New Year’s Eve is celebrated across the world with a mix of joy, hope, and anticipation, but it’s also steeped in superstitions that reflect the diverse cultural beliefs about starting the year off right. From wearing specific colors to performing quirky rituals, these traditions often revolve around themes of luck, prosperity, and protection. While some are widely practiced, others are truly bizarre and reveal fascinating insights into the societies that uphold them.

Here are 10 of the strangest New Year’s Eve superstitions from around the globe.

Related: 10 Traditions That Brighten the Festive Season

10 Eating Grapes for Luck in Spain

In Spain, the clock striking midnight on New Year’s Eve signals the beginning of a peculiar and high-pressure ritual: eating 12 grapes in 12 seconds. Each grape represents a month of the coming year, and participants must eat them in sync with the chimes of the clock. Successfully completing this task is believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the entire year. The tradition is said to have originated in the early 20th century when Spanish grape growers had a surplus harvest and promoted the practice as a clever marketing ploy.

The challenge is not as simple as it sounds. Participants often struggle to chew and swallow the grapes fast enough, leading to hilariously chaotic scenes at family gatherings and public celebrations. In some cities, such as Madrid, people gather in plazas like Puerta del Sol to perform the ritual en masse, creating a collective sense of anticipation and hilarity. While it may have begun as a practical solution to a farming issue, the superstition has become an integral part of Spanish New Year’s culture.^[1]

9 Smashing Plates for Good Luck in Denmark

In Denmark, New Year’s Eve involves a unique and noisy tradition: smashing plates against the doors of friends and neighbors. This act is believed to bring good fortune to the household receiving the broken crockery. The more broken plates you find on your doorstep the next morning, the more luck you’re said to have in the coming year. It’s a practice rooted in the Danish belief that shattered items ward off bad spirits and symbolize renewal.

Families and friends often save chipped or old plates throughout the year, specifically for this purpose. The tradition doesn’t just involve smashing; it’s also a test of popularity. A doorstep with a heap of broken plates signifies that the occupants are well-loved and have strong social bonds. Though the practice might seem bizarre to outsiders, it underscores Denmark’s focus on community and the idea of starting the year with a clean slate—literally and figuratively.^[2]

8 Jumping Off Chairs in the Philippines

In the Philippines, a nation rich in festive traditions, one unique superstition involves jumping off a chair or table at the stroke of midnight. This playful ritual is aimed primarily at children and teenagers, with the belief that leaping into the New Year will help them grow taller in the months ahead. Parents encourage their kids to jump as high as possible, blending cultural beliefs with a sense of fun and family bonding.

This tradition is just one of many Filipino customs designed to bring prosperity, growth, and good fortune. Families also engage in practices like filling their homes with round fruits, which symbolize wealth due to their resemblance to coins. Firecrackers are set off to drive away evil spirits, while windows and doors are left open to let good energy flow into the home. The combination of these superstitions creates a lively and symbolically rich New Year’s celebration, with the leap into the New Year serving as both a literal and figurative step toward growth and success.^[3]

7 Wearing Red Underwear in Italy

In Italy, wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is considered a surefire way to bring love, luck, and fertility in the coming year. This tradition dates back to ancient Rome, where red was a symbol of power, passion, and protection. Romans often wore red garments during winter solstice celebrations to ward off malevolent spirits and ensure a prosperous start to the year. As Christianity spread, the practice was adapted to the New Year’s holiday, keeping its vibrant symbolism intact.

Today, the tradition has become deeply ingrained in Italian culture, particularly as a playful holiday custom. Shops and markets stock up on red lingerie during the holiday season, with many couples exchanging red underwear as a romantic and lighthearted gift. The superstition even comes with a rule: the underwear must be new and ideally given as a present, as this is believed to ensure the wearer receives fresh and untainted luck. This quirky practice combines ancient beliefs with modern holiday cheer, making it both a symbolic and fun way to ring in the New Year.^[4]

6 First-Footing in Scotland

In Scotland, “first-footing” is a centuries-old New Year’s Eve tradition rooted in the belief that the first person to enter your home after midnight will determine your luck for the year ahead. According to custom, the ideal first-foot should be a tall, dark-haired man, as this was thought to bring prosperity and protection to the household. The superstition likely stems from the days of Viking invasions when blonde-haired visitors were associated with danger and misfortune.

The first-foot traditionally brings symbolic gifts such as coal for warmth, whiskey for good cheer, and bread to ensure sustenance. These items are meant to represent abundance and well-being for the coming year. The practice is central to Hogmanay celebrations, with Scots meticulously planning who their first-foot will be to ensure the best possible start to the year. In some regions, first-footing has evolved into a festive event, with neighbors visiting each other’s homes to exchange blessings, making it a blend of superstition and communal celebration.^[5]

5 Burning Effigies in Ecuador

In Ecuador, New Year’s Eve is marked by the dramatic and symbolic burning of effigies, known as año viejo (old year). These effigies, often crafted from old clothes, paper, and wood, represent the misfortunes and mistakes of the past year. At the stroke of midnight, families and communities light the effigies on fire, symbolizing a fresh start and the cleansing of bad luck. This tradition is believed to have indigenous and Spanish colonial roots, combining elements of purification rituals with festive celebrations.

The effigies are often humorously designed to resemble politicians, celebrities, or fictional characters, allowing people to vent frustrations while adding a lighthearted touch. In some regions, participants leap over the burning effigies as a way to leave their troubles behind, a daring and cathartic act. Fireworks often accompany the ritual, turning it into a spectacle of sound and light. For many Ecuadorians, the año viejo ceremony is not just a tradition but a deeply personal and communal way to embrace the possibilities of the New Year.^[6]

4 Carrying Suitcases in Colombia

In Colombia, a playful New Year’s Eve superstition involves carrying an empty suitcase around the block at midnight to guarantee a year filled with travel and adventure. Families and friends enthusiastically take part in the ritual, running or walking quickly with their suitcases as the clock strikes twelve. The belief is that this symbolic gesture sends a clear intention to the universe, ensuring opportunities for exploration and journeys in the coming year.

Some participants take the tradition even further by packing their suitcases with meaningful items, such as maps, postcards, or travel tickets, to enhance the ritual’s effectiveness. Others incorporate the practice into a broader set of prosperity rituals, like wearing yellow underwear for wealth or eating 12 grapes for luck. Entire neighborhoods often come alive with laughter and excitement as families race around their blocks with luggage in tow. Whether or not the superstition guarantees travel, it brings a sense of hope and fun, embodying the spirit of optimism that defines New Year’s Eve in Colombia.^[7]

3 Eating Lentils in Brazil

In Brazil, lentils are more than a hearty legume—they’re a New Year’s Eve staple believed to bring financial prosperity and good luck. Families incorporate lentils into their midnight meals, often in the form of soup, stews, or side dishes. The belief likely stems from Italian immigrants who brought the custom to Brazil, as lentils resemble small coins and are thought to symbolize wealth and abundance.

This tradition is typically part of a larger feast that includes other lucky foods, such as pork (to symbolize progress) and grapes (for general good fortune). Brazilian families might also set aside a few lentils to carry in their wallets, a gesture intended to “attract money” throughout the year. The focus on lentils during the New Year reflects Brazil’s vibrant fusion of cultural influences and its emphasis on starting the year with prosperity and abundance.^[8]

2 Dropping Ice Cream in Switzerland

In Switzerland, a curious New Year’s Eve superstition involves intentionally dropping a scoop of ice cream on the floor to ensure good fortune in the coming year. This quirky ritual is rooted in the belief that offering something symbolic to the universe or gods will bring blessings in return. While the origins of the tradition are unclear, it has become a beloved part of Swiss celebrations, blending humor with hope.

In some families, the ice cream is accompanied by additional symbolic foods, such as bread or wine, to amplify the gesture’s meaning. Children often take special delight in the ritual, turning it into a playful moment during otherwise formal gatherings. While modern interpretations of the tradition vary, the act of purposefully sacrificing a treat remains a lighthearted way for Swiss families to manifest luck and abundance.^[9]

1 Smashing Pomegranates in Greece

In Greece, smashing a pomegranate against the front door on New Year’s Eve is a vivid and symbolic tradition meant to bring prosperity, health, and good fortune for the coming year. The custom traces its roots back to ancient Greek mythology, where the pomegranate represented life, fertility, and abundance. Families often choose their most beautiful pomegranate for the ritual, treating it with reverence before smashing it with dramatic flair.

The scattering seeds are said to predict the household’s luck for the year ahead—the more seeds that spread, the greater the fortune. Some families incorporate additional practices, such as hanging the broken pomegranate’s remnants near the entrance as a protective charm or consuming the seeds during a celebratory meal. This tradition highlights Greece’s deep cultural connection to symbolic rituals, blending mythology, agriculture, and festive optimism.^[10]

Some prefer to live life like a lone wolf, uninterested in sharing their space, and value alone time more than anything. To those types, love is just a word or something that warms their heart when their mother phones. For others, love is the lifeblood of existence, the very essence of who we as human beings are. And to most, it’s one of the strongest emotions you will ever feel.

That is why we resonate toward happy endings. We celebrate marriages in the hopes that the love will last a lifetime, and we consume romance novels and stream rom-coms. The sad truth is, though, that not everyone will experience what love has to offer. Have you ever wondered why?

Here are ten insane superstitions from around the world that might ruin your love life.

Related: Top 10 Crazy Superstitious Things People Do

10 Having a Beard

Despite it having a traditionally masculine connotation in many parts of the world, facial hair isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The modern world has made manscaping rather simple. However, some still choose to embrace their inner caveman, letting it grow, hiding their chins, or sporting some stubble.

Be that as it may, there are parts of the world where having facial hair is downright bad luck and might even ruin your chance at love.

Despite historical figures and warlords often depicted with beards, it was traditionally considered bad luck to not have a clean-shaved mug. This is because it was often associated with the working classes. It lowered the status of the man, thereby also diminishing his chances of finding someone willing to stoop down to his uncultured level.^[1]

9 Even Flowers

It’s not just in the West that flowers are considered an appropriate gift before a first dinner date or to cheer up your aunt when she is sick in bed with the flu. Flowers are a symbol of affection in many parts of the world, including Russia.

But before you gift someone a bunch of flowers, count them. There is a Russian belief that suggests only an odd number of flowers should be gifted as an even bunch could crush your love life or your chances at finding happiness with the person receiving the flowers.

In fact, it can be considered an insult to give an even number of flowers, as an even number is usually associated with funerals and a period of mourning. Definitely not how you want to start true love.^[2]

8 The Number 8

We are all familiar with the fear of the number thirteen. Also uncommonly referred to by its tongue-twisting scientific name: triskaidekaphobia. But did you know some fear the number 8?

Those who wish to find love, that is. The number eight in some parts of India is considered a terrible omen for a new couple, and arranging your wedding date on the eight can only spell trouble. Eight is a representation of Saturn or Shani and is sometimes linked with gloominess rather than positivity. Bad luck and more bad luck.

Interestingly. August 8, 2008 (or 08.08.08) was considered good luck, as the combination of numbers has the reverse effect, and compounding the bad news number can be a positive sign.^[3]

7 Not Finding the Name

Henna (temporary tattoos) plays a large part in some Indian celebrations and is often considered one of the most traditional parts of Hindu and Muslim weddings. Often, the henna will form an important part in the Mendhi, or the Name Game.

Back in the day, when marriages were often arranged, the bride and groom would need some sort of icebreaker on their wedding night, and that is where Mendhi came in. The groom’s name would be written in henna somewhere on the body of the bride, and he would need to find it.

These days, it is done more for fun as a way of keeping an age-old tradition alive. Still, in some weddings, in the past, it was a good sign if the groom found the name (and bad if not). If he failed, it was said that the bride would be dominant in conjugal life. In other parts of India, however, the family wouldn’t allow the wedding celebrations to commence until the groom found what he was searching for.^[4]

6 No Coins

If you haven’t heard yet, money is one of the biggest drivers in relationship problems and, ultimately, divorce. However, it is not necessarily a lack of money that puts strain on the relationship but rather the decision-making regarding its use. In some cases, the adage, “no money, no problems,” is the problem.

That is why many superstitions arise around money and financial prosperity. In Sweden, for instance, parents often express their hopes that their daughter will never have a shortage of material goods, so in the past, they came up with a superstitious plan.

The tradition is that the bride should place coins given to her by her father, a gold one in her right shoe and a silver one in the left, symbolizing that she will never go without money.^[5]

5 Sharing a Towel

Probably the one superstition on the list most of us can get behind. Sharing a towel has its benefits, less washing and less space used on the hanger, but is there anything worse than having to dry yourself with a damp, muggy towel? Especially during the winter months?

In parts of the world, particularly Russia, it is believed that using the same towel as your significant other will bring about conflict in the future, which might have a detrimental effect on your relationship. This belief has made its way into Western folklore, which we should all get behind.

Using the same towel as your other half might be an omen for a bad fight on the horizon, and more often than not, that might just be the case.^[6]

4 Opening Scissors

As children, it has been hammered into our little sponge-like brains that we do not run with scissors. A child’s mind is a marvelous thing, and images of falling onto a pair of upright scissors still haunt many of our dreams. But the truth is that we don’t have many reasons to ever run with scissors. We are, however, often guilty of playing with scissors, opening them and leaving them open, or cutting the air without actually cutting anything else. And that is exactly why your relationships fail.

In parts of Northern Africa, and particularly Egypt, it is considered bad luck to leave scissors open or to open and close them without cutting anything. It’s a superstition based on the function of the scissors, which is to cut things. Therefore, you run the risk that it could cut your relationship until they are closed again.

Some suggest that opening and closing a pair of scissors during a wedding ceremony will leave the groom impotent, and dropping a pair of scissors will lead to your partner being unfaithful.

The advice is clear: Don’t run with, leave open, drop the, or cut the air with scissors. You know what, maybe it’s best not to own scissors at all.^[7]

3 The Gift of Time

Clocks and watches have become somewhat obsolete in a world with smartphones, laptops, and wearable tech all telling us the time and reminding us of where we ought to be. But there is still a place for a nice watch or a marvelous wall clock in the luxury market, also quite popular as gifts.

Gifting a timepiece sounds like a straightforward, good idea, but some might disagree. In parts of Asia, and particularly China, the clock symbolizes a countdown to the end, a ticking reminder of death itself. The belief stems from the fact that the phrase “giving a clock” sounds similar to sending someone off on their final journey in Cantonese and is, therefore, considered a terrible wish for young love.

Gifting an item that symbolizes their time is almost up is particularly offensive to seniors and remains a cultural taboo.^[8]

2 Pregnancy at a Wedding

We have all been to weddings where children aren’t allowed. Some people might not agree with it, but the bride and groom have their reasons. But have you ever been to a wedding that bans pregnant women?

In some parts of China, there is a belief that stems from the idea that having a pregnant woman and a bride in the same room would cause a clash of positive energies. This can have an adverse effect and turn to sour bad luck, bringing either misfortunate to the wedding or the unborn child. Pregnancy and a wedding cannot co-exist as their luck will cancel each other out.

It should be noted that some base their advice on science.^[9]

1 Yellow Roses

Valentine’s is around the corner. You have someone in mind who you might like to take out, and you want to send her flowers in advance. Give yourself a fighting chance—do not send them yellow flowers.

Sending yellow flowers is not a sign of love; in fact, quite the opposite is true. It might sound strange that a flower, innocent and beautiful, can break the legs of your relationship before it can even stand. But yellow roses, in particular, signify jealousy, a decline of love, and the ultimate relationship killer (after wet towels, that is), infidelity.

Stick to the tried and tested red, and you will be fine. ^[10]

Something about life at sea seems to make people a little superstitious. It could be because sailors live at the mercy of the elements and follow any legend, trick, or myth that they feel might give them some extra protection. Maybe it’s because sailing is one of the world’s oldest trades. Or maybe it’s just the kind of person that life at sea attracts. Whatever the reason might be, many fascinating nautical stories have endured for centuries.

Related: 10 Times Old Superstitions Became Deadly

10 Jonahs

If you think that life at sea was open to almost anyone, you may have to think again. Sailors were pretty picky with who they allowed on board. Anyone considered bad luck could be called a “Jonah,” in reference to the biblical prophet who was swallowed by a giant fish and spit back out.

Women, redheads, priests, debtors, and murderers were all considered bad luck on a ship, although not allowing murderers was probably a good call. Sailors often had a strong superstition that women on a ship could distract the crew and anger the sea-gods. At least one time in the Middle Ages, a crew threw dozens of female passengers overboard when they entered a storm, although most of the men ended up dying in the wreck anyway.

But if a pregnant woman did make it onto a ship, a child born at sea would be considered good luck. Strangely (and conveniently for lonely sea dogs), naked women were also considered good luck. This is why many ships have carvings of nude women on the front of the boat as figureheads.

Priests were associated with funerals, which nervous sailors didn’t appreciate being reminded about. If you ran into a devilish redhead before you boarded a ship, you could potentially avoid their bad luck if you spoke to them before they spoke to you. ^[1]

9 Klabautermann

The idea of Klabautermann is a rare positive sailor legend. A Klabautermann is a helpful water sprite from Northern European folklore that takes the appearance of tiny sailors in yellow clothes. According to legend, these helpful little creatures could help fix the ship, rescue sailors thrown overboard, and play music. They are often depicted carrying a pipe and hammer, and the sound of their rumbling voices or the pounding of their tools could often be heard by sailors as the creatures explored the ship and fixed leaks.

Images of Klabautermann were often carved into ships as a good luck charm. If a sailor did catch a glimpse of one, it could mean that their ship was doomed to sink, but the Klabautermann could also be warning the crew of the danger. Occasionally, a Klabautermann would move items around or play tricks on sailors, but they were generally considered helpful creatures. If you were an especially nice captain, Klabautermann might even follow you from one ship to another in order to help and protect you.^[2]

8 No Bananas

One of the strangest enduring pieces of nautical lore is the taboo of the banana. The fear of bananas on ships dates back to the 1700s in the Caribbean. The most likely origin theory is probably that banana ships had to travel very fast to prevent spoiling, which was not conducive to fishing or safety. Bananas may float to the top of shipwrecks, leading observers to associate the fruit with the tragedy. Sailors were also at risk of slipping on the peels and injuring themselves.

The banana myth might actually have some scientific backing. It has been theorized that the ripening fruit could have released ethylene gas, which may have sickened the crew and damaged the wooden hulls of the ships. Poisonous spiders and snakes have also been known to hitch a ride on tropical fruit. This legend has lasted into the modern era.

One fisherman from Florida told the news that he checks arriving passengers on his ship for Banana Republic clothes, Banana Boat sunscreen, and even Fruit of the Loom undergarments, despite the fact that Fruit of the Loom’s logo doesn’t even contain a banana. Another captain recounted an incident in 2001 when another fisherman slashed out the Banana Republic logo of a man’s t-shirt. Maybe consider avoiding anything banana-related the next time you book a fishing expedition, just to be safe.^[3]

7 Davy Jones and His Locker

Davy Jones’s locker is generally a euphemism for the bottom of the sea, where shipwrecks and drowned sailors could be sent if something went horribly wrong. In one early story, Jones was described as having devil horns, a tail, huge round eyes, and multiple rows of teeth, similar to a shark. He also breathed blue smoke and would appear in the rigging of ships before a storm or a shipwreck.

The name of the devil, “Davy Jones,” could come from the combination of two religious characters. Saint David was the patron saint of Wales, and Welsh sailors often called on him to protect him at sea. The last name “Jones” is likely tied to the prophet Jonah. There was a real British pirate named David Jones who terrorized the Indian Ocean in the 1630s, but he was not well-known, and there’s likely no connection.

Another possible origin is a pub owner in London who would allegedly get sailors drunk, trap them in a locker, and then sell them as slaves. According to one story, the pub owner also stole a ship and became a pirate who captured crews, decapitated most of them, and then imprisoned the rest on the ships before sinking them.

However, Davy Jones isn’t always bad in nautical mythology. A common naval ceremony is still celebrated today when a sailor first passes over the equator—called “crossing the line”—and Davy Jones is often a character who assists King Neptune during the party. ^[4]

6 Mother Carey

Mother Carey is not someone any seaman wanted to anger. Her legend originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and described her as a sea goddess or witch. In some tellings, she is married to Davy Jones (Source 14). Storm petrels, a type of bird, are often believed to be the souls of dead sailors and are heavily associated with her. They are sometimes called Mother Carey’s geese.

In certain stories, Mother Carey may also have the power to call retired sailors back to life at sea and could have the powers of a siren, using her powerful voice to lure men off ships to their watery graves. However, in almost all stories, Mother Carey is an evil character who can cause storms and shipwrecks, sending more souls to her husband’s locker.

It’s been theorized that her name comes from the expression “mater cara” or “precious mother,” which scared European sailors would call out when they encountered a dangerous situation at sea.^[5] In some versions of her legend, Mother Carey lives on an iceberg in the northern seas and combs her hair with the bones of the dead.

5 Selkies

Staring out into the unknown depths of the sea, it made sense that many nautical legends involved speculation over what mysterious creatures might live beneath the waves. Selkies are mythical creatures common in Celtic and Norse nautical legend. They are ocean-dwelling beings that can shapeshift between the form of a seal and the form of a human.

Like mermaids, stories about them are often romantic, with sailors stealing the selkies’ seal skin to prevent them from turning back into seals so that the men could keep them as their wives. Unfortunately, the marriages often ended sadly, with the selkies either living as humans who long to return to their families and lives in the ocean or with the selkies finding their seal skin and abandoning their human husbands and children to return to the sea.

Most selkie stories are about female selkies, but there are also stories about handsome male selkies romancing lonely fishermen’s wives. Some descriptions of the creatures state that selkies were once fully human but became cursed after committing sins. Others state that selkies are actually fallen angels. Children born with webbed feet or toes were often seen as the children of a selkie and human. There is significant overlap in the myth of the selkie, mermaid, siren, and even the shape-shifting swan bride popular in European mythology.^[6]

4 The Flying Dutchman

One of the most well-known nautical legends is the ghost ship The Flying Dutchman. The Dutchman is a mysterious ship with a ghostly glow that sailors have reported spotting for hundreds of years and is usually considered an omen of doom. The legend likely originated in the 17th or 18th century. The backstory most commonly involves a disappearing ship captained by a crew doomed to never touch land, wandering the seas forever as punishment for some horrible deed.

One of the very first written accounts of the legend in 1790 describes a Dutch captain attempting to sail around the Cape of Good Hope through a major storm. The crew tried to convince the captain to turn around, but he swore he would keep sailing to shore even if it took him until the end of time. The devil heard this promise and cursed the captain, whose only hope was to find a woman who truly loved him.

Some versions of the story name the real East India Company captain Bernard Fokke as the Dutchman. His sailing trips were so fast that jealous rivals often said he must have made a deal with the devil. Whatever the true origins are, reports of the ship carried on through the 20th century, including a first-hand report from the future King George V. Scientists have speculated that reports of the Dutchman are likely cases of the Fata Morgana mirage, which can make the ghostly image of a ship appear on the horizon.^[7]

3 The Chaleur Phantom

A similar case to the Dutchman is the Fireship of Baie des Chaleurs or the Chaleur phantom. This type of ghostly light is often spotted near New Brunswick, Canada, taking the form of a tall sailing ship on fire, often seen right before a storm.

One origin story tells of a woman killed by pirates in the area, who then cursed them, saying, “For as long as the world is, may you burn on the bay.” Another tale tells of a Portuguese sea captain who kidnapped the native Mi’kmaq people of the area as slaves in 1501, and the Mi’kmaq killed the captain as revenge. When the captain’s brother came to look for him, the Mi’kmaq set his ship on fire. As their ship burned, the men jumped into the sea and promised to haunt the bay for 1,000 years.

Another telling says one crew was afraid of a storm and murdered a man they believed was bad luck. The man’s vengeful spirit lit their ship on fire, and it has never gone out. Some scientists believe natural gas from underwater or floating marsh gas may cause the flash of light that locals believe is the haunting Chaleur Phantom.^[8]

2 St. Elmo’s Fire

There is one kind of flashing light that is considered good luck by sailors. St. Elmo’s fire is a glowing light created on the masts of ships or other sharp objects like church spires, airplanes, chimneys, or even the horns of bulls and blades of grass. It usually takes on a fizzing, blue-violet color caused by strong electrical fields in the air, which can often be created during a lightning storm.

The phenomenon has been described throughout history, including reports from Charles Darwin, Ferdinand Magellan, Julius Caesar, Benjamin Franklin, and Nikola Tesla. Sailors believed this light was a good omen because it showed that St. Elmo—the patron saint of sailors—was traveling with them.

St. Elmo was originally known as Erasmus of Formia, and according to legend, he continued to preach even when a lightning bolt struck the ground right next to him. This led to the connection between St. Elmo and protection from storms, making him a good friend for a sailor to have. He’s also the patron saint of intestinal disease, cramps, colic, cattle, and labor pains^[9]

1 Tattoos

Tattoos have been a major part of nautical culture for centuries, but they’re often more than just body art for sailors. The first sailor tattoos likely originated when explorer James Cook arrived in the South Pacific during the 1700s, and his crew decided to get Maori tattoos as souvenirs from the journey.

In the early 1900s, many men got tattoos of naked women in hopes it would prevent them from being drafted into the Navy, but the problem was easily solved by having clothes added on top of the image. Norman Collins, also known as Sailor Jerry, helped popularize the classic style of American Navy tattoos from his shop in Hawaii during the mid-1900s.

Certain symbols and phrases are thought to contain protective powers. If a sailor was thrown overboard, tattoos of farm animals like pigs and chickens were thought to trick God into believing that a land animal had been lost at sea and needed to be brought back to land. This was also popularized because farm animals were often the only survivors of shipwrecks when their wooden crates floated.

A tattoo of the phrase “Hold Fast” on a sailor’s knuckles was believed to prevent them from falling off the ship’s rigging. A compass or north star was believed to help seamen find their way home. Some tattoos, including swallows, anchors, dragons, and turtles, were used to celebrate sailors’ achievements, like crossing the equator or the international dateline. ^[10]

A superstition is essentially anything you believe with no actual good reason to believe it. It is the opposite of science and logic and, in fact, science and logic will tear it apart. So you ignore the science and logic because maybe one day you wore blue socks and got a raise at work, so now you believe wholeheartedly that your blue socks are lucky and make you money. 

Historically, whole cultures have come to adopt some of these superstitions as legit beliefs and fears based on coincidence, anecdotal evidence and maybe just a fervent hope that the world has some more mystery in it than we can see. Here are some of the weirdest of the bunch.

10. Opposing Mirrors Welcome the Devil

Having a mirror facing another mirror is a cool effect and the reason the hall of mirrors in a funhouse is in a place called a “funhouse” to begin with. It messes with your head, creates an endless hallway of fun, and also provides an effect used in far too many horror and action movies to even begin to count.

But apparently none of those were filmed in Mexico because you do not want to have one mirror face another mirror there. According to Mexican superstition, when a mirror faces another mirror you’re inviting the devil in by creating a threshold of doorway for him to enter your world. Maybe all of those horror movies with mirrors in them were on to something after all.

9. Filipino Pagpag

Pagpag is a fun word if you don’t know what it means, but in practice it’s a little grim. From a Filipino superstition relating to funerals, pagpag is what you might call the safety procedure you need to engage in before going home after a funeral or wake. Once you’ve left the somber affair, you go to a restaurant or a mall or wherever. Anywhere but home. You don’t even need to do anything at this place, you just need to be there.

Why? The bad energy and negative spirits you picked up at the funeral will follow you to the mall instead of your house. Does that mean that Filipino malls are all haunted? We can only assume. 

8. Don’t Whistle Indoors in Lithuania

Whistling is a good way to call your dog or pass the time if you and your six dwarf buddies are in the mines pulling out gems. It is not, however, anything you want to do when you visit Lithuania, at least not in anyone’s house. Etiquette in Lithuania is fairly conservative and even making eye contact with strangers is the sort of thing that is frowned upon, to give you an idea of how things go there.

But kicking it up a notch is the belief that whistling indoors will not only summon your dog, it will attract the attention of little devils as well. That’s not a metaphor or a euphemism, either. It’s just the genuine belief that demons of small stature might invade your home after being beckoned with a simple whistle. 

7. Never Toast with Water

Everyone likes a good toast at a wedding or some dinner party that takes place in the middle of a movie, but there is some etiquette regarding how to best pull this tradition off. For instance, you better be making your toast with anything but water lest the Ancient Greeks start spinning in their graves. 

According to superstition, the dead would drink from the River Lethe in Hades and that water would wash away all their ties to the mortal world. Drinking a toast with water in the living world was therefore akin to cursing someone to death or, at the very least, cursing yourself to it. How that was different from just having anon-toasted drink of water was probably up for debate, but typically a toast is meant as some kind of a blessing, so it would be a backhanded curse to use the beverage of the damned for it.

6. Upside Down Bread Invites Death

Have you ever heard that toast will always fall butter-side down? It’s not a superstition, just an unfortunate and sometimes true observation that can ruin your breakfast. But if we were in France that toast would potentially be some seriously bad luck because how you situate your bread holds some extra meaning there. Bread or baguettes left upside are believed to invite death. 

Why’s that? Well, some folks think it comes from executioners having the right to snag something for free from a shop if they grabbed it with one hand, and bakers leaving loaves upside for them so other shoppers would know not to take it. Nowadays, if you leave a loaf upside down, you’re inviting death to come and take from you and who wants that?

5. Lucky Poop

You’ve probably never felt entirely lucky to step in dog poop if it’s ever happened to you but maybe you should have. Word is the French have divided stepping in dog poop into two separate scenarios that you can experience based on a very weird superstition. If you happen to land your right foot into some dog plop you’re doomed to a life of dismal awfulness. However, if your left foot hits the pile well, then call your friends and family because good luck is a-comin’!

Russia is the source of a similar superstition you may have heard about birds. In this one, it’s considered good luck if a bird poops on your or something you own. Why would that be lucky? Well, the odds of getting hit by bird pop seem to be slim so by some definitions of the word lucky, you really are lucky if you get pooped on by a bird. An alternate theory is that it’s incredibly unlucky to get pooped on or to step on it and these superstitions are at least a small way to try to ameliorate the grossness by suggesting something good will come from it. 

4. Outdoor Knitting Prolongs the Winter

In North America we all routinely engage in the very odd yet annual superstition that a groundhog has the ability to determine whether or not winter’s going to last an additional six weeks or not. Why? No one bothers to ask anymore but it stems from an old Pennsylvania Dutch belief that the groundhog seeing its shadow would lead to prolonged winter, itself borrowed from a similar German belief about badgers which in turn may have come from the belief that clear weather on Candelmas means an extended winter.

Regardless of why we believe what we believe about meteorological rodents,  it spawned a really entertaining Bill Murray movie so we go with it. And that’s not the only superstition about winter overstaying its welcome in the world by a long shot. According to an Icelandic superstition, if you decide to sit on your doorstep and do some knitting in the winter, you’ve just prolonged that terrible season. Hopefully the afghan you made was extra warm. 

3. Yo-Yos Lead to Droughts

Most superstitions have an aspect of history to them, they’re ancient and relics of a bygone era. You can almost understand them insofar as they’re so old you can’t blame the worlds that created them because they didn’t know the science that explained so much of the world. If people thought black cats were unlucky then oh well, so be it. But what about a superstition about yo-yos? How do you account for that? According to a 1933 article, Syria outlawed yo-yos because there was a severe drought at the time killing cattle and crops. And while everyone was praying for rain to fall from the heavens and save the day, the yo-yos of the world were going down just like rain, but then being all deceitful as they flew right back up again. The leaders at the time decided this evil influence was to blame and yo-yos were banished. Police were even told to confiscate them on site.

The Onion didn’t exist in 1933 and the paper, the Barrier Miner from New South Wales in Australia, seemed like it was on the up and up. So while the story is absurd, is it any more absurd than thinking a broken mirror brings 7 years of bad luck?

2. The Hairy Goat Curse

If you’re of the carnivorous persuasion and have never eaten goat you should really give it a try, it’s quite tasty. That said, this was not something you could have recommended to women of the past in Rwanda thanks to an insidious superstition there about goat meat. According to the story, back in the day it was very taboo for a woman to dare eat the meat of a goat for fear she might take on that most unladylike of goaty characteristics, a full on beard. They’d also take on the goat’s habit of being stubborn. So a beard and a bad attitude which, you can imagine, no woman would ever want. 

Where does this belief come from? This may be nothing more than speculation but, with women unable to eat the meat, it meant that only men were enjoying it. And that does seem like a good way to be greedy and hoard all the delicious goat for yourself if you can convince everyone else it’ll cause them to grow beards.

1. Never Speak the Name of Carlos Menem

Have you ever heard of Carlos Menem? From 1989 to 1999, Menem was the President of Argentina and his legacy is a nearly Hitchcockian level of menace and bad luck. People will refuse to even say the man’s name for fear it may bring about another round of misfortune as though he were the Candyman or Voldemort. 

Argentina endured an economic crisis in 2001 for which Menem, though he had been out of office for two years, is often blamed. But that’s at least a “normal” explanation for why people might dislike Menem. His legacy goes far beyond poor financial planning. 

When Menem became President, two of his appointed ministers died early deaths. Had Menem cursed them? Well, apparently. And he was just getting warmed up.

In 1990, Menem patted a soccer player’s knee. He later broke that knee. Menem jinxed tennis players, race car drivers, famous dancers and singers, and even a boat racer who shook Menem’s hand and then lost his damn arm in a boat crash.  Some people even blamed him for an earthquake. And it wasn’t just others. Menem cursed himself, suffering a failed marriage and the untimely death of his own son. No one seemed safe from the man.

Thanks to the never ending stream of nightmarish coincidences and misfortune Menem became the embodiment of all that is unwanted and sinister in life. To invoke his name was to ask for bad times. So people don’t do it.