Predictions and Prophecies

Good Luck and Bad Luck Signs

 

Ladders

A ladder leaning against a wall forms a triangle. Some people believe it is disrespectful, and unlucky, to walk underneath one because triangles symbolize the Holy Trinity. The bad luck is supposed to be warded off by crossing the fingers or making a wish while under the ladder.

Mirrors

Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven year's bad luck. This idea may come from the old belief that your reflection is an image of your soul, so anything that changes the reflection may bring evil. The length of the period of bad luck may come from the Roman belief that life renews itself every seven years.

Horseshoes

A horseshoe is a piece of metal fixed to a horse's foot. Some people think that if you find a horseshoe and the open space is facing you it will bring you luck. Traditionally, people also hang horseshoes above the doorway of their home to bring good luck. In many European countries, the horseshoe is hung downwards- that's believed to let the luck flow out into the house. In Britain and Ireland, the shoe must be hung with the opening at the top to keep the good fortune.

Black Cats

In the UK, people think black cats are lucky, particularly if they cross your path. The opposite is true in the USA and several European countries, where a black cat is seen as a bad omen. In the USA a white cat is a sign of very good luck, while in the UK it is a sign of bad luck.

Spilling Salt

Salt was once valuable and spilling it was thought to cause bad luck, unless the person who spills it throws a pinch over their left shoulder. In his painting of the Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci shows Jesus's betrayer Judas knocking over the salt cellar.

Magpies

Magpies are generally thought to be unlucky. This belief is said to come from the Bible, as the magpie was the only bird that refused to enter Noah's Ark. In China, however, the magpie is a good omen, and should never be killed.

Clovers

Four leaf clovers are very rare. Anyone who finds one is said to be able to recognize evil influences and avoid them.

Number 13

Number 13

The belief that the number 13 is unlucky is very ancient. The Romans believed the number 13 was a symbol of death and destruction. Norse legends claimed that the thirteenth guest at a banquet is the spirit of evil. The Christian belief that the number brings bad luck is often said to come from the Last Supper, when Christ sat down with his 12 disciples- making 13 people. Some people think that the first person to leave a dinner table at which there are 13 diners will die before the end of the year.

Unlucky for some?

• On Friday 13 September 1928, a hurricane killed 2,000 people in Puerto Rico, Florida and the Virgin Islands, and caused approximately $25 million in damage.
• The 13th of the month costs the USA about $1 billion a year through cancellations on trains and planes, absenteeism from work, and reduced business activity.
• The thirteenth Apollo space mission was known as Apollo 13. On 13 April 1970, there was an explosion on board and the spacecraft began to leak oxygen. This happened two days after it took off at 13:13 (1:13 pm). The spacecraft only just made it back to Earth.
• Italy omits the number 13 from its national lottery.

Lucky for others?

• The number 13 was sacred for the Mayans and Aztecs of Central America, and it is traditionally a lucky number in China.
• Buddhists pay homage to 13 Buddhas, and the orthodox Jewish prayerbook holds 13 principles of faith