It’s no secret that people are gullible and will believe crazy things, but sometimes there are really popular beliefs that are thought to bring good fortune. Why do people think that these simple and rather childish things bring “luck?” And where did these traditions come from?
The first superstition that we’re looking at today is knocking on wood. People think that if they had bad luck, simply knocking on wood will reverse that misfortune. It possibly could’ve come from a culture that believed that gods lived in trees. They would knock on the tree twice to ask a favor, then knock twice as a thank you once the wish was granted. It also could’ve come from Christianity, associated with Jesus’ wooden cross.
The second one is one that I am guilty of doing myself: crossing my fingers. People will cross their fingers because they think that it gives them luck at that moment. There are a couple different theories of where this useless symbol came from, a popular one coming from christianity. Back when Romans would persecute chiristians for believing, they would go around making secret symbols to communicate with each other.
Third off, a rather barbaric tradition, carrying around a rabbit’s foot. You don’t have to be a genius to know that this tradition is rather… stupid. This can come from the Celtic, Roman, and Hoodoo cultures, believing that rabbits were lucky, or could talk to the gods. And since rabbits are kinda known for breeding so much, they were ideal for pregnant women. Nowadays, the feet we carry around are made of plastic and faux fur, thank God.
Fourth: saying “bless you” when somebody sneezes. Now of course, I do this too, but not because I think it brings good luck. In America today, if you don’t say bless you to anybody that sneezes, you are deemed rude. It’s just polite. “Bless you” is just an abbreviated version of “God bless you,” which is obviously coming from christianity. If someone sneezed in the olden days, people would think that when you sneezed, a demon was coming out so they would try to bless you. During the plague, if somebody sneezed, people thought that you would die soon, so they say “God bless you” out of courtesy. Early Romans thought that spirits were expelled after a powerful sneeze, so they blessed them in hopes of a safe journey to the afterworld.
Fifth, and last is the stupidest of all: the belief that black cats bring bad luck. Morons think that if you encounter a fluffy dark kitty, you will have “bad luck.” If anything, you’ll be blessed to have seen an adorable baby kitty. This comes from the medieval belief that witches carried black cats around with them. Absolutely absurd.
Whether you are superstitious or not, some of these have been passed down and are just common courtesy today.

Works Cited
Grauschopf, Sandra. “7 Lucky Superstitions (and Their Weird Origins).” The Balance Everyday, The Balance Everyday, 20 Nov. 2019, www.thebalanceeveryday.com/lucky-superstitions-origin-895272.
“10 Common Superstitions.” EverydayHealth.com, 15 Nov. 2017, www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/10-common-superstitions/.