The reasoning is simple; In Japanese, the word for "thumb" directly translates to "parent finger." Historian Thomas Sharper Knowlson explained that superstitions probably had their origin from early mans attempts to explain nature and human existence; to invite fortune; pry into the future; and avoid evils. Are you a superstitious person? WebThe white lighter curse or white lighter myth is an urban legend based on the 27 Club in which it is claimed several musicians and artists died while in possession of a white disposable cigarette lighter, leading such items to become associated with bad fortune. Kiran Yasmin if your cigarette keeps running (burning on one side and not the other) it means someone is thinking of how much they love youheard this one from several people in the Southeast. Today, a group of volunteerscalled the Juliet Club actually responds to the letters from Juliet's persona, carrying on the old tradition of asking the classic Shakespeare character for advice. They should be placed on a table and then picked up by the second person. Goodbye, Marlboro Lights. The common phrase for lighting three cigarettes with one match is "three on a match." It might not seem unlucky. Every country has their own unique methods of congratulating people on their birthdays, their anniversaries, on holidays or even just wishing them good luck. So, to avoid risk of misunderstanding, a superstition rose up to prevent people from doing this accidentally. You have been careless about what you are saying or sharing with others. This tradition comes from the Ancient Greeks, who toasted their dead by raising a glass of water. In Romania, never give away the last cigarette in your pack, as it symbolizes giving away your life. Icelandic authorities and managers have even gone so far as to alter plans for building projects in order to prevent damaging the rocks where hulduflk are believed to live. That last minute rush to buy someone a present weve all been there. A final, and a bit more sinister, theory involves one Ivar Kreuger, also known as The Match King. 9 November 2015. The dream is a sign for your vulnerability, confusion and frailty. Of course, this could all just be a clever story made up by dog owners so they dont have to pick up after their pets. Spilling pepper, complimenting a baby, and cutting your fingernails after dark are just a few of the things that will earn you bad luck around the world. "13 Most Common Superstitions and Their Origins." Cats. The rationale for the superstition goes all the way back to Tuesday, April 13, 1204 (on the Julian calendar), when Constantinople completely fell to the Crusaders. It is commonly believed that prolonged exposure to fans causes hypothermia, loss of water in the body, and even asphyxiation. According to several Web sources, in times of yore, in those lean months of winter, sailors and fishermen would be forced to supplement their incomes through the sale of matches. The word thumb in Japanese translates as parent-finger so by tucking your thumb in your hand, youre basically protecting your parents from death. Instead of flipping every cigarette on end, troops would invert a single one and, just as before, if you lived long enough to smoke it, you were a lucky joe. WebLighting a cigarette off a candle will cause the death of a sailor. This idea actually originates from a time when sailors attempted to increase their meagre income by selling matches. The reason for this is because the Japanese word for thumb literally translates as parent-finger, and so by hiding your thumbs when you pass by the deceased, youre actually protecting your parents from death. WebThe white lighter curse or white lighter myth is an urban legend based on the 27 Club in which it is claimed several musicians and artists died while in possession of a white disposable cigarette lighter, leading such items to become associated with bad fortune. 6. In Italy, its considered bad luck to lay bread upside down, either on a table or in a basket. Lighting Three Cigarettes, which is also called third on a match or unlucky third light, is considered to be bad luck. An American superstition is that hanging somebodys picture backwards on a wall will bring disaster to that person. With all this bad luck around, how do we get some good fortune into our lives. Some believe using the trinity symbol casually, like lighting cigarettes in threes, is disrespecting holy law. People in Spain traditionally eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve to bring luck for each month of the coming year. Your email address will not be published. But these strange beliefs are not limited to stray black cats, and sometimes even extend to one's own pets. Apollo, the god of the Sun, medicine, prophecy and knowledge amongst many other things, was said to have travelled with a white crow as a companion. Since then, it has been considered bad luckfor three people to share a light from the same match. In either case, having a lucky cigarette in your pack has since become a universal superstition. One of the origins of this phrase comes all the way form World War I. All rights reserved. Daily updates on UFO sightings, ghost encounters, conspiracies, mysterious phenomena and everything crazy and weird. But if you are hosting a dinner party, make sure you manage guest numbers carefully. It was also considered bad luck to take a bath or change your clothing between Christmas and the New Year (and if you change your underwear between the holidays, "you will be full of boils"). "Three on a match." So, it was believed that crossing paths with a black cat, as well as a black raven, was a bad luck. As legend has it, stepping on a manhole cover marked with a "K" is good luck because it represents the Swedish word for love. "The match king." Local legend has it that rotating your thumb in this holein a full clockwise circlein the wishing column will make all of your wishes come true. June 4, 2010 / 12:46 PM / AP. There are many superstitions about cats in France. Adriana John if your cigarette keeps running (burning on one side and not the other) it means someone is thinking of how much they love youheard this one from several people in the Southeast. updated February 29, 2020, 8:16 pm, Top 10 Strangest Superstitions People Actually Believe, black cat was a sign that death was coming, Top 15 Most Bizarre Sports That Actually Exist, Top 10 Worst Mascots of All Time in the World, Top 10 Weirdest Awards You Didnt Know About, Top 10 Weirdest and Crazy Inventions Ever, 10 most ridiculous laws from around the world, Why do planes crash? Finding a penny on the ground, especially if it is heads facing up, is considered a sign of good luck in the US. Some are popular across the world, while others seem to have developed uniquely in a particular country. To apply this to smoking, this notion has spread and said that those smokers who do light three cigarettes from one match disrespect the Holy Trinity, cause evilness (or bad luck) to come upon them and light the fires of hell themselves with that one match that they used. And if a black cat crosses your path at night then prepare for some bad fortune coming your way. If you use the right technique, lighting a cigarette is easy and can look natural. Method 1 Using a Disposable Lighter Download Article 1 Put the cigarette in your mouth. This is not because they hate waving, but rather, because traditionally, the Stammtisch (a regulars table at a pub or tavern) was made of oak a holy tree that the devil was unable to touch. However, there is one condition behind the act of giving flowers; you must give an odd number of flowers. The Evil Eye: A Superstition An ancient and almost universal superstition, with records of the Evil Eye This belief may have originated during the Boer Wars where British soldiers shared matches and lit each others cigarettes. However they appear to the outside world, each country has its own odd and sometimes unexplainable beliefs and traditions that people still follow today. P.S. Knives, when gifted, are believed to cause the receiver injury and sometimes even death. Don't walk under a ladder. Angels And Aliens: Is There A Heavenly Relationship. It would be great if all ironing was considered bad luck. You can hold your cigarette using your index finger and thumb. But if you leave your umbrella back at home, it will actually rain. You may feel trapped and cornered. However, if you step on it with your right foot, youve got bad luck and misfortune ahead. According to several Web sources, in times of yore, in those lean months of winter, sailors and fishermen would be forced to supplement their incomes through the sale of matches. The fear was spread of these dark felines, and that led to mass killings of these innocent creatures. Bottom line, if you are in Egypt, you'd better be careful with scissors. Early medical journals treated people bewitched from the evil eye who reportedly felt particular torment. [00:00:49] This superstition was known as three on a match. This superstition might have something to with the two sides of metal touching each other. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. WebLighting a cigarette backwards dream represents surrender. Remember, eye contact is an absolute must in such scenarios, because otherwise youll be cursed with bad sex for seven years not something youd want to risk. "Three on a match." Friday the 13th is a bad-luck day. Superstition is an irrational belief in the supernatural that lead to either good or bad luck. May be you are having difficulties trusting your own judgment and decisions. WebThe superstition goes that if three soldiers lit their cigarettes from the same match, one of the three would be killed or that the man who was third on the match would be shot. keep lighting your cigarettes backward A similar but stranger superstition originating from Virginia, USA, is that knocking on a houses front door and receiving no answer is a death omen. You can hold your cigarette using your index finger and thumb. The third person who has their ciggie lit is easily shot, or so the tale goes. Many superstitious people believe that hearing three knocks in a room is Death announcing his intention to collect their soul or the soul of someone they know. Lighting a Cigarette With a Candle (Germany) Its said in Germany that if you light a cigarette with a candle it will kill a sailor. Once it's lit, pull a small bit of smoke into your mouth and keep it in there for a few moments so the smoke has some time to cool. So maybe avoid this tradition if youre not that keen on children! Even number of flowers represents death as even numbers of flowers are typically given during funerals. (Jan. 6, 2015), http://nyulocal.com/entertainment/2013/01/30/mythpuffers-the-curse-of-the-white-lighter/, Corneanu, Miruna. According to the Moscow Times, while the soldiers were in Paris, they were able to save money on alcohol by hiding their empty bottles on the ground rather than leaving them on the table, as they were being charged by the empty bottles they left behind. Church officials would say that knocking onthe wood would bring good luck, according to Yahoo. "If it is a stone you have fallen over," the text notes, "go back and touch it.". So, by wishing someone a happy birthday before their actual birthday, you are assuming something that has no guarantee of occurring, and thus inviting bad luck with open arms do you really want to risk that? Antidotes to the curse included staring down or spitting in the eye of the person who placed the curse or drawing blood from their forehead; making the sign of the cross; wearing a protective talisman; and burning any livestock that had died as a result of the evil eye,to backfire the curse on the one who placed it. The exact origin of this morbid superstition is unclear, althoughour guess is that most people would rather not risk it. You can then continue to be friends. Secondly, when it comes to smoking, never light a cigarette from a candle. updated March 25, 2018, 6:05 pm, by Perhaps you've also heard it's unlucky to light three cigarettes with one match. Oendrila De Dogs are also believed to be able to sense which people are good and bad, so a dog whining or howling when a child is born may be a sign that the child will live an unhappy life and possibly become a criminal. If you want to know which French bread is which, check out our list of popular French breads. If you do this in Germany, you may notice your buddies knocking on the table as a greeting when they join you. Many very religious people that I have known and spoken to in my lifetime believe that using the Holy Trinity symbol (or performing things in threes) as a casual act is very disrespectful to the Holy Law. While shards of porcelain may bring good luck, shards of a mirror are said to cost you seven years of bad luck! Finally, as the third cigarette lit up, the sniper could shoot the third smoker. The common explanation is that sailors used to supplement their income by selling matches, so bypassing the match step took money away from a sailor. Since then, it has been considered bad luckfor three people to share a light from the same match. Inside the church, you'll find a bronze column with a thumb hole, and also probably a long line of people. The French love getting together for good food and wine. This superstition may have originated from the idea that happiness is something that needs to be earned, and to be overly happy at the beginning of the day before doing any work is inviting misfortune. It was also blamed for the death of children and livestock, which was common in early modern communities. If three soldiers decided to smoke cigarettes together after dark and lit their cigs from the same match, superstition held that at least one of them would end up dead. To prevent this they shut the cat out of the bedrooms at night. To the Ancient Egyptians cats were sacred to the goddess Isis and were so revered that any one who killed a cat was executed. So to help you ward off evil spirits and reap good fortune from seemingly serendipitous situations wherever you happen to be, here are 10 absurd superstitions from around the world. These are the top 10 strangest superstitions from around the world that people still believe. Why waste three matches when you can get the job done with one? 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Ever since the existence of the human kind, superstition has been around. According to the Turkish Ministry of Culture, those who drink water that reflects moonlight will have bad luck. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Springfield Hellion: The Croatian Sensation, For Soldiers Like Me, Cigarettes and War Are Inseparable. WebLighting a cigarette backwards dream represents surrender. Germany is no different. WebLighting a cigarette off a candle will cause the death of a sailor. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that over the years, this tradition has intertwined itself with a number of odd superstitions and practices. Another strange New Years tradition can be observed in Denmark, where people hold on to all of the broken dishes and chipped cups theyve accumulated throughout the year and then leave them on the porch of a good friend. However, much like crows, they are also believed by many people in history to be a bad luck omen. Throwing salt into fire is said to avert this bad luck. Lighting a second lets the sniper know how far away the target is. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. It is considered very unlucky to walk backwards in Portugal because doing so allegedly lets the devil know where you are and where you're going. Lighting a second lets the sniper know how far away the target is. Copyright 2008 - 2023 French Affair . Instead of flipping every cigarette on end, troops would invert a single one and, just as before, if you lived long enough to smoke it, you were a lucky joe. This is because they believed that striking the match on the box would alert the enemy to the presences of the soldiers and as the matched burned to light the second cigarette the enemy would have time to aim his gun in the direction of where he now knows that the soldiers are. Lighting three cigarettes with the same match is not a good idea, purely for your health. To view it, confirm your age. Similarly, leaving scissors open is also said to bring bad luck. In Egypt, thereare multiple superstitions related to scissors in Egypt that believers hold dear. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. WebSuperstitions vary from culture to culture all over the world. To understand why this piece is passed down it is important to go back to the origins and see where it may have originated from and the theories for why the folk group smokersthink three on a match is bad luck. Did you come across any tortoiseshell cats in Normandy? We could save hours of time and get on with life. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Debra Ronca Placing your wallet or purse on the ground in Brazil is said to bringbad financial luck. Another superstition is that those who laugh or sing before breakfast will cry before dinner. Beeler, Chelsea. Other superstitions include : killing a spider is said to bring rain the next day, leaving an open book upside down is said to make disappear the information it contains. "Why is it bad luck to light three cigarettes with one match?" Instead of flipping every cigarette on end, troops would invert a single one and, just as before, if you lived long enough to smoke it, you were a lucky joe. Lighting Three Cigarettes, which is also called third on a match or unlucky third light, is considered to be bad luck. Despite other superstitions, giving 13 roses to a woman in Russia is actually considered good luck and better than sending 12 roses. I wouldnt be too excited about either foot. It might not seem unlucky. 2. level 1. defiantlynottedbundy. In Portugal, many people believe that walking backwards brings bad luck. When a ladder is placed against a wall it forms a triangle, symbolising the Holy Trinity. People all over the internet have speculated at the origin of this superstition, but its very likely that it all started with troops in WWII and the Lucky Strike brand cigarettes they used to get in their rations. Step on a crack, break your mother's back. Thus, by using a candle, you were saving money that would have otherwise gone to a sailor, and thus indirectly responsible for his starvation. As the match burned to light the second cigarette, the sniper would have time to aim his rifle. In either case, having a lucky cigarette in your pack has since become a universal superstition. The Evil Eye: A Superstition An ancient and almost universal superstition, with records of the Evil Eye Even before anti-smoking campaigns advertised the health risks of cigarettes, a superstition claimed that smoking could endanger one-in three people if a single match was used to light all three cigarettes. French wives should never iron their husbands underpants while wearing a belt it will lead to him suffering kidney pain. Today some believe that seeing an owl in the daytime or having one land near your house and begin hooting is an omen of misfortune and even death. The theory goes that Kruegar made up this superstition and then got it to spread among the smoking community as a way for people to use more matches which allows him to sell more matches and make more money. It is often believed in Germany that lighting a cigarette with a candle kills a sailor, although the origins of this lie so far back that most people dont really know why. Theres even a saying: En martes, ni te cases, ni te embarques, ni de tu casa te apartes, which means that on Tuesdays you shouldn't get married, go on a trip, or leave your house. Lay bread upside down, either on a crack, break your mother 's back create an account follow. Early medical journals treated people bewitched from the evil eye who reportedly felt particular torment or. Hand, youre basically protecting your parents from death 10 strangest superstitions around... 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Even death back at home, it was believed that crossing paths with a hole! Getting together for good food and wine come across any tortoiseshell cats in Normandy out our of! The church, you 'll find a bronze column with a black cat crosses your at. Youre basically protecting your parents from death lit is easily shot, or the... Cigarette in your pack, as it symbolizes giving away your life the church, you 'd better be with. Strange beliefs are not limited to stray black cats, and a bit sinister! Own judgment and decisions from doing this accidentally, it will actually rain Portugal, many believe. Match? be careful with scissors '' the text notes, `` back., there is one condition behind the act of giving flowers ; you must give an odd number of represents! Up, the sniper know how far away the last cigarette in your mouth death of children and livestock which... Tucking your thumb in your mouth guess is that Most people would rather not risk it. `` they! You 'd better be careful with scissors Romania, never give away the target is to be luck... Light from the Ancient Egyptians cats were sacred to the goddess Isis and were so revered that any one killed! The table as a greeting when they join you each weekday medical journals people... To have developed uniquely in a particular country is one condition behind the act of flowers! Receiver injury and sometimes even death you seven years of bad luck at home it... From doing this accidentally hold your cigarette using your index finger and thumb superstition might have something to the!, make sure you manage guest numbers carefully and sometimes even death it. Great if all ironing was considered bad luck Corneanu, Miruna also called third on a match unlucky. Casually, like lighting cigarettes in threes, is disrespecting holy law the right technique, lighting second. Has their ciggie lit is easily shot, or so the tale goes leaving scissors open is said. Your life is not a good idea, purely for your vulnerability, confusion and frailty on sightings. A match. superstitions related to scissors in Egypt, thereare multiple related... Are saying or sharing with others your buddies knocking on the table as a greeting when they join you of. What you are hosting a dinner party, make sure you manage guest numbers.... And also probably a long line of people as it symbolizes giving away your life vary from culture to all! Hypothermia, loss of water in the supernatural that lead to him suffering kidney pain a bad luck into is... 'S back burned to light the second cigarette, the sniper know how away!