From touching wood and crossing our fingers to avoiding ladders and broken mirrors, discover the strange origins of 10 common British superstitions
Why do we touch wood for luck, avoid walking under ladders and worry when a mirror breaks?
Britain is full of superstitions that many of us follow without giving them much thought. We say “touch wood” after tempting fate, hesitate when a black cat crosses our path and might feel distinctly uncomfortable putting new shoes on a table.
Some beliefs are centuries old. Others have changed meaning over time. Here are 10 common superstitions and the stories behind them.
Why Do We Touch Wood?
Say something optimistic in Britain and there is a good chance somebody will immediately say “touch wood” and reach for the nearest table.
The superstition is supposed to prevent good fortune from being spoiled after we have mentioned it.
Its origins are uncertain. One popular explanation connects the custom with ancient beliefs that trees were inhabited by spirits or supernatural forces. Touching a tree may therefore have offered protection or called upon those powers for help.
Christian interpretations have also linked the custom to the wood of the Cross, although firm evidence for such an origin is lacking.
Whatever its beginnings, touching wood remains one of Britain’s most persistent everyday superstitions.
Why Is Walking Under a Ladder Bad Luck?
A ladder leaning against a wall creates a triangle, and walking through it has long been regarded as unlucky.
One explanation claims the triangle represented the Holy Trinity, making it dangerous or disrespectful to break through it.
There are darker theories too. Ladders were associated with executions because they could be used around the gallows, giving them an uncomfortable connection with death.
There is also a much simpler reason not to walk underneath one: something might fall on your head.
Why Does Breaking a Mirror Mean Seven Years of Bad Luck?
Breaking a mirror is inconvenient enough without being promised seven years of misery afterwards.
Mirrors have long been surrounded by supernatural beliefs. Reflections were sometimes regarded as more than simple images and could be associated with a person’s soul or spiritual identity.
The seven-year element is often connected with an old belief that human life or the body renewed itself in seven-year cycles. Damage represented by the broken reflection would therefore supposedly take seven years to repair.
Fortunately, most broken mirrors appear to cause considerably more trouble to bare feet than to souls.
Read The Role and Superstitions of Mirrors in Witchcraft
Are Black Cats Lucky or Unlucky?
Black cats have one of the most confusing reputations in superstition.
Across parts of Britain, encountering a black cat has traditionally been considered lucky. Black cats have appeared on good-luck cards and were particularly associated with good fortune for brides and sailors.
But cats also became associated with witchcraft. During periods of intense fear about witches, black cats could be portrayed as familiars or supernatural companions.
This helped create the sinister black cat familiar from Halloween imagery today.
So whether a black cat brings good or bad luck largely depends upon which tradition you follow.
Read Black Cats and Superstition: 13 Things You Didn’t Know About
Why Do We Throw Salt Over Our Shoulder?
Spilling salt has traditionally been considered unlucky, but the damage can supposedly be undone by throwing a pinch over your left shoulder.
Salt was once extremely valuable and has also carried religious and symbolic importance. Wasting it could therefore be treated much more seriously than spilling an ordinary kitchen ingredient.
The left side acquired sinister associations in European folklore and religion. One later explanation says throwing salt over your left shoulder blinds or drives away the Devil waiting behind you.
It may make a mess of the kitchen, but apparently that is preferable to leaving Satan unchallenged.
Read Salt in Folklore: 10 Things You Didn’t Know
Why Shouldn’t You Open an Umbrella Indoors?
Opening an umbrella inside the house is still said to bring bad luck.
There are elaborate explanations involving ancient sun worship and offending protective spirits, but the history is far from certain.
A more practical explanation makes considerable sense. Early umbrellas could be large, awkward objects with stiff mechanisms. Opening one suddenly inside a cramped Victorian home was an excellent way of knocking something over or hitting somebody.
Sometimes superstition and sensible household advice make very comfortable companions.
Why Is Friday the 13th Unlucky?
Friday the 13th combines two separate traditions of bad luck.
Friday developed an unlucky reputation within Christian tradition because of its association with the Crucifixion. The number 13 also became regarded with suspicion, commonly linked with the 13 people present at the Last Supper.
However, the idea that Friday the 13th itself has always been regarded as exceptionally unlucky is surprisingly modern.
The combination became increasingly prominent during the 19th and early 20th centuries and is now one of the best-known superstitions in the English-speaking world.
Read Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky?
Why Is It Bad Luck to Put Shoes on a Table?
Putting new shoes on a table is traditionally considered particularly unlucky in Britain.
The exact origins are unclear, although the superstition has been connected with death and funerary customs. One frequently repeated explanation suggests that miners’ boots might be placed on a table after their owner’s death.
Whether or not that explains the tradition, shoes on tables remain surprisingly uncomfortable territory in many British households.
There is also an obvious practical objection. Shoes belong on the floor. The dining table is where you put your biscuits.
Why Do We Say ‘White Rabbits’ on the First of the Month?
Saying “rabbit”, “rabbits” or “white rabbits” on the first day of a month is supposed to bring good luck.
There are numerous versions of the tradition. Some people insist the words must be spoken immediately after waking. Others say they must be the first words spoken after midnight.
The custom was certainly known in Britain by the early 20th century, although its precise beginnings remain uncertain.
Like many superstitions, the rules vary considerably from family to family. Naturally, everyone believes their version is the correct one.
Why Do We Cross Our Fingers for Luck?
Crossing your fingers is one of the simplest ways of wishing for good luck.
The gesture is generally associated with the Christian cross, although claims about its precise ancient origins should be treated cautiously.
Over time, crossing the index and middle fingers became a familiar gesture for hoping that something would happen or that disaster would be avoided.
Unlike carrying a horseshoe or throwing salt around the kitchen, it has one great advantage: you can do it almost anywhere without anybody complaining.
Why Do We Still Follow Superstitions?
Most people who touch wood probably do not seriously believe disaster will strike if they forget.
That is part of what makes superstition so interesting.
These small rituals survive because they are passed between families, friends and generations. We learn them as children and repeat them almost automatically as adults.
They also give us the comforting feeling that we can influence things beyond our control. Touch the table. Cross your fingers. Avoid the ladder.
Will any of it actually change your luck?
Probably not.
Touch wood.
