Seven Origins of Superstitions

Friday the 13th is coming next month and with it falling so close to Halloween, it should be an interesting one. Or so they say. 

Superstitions, we all know them as silly little beliefs that humans have come up with over the years. Some of us think them to be fact, others blame it on the human tendency to just make crap up when we don't understand something. 

They can be passed on from generation to generation, or it can stem from someone creating a reasoning for some crazy shit they can't otherwise explain. 

But who started some of these superstitions?

Where did they come from?

Can the origins of your favorite silly belief make it more believable?

Or more ridiculous? 

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Have you ever heard someone say "Someone's walking over my grave" because they got a cold chill? The English in the middle ages truly believed that someone in the future was walking on their predetermined grave site. Of course we now know that sudden shuddering or goosebumps are caused by the release of adrenaline in response to a simple chill in the air or an emotional reaction to an important memory.  Sorry to burst your bubble

If your right palm itches, you'll soon find money, but you will lose it if you scratch it. There's not much known about this one , but it's thought to originate from German tribes called the Saxons. They believed that rubbing diseased hands on silver cures them. I wonder how many diseases were spread this way. How many hand herpes incidents did it take before everyone started blaming it on superstition. 

Have you ever heard your grandma tell you not to comb or cut your hair outside? If a bird uses your shed/cut hair in her nest, you'll start getting headaches or even go insane.  Locks of hair used to hold a large symbolic value. If you held onto someone else's hair, you held power over them. I'm blaming my psyche bill on that asshole bird that keeps pooping on my car and probably stealing my hair.

Full moons make the crazies come out. This superstition is big around my office. Of course it's probably because the crazies are always out in the ghetto. Before homes had electricity, humans weren't accustomed to seeing light all hours of the day. Full moons would cause more light than people were used to, causing insomnia. I don't know about you, but sleep deprivation definitely makes me crazy. 

Why is it bad luck to walk under a leaning ladder? Aside from the common sense of danger in the action, a ladder leaning against something creates a triangle. About 5,000 years ago, Egyptians found the triangle shape to be sacred... so you would be disrespecting the triangle..before you were smashed in the head by a falling fat guy 

Why were we taught to hold our breath when passing by a cemetery? Some Native American cultures feared that breathing near the dead caused you to inhale another's soul. However, that just makes me wonder how they dealt with funerals. Did they hold their breath throughout an entire ceremony? Which in turn could cause more dead people via self- suffocation? This just sounds like a vicious cycle to me

Have you ever thrown coins into a fish pond or a fountain? You can thank the Ancient Romans and their efforts in appeasing the water gods to get good luck.  We've been poisoning koi fish and throwing away money ever since.