Irish Superstitions

Being from Ireland I thought I would talk a bit about the superstitions I am most familiar with. Such as; breaking a mirror and suffering 7 years bad luck or touching wood while saying something bad about a friend or family member etc.

Alright so here's why you should never break a mirror! -In the days before we had mirrors, people only had their reflection in a lake to see themselves. If the water was disturbed and therefore disturbing their image it was said that an intruder was approaching or something dangerous could be near.
Then when mirrors were invented it was still considered a bad omen if the reflection was disturbed by a crack or scratch. The 7 years dates back to Roman times who believed the body renewed its self every 7 years.
You can reverse your bad luck if you bury the broken shards in the ground under the moonlight!...
Sources: http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACustom/Superstitions1.html
http://bit.ly/woYW7a  http://www.brighthub.com/education/languages/articles/13474.aspx

Catching Falling Leaves

 Supposedly if you catch a falling leaf on the 1st day of Autumn you will not catch a cold or get sick all winter.  Not sure about the truth behind it, but it's an easy one to test...
Picture: http://bit.ly/xKJeon

Number 2. Curing Disease, by the touch of a dead mans hand...

  It is a very old superstitions that if you touched the hand of a dead man, especially a man who had been murdered or committed suicide; you would be healed of all diseases!
Back in the time where people were executed, people would pay the undertaker to take the hand of the dead. If anyone was hanged from a tree, in the night people would go to touch the hand...
This superstition comes from no logic and definitely doesn't work... It's a bit creepy too.
Pictures: http://bit.ly/zcsjWp

The Evil Eye!

Ever heard the phrase: If looks could kill?
Well, it comes from the middle eastern belief that if a person looks on you with evil eyes, you become hexed!
There are different strengths to the evil according to ancient texts: If you receive the evil eye 1st thing in the morning, you will have bad luck for the rest of the day. If you receive the evil eye while resting, there is "doom" in the glance. If anyone who has received the evil eye says a verse to a sleeping child, the child will "assuredly die!" ...
The evil eye superstition is mainly believed in Turkey and if you wear an evil eye charm, it is said to protect you.

Pictures: http://bit.ly/yzqQ5y http://bit.ly/wSKCPG

Superstition Definition

For anyone who is uncertain exactly what a superstition is, see below. The definition that follows is from http://dictionary.reference.com/. It is what most people believe and is usually true, however I am on a quest to find at least  one definition based on truth or fact.

su·per·sti·tion

noun

1. a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous  significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.

2. a system or collection of such beliefs.

3. a custom or act based on such belief.

4. irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion.

5. any blindly accepted belief or notion.

Number 1: Keeping a dead Shrew in your pocket prevents rheumatism.

Keep keeping one of these

with you stops you getting achy bones??

from personally having experienced rheumatoid arthritis as a child, I can honestly say I'd rather put up with the pain!

 It comes from an old belief old in ancient Manx land, Isle of Man.

Introduction

Ever wondered where superstitions come from? Why people throw salt over their shoulder if they spill some? Why you should never walk under a step ladder (apart from obvious safety reasons!). Why would breaking a mirror give you seven years bad luck??
Well in this blog I'll tell you all you need to know about superstitions and how they all started. And if you believe; how to reverse bad luck and attract good luck...