Tom was watching the PBS TV series "Doc
Martin"
recently and someone threw salt over their left shoulder. We wondered
what that
meant, so I looked it up and found this interesting article on line.
Maybe
it'll explain some things you've heard about! There are a lot of
superstitions, so you'll be able to read about them over the course of
several days.
- Rob
Part 3: What's behind Some Superstitions? Ladders, Magpies, Rocking Chairs, Spilled Salt
Ladders - Often thought to arise from a risk of falling
scaffolding, the fear of walking under ladders may have far more complex
origins. It is believed that the triangular shape made by a ladder leaning
against the wall invokes the Holy Trinity and that walking through the triangle
is desecration.
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If you’ve wandered under one by accident, the only
solution is to walk back underneath it, saying a prayer as you do so.
Magpies - Throughout Europe, magpies are seen as birds of ill omen.
And
apocryphal tales recount that the magpie was the one bird that refused to sing
and comfort Christ when he died on the cross.
The number of magpies you spot will determine whether you
enjoy good or ill fortune. As the popular rhyme suggests: One for sorrow,
Two for mirth, Three for a funeral, Four for a birth.
Rocking chairs - An old Irish superstition claims that if you set an empty
rocking chair rocking, you invite evil spirits to occupy the empty seat.
Spilled salt: Because of Judas Iscariot, spilling the
seasoning is associated with lies. The Last Supper has given us two common superstitions:
the first is that you should never seat 13 at dinner, and the second is that
spilling salt brings bad luck. If you look closely at Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of
the Last Supper, you can see that Judas has knocked the salt cellar over with
his elbow. Thanks to Judas Iscariot, spilled salt is associated with treachery
and lies. If you do spill salt, a pinch thrown over your left shoulder is
supposed to blind the devil waiting there.
