Friday the 13th. Quite popular among the world as an unlucky day, and there are quite a few paraskavedekatriaphobics everywhere.

So probably we could post some of the superstitions we find around...

There are way too many of them in India.. here are few of my favourites

1. It is unlucky when a cat crosses you from right to left (colour doesn't matter), but its lucky when left to right.

2. It is a good sign when you are attacked by a crow (preferably a raven) on the head.

3. If you encounter a fox as soon as you wake up, its lucky.

4. When there is a big drought, when two donkeys are married, the rain god will be pleased.

5. There is one thing I never understand about pregnancies and eclipses.. too many precautions are taken.

6. This one makes me lol : If you get an haircut on new-moon day, you'll be born as a lunatic in your next life.

Something more modern, but I am not very sure of it

Russian cosmonauts have the habit of urinating on the back tyre of their transport wagon (before getting on to the shuttle), because Yuri Gagarin did so on the first ever successful human flight in space.

Edit : I wanted to post this in the Humor and Debate section.. but I posted here by mistake :/... Can a greeney or an orangey correct my mistake? Thanks.

Today's Friday the 13th, mmm. 13 is actually a number I like - just for the heck of it, coz it doesn't get much lovin' from most people. :P

A random Indian one (though it might depend on your religion as well):
Don't go out during 'rauhalam' (unlucky period between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm on Sunday).

Some others I defy on purpose :razz::

Don't walk on the cracks in the pavement

Don't walk under ladders

I now believe in Friday 13th.

I just came out of my house to go to work, the alarm on the car won't stop going off. No matter what I do it's "wooo oooo ooo ooo owooo ooo ooo woooo oo oooo " you get the idea ... after 20 minutes of trying different key-fobs to turn it off I lost my head, booted the ♥♥♥♥ing thing in the wing and left a nice dent, and threw the keys at it, then got a bus.

I wonder if it's still there?

Has anyone seen that Derren Brown show about superstitions?
If you haven't here's a quick summary.
He takes a very superstitious lady, makes her do all these supposedly unlucky things like crossing someone on the stairs, walking under ladders, going into house number 13, holding an umbrella up inside etc.
Then he blindfolds her and asks her to pick one card at random. He then gives her a set of darts, sticks the cards face up on the wall and asks her to throw a dart at the wall to hit her chosen card.
Anyway, to her amazement she hits the correct card and wonders how she could have done it after having performed all the unlucky actions.
OK, it may be staged and TV can easily be edited but this has led me to disprove superstition.
I think it's all in the mind, and minds are very complex beings.

Don't believe in Friday the 13th as an unlucky day... but now I have a flat tire.. so grrrr, lol. Prolly not the day, just one of those things, but I can blame the day, it makes me feel better. :razz:

lol, i dont believe in the day being unlucky or whatevs....but we tend to bother our teachers telling them because its friday the 13th we shouldnt have any tests/quizzes or we'll get a bad grade ;) XD

I'm having a really lucky day so far.

I am making chocolates for my husband, and I thought to myself 'huh - what I really need are tiny cupcake paper-holder thingies'. I went to the shop to buy some icing sugar, and what's the first thing I saw? Teeny tiny cupcake holders! Perfect size for little rum truffles.

Other stuff too - I found some really great ideas online with one google search (the google-fu is strong with me today) and they are all working out great!

Friday 13th - I love you :)

I was talking to my friend about superstitions and we were discussing what the difference was between a belief and a superstition; when does one become the other? We came to the conclusion that superstitions are simply based on the concept of good or bad fortune rather than good or bad in a more moral sense. What do people on here think?

Oh and Happy Friday 13th! :razz:

Yeah, I'd agree with that, Sparrow.

I think good luck/bad luck and a belief system are quite distinctive. I don't think there are many Christians/Jews/Muslims who think 'I believe in God, therefore I am going to have a lucky life', because in all of those religions, you have to work hard and be dedicated and not expect a reward, whereas some people carry a lucky talisman as a kind of mental security blanket. I think there are some religions which maybe have a cross-over element. Of course, there are people who practise those faiths who use their God as some kind of mental security blanket, but I'm not sure how religious leaders would react to that.

I firmly believe that we make our own luck. It's the difference of thinking 'Wow! That was lucky!' and 'Hmpf, about time I got a break in this life'. Positive thinking is a powerful thing!

Has anyone seen that Derren Brown show about superstitions?
If you haven't here's a quick summary.
He takes a very superstitious lady, makes her do all these supposedly unlucky things like crossing someone on the stairs, walking under ladders, going into house number 13, holding an umbrella up inside etc.
Then he blindfolds her and asks her to pick one card at random. He then gives her a set of darts, sticks the cards face up on the wall and asks her to throw a dart at the wall to hit her chosen card.
Anyway, to her amazement she hits the correct card and wonders how she could have done it after having performed all the unlucky actions. ...

Pfft, you think after all that the bad luck she has accumulated, her misfortune will be wasted in some some measly dart game? Have some faith, db! :twisted:

:razz:

Pfft, you think after all that the bad luck she has accumulated, her misfortune will be wasted in some some measly dart game? Have some faith, db! :twisted:

Yes, I suppose so, but still, I think superstition is all in the mindset.
Supposedly you receive 7 years bad luck if you break a mirror. Somehow I don't reckon many people will think back to that certain incident every time something bad happens. OK, that example seems a little extreme, but I don't think luck depends on other superstitious happenings that take place prior to an unfortunate event.

lol db, I was just kidding.

I don't really believe in superstitions (at least, not the English variety), but I do tend to follow whatever superstitions stem from my religious beliefs, just because, well, it keeps the peace, and I'm not losing anything by believing in them.

E.g. one superstition (or actually, I am not even sure if it's a superstition - it's just not a 'done' thing) is that I shouldn't shower immediately after lunch, because normally, in a house where a person has passed away recently, the members of the household only shower after lunch. So if you were to shower after lunch it's sort of like suggesting something. So I shower before lunch. It doesn't hurt and it's good practice anyway to shower in the morning. So it doesn't bother me.

I have to admit that I favour the superstitions that help me form good habits though xD

3. If you encounter a fox as soon as you wake up, its lucky.*Fox winks. :) hehe

Edit : I wanted to post this in the Humor and Debate section.. but I posted here by mistake :/... Can a greeney or an orangey correct my mistake? Thanks.

Done :biggrin:

As for the superstitions... I personally am a great believer in the 'Law of Attraction'. Basically, whatever your mindset (be it happy, afraid, negative, sad) will affect what you get back in return.

For example: If I was afraid that something bad would happen just because it is Friday 13th (which I am not :razz:), chances are that my behaviour might dictate what happens to me and could in effect, attract bad luck.

When I go to Bingo (:razz:) I now am positive - if someone wins I am genuinely pleased and excited for them... and since I have adopted this mindset... I am winning more! (Won £310 this week, £320 the week before... and quite a few £££'s over the last six months or so since I have been playing).

Very interesting thread :biggrin:

Edit: I have just re-read the whole thread and noticed that Vik is on the same tracks as me. Not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing :twisted: lol

Lol i'm not generally superstitious but for some reason I can't help but making a wish whenever I see the clock at 1:11 or 2:22 or whatever. Lol

Since childhood the people in my family have always come out with supersticious sayings.
Like a broken mirrow gives you 7 yrs bad luck,or
Never step over someone laying on the floor, walk round them and if you do dtep over them step back again to take away what you did the first time.
Also when movig to a new home put some bread and salt in the kitchen before moving day, says it clears the home of anything negative.
The colours blue and green should never be seen together, pass i dunno why not, does anyone else???.
Never have the foot of your bed facing the bedroom door they say, as thats the way they carry you out if you die in bed.
Pulling a wishbone after a chicken or turkey meal, say your wish in your head and never tell another soul what you asked for.
Never tread on the cracks in the oavement lol, omg you would have to walk with your head down the whole time.
Be carefull what you wish for, you might just get it, indicates if you wish others harm watch your own back first.
Magpies if you see them you must salute them, one magpie is for sorrow, 2 is for joy 3 is for a girl and 4 for a boy, 5 for silver 6 for gold 7 for a secret never to be told.
There are lots of them ill go look them up and the meaning and post here.

...for some reason I can't help but making a wish whenever I see the clock at 1:11 or 2:22...

Or Pi o'clock (3:14) :razz:

Does anyone live at house number 13 in their road?

... Does anyone live at house number 13 in their road?

Lol, I don't have a no. 13 on my road, but my old university has numbered self-study cubicles in the library and they've skipped the number 13! xD I wanted to book cubicle 13 before my exams but it wasn't on the list. I was gutted :P Hehe.

Lol, I don't have a no. 13 on my road, but my old university has numbered self-study cubicles in the library and they've skipped the number 13! xD I wanted to book cubicle 13 before my exams but it wasn't on the list. I was gutted :P Hehe.

I saw a property programme where the people decided not to buy a house purely because it was number 13. If it was either 12 or 14, they would have had no problem buying it. It's just a number :P

p.s. storm has 999 posts :razz:

And she's been thanked 99 times...

Woooo....

I have no problem with 13 - it's just a number.

storm, do you feel lucky with 999 posts and 99 thanks? :razz:

Maybe you should play the lottery this week and choose birthdays as well as 13 in your number selection :biggrin:

* db1986 holds up an umbrella inside

I have read and heard of a lot about superstitions, although I have never considered myself as such there are a few things that I adhere to:

Never walk under a ladder as it will bring bad luck. (well duh, especially if someone is up the ladder that could accidentally drop a gallon of paint on you) None the less, I never walk under a ladder.

When spilling salt, throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder for luck. I always do this, no idea why I started though.

When moving it is bad luck to take your broom with you. You should leave it at your old place. I always leave my broom, mostly because by time I move, I need a new broom anyway.

*goes off to find the book of superstitions she bought a long, long, time ago.

Now where did I put that book? :S

storm, do you feel lucky with 999 posts and 99 thanks? :razz:

Haha, I don't know. I'm sure it would jinx it if I were to respond in the affirmative [if I say it in such a convoluted maybe I won't indirectly jinx it x) superstitious or what xD]

Maybe you should play the lottery this week and choose birthdays as well as 13 in your number selection :biggrin: ...

Lol, I've never bought a lottery ticket... luck and me... we've never seemed to cross paths somehow :p

LOL and ty Deadlock for rounding off the 99 to 100 :D xD

Oh, I only just saw db's comment about number 13, lol.

/me lives at a number 13 :P

It never occurred to me that I do, though.. lol. Until just now XD
It's just a number to me though, I think that's why I didn't recognise it.

I have to say I don't have any superstitions. I'm boring like that :)

Ah dB has 111 thanks... reminds me of the "Unlucky Nelson" in cricket, where scores in multiples of 111 are considered unlucky.

Nope, I believe there is nothing unlucky about numbers :)

Happy second Friday the 13th!

Friday the 13th is having a lucky year XD

Friday the 13th is having a lucky year XD


Yeah, there is one more this year (November).