Curious About Superstitions

PODCAST 175: CURIOUS ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 6TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WHEN WE STARTED THIS PODCAST, ALMOST THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO, WE DIDN’T GET ENOUGH MAIL FROM OUR LISTENERS TO TAKE LISTENER SUGGESTIONS EVERY SINGLE WEEK.  AFTER A FEW MONTHS, THE MAIL STARTED ROLLING IN.  WE ARE SO THANKFUL THAT WE NOW HAVE HUNDREDS OF GREAT LISTENER SUGGESTIONS TO SELECT EPISODE TOPICS FROM, AND GUESS WHAT?  ALL OF YOUR TOPIC SUGGESTIONS ARE AWESOME, AND SOME OF THEM ARE TOPICS I PROBABLY NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF MYSELF, INCLUDING THE SUPER FUN TOPIC WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT THIS WEEK.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“MY NAME IS MAX.  I’M 5 YEARS OLD AND LIVE IN CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY.  I LISTEN TO YOU EVERY DAY IN THE CAR.  I LOVE YOUR PODCAST BECAUSE IT’S EDUCATIONAL AND IT’S FUN!  MY MOM HAS LEARNED A LOT TOO.  I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS LIKE WHY WE CROSS OUR FINGERS FOR GOOD LUCK.  FINGERS CROSSED THAT YOU PICK MY TOPIC!  THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO JACOB AND OLIVIA.”

O:  YOU’RE VERY WELCOME, MAX.  YOU CAN STOP CROSSING YOUR FINGERS NOW BECAUSE WE ARE TOTALLY GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS FOR YOU THIS WEEK.  

D:  BUT BEFORE WE DIVE INTO SOME REALLY INTERESTING SUPERSTITIONS, WHY DON’T YOU TELL US THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, ACCORDING TO SUPERSTITION, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU STEP ON A CRACK?

D:  THAT’S A FUN QUESTION.  LET’S GET THIS STARTED BY DEFINING WHAT A SUPERSTITION IS.

O:  MANY SUPERSTITIONS STARTED A LONG TIME AGO WHEN PEOPLE TRIED TO EXPLAIN WHY CERTAIN THINGS HAPPENED.

D:  FOR EXAMPLE, IF A BLACK CAT CROSSED YOUR PATH AND THEN LOTS OF BAD THINGS STARTED TO HAPPEN TO YOU, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER BLACK CATS TO BE BAD LUCK.  

O:  BUT, IF ONE THING HAPPENED AND THEN ANOTHER THING HAPPENED LATER, IT DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE FIRST THING CAUSED THE SECOND.

D:  THAT’S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, BUT SCIENCE BACK THEN WAS NOT WHAT IT IS TODAY, SO PEOPLE STARTED TO LINK THINGS TOGETHER EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO PROOF THAT THE LINK WAS ACTUALLY THERE, AND THAT’S HOW MANY SUPERSTITIONS STARTED.

O:  MANY SUPERSTITIONS HAVE BEEN SCIENTIFICALLY STUDIED AND PROVEN WRONG, BUT THAT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT MANY PEOPLE STILL BELIEVE IN SOME SUPERSTITIONS.  

D:  I WONDER HOW MANY OF OUR LISTENERS BELIEVE IN SUPERSTITIONS.  SO, ABOUT A YEAR AGO, A REPORT WAS RELEASED BASED ON SEARCH DATA GATHERED BY GOOGLE THAT LISTS THE MOST COMMON SUPERSTITIONS BY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES.  WE ARE GOING TO GO THROUGH THREE OF THE MOST POPULAR ONES.

O:  THROWING SALT OVER THE SHOULDER IS THE MOST COMMON SUPERSTITION IN ALABAMA, ALASKA, ARKANSAS, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, HAWAII, IDAHO, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, RHODE ISLAND, UTAH, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WYOMING.  THAT’S 17 STATES!

D:  AND THAT MAKES IT THE MOST COMMON SUPERSTITION IN THE UNITED STATES.  

O:  ACCORDING TO THE SUPERSTITION, SPILLING SALT IS BAD LUCK.  IN ORDER TO REVERSE THE BAD LUCK, YOU NEED TO THROW A PINCH OF SALT OVER YOUR LEFT SHOULDER.  THAT’S A STRANGE SUPERSTITION.  WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

D:  NOBODY IS 100% SURE, BUT ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR THEORIES IS THAT IT STARTED WITH A PAINTING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI CALLED “THE LAST SUPPER”.  IN THE PAINTING, JUDAS KNOCKED SALT OVER WITH HIS ELBOW.  JUDAS IS A BAD CHARACTER IN THE BIBLE BECAUSE HE BETRAYED JESUS, SO PEOPLE STARTED TO ASSOCIATE SALT WITH LIES AND BETRAYAL.  AND WHY DO WE TOSS SALT OVER OUR LEFT SHOULDER INSTEAD OF OUR RIGHT SHOULDER?  IT’S BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE DEVIL LURKS BEHIND YOUR LEFT SHOULDER, AND WHEN YOU SPILL SALT, THE DEVIL SEES IT AS A CHANCE TO HURT YOU.  BY THROWING THE SALT OVER YOUR LEFT SHOULDER, YOU BLIND THE DEVIL, GETTING RID OF THE BAD LUCK.                  

O:  LADYBUGS BEING GOOD LUCK IS THE MOST COMMON SUPERSTITION IN FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NEW JERSEY, AND PENNSYLVANIA.  WHY ARE LADYBUGS SEEN AS GOOD LUCK?

D:  THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF THIS SUPERSTITION.  FARMERS THINK LADYBUGS ARE LUCKY BECAUSE THEY EAT PESTS THAT RUIN CROPS.  NOT ONLY DO THEY GET RID OF PESTS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO HARMLESS TO PEOPLE AND PETS.  SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT A LADYBUG LANDING ON YOU BRINGS GOOD LUCK.  SOME BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN MAKE A WISH IF YOU ARE HOLDING ON TO A LADYBUG AND THAT WISH WILL COME TRUE.  THERE IS ALSO A FOLKLORE FROM NORWAY THAT SAYS THAT IF A MAN AND WOMAN SEE A LADYBUG AT THE SAME TIME, THEY WILL FALL IN LOVE.

O:  PENNIES BRINGING GOOD LUCK IS THE MOST COMMON SUPERSTITION IN CALIFORNIA, IOWA, AND TEXAS.  I’VE HEARD ABOUT THIS SUPERSTITION.  IF YOU FIND A PENNY, HEADS SIDE UP, IT’S GOOD LUCK TO PICK THE PENNY UP.  IF YOU FIND A PENNY, TAILS SIDE UP, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO TURN IT OVER FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO PICK UP.  

D:  THERE IS EVEN A LITTLE JINGLE THAT GOES “FIND A PENNY, PICK IT UP.  ALL DAY LONG, YOU’LL HAVE GOOD LUCK”.  THIS SUPERSTITION MAY HAVE STARTED BECAUSE PEOPLE, IN ANCIENT TIMES, BELIEVED THAT METALS WERE GIFTS FROM THE GODS, GIVEN TO THEM TO PROVIDE PROTECTION.  PENNIES ARE MADE FROM COPPER, WHICH IS A METAL.  IN THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, PEOPLE STARTED ASSOCIATING THE HEADS SIDE OF THE COIN WITH BEING GOOD AND THE TAILS SIDE WITH BEING EVIL.      

NOW THAT WE’VE DISCUSSED SOME OF THE MOST COMMON SUPERSTITIONS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE MOST COMMON ONES WORLDWIDE.

O:  THERE IS A SUPERSTITION THAT WALKING UNDER A LADDER IS BAD LUCK.  IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE BAD IF THE LADDER FELL WHILE YOU WERE WALKING UNDER IT, BUT WHY WOULD IT BE BAD LUCK TO WALK UNDER A LADDER?

D:  JUST LIKE THROWING SALT OVER THE SHOULDER, THIS SUPERSTITION HAS RELIGIOUS ROOTS.  IN CHRISTIAN SYMBOLISM, THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT REPRESENT THE HOLY TRINITY.  THAT MEANS THAT THE NUMBER 3 IS SACRED.  YOU MAY NOTICE THAT IF YOU LEAN A LADDER UP AGAINST THE WALL, IT FORMS A TRIANGLE WITH THE WALL AND FLOOR.  A TRIANGLE, OF COURSE, HAS 3 SIDES, SO WHEN SOMEONE WALKS UNDER A LADDER, IT’S AS IF THEY ARE BREAKING THE HOLY TRINITY, WHICH BRINGS BAD LUCK.  

O:  ANOTHER SUPERSTITION SUGGESTS THAT OPENING AN UMBRELLA INDOORS WILL BRING BAD LUCK.

D:  IN SOME EARLY RELIGIONS, FOLLOWERS WORSHIPED A SUN GOD.  THEY BELIEVED THAT OPENING AN UMBRELLA INDOORS WHEN YOU DON’T NEED THE UMBRELLA TO SHIELD YOU FROM THE SUN WAS OFFENSIVE TO THE SUN GOD.  

O:  MAX ALSO MENTIONED ANOTHER VERY POPULAR SUPERSTITION IN HIS E-MAIL.  WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH CROSSING OUR FINGERS FOR GOOD LUCK?

D:  THIS SUPERSTITION LIKELY STARTED WITH PAGANS IN WESTERN EUROPE.  ONE WAY PAGANS WOULD SHOW SUPPORT FOR EACH OTHER WAS BY USING THEIR INDEX FINGERS TO FORM A CROSS.  AT SOME POINT, THIS TRANSITIONED INTO PEOPLE USING THEIR OWN INDEX FINGERS, ONE ON THE LEFT HAND AND THE OTHER ON THE RIGHT, TO FORM THEIR OWN CROSS.  FINALLY, THE MOVE WAS SIMPLIFIED EVEN MORE, AS PEOPLE STARTED TO MAKE A MODIFIED CROSS WITH THE INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS ON ONE HAND IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING GOOD LUCK TO THEMSELVES.  

BEFORE WE ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, CHECK OUT SOME OF THESE STRANGE INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTITIONS WE DISCOVERED.

O:  IN RUSSIA, MANY PEOPLE CONSIDER IT BAD LUCK TO CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS EARLY.

D:  IN TURKEY, SOME BELIEVE THAT IF A PERSON JUMPS OVER A CHILD, THAT CHILD WON’T GROW ANYMORE.

O:  AND IN FRANCE, THERE IS A SUPERSTITION THAT GOOD LUCK WILL COME YOUR WAY IF YOU STEP IN DOG POOP WITH YOUR LEFT FOOT.

D:  OKAY OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  ACCORDING TO SUPERSTITION, WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU STEP ON A CRACK?

O:  IF YOU STEP ON A CRACK, YOU BREAK YOUR MOTHER’S BACK.

D:  THERE IS EVEN A SIMILAR RHYME THAT GOES “STEP ON A LINE, BREAK YOUR FATHER’S SPINE.  THAT’S A STRANGE SUPERSTITION.  CRACKS ON THE GROUND WERE SEEN AS PORTALS TO ANOTHER WORLD WITH EVIL SPIRITS.  THAT’S WHY STEPPING ON CRACKS IS BELIEVED TO BRING BAD LUCK TO THE PERSON OR THEIR FAMILY.  

O:  I KNOW THESE SUPERSTITIONS MAY SEEM SILLY, BUT 65% OF AMERICANS CLAIM TO BE SUPERSTITIOUS.

D:  I’M SUPERSTITIOUS.  I DON’T NECESSARILY BELIEVE IN ANY OF THE SUPERSTITIONS WE DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE, BUT I HAVE SOME OF MY OWN.  I HAVE A NECKLACE THAT I THINK BRINGS ME GOOD LUCK.  IT WAS GIVEN TO ME BY MY GRANDFATHER MANY YEARS AGO AND IT HAS LOTS OF SENTIMENTAL VALUE.  AND I’LL EVEN ADMIT TO A SUPERSTITION I HAD A FEW YEARS BACK THAT’S PRETTY RIDICULOUS.  I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M GOING TO TELL ALL YOU LISTENERS ABOUT THIS.  MY FAMILY USED TO HAVE SEASON TICKETS TO A LOCAL SOCCER TEAM CALLED THE NEW YORK RED BULLS.  ME AND MY WIFE HEATHER WENT TO ALMOST EVERY HOME GAME FOR A LONG STRETCH BETWEEN 2010 AND 2018.  I HAD THIS REALLY IMPORTANT TRADITION BEFORE EACH GAME.  I WALKED AROUND THE ENTIRE STADIUM BEFORE TAKING MY SEAT TO WATCH THE GAME.  I LOVED SEEING ALL THE FANS AND ALL THE TEAM SPIRIT THROUGHOUT THE STADIUM.  THE TEAM PLAYED VERY WELL WHILE WE HAD OUR SEASON TICKETS, AND I USED TO BELIEVE THAT MY TRADITION OF WALKING AROUND THE STADIUM BEFORE THE GAME ACTUALLY BOUGHT GOOD LUCK TO THE RED BULLS.  THERE WERE TIMES WHEN WE ARRIVED A LITTLE LATER THAN USUAL, AND I ACTUALLY MISSED A FEW MINUTES OF THE GAME BECAUSE I INSISTED ON WALKING AROUND THE STADIUM BEFORE SITTING DOWN, FOR FEAR THAT THE RED BULLS MIGHT LOSE THE GAME.  AND, WHO COULD BLAME ME?  DURING THAT 9 YEAR STRETCH, THE RED BULLS PLAYED 151 HOME GAMES AND LOST ONLY 22 OF THE 151 GAMES.  AND GUESS WHAT?  AFTER WE GAVE UP OUR SEASON TICKETS FOLLOWING THE 2018 SEASON, THE RED BULLS HAVE NOT PLAYED AS WELL AT HOME.  

O:  THAT IS A PRETTY SILLY SUPERSTITION YOU HAD, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY HOW SUPERSTITIONS WORK.  THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT WALKING AROUND THE STADIUM ACTUALLY HELPED THE RED BULLS PLAY BETTER, BUT YOU BELIEVED IT, AND THAT’S AWESOME.

D:  AND MY RED BULLS SUPERSTITION IS NO DIFFERENT THAN MANY OF THE OTHER SUPERSTITIONS THAT ARE POPULAR TODAY… THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THAT THE SUPERSTITIONS MAKE SENSE, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE CAN’T BELIEVE THEM ANYWAY.

WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  175 - SUPERSTITIONS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB MAX FOR GIVING US THIS SUPER, BUT NOT VERY SCIENTIFIC TOPIC TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE UNTIL NEXT WEEK, WE HAVE SOMEONE VERY SPECIAL TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTER, ASPEN C.

D:  A BIG THANKS TO ASPEN FOR SUPPORTING THE PODCAST.  IT HELPS US CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE LOVE, WHICH IS PUTTING TOGETHER A FUN AND EDUCATIONAL PODCAST FOR KIDS.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT CARNIVOROUS PLANTS FOR A LISTENER IN GENEVA, ILLINOIS.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.