WISH US LUCK

Believe It Or Not, Here Are 10 Wacky Superstitions From Around The World!

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Think back on all the lucky pennies you or someone you know have picked up through the years. Maybe you stored a four-leaf clover between the pages of your favorite book or put on that lucky shirt the day you had a nerve-wracking exam. Superstitions are one of the few aspects of culture that surpass generations. There’s a pretty big chance that your grandparents shared those same quirky rituals and traditions with you.

While some are fairly global, every culture has its own set of local and unique superstitions. We have gathered a couple on this list so you might find new ways to improve your luck on those days you need it the most.

Image: Gavin Allanwood

The first day of the month can be quite stressful: bills start coming in, assignments begin to pile up, and all those chores we set aside for the next month suddenly knock on your door. We know how overwhelming the responsibilities of adult life can be, so we brought up this charming method that almost seems like a children’s game.

According to an ancient superstition that originated in the United Kingdom, saying the word "rabbit" right after you wake up on the first day of the month brings good luck for the remaining days. This ritual has been around since at least the 1900s and has found its way to other English-speaking countries. Supposedly, President Franklin Roosevelt said "rabbit, rabbit" each first day of the month, and he carried a rabbit’s foot during the 1932 election (which he won by a landslide).

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Your health should be the main concern that drives you to quit cigarettes. However, if you are looking for extra motivation to stop smoking, you might want to look into this superstition. Some European countries believe that if you light a cigarette with a candle, a sailor will die. Ever the superstitious lot, the origins of this belief can obviously be traced back to sailors. When they returned to shore, sailors would make and sell matches to supplement their income while waiting to sail back. Therefore, lighting a cigarette with a candle would take away much-needed money from a sailor, who might starve without the earnings of his side job.

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You might be familiar with wedding traditions that involve smashing plates against the floor: German couples smash porcelain plates to ward off evil spirits, and Greeks cheerfully shout Opa! over broken plates for good luck. Also, people from Denmark have a similar tradition for New Year’s Eve. Danes save up their old plates and glasses through the year and then throw them at the doorsteps of their friends and family. This might sound aggressive, but this beloved ritual supposedly wishes the recipient good luck for the upcoming year.

Image: Adam Wilson

We discussed the fortune that intentionally breaking plates can bring, but what happens when you break something by accident? Breaking a plate in a U.S. restaurant might make the other customers applaud you, but rest assured that those claps are absolutely sarcastic. However, if you accidentally break a bottle of alcohol in a Japanese bar, you might find that the cheers you receive are genuine. Japanese people believe that this brings both good luck and bigger profits to the bar. However, it has to be an accident: intentionally breaking a bottle of delicious Japanese whisky will bring you nothing but trouble.

Image: National Cancer Institute

According to horror movies, it's probably not a good idea to stroll through a dark forest on a full moon night; you might end up encountering a werewolf.

We are all familiar with the werewolf myth: a helpless person, previously bitten and cursed, that forcefully transforms into a bloodthirsty wolf every full moon. However, people from Argentina have their very own spin on this myth, on which the causes of this affliction are not a dooming bite, but rather being born into a large family.

According to legend, the seventh son of a family only composed of boys will become a Lobizon, the Argentinean equivalent of a werewolf. However, the only way to stop a Lobizon does not come from a silver bullet, but from baptism. When the seventh son of a family is born, the president of Argentina becomes their godparent and sends a gold medal to congratulate the baptism of the would-be werewolf.

Image: Dahlia E. Akhaine

Blarney Castle is not only an iconic landmark that must be seen when visiting Ireland, but this medieval stronghold is also home to a beloved Irish tradition. The Blarney Stone, located in the battlements of the castle, is visited by millions of tourists with a single objective in mind: kissing the stone. According to legend, the Blarney stone grants whoever kisses it great eloquence and skill at flattery. However, this task is not as easy as it sounds: To kiss the stone, visitors must climb up to the top of the castle, and then lean backward over the parapet’s edge.

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If you visit the website of Turkey’s Ministry of Culture, you might come upon a page detailing over 100 different Turkish superstitions. They range from those involving animals, like "It is good to see scorpions in one’s dreams", to several involving water. Among those is the belief that water where moonlight has reflected shouldn’t be drunk, since they might curse anyone who drinks this water with bad luck. The moon, however, is not always considered a bad omen by Turkish people: Many believe that a baby born under the full moon will be lucky and have a bright future.

Image: Kelsey Chance

Remember that iconic scene in the film "My Best Friend’s Wedding", where an entire dinner bursts into an acapella rendition of Aretha Franklin’s "I Say a Little Prayer"? As ingrained into pop culture as that scene is, it should be noted that, had that wedding happened in The Netherlands, other customers of the dinner might not have been so thrilled about the impromptu performance. According to this superstition, whoever sings at the dinner table is singing to the devil and praising him for the food. So remember: if your best friend happens to get married in The Netherlands, leave any Aretha Franklin song for karaoke night.

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According to an old phrase, in order to live a full life, a person should have a child, write a book, and plant a tree. While we might not guarantee that this is the formula for a perfect life, we can provide our two cents and add that, if you happen to plant that tree on your wedding day, you might be able to bring good luck to your new marriage. According to a tradition followed in the Netherlands and Switzerland, planting a pine tree outside your home to celebrate your wedding will provide the new home with good fortune and fertility.

Image: Tushar Gidwani

If you visit China during the Chinese New Year, you might be surprised to see several people thoroughly sweeping their homes, particularly their front doors. This is because, according to Chinese tradition, good fortune enters through the front door of your home. People clean their homes to say goodbye to the previous year, while also carefully sweeping inwards to avoid accidentally sweeping good fortune. After this ritual, no cleaning can be performed during the first two days of the New Year to avoid dispelling good luck.

Ancestral family names

What did "Walkers" do, exactly? Very popular surnames, explained

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Do you have a very popular surname? Have you ever looked up its meaning? Well, if you are a Smith, a Murphy, a Miller, or a Lee, you probably already know a bit of the history of your ancestors. Do you think you can guess the origin of these 12 widespread last names? Read on to go back a few generations and learn some names’ backstories!

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One of the most common surnames in the English-speaking world! As you may know, its origin is occupational, and it refers to "one who works with metal."

It derives from the Old English smið. Nowadays, it remains the most common surname in America. Interestingly, its synonymous versions are just as popular in other languages, like Schmidt in German and Ferraro in Italian.

Image: Boudewijn Huysmans

The surname "Miller" referred to someone who operated a mill; these were vital in medieval communities. The surname spread across Britain, Ireland, and later the U.S., until it became one of the most recognizable surnames.

Image: Kseniia Rastvorova

"Lee" is trickier because it has multiple origins, depending on the culture. In English, it comes from Old English lēah, meaning a clearing or meadow, so it was originally a toponymic surname for someone living near a grassy field.

In China, "Li" (often spelled Lee) is one of the oldest and most common surnames, meaning "plum," and is associated with ancient dynasties and scholars.

Image: Sergiu Vălenaș

The surname "Clark" comes from the Latin clericus, meaning "clergyman" or "scholar." In medieval England, clerks were among the few literate people, so the term broadened to describe scribes, secretaries, and record-keepers.

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"Murphy" is the most widespread Irish surname, anglicized from the Gaelic Ó Murchadha, meaning "descendant of Murchadh."

The name Murchadh combines muir (sea) and cath (battle), so it literally means "sea warrior." With multiple unrelated Murphy families across Ireland, the name spread widely.

Image: Shiori Miyashita

"Walker" is an occupational surname as well. So, what did walkers do? Their job was fulling, the process of cleaning and thickening woven wool, often by literally walking on it in troughs of water. The word derives from the Old English wealcere, meaning "one who fulls cloth."

Image: Jahanzeb Ahsan

"Allen" is of Celtic origin, derived from the Gaelic Ailín or Breton Alan, meaning "little rock." However, very similar terms can also be interpreted as "handsome," "fair," or "beautiful." Each family will probably get to pick their preferred meaning.

Image: Quan-You Zhang

The surname "Wright" comes from the Old English word wryhta or wyrhta, meaning "worker" or "maker."

It was often used with a prefix to specify the craft, such as "wheelwright" for wheel makers or "shipwright" for shipbuilders. Over time, "Wright" stood alone as a surname for skilled tradespeople. It’s one of the oldest English occupational surnames.

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"Nguyen" (pronounced roughly "nwin" or "ngwee-en," depending on dialect) is the most common surname in Vietnam, held by around 40% of the population. It derives from the name of a Chinese musical instrument, the ruan.

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The surname "Hill" is of English and sometimes Scottish origin, derived from the Old English hyll, meaning exactly what it sounds like: someone who lived by or on a hill. Simple geographic names like this were among the earliest surnames in use, since they helped distinguish local communities.

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The Scottish surname "Campbell" comes from the Gaelic Caimbeul, meaning "crooked mouth" (cam = crooked, beul = mouth).

It began as a descriptive nickname, likely for someone with a distinctive facial feature. Over centuries, it became strongly associated with Clan Campbell, one of the most powerful Highland clans.

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The surname "Reed" (also spelled Read or Reid) has several origins in England and Scotland. Most often it was descriptive, from Old English rēad, meaning "red," referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.