Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck… all these superstitious beliefs are common ones that we hear of today. However, do you know that superstitions were common since many centuries ago, during the time of the ancient civilizations?

The number 13 has long been considered as an unlucky number by the Egyptians and the ancient Chinese. Why was this so then? Some experts believed that this was due to the fact that the people of the past knew how to count using only their 10 fingers and 2 feet which would add up to a maximum total of 12. Thus, after the number 12, the immediate next of which would be 13, was unknown and thus frightening to them. Even today, this number is regarded as unlucky, note how most hotels do not have a 13th floor - the count goes from 12 to 14!

As for the breaking of a mirror, it was long considered unlucky in ancient Greece and Rome. In ancient Greece for example, it was believed that one saw the will of the gods in the mirror. Thus, if a mirror was broken unintentionally, it indicated that the gods did not want the person to see the future as it held unpleasant things! To the ancient Romans, the mirror reflected the health of a person and breaking it meant 'breaking' one's health for 7 years!

The superstition that if a black cat crosses one's path, one would be down with bad luck also dates back to the ancient times. This was because black cats were associated with witchcraft and were believed to be witches in disguise. Strangely enough though, the ancient Egyptians worshipped the cat and considered it to be sacred! They even had a goddess called Pasht who had the head of a cat and had 9 lives. When a cat died, the mummy of the cat was preserved and a cemetery which had been discovered by archaeologists showed that it contained thousands of mummies of black cats!

Certain gems were believed to bring good luck to the person who carry it. For instance, the ancient Chinese made their children wear jade bracelets or anklets for protection against harm. The ancient Indians on the other hand, considered pearls to be lucky stones that could protect them against evil. The garnet was also worn to make its wearer immune to injury.

Spilling salt has also been thought to bring bad luck, even to some today. Why was this so? Salt was very important especially in Rome as it was used to preserve and purify food. It also served to be the soldiers' salary, of which salary meant "salt money." Thus, to spill salt would be a great waste and bad luck would befall the person who did so. This could be counteracted though, by throwing a pinch of salt it over the left shoulder into the face of the devil, who is supposedly poised there.

The colour red was a colour of good luck to the Chinese, both of the past and the present. During the Lunar New Year, married Chinese would give their children, friends and relatives red packets filled with money as a symbol of good luck, as the colour red symbolises fire which is used to scare away evil spirits.

The types of superstitions there are in the past and today are indeed uncountable. Why do you think people believe in superstitions? Do they really come true? What other superstitions do you know?

The unlucky number 13

The black cat--associated with bad luck

Witches used to be burnt at the stake.

Indian hand-painted mirror