Common Superstitions by Elizabeth Rose PIN 7430

Do you know the origins?

A common superstition is that a black cat will bring you bad luck and is a bad omen. This superstition goes way back to the 1200’s when Pope Gregory waged a war against symbols and he decided that cats, the black cat particularly was a servant of Satan and he had as many as possible killed. Some Historians think that due to being reduced in cats that infected rodents spread the bubonic plague in 1348. In the 1600’s they even believed the black cat had supernatural powers and helped Witches!

Do you walk under a ladder or walk round it thinking it would be bad luck, if you walked underneath it? This superstition would you believe is supposed to have originated 5000 years ago in Egypt. Apparently, ladders were left in the tombs so that the deceased could ascend to heaven. The Egyptians believed that the space between the ladder and the wall was the home to good and evil spirits, and if this space was disturbed then the spirits would get angry. It was actually forbidden for anyone to walk beneath a ladder. The triangle beneath the ladder was sacred, like the pyramids. The sacred triangle was believed and in Christianity is used to represent the holy trinity, that is the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, so walking under a ladder was now blasphemous. In the 1600’s criminals were made to walk under a ladder on the way to the gallows. This superstition has continued throughout the ages to the present day.

What about the Superstition of not to leave shoes on the table, or they will invite death to the house? Some believe this originated from when a miner lost his life down the pit, and as a tribute the family would leave his boots on the table. Others believed that when a convict swung from the Gallows his shoes scraped the wooden platform of the Gallows and that was represented as a table. Others believed that their future prosperity would be affected and that marriage prospects would not be good. Some also believed that leaving their shoes on the table would cause thunder and lightning or even invite a fight to their home.