I don't consider myself an extremely superstitious person, but I do tend to follow some of them and value them as symbolic omens. Centuries ago people used to look to superstitions and share them amongst each other as a means to avoid bad luck and navigate themselves away from bad luck (as most superstitions tend to be warnings). Many people still do have a very profound belief in superstitions, while others openly mock them. I find myself in between. I don't believe all that I hear, but I still do abide by some superstitions... just in case.
1. Always Wear Your Wedding Ring On The Left Hand.
It apparently cancels on the bad luck of the 'left hand' as it is commonly associated with the Devil. So bad plus good equals neutral.
2. Don't Break Hands With A Lover When Walking Down A Street So A Stranger Can Pass By.
When you are walking down a street and holding hands with your lover, do not break hands so that a stranger can pass between you. Instead, both of you should move to the left or right. Letting a stranger break your hand-holding is, both symbolically and literally, letting a force break you apart and dooming the relationship.
3. Do Not Shake With Left Hands.
As the left hand is, again, associated with the devil and bad luck, shaking hands with the left will curse the relationship you are trying to make with this person. This superstition tends more to business etc., where bad luck in a greeting handshake can mean that your business will fail.
4. Step On A Crack, Break Your Mother's Back.
You most likely know the drill. People tend to follow this one more because it rhymes.
5. Red Doors Bring Money And Good Luck.
This one comes from China and Scotland. Having a red door establishes good chi in the former, and means that you have paid off your debts in the latter.
6. Do Not Whistle Indoors.
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This one came from a friend when I was little who said that it was taboo to whistle indoors because it's basically like singing to spirits. Whether they're good or bad, you don't want to have to find out!
7. Don't Cross A Black Cat.
Now pretty much everyone knows this superstition, but not many know why it's bad luck. It comes from the Middle Ages when people believed that witches held black cats as companions, and so the cuddly creatures became guilty by association.
8. Hold Your Breath At Graveyards, etc.
It is believed that when passing by or through a graveyard a person should hold their breath unless they want a spirit to dive into their body and steal their place.
9. Don't Split A Pole.
I do not split poles and I don't care how unlikely the superstition behind it is. I've been avoiding doing it my entire life and honestly if I want to have an extra bit of protection what's so wrong with it. The saying goes that if you split a pole with another person, you'll both be struck by lightning or it will strike between you. Nope, not an ideal for me.
10. Don't Look In A Mirror At Night.
I actually follow this a lot. I turn my mirror away from me before I cut the lights out at night because the saying goes hand in hand with the belief that mirrors are evil. They show us a picture of our reality that is not quite a reflection because it will never be exactly like what it is reflecting. If you put yourself and a mirror image next to each other, the mirror image is slightly different as if it is a shadow playing a trick on you. And looking into a mirror at night may allow something to pass from it over into our world, whether good or evil (most likely evil.) It's similar to "The Upside Down" from Stranger Things.
11. Don't Write In Red Ink.
Writing in red ink is symbolically equal to writing in blood. So if you write a person's name in red ink, it's similar to cursing them by writing their name in blood and bringing bad luck, illness, or death.
12. Never Answer A Voice You Cannot See.
Okay, this one is actually pretty creepy because it happens a quite a lot. Have you ever had an instance when you know you're alone but you hear a random noise, or screech and it kind of sounds like your name? There's a belief that when you hear this, it is actually a spirit or demon calling out to you. If you answer them then you give that spirit or demon a ticket to cross over from their realm to ours. And it doesn't stop there! Once you do this they will follow you and pester you until you cross a large body of water, because it is believed that spirits/demons are confined to the earth.
13. The Evil Eye.
The Evil Eye is a common belief that I'm sure everyone might have heard at some point, or that exists in everyone's culture in one way or another. It's a man-made force of damning that occurs when a person consistently looks onto another with envy or hatred. A friend of mine says that belief is prevalent in her Hispanic community where women do not post pictures of a child's face or body for at least a month after it is born because it is especially susceptible to the Evil Eye at that time and can be damned in one way or another. What I like about this superstition is that it teaches people to avoid being boastful or doing bad things that may make people resent them because there will be consequences. Sometimes people need a healthy reminder to be nice.
