History of superstitions

Shenali Boteju

You could find millions of definitions for superstition. Often Superstition is actually a belief or a practise that people cling to even after close study have long disproved them. That is why it is impossible to say where it actually began.

In ancient times, man tried to explain events in the world as best as they could with the knowledge at hand. Because he was short on knowledge, he made up explanations and followed certain practises to protect himself from the influence. That is why astrology was an accepted belief at one time.

But with the development of science, the heavenly bodies came to be known. The old belief should have died out. When they did not and people still continued believing that shooting stars made wishes come true, these beliefs became known as superstitions.

There are thousands of superstitions ranging from an itchy palm bringing good luck to knocking on wood twice reversing bad luck. We are all familiar with common superstitions like how Friday the 13th is a recipe for trouble.

A few odd ones are such; you should leave your bed the same way you got on, never turn a loaf of bread upside down after a slice has been cut off, keeping an acorn near the windowsill will prevent you from being struck by lightning and if you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn, you wont catch a cold for the entire winter that is to follow.

Many superstitious beliefs are connected to religion. For instance, if one holds out a cross or wears one, it can ward off evil. On the other hand, different countries have different traditionally held superstitious beliefs.

The moment you sneeze the person behind you has to come up with a 'God bless you'.

This incident first started in 16th Century Europe, where it was believed that the person throws out the evil spirit within the body whenever he or she sneezes. Then again, superstitions have made a prominent place for themselves in different life styles and fields. Politicians resorting to astrology is not uncommon. In the field of sports, soccer players put their right foot forwards when entering the field. Cricketers carry around a coloured hanky in their pockets for good luck. Believe it or not, in theatre, it is actually bad luck to say 'Good luck' before a show. The cast wish each other by a peculiar sentence 'Break a leg'.

But we must remember that most of these beliefs are backed by illogical knowledge and spread by gullible and shallow people. Superstitions have their own drawbacks too. In the Western culture, some beliefs brought more bad luck, such as the time when England believed that cats were witches. The resulted culling made the rat population rise to a frightening height bringing with them diseases and death.