Dumbest Superstitions from Around the World

A black cat, ladder, magpie and broken mirror. Photo: David Seed Photography (Getty).

Superstitions are silly. Sure they can be fun little asides in a conversation, but to actually believe in them is a really dumb thing to do. Throughout history — and even today — people die or are killed because of superstitions. And there are tons and tons of some of the dumbest superstitions out there, with every culture having their own unique brand of ridiculous beliefs.

So let’s dig into some of the dumbest and most common to dissect not only where they came from, but what they are still doing hanging around. With any “luck,” we’ll convince you that at least a few are completely outlandish and not worth the stress. Who knows, we might just make a total unbeliever out of you. Then at least when one of these silly superstitions does come true, you can just blame us and send all that bad juju our way. We honestly couldn’t care less.

Still not convinced? A Comforting Guide To 9 Common Superstitions

Dumbest Superstitions Around The World

1. Find A Penny, Pick It Up

The superstition goes, "Find a penny, pick it up, and all day you'll have good luck." Yeah, if you find money on the ground, pick it up; I don't care if it's a penny or a bag full of money like in No Country For Old Men. Except that whole "luck" thing didn't really work out for Lewellen. Then again, it's only lucky if the penny is heads up. If it's tails, you are supposed to flip it over for someone else to find. To me, that's too much work for a superstition. Plus, kids these days are gluing coins to the ground, which is hilarious, but proof that finding coins isn't always lucky.

Close up of man picking up penny from street. Photo: Roy Hsu (Getty).
2. Knocking On Wood

This superstitions stems from Medieval times when churches in Europe would claim to have a piece of wood from the cross, and if parishioners touched it, they would be closer to divinity, and be blessed or something like that. I'm not sure how touching a piece of the device used to crucify the son of God would bless someone, but whatever. It has evolved over the years to be an expression used to not jinx something. So this superstition has gone from, "touch this certain type of wood and be blessed" to, "knock on anything wood so you don't f--k something up." The superstition of knocking on wood has slightly different variations all over the world.

Hand knocking on wood. Photo: Thinkstock Images (Getty).
3. Witch Hunts

It's been around 300 years since the U.S. had a good old fashioned witch hunt, but surprisingly, it still happens today. In fact, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, 768 women have been killed since 2008 for "practicing witchcraft." It's also been reported that most of these witch hunts are used to rob widows and divorcees of their property. Who needs civil asset forfeiture laws when you have superstition?! Not India!

Woman dressed as a witch walking through the forest. Photo: Thegoodly (Getty).
4. Walking Under A Ladder

Walking under a ladder is supposed to bring you bad luck, but why? The two theories are explained here, but basically, it's because ladders symbolize the gallows used to hang people. Also, a ladder leaning against a wall makes a triangle, which represents the Holy Trinity. Neither of those reasons are enough to stop me from walking under a ladder, but I would avoid walking under a ladder for safety's sake. Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury according to the CDC, with 43 percent of those coming from ladders. So maybe just avoid ladders all together so you don't become a statistic.

Couple Walking Under Ladder. Photo: Mikael Vaisanen (Getty).
5. Breaking A Mirror

If you break a mirror, the rumor is you get seven years of bad luck. This superstition seems to arise from the belief that mirrors don't just reflect your image; they hold bits of your soul. That belief led people in the old days of the American South to cover mirrors in a house when someone died, lest their soul be trapped inside. But let's say you DO break a mirror -- the ways to get out of the curse include everything from touching a piece of the broken mirror to a tombstone to grinding the mirror shards into powder. So, if you believe that you have a soul, and also believe that mirrors keep parts of your soul, I'm sure breaking a mirror would be terrifying. And then you would be forced to play with shards of glass WHILE you have bad luck. Seems like a terrible plan to me.

Broken mirror. Photo: dayice (Getty).
6. Wishing On A Wishbone

This superstition is actually pretty new. The wishbone of a goose has long been used to decide what kind of winter was in store during the Late Medieval Period. It was first recorded in the 1860s as the "wishbone" and would be used in a tug-of-war, with the person who had the bigger piece getting a wish to come true. Now, the "wishbone" is actually called the "furcula." But if you want to make wishes while you snap the bones of birds, I hope your wish was to become a sociopath... because, WISH GRANTED!

Grandfather and grandson (6-7) holding wishbone, close-up. Photo: Flashpop (Getty).
7. Crossing Your Fingers

Like knocking on wood, "Fingers crossed!" is a pretty common expression to wish someone luck. This early gang sign is said to date back to Christianity. The story goes that two people used to cross index fingers when making a wish, a symbol of support from a friend to the person making the wish. Anymore, you don't need another person to be involved, you can just cross your index and middle fingers. But also, I clearly remember crossing your fingers as a way of getting out of a promise. Like, if your fingers were crossed when you said you'd do something, it was fifth grade legalese that the promise was non-binding. Makes perfect sense.

Fingers crossed. Photo: Barbara Taeger Photography (Getty).
8. Friday the 13th

Fear of Friday the 13th seems to be a new superstition. Along with snapping the bones of birds, this also dates back to the late 1800s. And again, it seems to stem from Christianity. Friday is considered an unlucky day because it's the day of the week Jesus died. Pair that with "13" being an unlucky number, and boom! -- you have a superstition on your hands. Let's be honest, Friday is the best day of the week (unless you have to work on Saturdays). It could be Friday the 666th and I would still be glad it was Friday.

FRIDAY THE 13TH CALENDAR PAGE. Photo: Derek P. Redfearn (Getty).