February 1, RabbitRabbit

Isn't it funny when we come up with these ideas, these thoughts of what would protect us from the randomness of life?
Here are a list of odd superstitions we may all hold:
It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight.
 An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.
 If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will remember the answers.
 A red ribbon should be placed on a child who has been sick to keep the illness from returning.
A wish made upon seeing the first robin in spring will come true - but only if you complete the wish before the robin flies away.
 Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt unless a pinch is thrown over the left shoulder into the face of the devil waiting there.
Do not place shoes upon a table, for this will bring bad luck for the day, cause trouble with your mate and you might even lose your job as a result.
 If you sing before seven, you will cry before eleven.
All wishes on shooting stars come true.
 If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you have recently told a lie.
Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.
 An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life.
Placing a bed facing north and south brings misfortune.
 The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud noise.

 Monday's child is fair of face;
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe;
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving;
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
is fair and wise, good and gay.

 To protect yourself from witches, wear a blue bead.

 Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it.
 Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.
 To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately after they leave.
 If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.
 Evil spirits can't harm you when you stand inside a circle.

 First Flower of Spring: The day you find the first flower of the season can be used as an omen:
Monday means good fortune,
Tuesday means greatest attempts will be successful,
Wednesday means marriage,
Thursday means warning of small profits,
Friday means wealth,
Saturday means misfortune,
Sunday means excellent luck for weeks.

There is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned.
There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.
A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil.
In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.
It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday. Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.

 and so many more... What superstitions do you hold? Why do we hold them?

Found on February 2, 2014 at http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/scary.html