Due to irrational fears and beliefs many superstitions are held by many people.

For example the superstitions surrounding the common staple: Salt. Everyone has heard that you must toss a pinch of salt over your left shoulder when salt is spilled to keep bad luck away. Supposedly it goes into the face of the devil who seemingly resides there. (Why the left shoulder? The term “left” is associated with negatives in superstition.)

The ladder presents potentially bad luck too, should you risk going under it while it is leaning against a wall. This originates from the triangle created when the ladder leans against a wall, which is like the triangle of the trinity, and to enter such an enclosed sacred area was considered a punishable offense.

Is there anyone that doesn’t know that breaking a mirror brings 7 years bad luck? One source credits this superstition to the Romans who believed that the distortion created of a man’s image corrupted his soul when a mirror was broken. A differing superstition which thought that a man’s body rejuvenated every 7 years is the source of the time span for the broken mirror’s bad luck.

The rabbit foot as a source of good luck? The source of this superstition seems lost in history. Some think it may be due to a rabbit’s fertility association with an ancient god called Eastre, later assimilated by the celebration of Easter by Christianity.

Even today the lives of many are governed by these ancient superstitions. For a short list of many of the superstitions, some still held seriously by many today, go here.