List of bad luck signs

Bad luck is an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate. This is a list of signs believed to bring bad luck according to superstitions.

List

• Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck^[1]
• A bird or flock of birds going from left to right (Auspicia) (Paganism)^{[citation needed]}
• Certain numbers:
  • The number 4. Fear of the number 4 is known as tetraphobia; in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, the number sounds like the word for "death".^[2][3][4][5]
  • The number 9. Fear of the number 9 is known as enneaphobia, in Japanese culture; this is because it sounds like the Japanese word for "suffering".^[4][5]
  • The number 13. Fear of the number 13 is known as triskaidekaphobia.
  • The number 17. Fear of the number 17 is known as heptadecaphobia and is prominent in Italian culture.^[6]
  • The number 39. Fear of the number 39 is known as the curse of 39, especially in Afghan culture.^[7]
  • The number 43. In Japanese culture, maternity wards numbered 43 are considered taboo, as the word for the number means "still birth".^[8]
  • The number 666. Fear of the number 666 is known as hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. Per Biblical prophesy, the "Number of The Beast", signifies the return of the Devil and Antichrist. Also called the "Mark of the Beast", wherein all humans will have it on their forehead or hand.
• Friday the 13th (in Spain, Greece, and Georgia: Tuesday the 13th)^{[citation needed]}
• Failing to respond to a chain letter^[9]
• Giving a clock as a gift in Chinese culture, as in Chinese, to give a clock (Chinese: 送鐘/送钟; pinyin: sòng zhōng) has the same pronunciation as "sending off for one's end" (Chinese: 送終/送终; pinyin: sòngzhōng).^[10]
• Hanging a horseshoe with the ends pointing down, as it is believed that the luck will 'fall out'^[11] However, this is not universally considered unlucky. In some cultures and traditions, such as in parts of France and Rutland, England, hanging a horseshoe with the ends pointing down is thought to shower good luck upon those passing beneath it. Additionally, some people personally believe that this orientation brings good fortune, regardless of cultural norms.^[12][13][14] Historically, blacksmiths—a trade long associated with luck and protection—often hung horseshoes upside down as a symbol of their craft. A superstitious blacksmith and apprentice believe that the luck from the horseshoe will flow toward him or her, their tools, and eventually to whatever project they are working on.^[15]
• Opening an umbrella while indoors^{[16]: 204, 267}
• On the Isle of Man, rats are referred to as "longtails" as saying "rat" is considered bad luck.^[17][18]
• Navajo culture:
  • pointing at a rainbow^{[19][better source needed][20]}
  • throwing rocks into the wind^[19][20]
  • a coyote crossing one's path^[19] heading north^[20]
  • an owl^[21] flying over a house.^{[citation needed]}
• Placing chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice in Chinese and Japanese culture is reminiscent of food offerings left for the dead.^[22]
• Ravens, crows and magpies^{[16]: 385–386, 243, 386}
• Saying the word "Macbeth" or wishing someone "Good Luck" while inside a theatre^[23]
  • The substitutions "The Scottish Play" and "Break a leg" are used instead.
• Shoes on a table
• Placing a hat on a bed^[24]
• Three on a match^[16]: 292
• Tipping a salt shaker over^[16]: 188
• Viewing one's doppelgänger may be considered a harbinger of bad luck^{[citation needed]}
• Killing a ladybug^[25][26]
• Walking under a ladder^[27][28]
• Black cat crossing one's path^[16]: 294
• Picking up a penny with the tails side up^[29][30]

See also

• List of lucky symbols
• Bad luck (disambiguation)
• Theatrical superstitions
• Faux pas derived from Chinese pronunciation
• Sailors' superstitions#Bad luck

References

1. "Breaking a mirror - meaning of broken mirror". Mirror History. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
2. Don Chang Lee (1975). Acculturation of Korean Residents in Georgia. R and E Research Associates. ISBN 978-0-88247-360-4. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
3. Soo Kim (17 November 2020). How to Live Korean. Quarto Publishing Group UK. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-7112-5709-2. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
4. Haru Yamada; Orlando R. Kelm; David A. Victor (2017). The 7 Keys to Communicating in Japan: An Intercultural Approach. Georgetown University Press. pp. 178–180. ISBN 978-1-62616-477-2. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
5. Outlook on Japan. Japan Travel Bureau. 1991. p. 80. ISBN 978-4-533-01461-1. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
6. Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel (August 2005). 13 : the story of the world's most notorious superstition. New York, NY: Plume. p. 189. ISBN 9780452284968. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
7. Nissenbaum, Dion (June 15, 2011). "A Symbol of Paid Companionship, No. 39 Is Afghans' Loneliest Number". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
8. "Cats, Numbers and Other Japanese Superstitions". injapan.gaijinpot.com. 11 June 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
9. Lys, Claudia de (1989). What's so lucky about a four-leaf clover? and 8414 other strange and fascinating superstitions from all over the world. New York: Bell Publishing Company. pp. 458–460. ISBN 9780517694244. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
10. "Cultural China - Festivals and Customs - Taboo 2 - Giving a clock". Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
11. "Luck and Horseshoes Webpage accessed 22 Aug. 2010". Indepthinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
12. Copley, Mary (2021-01-26). "Rutland's Horseshoe History". Discover Rutland. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
13. "Bizarre French superstitions you should know about". Complete France. 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
14. "The Mystique of the Lucky Horseshoe: History and Beliefs". HowStuffWorks. 2015-08-18. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
15. Staff (2016-12-02). "Horseshoes - As Luck Would Have It". Images. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
16. Steffensen Cannon, Anthon; Talley, Jeannine; Debs Hand, Wayland, eds. (1984). Popular beliefs and superstitions from Utah. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874802368. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
17. "Did you Know? A Tail About Long-Tails, Traditions and Superstition - IoM Post". www.iompost.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-04. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
18. "Breaking superstitions with a 'longtail' infestation". BBC News. 2017-04-01. Archived from the original on 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
19. Ernest Bulows. "Navajo Taboos for Nature, Domestic and Wild Animals". NavajoCentral.org. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
20. Alysa Landry (July 24, 2014). "10 Things You Need to Know About Navajos". Indian Country Today Media Network. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
21. "Owl and Woodpecker – A Navajo Tale". navajopeople.org. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
22. Wang, Q Edward (2015-01-26). Chopsticks : a cultural and culinary history. Cambridge. ISBN 9781107023963. OCLC 881469397.
23. Schumm, Laura (3 September 2018). "Why do actors avoid the word "Macbeth"?". HISTORY. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
24. Vargas, Alani (2023-08-06). "Here's Why Putting a Hat on a Bed Is Considered Bad Luck". Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
25. Cora Linn Daniels (2003). Stevans, C. M. (ed.). Encyclopædia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World Volume II. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. p. 656. ISBN 9781410209153.
26. Newman Ivey White (1964). M. Belden, Henry; G. Brewster, Paul; D. Hand, Wayland; Palmer Hudson, Arthur; Philip Schinhan, Jan; Taylor, Archer; Thompson, Stith; Jere Whiting, Bartlett; P. Wilson, George; F. Baum, Paull (eds.). The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore - Vol. VII: Popular Beliefs and Superstitions from North Carolina, Pt. 2. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press. p. 415. ISBN 9780822382867.
27. "Why is walking under a ladder supposed to be unlucky?". HowStuffWorks. 2015-08-06. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
28. "The Surprising Origins of 9 Common Superstitions | Live Science". www.livescience.com. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
29. The Lucky Penny Superstition — Explained! https://www.southernliving.com/news/good-lucky-penny-superstitions-explained
30. "9 bizarre money superstitions people believe but shouldn't". Business Insider.