October: Black Cats & Superstitions

October is a time for spookiness and superstitions.  I know that I always get excited during this time of year and like hearing ghost stories and the history of what we know as superstitions in our society.  Ghost stories aside, superstitions can come from something very mundane and common place to a sign of the times in which these superstitions were created.  It is always interesting to learn the history of said superstitions and I'm sure you will find it interesting on some level to hear the beginnings of what are common practices in many of our daily lives.

Black Cats

Starting off, I have a black cat.  His name is Oliver and he is quite a character.  He likes to meow a lot and loves his food and pets.  I do not consider him unlucky.  However, in many societies, black cats are considered unlucky.  If a black cat crosses your path, it is sure to bring bad luck or even death.  Pilgrims brought with them deep suspicions of anything deemed o the devil and viewed a black cat as a companion or familiar to witches.  This led to people killing black cats in their hunt for witches and the unintended consequences of spreading disease such as the Bubonic Plague which was spread by rodents.  Another theory is that Satan turned himself into a black cat when conversing with witches.

On the other hand, some societies deem black cats as lucky.  Japan, Great Britain, and Ireland believes that black cats bring good luck.  Scotland believes that a black cat will bring about prosperity.  And, if a lady possesses a black cat, she will be blessed with many suitors. 

Overall, a cat is a cat.  It makes me nervous during this time of year because there are rumors that people adopt black cats during this time in order to torture them for satanic rituals.  Many shelters do not allow black cats to be adopted during the month of October for this reason.  I know I make sure my fur baby is safe during this month because I don't want anything happening to him.

Walking Under a Ladder

Of course walking under a ladder is unsafe.  Especially if there is someone on said ladder.  You may knock that person off and who wants that sort of karma?  This belief comes from not only wanting to protect your carpenter/house painter, but also from the belief that a ladder leaning up against a wall forms a triangle or "trinity" sign.  To break the trinity would indeed be blasphemous and no one wants to go against God.

Breaking a Mirror

If you break a mirror, expect 7 years of bad luck, right?  At least that is what you have heard.  According to the folklore, mirrors don't just reflect our images, they hold bits of your soul.  If you shatter that mirror, you soul is also considered shattered.  Ooops!  People in the American South also would cover mirrors when someone would die in order to make sure their soul was not trapped in a mirror.

As a way to combat a broken mirror, one can touch a piece of the mirror to a tombstone or grind up the pieces into powder.  Another way to combat the bad luck is to gather the pieces and place in a river that is flowing to the south.  Mississippi River, anyone?

Knocking on Wood

I knock on wood all the time.  It's just something that I do when I am afraid that I might bring ill will to myself or others that I care about.  According to legend, the association of knocking on wood may come from a fixation on good spirits in trees or the association with the Christian cross.  Like phrases are found in many different languages and suggest that the desire not to upset the Universe is very common.

Crossing Your Fingers

It is considered that any sign of the cross is a sign of good luck, dating back to early Christianity.  That is why many people cross their fingers for good luck. These days, even saying the phrase "fingers crossed" gets the intended message across.

Throwing Salt

I'm sure you have seen or actually done this yourself.  Someone spills salt and then promptly throws it over his or her left shoulder.  This dates back to early Christianity when salt was considered a commodity and  spilling salt would be wasting money.  It was also believed that the devil or "bad angel" rested on your left shoulder and you would be throwing salt into their eyes so that they cannot see you clean up your mess.  Looking closely at Leonardo di Vinci's painting "The Last Supper", you will notice that Judas has spilled the salt cellar over with his elbow.  This is why spilled salt is associated with treachery and lies.

Stepping on Cracks

We all know this saying, "Step on a crack and you'll break your mother's back."  But did you know it has roots during segregation and extreme prejudice?  The saying originally goes, "Step on a crack and your mother will turn black", or that she will have a black baby.  In another variation, if you stepped on a crack you would be chased by bears.  Most kids figure out pretty quickly that people who step on cracks don't come home to dead mothers or get chased by bears (at least not very often).

All Saints Day

Here in Southern Louisiana, we celebrate All Saints Day.  This day falls on November 1, and is considered the day to honor your dead family members.  You will find families out at the cemeteries tending to their loved one's graves by white washing the tombstones and putting out fresh flowers and candles.  In Mexico, this day is called Dia de los Muertos.

Cajun Traditions

Considering that I live in New Orleans, I thought I would include one amusing superstition.  It is considered a bad omen if an alligator crawls under your house.  In other words, impending death will follow for one of your loved ones.  I told this superstition to Kev and he said, "Is the impending death from the alligator itself or another outside force?"  I'm going to say that in most cases, the actual alligator was more of the threat.

I hope you enjoyed my list of common superstitions.  What are some things that you are superstitious about?  Is there anything that you learned that you were surprised about?   Don't forget to participate in BlogFest 2012!