Lucky Horseshoe – with ends pointing up so the luck won’t run out
Superstitions vary from culture to culture. What is considered good luck in one culture may be considered bad luck in another. Today in our Culture Focus, we are going to look at some things that Americans consider good luck, and what things are considered bad luck.
Good Luck
There are different ways to bring about good luck. Of course, you can wish a friend or acquaintance “Good luck!” when they face some big event in their life – going on a trip, getting married, taking a test, and so on. For actors, musicians, and other stage performers, it is common to wish them good luck by telling them to “Break a leg!” This is because people used to believe that by pretending to wish something bad on a person, an evil spirit would do the opposite, and end up actually bringing good fortune to the person.
Another way of bringing about good luck is by doing some lucky action. Picking up a pin is considered lucky. So is picking up a penny:
“Find a penny,
Pick it up,
All day long
You’ll have good luck.”
Finding a four-leaf clover is another action that is said to bring good luck. Another common way of bringing good luck is by rubbing or touching something – a statue, for example. At Lincoln’s Tomb in Springfield, Illinois, the bust of Lincoln’s head has a shiny nose from countless numbers of schoolchildren touching it for good luck!
Good luck can also be brought about by possessing some sort of lucky charm, or talisman. Common objects considered to bring good luck are a rabbit’s foot, a four-leaf clover, or wearing a special piece of clothing – hat, shirt, shoes, etc. Profession athletes sometimes insist on wearing a particular hat or shirt, or a jersey with a particular number on it. Lucky objects can also be placed in, on, or around a person’s home or property. A horseshoe is often put on a door, or over a door, to bring good luck – and to make sure that the good luck stays, the ends of the horseshoe must be pointing up.
Certain numbers can also be lucky – often this would be 7 or 11, but sometimes individuals can have their own number that they consider lucky.
Sometimes instead of bringing good luck, people do or say things that at least prevent bad luck from happening. The “break a leg” wish mentioned above is an example of this. Another example: if you spill some salt, you should throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder to prevent bad luck from coming your way. And, if you say something positive and you want things to stay positive, you can follow your statement with the phrase “knock on wood”: “I haven’t been in a car accident yet, knock on wood.”
Bad Luck
The opposite of good luck is bad luck, and there are certain actions or situations that should be avoided if one does not want to bring bad luck upon themselves. Walking under a ladder, opening an umbrella in the house, and having a black cat cross your path are all said to bring bad luck. If you break a mirror, you will have seven years of bad luck. Children learn a rhyme: “Step on a crack, break your mother’s back” – which would certainly be bad luck for the mother.
There are also unlucky numbers and unlucky days. 13 is considered to be the unluckiest number – some hotels and other buildings might actually skip over the 13th floor, or skip room 13 because of 13’s status as an unlucky number. If there are 13 people invited to a dinner party, the host will probably invite another person to avoid the unlucky number. As for unlucky days, Friday is considered to be unlucky – sailors did not want to set out on a voyage on Friday, and by extension modern travelers are warned about starting a trip on Friday. To do something to your bed on Friday, like change the sheets or turn the mattress, will also invite bad luck in the form of a bad dream, or sleeplessness.
In particular, the combination of the unlucky number (13) and the unlucky day (Friday) is said to be extra unlucky: Friday the 13th is supposed to be a day of bad luck. Of course, it is no luckier or unluckier than any other date on the calendar, but it may just seem like an unlucky day: on that day people pay more attention to any and every bad thing that happens to them.
This coming Friday is Friday the 13th. If you are superstitious, you can try to find a four-leaf clover, or carry a lucky rabbit’s foot with you. But if not, you can always stay in bed all day and wait for Saturday the 14th 🙂 .
