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Origins of Myths & Superstitions
Usually anything that protects is considered lucky and anything that is in some way connected with death is unlucky.
Break a leg
This comes from the medieval belief that the devil lives in the theatre. If the devil heard some one wish good luck, he would do the opposite; hence to break a leg is reverse outcome.
Step on a crack; break your mother’s back
Cracks and fear of stepping on them, comes from an ancient fear of letting the soul out of the square. The four corners are symbolic of balance and perfection.
Death
The north side of the churchyard was reserved for criminals, violent deaths, suicides or strangers because it was cold or shadowed. This side was also known as hell's corner. The Southside was where the good were buried because the sun shone warmly on the grave. After the funeral people used to rearrange the furniture so spirits wouldn't recognize the place and therefore couldn’t disturb the family. For the same reason, people returned from the funeral by a different route.
Never speak ill of the dead comes from Roman times and the fear that the spirit of the deceased would come back and haunt a person if they were spoken about in a derisive manner.
Pennies were placed on the eyes or mouth of the deceased to pay the ferryman to cross the river to the other side.
God Bless You.
During the sixth century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because it was thought that they were expelling evil spirits from their bodies. Later, when a great plague took hold of Europe, and people began sneezing violently, it meant that the person was going to die of the plague. The Pope passed a law requiring people to bless the sneezer by saying "God bless you". (Note: Humanists do not use this saying!)
Horseshoe
Iron was a highly valued material and the horseshoe was used to protect against witches and witchcraft. The crescent shape of a horseshoe resembles the shape of a new moon. The horseshoe is always hang with the ends facing up (like the letter ‘U’) so the good luck can not run out.
Ladders
Ladders have long been a symbol for climbing to heaven. A ladder leaning up against a wall forms a triangle. In this triangle rests the spirits on their journey to the next world and walking under the ladder will disturb the spirits and make them angry.
Marriage
The name for the month of June comes from the goddess Juno. June is the most popular month in which to marry because the goddess Juno was the guardian of women, virgins, matrons and childbirth.
Providing the bride with something old means that the item has protected before and will protect again.
Providing the bride with something new indicates good luck for new beginnings.
Providing the bride with something borrowed implies that good luck goes with the borrowed item.
Providing the bride with something blue signifies that bride will be true, faithful and loyal to her beloved.
The wedding cake has been part of the wedding celebrations since Roman times. The bride and groom are the first to cut the cake because it was thought if they didn’t, they would be childless. Sometimes a piece of cake was put under the pillow for good luck. A piece was also saved to be eaten on the 1st anniversary for good luck and a long life together.
The wedding Party:
In earlier times, the couple was surrounded by many other young people dressed similarly so that the evil spirits could not distinguish which was the bridal pair. For this reason, bridesmaids are dressed alike.
The best man goes back to the days of marriages by capture if the father of the bride would not give his blessing. The best man would wait and watch for the moment when the bride could be taken, helping the groom with the actual capture.
The custom for having a ‘honeymoon’ goes back to marriage by capture when the groom had a hurried flight made necessary by the wrath of the bride's father. The couple hid from the searchers for as long as the moon completed a lunar cycle, about 30 days or one month. It was believed that drinking a brew made from mead and honey during the first month of the marriage would increase the fertility of the newlyweds. It is this combination of the honey brew and the one month of hiding that we get the term ‘honeymoon’.
The bride was carried over the threshold in ancient Rome because a stumble at that moment was considered very unlucky. Thresholds were believed to be treacherous places for the gathering of spirits.
Throwing the bouquet and garter grew out of the popular custom of "flinging the stocking" of the 18th century. In today's version, the bride throws a bouquet to someone of the female sex.
The wedding ring comes from the Egyptians who twisted plant material such as hemp into rings and bracelets. These plant rings evolved into rings of precious metal. A ring is a never ending circle and the unbroken circle is a symbol of love with no end.
The ring is worn on the 3rd finger on left hand because of the belief that the “vein of love” went straight to the heart from this finger. If the ring is lost, the bride will loose her husband and taking off the wedding ring tempts fate and the marriage may dissolve.
If you get married when the clock's hands are moving downward, your married life will be troubled. If the hands are going upwards, your marriage will be successful and happy.
Mirrors
Our ancestors believed that any image of a person contained a portion of that person's life essence. Souls have long been thought to be captured by reflections such as in water or mirrors. Many primitive cultures will not let you photograph them as they believe the soul will be captured by the camera. Breaking a mirror is bad luck because the soul will also be broken (destroyed). The bad luck can last for seven years because the Romans believed that after seven years, the body was physically rejuvenated. |