Do you run for cover on Friday 13th? Or cower in a corner on Halloween? Superstition affects every one of us if we choose to allow it, but how far are people willing to take it……

Yes, it’s true, the way we think affects the way we act and everybody has different ideas and ideals. If we believe in superstitions, we’ll see them happen and if not it just becomes a part of everyday life. If a black cat crossed the path of a superstitious person they would worry that they would get bad luck, where as a non- superstitious person wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Our Superstitions say a lot about who we are, how we feel and think about ourselves and our world. But is this just a case of irrational beliefs, crazy phobias or cultural roles for many people in our world?

There are many things that lead us into believing superstitions such as our cultures, which are always run by superstition. Our superstitions tend to grow within our cultural frameworks and are passed down through the generations; we see and hear superstitious beliefs from our parents and environments. Everybody has grown up around the regular superstitions, which we’ve grown to believe and almost live by. Some are just petty myths and stories like, ‘‘Step on line, you’ll marry a swine… Step on a crack, you’ll break your back’
Many of these superstitions effect our everyday life and have become a common activity we all try to avoid, like, ‘don’t cross on the stair’, ‘don’t put shoes on tables’ and ‘if you break a mirror you’ll have 7 years bad luck’.

Everyone has different beliefs and opinions when it comes to superstition; some of us choose not to get caught up in the fiasco, others do. It’s like watching a scary film some people enjoy the ‘buzz’ of being frightened. However some of us take superstition to the next level, but is this sign of major phobia’s that are taking control of our lives?

 
I asked 20 Newfield students about there views on superstition:
• Only 35% said that they weren’t superstitious and that everything was ‘Made Up’ and ‘Mumbo Jumbo’. Does this mean that they don’t really worry if a black cat crossed their path or if they break a mirror?
• The other thirteen said they were superstitious and that they had gathered there superstitions from their parents.
• All of the students questioned knew many of the most common superstitious like, ‘The Magpie Count’ and not to ‘Walk under ladder’.
• Out of the 20 only 5% knew the real answers and background of all the superstitions.
This survey is an example of how much superstition affects teenagers alone…..

Some superstitions clash with everyday activity’s and effect the way we think. Every little thing we do could be linked to superstition, but wouldn’t they just be coincidences? Here are some examples-


Do not give your partners the following items as gifts:
• Shoes - Encourages them to walk out of the relationship
• Perfumes - Attracts a third party that can break up the relationship
• Bags - Encourages them to pack and leave the relationship

Superstitions answered...

All of us have adapted to the world of superstition and we all know the myth’s and stories repeated every year when Friday 13th and Halloween approaches. But where did these superstitions come from?
Friday 13th: Apparently Friday 13th is said to be unlucky because of catholic bible beliefs. The 12th testament is considered a lucky number. Consequently, the number, which follows 12, was thought to be evil. Known scientifically as "Tridecaphobia," fear of the number 13 is probably the most common of all superstitions. Buildings avoid numbering the 13th floor. Airplanes avoid the 13th aisle. And almost everyone knows that Friday the 13th is considered a bad luck day.

Halloween: This superstition was a celtic belief and has very different origins from the one we know. Halloween is indeed one of the oldest holidays known to us all; on the 31st October children walk the streets dressed as the dead yearning for ‘treats’. On the eve before the Celtic New Year (October 31), it was believed by many folk that on Halloween the dead and the living were reunited.
Black cats: The fear of black cats has different representations depending on the culture of the superstition; black cats are a symbolic creature to both Halloween and Friday the 13th. In Europe the black cat is seen as a negative animal and an animal of the after world. The theory about black cats and Halloween is that every witch was in possession of a black cat.

Lucky Charms: Some people are so superstitious that they even carry around absurd and strange lucky charms, to warn away unnatural and unwanted spirits and to bring good luck. But is this a sign that superstition is one of the great beliefs and threatening problems in our world?

Here are some examples of ‘Lucky Charms’-

Carry a rabbit's foot in our pockets for good luck.
Bring a stick of coal to a friend's home on New Year's Eve for good health throughout the year.
Put a penny in your shoe for wealth.
Carry a piece of jade or tiger's eye for good luck.

 

So if you’re not superstitious, and you’re walking home after a bad day…and you see a penny on the ground…do you pick it up?

Thought so.

 

By Stephanie Shemeld

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