The Totally Jinxed Map of 150 Global Superstitions Natalie Zarrelli - Atlas Obscura
go to original December 17, 2016

We mapped 150 superstitions around the world (Atlas Obscura)

Across the world, and likely right this moment, humans are knocking on wood. Many are frantically flipping over their slippers, making sure they’re not upside-down. Still others around the globe are shivering at the sight of a black cat crossing their path. Or an owl.

These are all common superstitions, or non-organized folk rituals built on the premise of controlling the outcome of events. Superstitions are spread through word of mouth; we teach them to our friends and our grandchildren. These traditions are often ancient and untraceable, focusing on powerful otherworldly forces that are related to incidental or simple actions any person can do.

Superstitions offer a way for humans to shape our destinies - or try to. Many of us follow rituals to stave off bad luck, attract romance, or keep our own inner worlds intact. Now thanks to this interactive map, we can look at 150 of these mini-beliefs across the planet.

Many of the most prevalent superstitions loosely relate to early versions of the world’s major religions or to ancient pagan beliefs. Still, “Pinning down the origins of superstitions can be baffling,” Max Cryer writes in his book Superstitions: And Why We Have Them. “Unlike epigrams, quotations, proverbs and literary allusions, superstitions often grow without visible ancestry.”

Countries can share superstitions, too. If you speak at the same time as a friend or say something you don’t want to come true, and then knock on wood? You’re in the good company of millions of people in the United States, Syria, Ireland, Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and likely a few other locales. In some locations, knocking on wood is believed to prevent the devil from entering the room (stemming from the notion that the devil was unable to touch certain woods, like oak) - which may in turn have evolved from pagan rituals regarding the worship of trees.

Read the rest at Atlas Obscura

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