While laughter is considered good for your health, some superstitious people believe that those who laugh excessively have been possessed by mirth and will not live much longer. You can hold your cigarette using your index finger and thumb. Everyone knows that breaking a mirror gives youseven years of bad luck, and that if you step on a crack youll break your mothers back. Its believed that those fighting either in Europe or the Pacific would flip every cigarette in the pack except for one. Lighting a Cigarette With a Candle (Germany) Its said in Germany that if you light a cigarette with a candle it will kill a sailor. So you should probably just forget about going for that late night manicure. Instead of flipping every cigarette on end, troops would invert a single one and, just as before, if you lived long enough to smoke it, you were a lucky joe. You may feel trapped and cornered. WebLighting a cigarette off a candle will cause the death of a sailor. One of its origin theories dates back to World War I. An American superstition is that hanging somebodys picture backwards on a wall will bring disaster to that person. The Evil Eye: A Superstition An ancient and almost universal superstition, with records of the Evil Eye All rights reserved. Lighting one cigarette with a match alerts a sniper. Knives, when gifted, are believed to cause the receiver injury and sometimes even death. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. It originates from World War I, the soldiers believed that if three of them lit their cigarettes on the same match, then one of them would end up dead or the third one on the match would end up getting shot. Bathing in that water seems to be OK, though; according to the ministry, "People, who bath[e] under the moonlight and in shadow, will shine as bright as the moon. Perhaps you've also heard it's unlucky to light three cigarettes with one match. Owls are often considered as wise due to it being the symbol for Athena, the Ancient Greek goddess of Wisdom. It might not seem unlucky. "Mythpuffers: The Curse of the White Lighter." If you do get near one and are in need of a change of fortune, then try and get your hands on his beret and give the little bobble at the top a gentle rub. [00:00:49] This superstition was known as three on a match. June 4, 2010 / 12:46 PM / AP. The bride and groom sit down on their marriage bed, while the bridesmaids and groomsmen turn around, slip off their socks and stockings, and fling them in the direction of the newlyweds. WebSuperstitions vary from culture to culture all over the world. Pranay Das We could save hours of time and get on with life. Travel Away, March 6, 2012. If you see a tortoiseshell cat, this foretells your death in an accident. Lighting a second lets the sniper know how far away the target is. At the end of a wedding, when the bride would usually typically throw her bouquet in lots of parts of the world, Germans follow a different tradition. (Jan. 6, 2015), Corneanu, Miruna. The third person who has their ciggie lit is easily shot, or so the tale goes. For years, people have been traveling to Verona to send their love letters to Juliet, which they hope will bring them good fortune when it comes to love. Cats. But if you are hosting a dinner party, make sure you manage guest numbers carefully. It also represents fertility and signifies that you will have children in the future. If you do, then your wishes and good will will be transferred to whoever the first candle was lit for. This can be avoided by all the guests rising from their seats at the same time. Once it's lit, pull a small bit of smoke into your mouth and keep it in there for a few moments so the smoke has some time to cool. updated June 22, 2019, 8:21 pm, by If you do, this indicates you are inviting famine into the household. Here are just a few: Perhaps you've also heard it's unlucky to light three cigarettes with one match. The reasoning is simple; In Japanese, the word for "thumb" directly translates to "parent finger." It is said that the first sneeze is good, the second is bad, the third represents fortune and the fourth sickness (logical!) Other superstitions include : killing a spider is said to bring rain the next day, leaving an open book upside down is said to make disappear the information it contains. 6. This was most likely the source of the superstition that clocks will stop dead at the same time their owner dies. This old wives tale says that combining them will cause certain death (or sometimes just an upset stomach). 6. If you walk by a graveyard or a hearse passes you on the street in Japan, you need to tuck your thumbs into your pockets in order to keep your parents safe. If you are superstitious, you can't leave the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul without doing this one thing. If your visitor is a man, though, you'll have good luck. Some believe using the trinity symbol casually, like lighting cigarettes in threes, is disrespecting holy law. Friday the 13th is a bad-luck day. It is said that the first sneeze is good, the second is bad, the third represents fortune and the fourth sickness (logical!) They believe that the soup will cause the information to slip out of your head. WebLighting a cigarette backwards dream represents surrender. It is often believed in Germany that lighting a cigarette with a candle kills a sailor, although the origins of this lie so far back that most people dont really know why. This page may contain sensitive or adult content that's not for everyone. Before taking the first sip, its essential to clink glasses and say cheers (Prost). If youve ever visited the state, you might have noticed one of these slanted windows located on the upper floors of residential houses and perhaps thought it to be nothing more than an overlooked design flaw. Spilling water may seem like it would be a sign of bad luck, although the opposite is actually true in Serbia. To light a cigarette, hold the lighter to the cigarette's tip and take a few, quick breaths in through your mouth to help it ignite. There was also a law instituted in 1990 which protects any site that has at least 100 years of supernatural history. Tuck Your Thumbs in When Passing the Dead (Japan), 1. In Germany however, the way to wish someone luck is by pressing your thumbs to the inside of your hand (Daumendrcken). Ever since the existence of the human kind, superstition has been around. Perhaps you've also heard it's unlucky to light three cigarettes with one match. According to them, the direction in which the black cat crosses your path determines whether it will bring you good or bad luck. "The match king." Placing your wallet or purse on the ground in Brazil is said to bringbad financial luck. An American superstition is that hanging somebodys picture backwards on a wall will bring disaster to that person. June 9, 2012. Every country has at least a couple of weird wedding traditions and superstitions that have gone on so long that we dont even question them anymore. To light a cigarette, hold the lighter to the cigarette's tip and take a few, quick breaths in through your mouth to help it ignite. Whoever succeeds in hitting one of their faces will be the next to marry so practice your backward-throwing skills the next time you attend a German wedding! Lighting one cigarette with a match alerts a sniper. Some versions of this superstition warn of just general unluckiness, while others say that a child whose nails are cut before 6 months of age will become a thief. Opening the umbrella inside a house would anger the Sun God, and he would punish them. Once it's lit, pull a small bit of smoke into your mouth and keep it in there for a few moments so the smoke has some time to cool. If this does happen to you, though, all hope isn't lost: Put your clothes on the right way immediately and have a friend symbolically hit you, which will minimize the potential threat. You have been warned. Hello, Marlboro Gold Pack. Anti-smoking ad calls out tobacco companies for decades-old Why Smoking Rates in the Military Are So High | HowStuffWorks. No, youve got to put a coin in it, to ensure that the recipient will never be poor. This good luck practice has been around for over 2,000 years, according to NPR, although it has only been recorded since the 19th century with roots tracing back to the UK. Goodbye, Marlboro Lights. Bottom line, if you are in Egypt, you'd better be careful with scissors. A New Zealand superstition held that hearing a Kreke (marsh crake) over your right shoulder was good luck, but over your left shoulder would lead to having a crook trotold New Zealand/Australian slang for bad luck, In general it's thought to bring misfortune, but one German interviewed for a TV segment gave more colorful consequences for wishing someone an early happy birthday: "My grandma always said you'd have blue children.". Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Why waste three matches when you can get the job done with one? You can hold your cigarette using your index finger and thumb. Similarly, leaving scissors open is also said to bring bad luck. If you believe in luck and wouldnt mind some good fortune, never cross a French stream holding a cat. Who is ironing their husbands underpants? WebSuperstitions vary from culture to culture all over the world. It might not seem unlucky. In either case, having a lucky cigarette in your pack has since become a universal superstition. This superstition comes from a period when salt was a very expensive and valuable commodity, so spilling some was considered a huge waste. This superstition stems from the actuality that many sailors took up match making as an additional source of income in the old days. Thirteen or Triskaidekaphobia the Morbid Fear of the Number 13: A Superstition. In Portugal, many people believe that walking backwards brings bad luck. Same goes for cloths used for general house cleaning. Kreuger, a shrewd (and some say deceitful) businessman, bought many matchmaking factories in the early 1920s and consolidated them. If three soldiers were smoking cigarettes during the dark hours of the night then superstition held that one of them was going to die. 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