Episode 104: Superstitions From Breaking Mirrors to Throwing Salt

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Ian: Hey everyone, you are listening to “Coffee with Gringos.” I'm Ian Kennedy. 

Paige: And I'm Paige Sutherland. 

Ian: And today, we're going to be talking about superstitions which are widely or commonly held beliefs that things are caused due to bad luck or due to supernatural circumstances. And while sometimes they seem a little crazy, it's pretty interesting how many people all over the world believe in these common superstitions. So today we thought it'd be really interesting to talk about some of these and their origins where they came from. So, listeners remember, if you get lost, go online and check out that audio guide and transcript. Okay, so Paige, before we start talking about some common superstitions, I have to ask you—are you a superstitious person?

Paige: I am. Yeah, I think especially a lot of the ones we're going to go over in the US, at least, are so common that it feels weird not to partake in them. I feel like, for instance, we're probably not going to talk about this one, but like the knocking on wood when you want something to go well. It's kind of something I can't not do. It's something I think about. I think it's part of you as a culture. What about you? 

Ian: I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't consider myself superstitious and I try not to play into bad luck or supernatural things, but I catch myself doing that same thing, especially the knock on wood—just to be safe, kind of thing. It's like I know it's not going to hurt just to knock on a little wood right next to me, so I might as well whether I believe in it or not. It just makes me feel a little bit better.

Paige: Exactly. A lot of them are so easy and silly to avoid or do that you kind of just do it just like you said for that, why not?

Ian: Exactly. Just cover my bases here, just in case. Yeah, exactly. But there are people who have really strong beliefs for superstitions. They won't leave their house without doing certain superstitious activities or doing something that other people might consider kind of crazy. So, I think today it will be fun for us to talk through some of these and how they even came about. 

Paige: Well, I think, especially in the US some of the craziest ones I've seen, because a lot of the people I know aren't that superstitious with their life, but when it comes to sports. Like if they're watching a game, they have to sit in that chair, they have to wear that jersey, those socks, their wife has to sit in that chair. If they lost the Super Bowl one year that guy is not invited because he was bad luck. I think it's really funny how sports make people get really into the superstitious stuff. Have you noticed that?

Ian: Oh yeah, big time. With lots of sports or even with athletes too. You hear about athletes who are really superstitious who have to have the exact same routine before a game or they have to eat the exact same food that they always eat. Some of them, you hear they have to put on their right shoe before their left shoe or else they'll say, “I had a horrible game. That's why we lost.” Sometimes it feels like it's somewhat of an excuse when things go bad but if something goes well when you've done something, you can really convince yourself that hey, things went well because I did this certain routine or I did this certain move that gave me a better outcome. So, while some people find it silly and, I think, at its face, they're kind of silly, there's really some kind of hidden meaning or some feeling behind them that makes us believe them sometimes.

Paige: Did you ever do that? You were an athlete. Did you ever have a routine or always wear a certain type of article of clothing? 

Ian: No, I don't think so. Again, I tried not to. I tried really hard to say like, alright if something went wrong, it's because I didn't play well enough or we didn't do something right. But I think for a while, maybe it was something with the yeah, I'm going to put on the left shoe before the right shoe. I think I did that for a while but I don't think anything I really stuck to where it was every single match, I have to do this. And what about you?

Paige: Not really but I definitely would eat the same things the night before races. And I would also wear the same sports bra whenever I competed. So, they were little things but it wasn't like you said, it wasn't that it was an excuse of oh, I didn't do it because I didn't do this. It was just like, I had a good race doing this, why mess it up? 

Ian: Furthermore, to that, it's like even these, especially for athletes, the little psychological boosts—the really little boosts—even little things like that can help with your overall performance. So, if you tell yourself hey, I'm going to run better because I'm wearing a certain shirt or because I ate a certain food if, in your mind, you feel like it's helping and it probably will help. So, even if it doesn't help, on the basis of being superstitious or luck, I think psychologically they talk a little bit.

Paige: No, definitely. Okay, so let's get into the common ones. 

Ian: Okay, let's do it. 

Paige: Let’s hear some of your favorites. 

Ian: So, one that I automatically thought of that's really common that I think of all the time is that it's bad luck to walk under a leaning ladder. And the reason for this is pretty interesting, actually. So, this superstition actually goes back about 5,000 years in ancient Egypt. So, in ancient Egypt, the shape of a triangle is considered really sacred. We see this with the building of the pyramids, a lot of symbology using the triangles, and so a ladder that was leaning up against the wall was regarded as sacred because it's in a triangle shape. And so, to the Egyptians, if you walked under the path of a triangle, it was like you were walking into the heavens of the gods or the trinity of the gods. And so, it's considered something sacred and something that a normal person shouldn't try to do. And this thought, this belief, actually carried through the centuries and ended up making its way into Christianity—a lot of different religions. And, so we've seen that it spread from Egypt, like a lot of their other ideas and technologies all over the world. So now, people everywhere believe this—don't walk onto that ladder. It's going to be bad luck for you. And this is one I'd always heard, but I never knew the origin. So, I think it's really interesting to understand where that's come from now. 

Paige: I think we had an episode weeks ago or months ago now about old wives’ tales, are these things that we do so unconsciously that we don't even know. When we went over the old wives’ tales, I didn't even know the origin behind it, but yet, I believed it. And same with these superstitions. I don't know the origin behind any of them. It's just so passed down that you just don't walk under a ladder—you just don't do it. You don't know why, but you just don't.

Ian: Exactly. You don't question it—you just go with it. Alright, not going to do it. And what about you, Paige? What's one that you've seen or heard that you think is interesting?

Paige: Yeah, so this one is one that I think I would still advise not to do today or if someone did it, I'd be like— “Oh, why did you do that?”—is opening up an umbrella inside. It’s something growing up that was always bad luck—you never did it. But again, I didn't know the origin and so, when I looked it up, it actually comes from Victorian England. Basically, it's a pretty easy story. Basically, the way that umbrellas were made back then, the metal spraying mechanism that released it so that it sprung up was just really shoddy and dangerous. So, if you open it up inside, the chances of poking someone in the eye, hurting someone, breaking something inside was really likely. So, that obviously caused some issues and the whole reason why it's bad luck is you're inside with your family, you hit your dad in the eye with the umbrella, you're pissed off at each other all week. It was kind of this whole bad luck because it created quarrels between families, so that makes sense. It's like oh, okay, I can see how they were actually dangerous back then and just poorly made.

Ian: Yeah, I can see that. That's a quick way to ruin a family dinner. Open up an umbrella—boom!

Paige: Yeah, it's still dangerous today. Umbrellas cover a lot of surface. If you open that inside, it's just not good, but also bad luck.

Ian: Exactly. Yeah, it's dangerous but also bad luck now. You have the double whammy, of course.

Paige: CWG officially has over one hundred episodes and we are among the “Top Podcasts in Chile” and that’s thanks to you. But we are always working to grow our audience so make sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, and even LinkedIn. But most importantly—rate, review and share us with all your friends, family, and coworkers. And if you want to take your English education to the next level? Sign up for private or group classes at dynamicenglish.cl. 

Ian: So, another one that I thought of that has an origin that goes back a long time ago as well was that, if you spill salt, you have to throw some of the salt over your left shoulder to avoid getting bad luck. And this is another one that I've always known but I thought, okay, why do we do this? Why does this exist? So, the reason for this superstition was about 3,000 or 4,000 years ago, the ancient Sumerians, they took to taking spilled salt, and what they would do is they would take a pinch of it, and they would throw it over their left shoulder as a way to say, okay, this is how we're going to get rid of the bad luck of spilling salt. And the reason for this was, at the time, salt was really, really valuable. I want to say more valuable than most currencies. It was the most important trade in the world. And so, the idea of spilling something so valuable, it was considered something bad—a waste. And so, as a way to sort of clear up that bad luck, they took a little bit of it—just a little bit of it since it was valuable—and tossed it over the left shoulder. Now, this was 3,000 or 4,000 BCE so, who knows what they were really thinking back then in terms of what it would do. But I think it's interesting to think, to remember how valuable salt was back then and how that's gone from that time all the way to modern-day as something that we still do. 

Paige: I know. What's funny is I did it as a child, but it was kind of like a prank because it was always at a diner, you spilled the salt shaker and then you would throw it behind you and it hit someone and you and your friends would be like a bunch of assholes. It was definitely something you did because it was wrong but because it was superstitious, it was okay. It was definitely not that the salt was sacred and we were upset. 

Ian: Yeah, I don't think that applies to modern-day.

Paige: Yeah, you've done it, right?

Ian: Yeah, of course. 

Paige: I wouldn't want to do it as an adult, but I definitely did it as a child.

Ian: Right, exactly. It's a funny thing as a little kid. “Oh, I got some salt! Let’s throw it behind me.” And of course, it hit somebody. “Oh, sorry, it's the superstition!” It's kind of a way to get away with something back then, but yeah, not something I would do as an adult. 

Paige: Now you would probably get punched in the face. 

Ian: Exactly, yeah. It's something I would avoid. What's another one that you've seen, Paige?

Paige: Okay, next one. This one is also similar to the umbrella, where I feel like a lot of people think it's true, where if you break a mirror, you have bad luck for seven years. I think it's definitely something that people avoid. They try not to break a mirror. They're extra careful when they're moving it around. And so, this goes back to ancient Greece. And so, basically, back then, they believed in a lot of superstitions and a lot of people would seek, they called them “mirror- seers.” So, basically, they wanted people to analyze their fortune. And so, what they would do is they would take these mirrors and put them in water and if you looked into the mirror and your image was distorted, it basically meant that you were likely going to die. So, yeah that was a little more aggressive where the modern-day superstition is more that you have bad luck—not that you're going to die. And they said that it also evolved where in Roman times, they used it a lot with mirrors to see if people were sick or not. A little less than the distorted image like you will die tomorrow.

Ian: Yeah, that's a little intense. I think I prefer the okay, you might have a little bit of bad luck to you're going to die. But a distorted face—that means that you're done for. What?

Paige: Exactly. And I don't know from this article, I don't know why it’s seven years. I think seven is probably just one of those numbers with superstition. I don't know. 

Ian: Yeah, I think so. 

Paige: Because And that's a long time of bad luck. 

Ian: Yeah, exactly. 

Paige: Okay, another one that you like? 

 Ian: Okay, another one that's super common that, again, I didn't know the origin until now, that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck. So, people, all the time will say “Oh, look there's a black cat. Be careful, let's get away from that black cat.” And the reason for this, again goes back like most of these, to many centuries ago. And so, this originated during the Middle Ages and so people in Europe had this belief that they thought black cats were companions or friends of witches or demons. They even thought that black cats could be witches in disguise. So that witches transformed themselves into these black cats to walk around among normal people. And so, they thought a black cat crossing you or being around you was a witch trying to get you or it was a devil or a demon watching you. So, it scared a lot of people and this carried through many, many years with the pilgrims moving over to America, spreading this thought and the Americas. So, now basically all over the world, we have this black cat superstition that people try to avoid black cats because it's bad luck. But back then, they thought they were actually being watched by witches or demons. 

Paige: It's definitely something that I still think of. If I was out alone at night and saw a black cat, I'd be like “shit.”

Ian: Exactly. I find myself thinking that sometimes too and it goes back to, I'm not that superstitious and I don't even believe that something bad will happen, but it's just something you're so used to hearing your entire life that it's something that automatically clicks in your brain when you see certain items or certain things happen.

Paige: Okay, next one. So, this one I think most people believe the number thirteen is unlucky, but I never really thought why. It’s just an unlucky number. I don't know if you've noticed, Ian, but even sometimes in hotels, they'll skip the floor thirteen or they won't even have a room that's thirteen. They just skip the whole number because people are so superstitious that they don't want to stay in that room, which shows how powerful it is. But why thirteen is unlucky is it goes way, way back to mythology where they had this huge dinner party with all the gods and, basically, the god of evil crashed the party and he was the thirteenth guest. They tried to kick him out of the party and he ended up killing one of the other guests. And so, forever, the party crasher, number thirteen became very unlucky. And they also had another story where the famous Last Supper with Jesus Christ, that Judas was the thirteenth guest at that last supper, who we all know the story about him, so he's very unlucky. So, yeah it just goes way, way back to mythology to Jesus Christ that thirteen has always been a number to avoid. 

Ian: Wow, that makes sense though. I mean, that it carries through all these years and it's so strange. It is common sometimes to see hotels or restaurants or places that will avoid using the number thirteen because the customers don't want to see this or they think it’s bad luck so they won't want to be there. So, it's so weird to see in a hotel, you have the twelfth floor, and then the fourteenth floor. Well, it's actually not the fourteenth but you can call it whatever you want if it's going to make you feel better.

Paige: Could you stay in room thirteen? 

Ian: Yeah, I don't think that would bother me.

Paige: I know. I don't think it would bother me either. For our listeners out there, if there are Chilean superstitions we'd love to hear them. So, write us on social media platforms because that would be cool to learn more. 

Ian: Yes, exactly. We'd love to learn those and talk about them, maybe even in a future episode. So, let us know about those. 

Paige: So yeah, so if you get lost listeners, check that online transcript and guide. Thanks for listening.

Ian: We'll see you next time.

Paige: “Coffee with Gringos” was brought to you by Dynamic English, where you can learn English simply by using it. If you’re interested in taking classes or just want to learn more, go to our website at dynamicenglish.cl. Thanks for listening. 

Key Vocabulary, Phrases & Slang: 

1.     to partake (verb): to join in. 

a.     I don’t partake in playing sports. 

2.     to play into something (phrasal verb): to believe or support an idea. 

a.     She plays into superstitions all the time.

3.     to catch oneself (phrasal verb): to realize something about oneself. 

a.     Sometimes I catch myself falling asleep during meetings. 

4.     to cover one’s bases (idiom): to ensure something or be safe about something. 

a.     I’m going to cover my bases and knock on wood for good luck.

5.     jersey (noun): shirt or clothing worn as a uniform for a sports team.

a.     I wear the same jersey every time I watch them play! 

6.     Super Bowl (noun): the championship final match for North American football. 

a.     The Super Bowl this year will be in Tampa.

7.     on its face (idiom): how something seems without further investigation into details. 

a.     On its face, this superstition seems very silly. 

8.     to boost (verb): to increase rapidly. 

a.     Drinking coffee boosts me in the morning.

9.     leaning (adjective): lying or resting against something else for support. 

a.     She was leaning on her best friend to make sure she didn’t fall. 

10.  sacred (adjective): very respected by a religion. 

a.     The cross is a sacred symbol of Christianity.

11.  passed down (adjective): given or shared to younger generations. 

a.     Our family tradition has been passed down for generations. 

12.  to spring up (phrasal verb): to open suddenly and quickly.

a.     The metal was springing up from the machine.

13.  shoddy (adjective): badly made or done.

a.     The repairs on this car are very shoddy. 

14.  to poke (verb): to touch or hit someone with something. 

a.     The umbrella accidentally poked him in the face. 

15.  pissed off (adjective): very angry. 

a.     I am so pissed off that they canceled the meeting without telling us. 

16.  quarrel (noun): fight; disagreement. 

a.     The family had a quarrel about what they would do next. 

17.  double whammy (noun): something that is bad in two ways. 

a.     Missing the bus and then forgetting my umbrella was a double whammy for me this morning. 

18.  to spill (verb): to drop or allow a liquid to exit or flow over the container.

a.     I don’t want to spill my coffee in the car, so I will drink it here. 

19.  pinch (noun): a small amount of an ingredient that can be held between two fingers.

a.     I think we should add a pinch of salt to the soup for more flavor. 

20.  currency (noun): a system of money for a particular country. 

a.     Salt was once more valuable than currencies at the time. 

21.  to clear up (phrasal verb): to fix, solve, or cure something. 

a.     We need to clear up the issue as soon as possible. 

22.  prank (noun): joke or mischievous act. 

a.     The brothers like to do pranks every day in their house. 

23.  diner (noun): small restaurant usually found in the United States.

a.     Should we eat at a diner today? 

24.  to seek (verb): to search; to look for. 

a.     She is seeking someone to help her study for the exam. 

25.  distorted (adjective): different; out of shape. 

a.     Her face seemed distorted through the dark window. 

26.  done for (adjective): dead. 

a.     Make sure to drink enough water or you are done for. 

27.  witch (noun): a woman thought to have magic powers. 

a.     They all thought she was a witch and were afraid of her.  

28.  disguise (noun): changing one’s appearance to hide their identity. 

a.     She wears a disguise in public so no one will know her. 

29.  to click (verb): to understand immediately and naturally. 

a.     Math clicks for me but not history. 

30.  to crash a party (phrasal verb): to come to an event without being invited. 

a.     She crashed the party even though she didn’t know anyone there. 

31.  to kick out (phrasal verb): to make someone leave a place. 

a.     The party crasher was kicked out of the house. 

32.  supper (noun): dinner.

a.     What did you eat for supper last night?