What do you think of superstitions?
Superstition is a belief that is not based in logic, and thus, is considered as total nonsense by those who don’t believe in it. Where I am coming from (Russia), we have a lot of superstitions, too many, a gigantic legacy that passes from one generation to the next. If you spill salt on the table, it will bring quarrel. If you leave an empty bottle of wine (or vodka) on the table, you will end up without money. If a knife falls on the floor, expect a man to come soon to your house, but if it’s a fork, expect a woman. Don’t discuss money in the evening, and if you sit at the hook of the table, you won’t get married at least for seven years.
I love superstitions because they add something unusual to our lives. They can be so bizarre that I also wonder, but where is logic to all these beliefs indeed? Like a superstition in Germany that you shouldn’t leave wet clothes hanging overnight during New Year’s eve, otherwise, there is a risk that someone from your family might die (thanks to @LeoKoesters on X for this info!).
It’s quite ridiculous, isn’t? I mean, Germany gets cold in winter, who on earth would hang their clothes when it might be snowing??? Or take the superstition about a black cat. This poor creature is often blamed when it dares to cross the road right in front of you. In Germany, they go even further, it is very specific. If a black cat comes into your eyesight from your right hand side, it will bring bad luck! I had to laugh about it through some tears, as I really love black cats, and cats in general.
But wait! Sometimes, behind the most ridiculous superstition might hide a true warning. For instance, what do you think of one Russian superstition that if you meet three women on the street who hold a bucket of water, you will end up in trouble? How likely is it to ever happen, in the first place? Agree? And yet, it DID happen to me! Once during my summer holidays in Donbas, I walked on the street and met three woman holding a bucket of water. Almost immediately after I saw a tree with pears, and ate some of them. I ended up so unwell, that I had to go to the hospital, where I stayed almost an entire week! Can we call it a coincidence? What do you think?
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