Old Superstitions By Elizabeth Rose PIN 7430
Everyone knows the one about Friday the thirteen being very dodgy and people worry that something nasty will happen to them.
It is commonly thought that it originates from the fact that Judas Iscariot was the 13th guest at the last supper. Also that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. However there are other believes from where this superstition came from.
Breaking a mirror was thought to bring bad luck for 7 years apparently because it takes seven years to replace the cells in the body.
Some thought that your soul was reflected in a mirror and to break the mirror meant then that your soul was harmed.
Opening an umbrella was considered bad luck apart from the obvious fact that you could knock something over; it was thought to offend the Sun God by blocking the suns rays by opening the umbrella inside.
Some also thought that umbrellas were magical as they blocked the sun.
Others even thought that opening an umbrella inside would bring death and misfortune to the people who lived there.
Knocking on wood for good fortune derived from when they thought that Gods actually lived in trees.
A person would knock lightly on the wood for a favour then knock lightly again to thank them when the favour was granted, but on the same tree.
This superstition might also be derived from the fact that Jesus died on a cross made from wood.