13 weird and wonderful superstitions from around the world

Happy Friday 13th! Though not such a happy day for anyone who suffers from paraskevidekatriaphobia (the fear of Friday 13th).

Friday 13th being considered an unlucky day is a Western superstition. Other superstitions in western culture which are considered to cause bad luck are opening an umbrella indoors, breaking a mirror and walking under a ladder.

We decided to look further afield and have rounded up some superstitions from around the world. Here are our 13 favourites.

1. In Turkey it is considered bad luck to chew gum at night. Chewing gum after dark is considered to be like chewing the flesh of the dead.

2. There is a Filipino tradition called ‘Pagpag’ which dictates that, after a wake, people should not go straight home. This is because it is believed that a bad spirit might follow them home and into the house.

3. If a pregnant woman in Canada craves fish but doesn’t eat any, superstition says that she will have a baby with a fish head.

4. It is bad luck to walk backwards in Portugal as in doing this it is believed that you will be showing the devil which way you’re going.

5. Walking into a room with your left foot first in Spain is considered to bring you bad luck.

6. If a funeral car passes you or you are passing a graveyard, Japanese culture says you should hide your thumbs. This is because the Japanese word for thumb roughly translates to ‘parent finger’ so hiding your thumbs protects your parents from misfortune.

7. Standing on a manhole cover with the letter A on it in Sweden is meant to bring bad luck.

8. In Turkey it is believed that if you jump over a child you will be cursing them to always be short.

9. There is a belief in Korea that if you sleep with a fan on overnight in a closed room that you will die.

10. In Germany you should never make a toast with water as, in doing so, it is believed that you are wishing for the death of your drinking pals.

11. In Thailand you should not say positive things about a baby’s appearance, like how cute it is. It is believed that positive comments will attract the attention of bad spirits, who will try to snatch the baby.

12.  In Denmark it is believed that you should not talk about private matters if there is a cat in the room, as the cat will spread around the information. This is where the phrase “Don’t let the cat out of the bag” comes from.

13.  Argentina has a superstition that a 7th son will turn into a werwolf, unless he is adopted by the president of the country.

Image Pexels