours of time and get on with life. People in the US often use the phrase "knock on wood" to ward off bad luck, although this superstition is said to have originated in Europe. Doing so can make you powerless in the face of the devil or evil. Were talking about the actual process of making combustible matches, not the type of matchmaking your Aunt Shirley tries to do when she tells you about that interesting person she met at the market. The unluckiness of Tuesday is also present in several Latin American cultures, to the point that in some South American countries the movie Friday the 13th was Martes 13, or Tuesday the 13th. It was also considered bad luck to take a bath or change your clothing between Christmas and the New Year (and if you change your underwear between the holidays, "you will be full of boils"). Your email address will not be published. People who happened to be religious who also smoked more likely than not shared this belief with the people that they smoked with and this is how it spread around the smoking community. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Drinking beeris a vital part of German culture, and a tradition that dates back centuries. 2. level 1. defiantlynottedbundy. In Russia, if a bird defecates your car, your property, or even on you directly, its considered good luck. To light a cigarette, hold the lighter to the cigarette's tip and take a few, quick breaths in through your mouth to help it ignite. , Your email address will not be published. However, remember to steer clear of mirrors. Hello, Marlboro Gold Pack. WebIf three soldiers were smoking cigarettes during the dark hours of the night then superstition held that one of them was going to die. (Jan. 6, 2015), The Phrase Finder. The last cigarette was the only exception and if you survived long enough to smoke it, you were considered lucky. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Similarly, people in China commonly use the phrase that translates to "a purse on the floor is money out the door," to warn against not valuing wealth. People believed that crossing paths with a black cat was a sign that the devil was watching them and even today some people fear that their pet cat will suck the breath out of their body while theyre asleep. 1. 2y. So, it was believed that crossing paths with a black cat, as well as a black raven, was a bad luck. The rationale for the superstition goes all the way back to Tuesday, April 13, 1204 (on the Julian calendar), when Constantinople completely fell to the Crusaders. It also washes away all the bad memories for a complete fresh start of your life. Place the filter end of the cigarette into your mouth. While shards of porcelain may bring good luck, shards of a mirror are said to cost you seven years of bad luck! However, you cant gift an empty wallet! Its said in Germany that if you light a cigarette with a candle it will kill a sailor. The water is thought to be lucky because itrepresents fluidity and motion. It originates from World War I, the soldiers believed that if three of them lit their cigarettes on the same match, then one of them would end up dead or the third one on the match would end up getting shot. So, by wishing someone a happy birthday before their actual birthday, you are assuming something that has no guarantee of occurring, and thus inviting bad luck with open arms do you really want to risk that? You have been careless about what you are saying or sharing with others. Hello, Marlboro Gold Pack. "The match king." There are several remedies to ward off bad luck after walking under a ladder including making a wish as you walk through the triangle; walking backwards through the triangle again to where you began walking; and crossing your fingers as you walk through and keeping them crossed until you see a dog. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Press J to jump to the feed. Cats. But these strange beliefs are not limited to stray black cats, and sometimes even extend to one's own pets. Travel Away, March 6, 2012. Knives, when gifted, are believed to cause the receiver injury and sometimes even death. Many olden day clocks required constant maintenance and winding to keep them working. Many very religious people that I have known and spoken to in my lifetime believe that using the Holy Trinity symbol (or performing things in threes) as a casual act is very disrespectful to the Holy Law. Bad luck from a shattered mirror can be averted by throwing the shards into a fast running stream to carry away the misfortune or grinding the pieces into powder so that it can no longer reflect. Most people are at least a little superstitious. It is said that the first sneeze is good, the second is bad, the third represents fortune and the fourth sickness (logical!) Copyright 2008 - 2023 French Affair . WebLighting a cigarette backwards dream represents surrender. Goodbye, Marlboro Lights. WebThe white lighter curse or white lighter myth is an urban legend based on the 27 Club in which it is claimed several musicians and artists died while in possession of a white disposable cigarette lighter, leading such items to become associated with bad fortune. The legend warns that tucking in your "parent finger" will protect your parents from death. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Wes Walcott WebLighting a cigarette backwards dream represents surrender. According to Greek mythology, spirits of the dead would often drink from the river Lethe, which is named for the goddess of forgetfulness. Oendrila De Scientist behind Turkey quake, warned of a mega-quake in March, Scientists after 40 years will go to Venus to look for aliens, Physics professor: There is no life after death, Hey explorer! Once it's lit, pull a small bit of smoke into your mouth and keep it in there for a few moments so the smoke has some time to cool. In either case, having a lucky cigarette in your pack has since become a universal superstition. A possible explanation for this is that the dog may be able to sense a chemical change in human tissue and therefore be able to sense that their owner is sick, as there are historical instances of dogs acting distressed hours before their masters death. In Romania, never give away the last cigarette in your pack, as it symbolizes giving away your life. There are many superstitions about cats in France. Its believed that the rain on a wedding day will represent the number of tears the bride will shed during her marriage. That way, if a troop had to drop the cigarette for any reason, the enemy couldnt quickly determine the country of origin any identifying mark was quickly turned to ash. The third person who has their ciggie lit is easily shot, or so the tale goes. You have been careless about what you are saying or sharing with others. People who do this they say are helpless in the face of evil (even to the devil himself). Where God Lives and the Spirituality of Near Death Episodes, ET Contact Researcher Says New Humans Are Already Among Us. The third person who has their ciggie lit is easily shot, or so the tale goes. They believed that the strike of the match will alert an enemy sniper of their location. That one match, the notion goes, could light the fires of hell. Tuck Your Thumbs in When Passing the Dead (Japan), 1. Don't let a black cat cross your path. When the war ended in 1918, many of the men who fought in the war came back to the America and shared this superstition they had when out in the battlefield to their families and friends who were also smokers and I believe that this is one of the reasons it caught on initially and still carries on today, even if people do not know why they say it. I cant see how stepping in dog doo-doo can ever be a good thing, but many French believe that stepping in dog poo with your left foot brings you a slice of good luck. It might not seem unlucky. So to help you ward off evil spirits and reap good fortune from seemingly serendipitous situations wherever you happen to be, here are 10 absurd superstitions from around the world. WebLighting a cigarette off a candle will cause the death of a sailor. If you do get near one and are in need of a change of fortune, then try and get your hands on his beret and give the little bobble at the top a gentle rub. This belief was carried over when mirrors were invented. It's apparently even luckier to find a penny stamped with the year of your birth or anniversary. The theory goes that Kruegar made up this superstition and then got it to spread among the smoking community as a way for people to use more matches which allows him to sell more matches and make more money. If you do, this indicates you are inviting famine into the household. Many Germans bury their dead dog under their front doorstep, so that their ghost can then continue guarding the house even after their death. Throwing salt into fire is said to avert this bad luck. You might not pay much attention to manhole covers, but inSweden some people believe that the symbols on themcan bring either good or bad luck. The word thumb in Japanese translates as parent-finger so by tucking your thumb in your hand, youre basically protecting your parents from death. They should be placed on a table and then picked up by the second person. If youre someone who does a lot of travelling, chances are youre going to eventually run into some questionable scenarios that will either doom your day or bring you great luck according to local canon. This superstition stems from the actuality that many sailors took up match making as an additional source of income in the old days. They believe that the soup will cause the information to slip out of your head. 2015. Perhaps you've also heard it's unlucky to light three cigarettes with one match. Friday the 13th: Is There Reason to Feel Unlucky or Fearful? The superstition comes from a legend involving Russian soldiers in the 19th century. Method 1 Using a Disposable Lighter Download Article 1 Put the cigarette in your mouth. In reality, "K" stands for kallvatten,which means"clean water"and "A" stands for avloppsvatten,which means sewage,although the superstitious are still careful where they step. A common superstition is that a person will die in their sleep if they have a dream where they are falling and fail to wake before they hit the ground. Who is ironing their husbands underpants? keep lighting your cigarettes backward Local folklore advises women against eating goat meat because it allegedly causes facial hair growth, as well as stubbornness. (Jan. 6, 2015), http://nyulocal.com/entertainment/2013/01/30/mythpuffers-the-curse-of-the-white-lighter/, Corneanu, Miruna. It is often believed in Germany that lighting a cigarette with a candle kills a sailor, although the origins of this lie so far back that most people dont really know why. "Three on a match." To the Ancient Egyptians cats were sacred to the goddess Isis and were so revered that any one who killed a cat was executed. WebThis French superstition is thought to stem from the trenches of World War One. They had a fear of cats as they were not at the top of the food chain; therefore the distrust of cats was originated. He wrote, If three men light their cigarillos from the same match, bad luck will surely overtake one of them soon. Today some believe that seeing an owl in the daytime or having one land near your house and begin hooting is an omen of misfortune and even death. If a person eats one grape for each of the twelve bell chimes, they will have a lucky and prosperous year. The projectile killed Baldr and darkness and mourning spread across the land, birthing the superstition that a grouping of thirteen people is bad luck. A dog howling at an open doorway is supposedly a death omen for someone in the household. (Jan. 6, 2015), The Economist. Hands with their thumb up indicated that the gladiator would be executed, whereas hands with hidden thumbs meant they were to live certainly an indication of good luck! You may feel trapped and cornered. Same goes for cloths used for general house cleaning. By securing a monopoly on match production, he became outrageously rich and powerful. According to the Moscow Times, while the soldiers were in Paris, they were able to save money on alcohol by hiding their empty bottles on the ground rather than leaving them on the table, as they were being charged by the empty bottles they left behind. However, much like crows, they are also believed by many people in history to be a bad luck omen. DS said she heard this over the years of smoking and people had mentioned it to her if she was using matches. If you see a tortoiseshell cat, this foretells your death in an accident. You can hold your cigarette using your index finger and thumb. Remember, eye contact is an absolute must in such scenarios, because otherwise youll be cursed with bad sex for seven years not something youd want to risk. Web1. Kiran Yasmin Lighting Three Cigarettes, which is also called third on a match or unlucky third light, is considered to be bad luck. WebSuperstitions vary from culture to culture all over the world. Friday the 13th is a bad-luck day. In Egypt, thereare multiple superstitions related to scissors in Egypt that believers hold dear. To understand why this piece is passed down it is important to go back to the origins and see where it may have originated from and the theories for why the folk group smokersthink three on a match is bad luck. Yet since ancient times people have examined almost every occurrence, believing them to be a warning of bad luck or an indication of good luck. The superstition of believing that toasting with a glass of waterbrings bad luck or even death is commonly held in Germany, although the tradition has roots going back to ancient Greece. 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Also believed by many people believe that walking backwards brings bad luck, though, you can your... 1 using a Disposable Lighter Download article 1 Put the cigarette into your mouth could hours. Be sure of good luck 's own pets of time and get on with life n't! This foretells your death in an accident they should be placed on a table and then up... 'Ve also heard it 's unlucky to light three cigarettes with one match to jump to the Ancient Egyptians were! Death of a sailor your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you 're on the go die! To cost you seven years of smoking and people had mentioned it to her if she was using.... Each of the devil or evil has their ciggie lit is easily shot, or so the tale goes article!