Wouldn’t it be great to wake up in the morning and have everything go right? No red lights, no spilled coffee, no turning up late for appointments, no conflict, no bad news.

Obviously, this is next to impossible, but apparently there are some things you can do to keep bad luck at bay no matter what the activity.

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10 Buy a house

When people start looking for a new home, they typically include things such as modern kitchens, en suite bathrooms and wide windows that offer a fantastic view on their wish list. Some wish for happy, lasting memories with their family and friends.

To ensure a new house is protected from dark forces that threaten the happiness of the family within its walls, some people paint their porch ceilings haint blue. It is believed that this particular shade of blue repels evil and restricts the undead from entering a home because it confuses them into thinking that the ceiling is a body of water. Some homeowners choose to also paint their shutters and window frames in this shade for extra protection.

This superstition was very common in the American South where the term ‘haint blue’ became popular in the 19th century as a description of Caribbean blue. Haint actually means haunt, which was the Southern term for ghost.

9 Drive a car

Driving is often very mundane and experienced drivers agree that it becomes such an automatic activity that half the time they don’t know how they got to their destinations. Driving comes with a lot of risk however and as the saying goes: ‘You don’t only drive for yourself; you also drive for others.’ Not to mention the dangers of rockfalls, carjacking, collapsing tunnels, unexpected obstacles and more.

For these reasons, some drivers have taken to performing certain ‘safety rituals’ before and while driving to keep bad luck at bay. These include holding your breath while passing a cemetery or driving through a tunnel, as it will ensure the dead remain undisturbed and that your wishes will come true, respectively.

It will also bode well for you to never buy a new car on Friday the 13th or drive on a road with the number 13 in it as this can only send disaster your way.

8 Have a meal

Some people can’t just sit down and have a meal. There are many things to do and consider before any food can be consumed, all in the name of warding off evil. For instance, if they are having a cup of tea before dinner, they never add milk to it before the sugar as this would mean being single for life. If they’re more of a coffee person and spot some bubbles in their cup, they might scoop them up with a teaspoon and eat them because they believe it will cause them to become wealthy.

Should you find yourself the host of a meal, especially dinner, ensure that you don’t seat 13 people at your dinner table as one unlucky guest will die within a year. Also, don’t let anyone sing at the dinner table, because they will end up with a crazy spouse.

7 Attend a funeral

Death is an inevitable part of life, and by extension funerals. Every day all over the world thousands of people get up and ready themselves to go to a funeral, whether that of a loved one or an acquaintance.

A funeral event can attract a host of superstitions with some people placing coins on the eyes of the deceased and burying them facing east. When a body is removed from a home, many believe and insist that it should be moved with the feet leaving the building first. If a corpse leaves ‘headfirst’ it might just look back to the living and beckon them to join the journey to the afterlife.

Those who are very superstitious also make sure that they choose a different route from the cemetery when returning home, so that ghosts are unable to follow them.

6 Get dressed

If you get up really early on a cold, dark winters morning, you will be forgiven for putting on your socks inside out. Apparently socks that are inside out bring good luck, so it may prove to be the best thing you did that day anyway.

But if you happen to be dressing on a cold, dark winters morning for your own wedding, ensure that you add a few bells to your wedding dress to ward off the demons that may be hiding unseen in the dark corners of your bedroom. And add a fancy belt for protection against sorcery.

People who feel particularly lucky on any given day, often wear clothes with polka dots or carry polka dot accessories with them. Especially when they plan to place bets at a local casino or play the lottery. The round dots are said to resemble money making a sudden appearance in one’s life.

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5 Fall pregnant

It is natural for expectant mothers to go to any length to ensure their unborn baby is healthy and protected. This includes eating healthy foods, making regular doctor’s appointments, taking supplements and so on.

Some go even further and wear keys around their neck when a full moon shines brightly from above. It is believed that the keys deflect the moon’s rays from a pregnant woman’s belly and keeps it from eating the baby’s lip which would lead to a cleft palate.

Some mothers-to-be who plan baby showers with their friends and family, insist on having them in either the seventh or ninth month of their pregnancy as the numbers seven and nine are considered to bring good luck. There are also pregnant women who refuse to have their hair cut while expecting as they believe it would lead to a problem with their baby’s eyes.

4 Travel the world

Even though traveling to far-off exotic locations is problematic at the moment, those who love the open road or plane journeys are at the edge of their seats waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to subside so they may yet again explore foreign countries around the globe.

Depending on the destination, there are several ‘rules’ to follow if you want to have a bad luck-free trip. For instance, when you have arrived in Russia and are waiting at the airport for a friend or family member to come and pick you up, sitting on your luggage will bring you good luck.
Some people who leave their accommodation in Bulgaria after a holiday, try to ensure that their host doesn’t start sweeping the place right after they leave as their very breath might be swept from their body.

Those who take a trip to China on their own will want to keep unwanted spirits at bay in a room with two beds. They can place their personal items such as suitcases on the spare bed to indicate to unseen guests that the bed occupied. They should also pat the pillows a couple of times to signal to the undead that the bed is not available.

3 Celebrate Halloween

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of superstitions surrounding holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Of course, Halloween has a list of its own to ensure people stay out of the clutches of evil beings during the spookiest holiday of them all. If you find yourself in Wales on 31 October, be sure to avoid all crossroads and stiles as a ghost will be waiting there for you. The country also has a long-standing tradition whereby each member of a family would throw a white stone into a bonfire. Each stone would be marked. When they looked for the stones the next day and one was missing, it meant that particular family member would die within the year. So, you know, don’t do go throwing stones if you want to live.

If you are in desperate need of some good luck, light an orange candle at midnight on Halloween and allow it to burn until the sun rises. Also, while you are keeping an eye on the candle (as you should!) and you happen to hear footsteps behind you, don’t turn around. Death himself might be standing behind you looking over your shoulder.

2 Go to bed

If you want to avoid having nightmares and bad luck in general when you go to bed, never turn your mattress on a Sunday and arrange your pillows to face north. (But then again, other superstitions say that your pillows should never face north.) You can also adopt the practice of feng shui and place your bed as far away from the door as possible and never directly in front of it.

Don’t allow your cat into your bedroom unless you want to be cursed for years on end and definitely don’t hang a painting of the Titanic or anyone other picture that depicts a disastrous event in your bedroom as this could lead to distress in your household.

Also, never leave your hat on your bed, as it will attract years of bad luck that not even a dreamcatcher will be able to scare away.

1 Get married

A wedding is a joyous occasion. Provided that you have made sure not to drop your bride or groom’s ring during the ceremony of course, as this would mean your partner will die soon. Never plan a May wedding as this might lead you to ‘marry in May, rue the day’. You may still, however, carry the bride over the threshold of your new home as this would prevent evil spirits from latching on to her.

Once the coronavirus is gone for good, you may want your wedding guests to spit on you and your partner as this is considered a blessing. And if this really doesn’t sound like your thing, you could bury a bottle of Bourbon upside down at the wedding venue a month before the ceremony to ensure good luck and good weather on the day. Afterwards, you can also enjoy a well-deserved drink and sigh a sigh of relief that everything went down according to plan.

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3, 7 and 13 are arguably the most recognizable numbers when it comes to superstition. Bad luck, for instance, is said to come in threes, as is death. Some who believe in superstitions, held their breath after the news broke in 2016 that actor and talk show host Alan Thicke had passed away on 13 December.

They knew that the bad news wouldn’t be over until two more celebrities had died. Their fears were confirmed when singer George Michael passed away on 25 December and Star Wars fans around the world were devastated when Carrie Fisher died in hospital on 27 December after suffering a medical emergency during a flight to Los Angeles a few days earlier.

The number 7 on the other hand is believed to bring good luck as it is a prime number and cannot be obtained by multiplying two smaller numbers. 7 can be found throughout mythology and ancient legends, bringing good fortune, healing, and even seven paths to heaven.

The number 13 usually spells horror. Whenever a Friday the 13th swings around during any given calendar year, many who are superstitious do their best to avoid crossing paths with a black cat, walking under ladders and spilling salt. Why is the number 13 unlucky though? Well, it depends on where in the world you find yourself.

On this list are more numbers either feared or revered around the world.

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10 Knock on wood with a twist

The ‘knock on wood’ or ‘touch wood’ superstition is well known in many countries. The action of knocking on a piece of wood is meant to ward off bad luck and draw good fortune towards the knocker.

In Iceland, the superstition is so common that no one even bats an eyelid when knuckles around them knock wood all over the place. Icelanders also say “sjö níu þrettán” when they do this, which translates to ‘seven nine thirteen.’

Seven is considered to be a magic number in Iceland, because it can be obtained by adding three and four. Three and Four are said to represent the spirit and material worlds. Nine is obtained by multiplying three times three, which is the number of the Holy Trinity. The number thirteen, as per the Icelandic superstition, is said to have been taken from the days of the old Roman calendar which included an extra (thirteenth) month every six years. The so-called ‘Leap Month’ was not well-received and eventually became associated with bad luck.

The phrase ‘seven nine thirteen’ is thought to ward off bad luck and bring good fortune, by ‘paying homage’ to both good and bad numbers.^[1]

9 Tuesday the 13th

Move over, Friday the 13th. In Spain, people couldn’t be bothered with you. Instead, when the 13th falls on a Tuesday, the superstitious tend to be wary of leaving the house in case bad luck befalls them.

The god of war, Mars, is said to have dominated Tuesdays and since Martes (Tuesday in Spanish) is derived from his name, the day has been connected to violence and death. What’s more, it’s believed that Constantinople fell on Tuesday April 13, 1204.

According to legend, ‘The Confusion of Tongues’ which took place after the construction of the Tower of Babel, also took place on Tuesday the 13th. And don’t forget that the 13th chapter of Revelation speaks of the coming of the Antichrist, which just makes the number even more ominous.

Tuesday has become so unpopular that a saying was born: ‘don’t marry, go on a boat, or leave your house on a Tuesday.’^[2]

8 The number of good fortune and wealth

In 2016, an office building in Sydney was sold to a Chinese developer for the price of A$88,888,888.

While that might seem like a strange number, it helped to sell the place fast. This is because the number 8 is considered to be extremely lucky in Chinese culture and features prominently in real estate, both in pricing and in the numbering of streets, buildings, and floors. This was further proven by the fact that a building at 88 Alfred St. in Sydney was sold within a few hours after being put up for sale. There are also often requests made by buyers to include an 8 in the selling price, to ensure good fortune.

Some who buy apartments and units within high-rise buildings insist on staying on the 8th floor or in an apartment with 8 in its number, wherever possible.

8 can also be found in events, airlines, automobiles, microchip tag numbers, and restaurant menus. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing started at 8 minutes and 8 seconds past 8 pm local time on 8/8/08. The Petronas Twin Towers each have 88 floors and in 2003, the easy-to-remember phone number, +86 28 8888 8888, was sold to Sichuan Airlines for around US$280,000.^[3]

7 On the flip side

As much as the number 8 is said to bring good luck, the number 4 is frequently omitted from buildings and planes and supermarket aisles in some Asian countries. The reason being that 4 sounds similar to the word ‘death’ in many Chinese and Japanese languages, which had led to a large number of Asian companies avoiding using the number wherever possible.

The fear of the number 4 is so common that it has been given an official name: tetraphobia. In the early years of the new millennium, Alfa Romeo changed the name of their 144 model car which they were trying to sell in Singapore because of people’s fear of buying it. Nokia has long since stopped releasing phone models that start with 4, for the same reason. In Beijing, the manufacturing of license plates that include 4 has been halted. Many apartment buildings and hospitals don’t have a fourth floor either. In Japan, combining the number 4 with 9 to get 49 is considered especially bad luck because the words sound the same as the phrase “pain until death.”

Giving gifts in sets of four or multiples of four is also a big no-no and considered to spell doom for the receiver.^[4]

6 The number of the beast

666 has long since been associated with the seven-headed, ten-horned beast of the Book of Revelation, since it is called the ‘number of the beast’ in chapter 13. The numbers have become the most recognized symbols for the Antichrist/devil and has led to hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, which is the fear of the number 666.

Because of its devilish connotations, many superstitious Americans have concluded that 666 has been encoded in banking systems, social security systems, medical and personnel records as well as UPC bar codes for sinister reasons. Some refuse to live in houses that bear this number and many even drive around until their odometer turns from 666 to 667.

In America, Highway 666 has become known as the Devil’s Highway after several accidents rumored to have been caused by the highway itself. Late former US president, Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, had the number of their Bel-Air home changed from 666 to 668 after moving in.

666 is not unlucky for everyone, however. On 13 Oct 2017, which happened to fall on a Friday, Flight 666 departed on the 13th hour from Copenhagen, Denmark and landed safely in HEL. Helsinki, that is.^[5]

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5 It’s all in the numbers

In Russia, many superstitions revolve around numbers. As is the case with other countries around the world, many Russians refuse to shake hands over a threshold on a Friday that bears the 13th as a date. Doing so on any day of the year offends the local unhappy house spirit, Domovoi, but even more so on Friday the 13th.

Spitting three times over the left shoulder is not uncommon after complimenting a fellow Russian’s good looks or a baby’s good health. Some even eat their bus tickets when the sum of the left three numbers equal the sum of the numbers of the right, as this is believed to bring good luck.

Also, a newborn baby shouldn’t be paraded around strangers until the infant is at least 40 days old. And don’t give the gift of even-numbered bouquets of flowers. Even numbered flower arrangements are reserved for funerals and even numbers are considered back luck in Russian folklore.
^[6]

4 Superstition in the land of magic

Four-leaf clovers are as much a part of Ireland as St. Patrick’s Day, the country’s renowned hospitality and Riverdance. In the Middle Ages, children believed that carrying a four-leaf clover would grant them the ability to see fairies. Four-leaf clovers were also believed to grant magical protection and ward off evil.

Today there are many more superstitions in Ireland, above and beyond four-leaf clovers. This includes the one of the magpies, and why you should wave at them if their numbers are unfavourable. As the rhyme says:

“One for sorrow, two for joy
Three for a girl and four for a boy
Five for silver, six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told.”

Should you happen upon one lonely magpie, you must salute it, to break any curse that may settle on you.

Also, if a funeral procession passes you by in Ireland, don’t count the cars. If you do, you will know the exact amount of years you have left to live.
^[7]

3 Friday the 17th

Friday doesn’t have to include 13 for it to be unlucky. In Italy, whenever a Friday the 17th rolls around, they refer to it as a ‘black day’ because 17 is considered bad luck while the number 13 is actually regarded as a good luck charm. It is thought that the negativity around the number 17 was helped along by the belief that the Great Flood took place on the 17th day of the second month. Friday is believed to have been the day on which Jesus was crucified, which led to Fridays also being considered bad luck or cursed.

November 2nd is All Soul’s Day, following on from All Saint’s Day on November 1st. When Friday the 17th falls in November, it is considered the unluckiest day of all and November is then referred to as the ‘month of the deceased.’

Italians are known to carry lucky charms on Friday the 17th, including red horn pendants, horseshoes or the image of an old hunchbacked man and telling the sceptics: “Not on Friday, nor on Tuesday one marries, one leaves, or one starts something.”^[8]

2 13 – Unlucky for some

New Zealanders have some of the most unique superstitions in the world, especially when it comes to new homes. Not only is it customary to walk through each room of a new house, carrying a loaf of bread and salt, guests who arrive at the new house should bring salt and coal with them. In order to avoid the disaster of a fire in the house, the shirt of a virgin should be tucked inside a jar and buried in the garden (this is now a rare occurrence due to the lack of virgins in New Zealand).

But before any of these superstitious rituals can be performed, a new house must first be bought, and it is during this process that the number 13 rears its unlucky head. Data compiled in 2016 revealed that 13 seemed to be unlucky for homeowners trying to sell. In Mission Bay, Auckland, homes with No 13 for an address were valued at $390,000 less than their counterparts. In Orakei, houses sporting the number 13 were valued at $350,000 less than the total median.

In other areas such as Glendowie and Northcote, however, 13 seemed to be a good luck charm as here, houses with this number were valued higher than the total median.^[9]

1 What’s up with the number 23?

Ever heard of the 23rdians? It is a Facebook group for people who are fascinated with the number 23 and who post pictures of the number popping up in their daily lives.

It is alleged that the obsession with the number 23 began with William Burroughs who claimed to have met a sea captain whose ship sank the same day he had bragged about never having had an accident at sea in 23 years. Later that night Burroughs also claimed that he had heard a news report over the radio about a Flight 23 that had crashed in Florida. The pilot had the same name as the sea captain: Clark. Both died. Burroughs became obsessed with the number 23 after these incidents and passed it on to several people including John Forbes Nash Jr, the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician who apparently claimed that 23 was his favorite prime number.

23 is considered to be an unlucky number, often alluding to tragedy and death wherever it pops up. For instance, the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11/2001 (9+11+2+0+0+1 = 23). Julius Caesar was allegedly stabbed 23 times. Kurt Cobain was born in 1967 and died in 1994. 1+9+6+7= 23, 1+9+9+4 = 23.
^[10]

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