Superstitions

Cats

Black cats have always been a well known superstition. One of the most popular Halloween “Pin the Tail on…” game is the black cat, What many people don’t know is that cat superstition does not just apply to the black cats. Several superstitions have to do with cats in general.
Some of the most common cat superstitions are the ones of “Good Luck” and “Bad Luck”. Examples of cat superstitions are: Chasing a cat away(bad), petting cat(good), Cat walking away or across your path(bad), cat coming towards you(good), cat leaving a house and not coming back(bad). Different countries have different beliefs.
Although the superstition has never been proved, there have been several legends hovering around, to support the mystery. One of the most convincing, and strange, is the King Charles story. It is said that King Charles had a prize cat, which he was VERY proud of. He had guards surround the cat’s cage day and night. Then, the cat took sick. The day after the cat died, King Charles was arrested.
Other legends trace back to the witch hunt in Salem in 1692. People back then believed that the witches had two ways of getting to their victims without being noticed.
1. They could turn into the form of an animal
2. The used a sort of “sidekick” called a familiar.
Black cats were thought to be a sign of the Devil, hand in paw with evil.
The truth is, none of these legends have ever been proved. Cats are a popular pet, and many people find the legends old fashioned and foolish. However, there are still a fair amount of people who feel fear when they see a cat.

Walking Under Ladders

Walking under a ladder has long been regarded a bad luck, but why? Some believe that in the medieval times, a leaning ladder was thought to resemble a gallows, so if you walked under a ladder you were guaranteeing your own death by hanging. Another, possibly more likely solution is that the shape formed by a leaning ladder is a triangle, and the triangle is the symbol of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, by walking through the triangle, you are violating and desecrating God.
Another possible explanation also relates to the medieval gallows. A ladder was placed against the gallows so that after a public hanging, the body could be cut down. If you happened to walk under the ladder as this was happening, you could be hit by a dead body being cut down.
Yet another explanation comes from ancient Egypt. The Egyptians believed that a special power was held by the triangle, because it was the shape of the pyramid. If you walked under a ladder, you were breaking the power of the shape.
As with any superstition, there are believed to be ways to reverse the bad luck. Some of these alleged ways are:
• Spit through the ladders rungs three times.
• Cross your fingers until you see a dog.
• Spit on your shoe and continue walking, but don’t look at your shoe again until the spit has dried.
• Walk backwards out from the ladder, back the way you came in, making a wish as you go.

Bloody Mary

Who She Is:
Bloody Mary is someone who died a horrific death that involved much pain and suffering. Some tales say that she was a witch, while others say that she was of British Royalty and was beheaded.
The Ritual:
Most people say that you must go into a dark bathroom with a mirror. Then, you chant the words “Bloody Mary” or something similar to it. The chanting continues anywhere from three to one hundred times. Then, every tale is different. Some say you must splash water on the mirror, or you have to lift up a candle. The most common one is that you turn off all the lights in the room and then spin in circles while chanting “Bloody Mary”. Bloody Mary then appears after you say her name anywhere between three and one hundred times, with thirteen being the most popular number, appropriately so.
What Happens:
According to legend, you may sometimes you see her face and she may try to scratch your face off. Or she may be walking down a flight of stairs with a rose or a teddy bear, in which case she won’t kill you, or a knife, which she will use to kill you if you don’t turn on the lights and leave the bathroom. Yet another tale says that you might see her with a baby, or you see her alone and she has to answer any questions you ask her. Sometimes, if she doesn’t appear, and when you turn on the sink or the water in the shower or bathtub, it may turn into blood. Also, if she doesn’t appear, she may haunt you in mirrors forever, whether the room is dark or not. However, these are all superstitions. Usually, if you can finish the ritual and not get scared out of your wits, nothing will happen, and there will be no consequences.

Breaking A Mirror

Before mirrors, reflective surfaces were thought to be magical and could show the future. People would stare into water to try to see their future or receive messages from the gods. If you broke a mirror, you would break your future. Another superstition is the reflection in the mirror is you soul, and if you break the mirror, you break your soul. To reverse the bad luck, you are supposed to bury the pieces, sometimes by moonlight. Other superstitions are:
• Since your reflection in the mirror is your soul, and vampires have no soul, they can’t see their reflection.
• To see her future husband, a woman should eat an apple and brush her hair in front of a mirror. Her future husband will appear behind her shoulder.
• If a couple sees each other for the first time in a mirror, they will have a happy marriage.
• Breaking a mirror is seven years of bad luck.
• It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight