SUPER SUPERSTITIONS

Unlucky 13
Some people think 13 is an unlucky number.  In fact, many large buildings skip naming the 13th floor; the numbers in the elevator go from 12 to 14. 
Some experts think this belief might have started with the Last Supper in the Bible, where there were 13 people at the table.

Knock on wood
Some people will knock on wood for good luck. Why? 
Ancient people couldn't understand why some trees stayed green all year and others lost their leaves.  They thought some trees must have supernatural powers.  For that reason, they would knock on trees to get their attention.

Cross your fingers!
Sometimes we cross our fingers for good luck.  Do you think it works?
This custom began as a sort of shortcut for people making the sign of the Christian cross.  People believed the cross protected them from evil or bad luck.

Cross your heart
Crossing your heart shows that you really mean something.  Ancient people believed that the heart was the center of all knowledge.

Don't spill salt
At one time, salt was very valuable.  People used it for trading, just like money.  To spill any was believed to bring bad luck.
People also thought that evil spirits lived in the left side of the body.  If a person spilled salt, he or she would try to please the evil spirits by throwing salt in their directions.  You may still see people today throw a pinch of salt over their left shoulder after a spill.

Broken mirrors
In ancient times, people believed that their reflection in the water or in glass was really their "other self."  They thought that if you disturbed this image, you would bring bad luck.
Ancient Romans believed that life is renewed every seven years.  This is where we got the idea of seven years of bad luck if we break a mirror, disturbing our reflection.

Walking under a ladder
Even today, many people will not walk under a ladder, believing it's bad luck.  This belief might be traced to the fact that a ladder leaned agaist a wall forms a triangle.  To many Christian people, the triangle stands for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  If you walked under a ladder, you would break the triangle and bring bad luck.