WISH US LUCK

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

Image: Malvestida

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).

Image: David Tomaseti

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.

Image: CHUTTERSNAP

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.

Image: George Bakos

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.

Facts you didn't know you needed

Is the day longer for your pet? Mind-blowing facts you need to know

Adults often assume they already understand the world, but there’s always something new to surprise us! Did you know that clouds actually have weight? Or that the day is longer for some animals? And that’s just the beginning. From hidden functions of your organs to the true color of the universe, today you’ll learn 10 fascinating facts you probably never thought to ask, but will make you sound impressively smart in your next conversation!

Unlike humans, animals don’t experience a shared "present" in quite the same way. Instead, their sense of time is tied to the rhythms of their own bodies. For very small animals with fast metabolisms like parrots, hamsters, or guinea pigs, time actually seems to pass more slowly. In a sense, they live in slow motion because their faster-working nervous systems allow them to process sensory information at a fast speed.

What if someone commits a crime and tries to blame their identical twin? Have you ever wondered about that? It’s a valid question; after all, identical twins not only look alike, they also share the same DNA. But here’s the surprising part: if investigators check fingerprints, the innocent twin could be cleared. That’s because, despite their nearly identical DNA, twins have unique fingerprints, shaped by subtle genetic and environmental factors in the womb.

You’ve probably spent time lying on the grass, watching clouds drift across the sky. They look light, fluffy, almost like cotton candy, and it’s hard to imagine them as heavy objects. But the truth is surprising: clouds are incredibly heavy. An average cumulus cloud can weigh around 1 million pounds! That impressive weight comes from the billions of tiny water droplets suspended in the air. So, how do they float? It’s because each droplet is extremely small and falls very slowly, while rising warm air currents help keep the cloud suspended above us.

Most of us have a rough image of the world map in our minds. But we have something to tell you: most maps aren’t completely accurate. Because the Earth is a sphere, cartographers have to distort some areas to represent it on a flat surface. On Mercator projection maps, countries near the poles appear much larger than they really are, while countries near the equator look smaller in comparison. For example, Alaska looks about the same size as Brazil, but in reality, Brazil is nearly five times larger!

Most people don’t realize that there’s actually a name for the color of the universe. Strange, right? But it’s true! Astronomers who studied the light from thousands of galaxies discovered that if you blend all the colors from the observable universe, the result is a soft, beige-ish white shade, famously named "Cosmic Latte" in 2002.

With 50 states, there’s no shortage of variety in their names. Almost every letter of the English alphabet appears at least once, except for one: Q, which is completely absent. In addition to this, there’s another surprisingly rare letter: J. While it isn’t entirely missing like Q, it only appears in one state, New Jersey.

Although we don’t notice it, indeed, the Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing. This happens because tidal friction, caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull on our oceans, creates a subtle drag on the planet’s spin. As a result, days are getting longer, but very gradually: by only about 1.7 milliseconds per century.

Do you remember your last dream? Whether good or bad, dreams are a constant part of sleep, but not everyone experiences them in the same way. Deaf people who use sign language in their daily lives often communicate through signs in their dreams, too. Meanwhile, blind people tend to have dreams rich in sounds, smells, and tactile sensations, using these other senses to experience the dream world.

We’re used to seeing hippos covered in mud, splashing in water, or barely peeking above the surface. But here’s a surprise: hippos can’t actually swim! That’s right. Because of their huge, heavy bodies, they don’t float or paddle like most animals. Instead, they walk or run along the riverbed.

Can your brain really "eat" itself? Well, close, but not exactly. There’s a process called phagocytosis, carried out by specialized immune cells in the brain known as microglia. These cells engulf and remove debris, dead cells, and other unwanted material. But don’t worry; it’s safe! The mechanisms exist to protect, repair, and maintain your brain.