The sea is a dangerous place, and seafaring men have invented countless superstitions to keep them safe until they are back on dry land. Having a woman on board, distracting the sailors, is thought to bring terrible luck on a crew. However, a naked woman is said to calm stormy seas, which explains the busty figureheads found on the front of ships. The most unlikely nautical superstition claims that bananas on board spell disaster. One theory dates back to the 17th century when slave ships sometimes travelled with a cargo of bananas.
The fruit was known to release deadly methane gas into the hold, suffocating African slaves trapped inside. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Argos AO. Privacy Policy Feedback. So why DO we throw salt over our shoulder? Model society: Beehives are venerated. Share or comment on this article: Why do we throw salt over our shoulder and other superstitions answered. Most watched News videos Drug dealers face jail sentence after bragging about money on camera Moment woman is bundled into back of car by man in suspected kidnap Hit-and-run killer caught on CCTV as he ploughs into grandfather Kate Middleton: William has told me 'a lot about Sandhurst' Remembrance Sunday: Kate Middleton meets War veteran and Cub Scout Prince Charles delighted by magic trick during south London visit CCTV captures Monde Mbolombo on the phone to taxi driver Zola Tongo Boris Johnson: It's 'very difficult' to turn migrants back at sea Emiliano Sala plane crash: David Henderson led to prison van PM: Loopholes that allow MPs to claim rent 'need to be looked at' Moment Belarus troops shine strobes and lasers at the Polish army Moment over 1, kebabs are delivered to migrant camp in Dover.
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Lupita Nyong'o looks radiant in a metallic blouse and a sparkly patterned headscarf as she attends opening night of Nollywood Dreams in New York City Rebel Wilson is 'taking a break' from dating after having a 'hot girl summer' You might even do it yourself. So many people do it without understanding why, but throwing salt over your shoulder is an old tradition.
According to superstition, spilling salt is bad luck and throwing a pinch over your shoulder reverses that bad luck. Typically, it's thrown over the left shoulder. We don't know exactly when this tradition began, but there are a few explanations about why spilled salt is bad luck. Take a close look at Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper , and you'll see that Judas Iscariot has knocked over the salt with his elbow.
Because Judas betrayed Jesus Christ in the Bible, people began associating salt with lies and disloyalty. Throwing salt over the left shoulder blinds the devil, who was waiting there to force you into acts of bad behavior as well. Why toss it over the left side? Some Christian beliefs hold that the devil hangs around behind your left shoulder, waiting to take advantage of you.
If you spill salt, the devil sees it as an invitation to step in and do evil. Close Menu Icon. Subscribe to our newsletter. Sign Up. Privacy and user agreement. Garlic Everyone knows that garlic wards off vampires. Salt If you spill salt, you'll get bad luck. Bread If you cut open a loaf of bread and see a hole a. Noodles In China, long noodles symbolize a long life. Tea Tea, also used in divination we won't get into that , has lots of superstitions connected to it.
Coffee If there are bubbles in your coffee, you should catch them on your spoon and eat them— you'll unexpectedly come into money. Oranges Giving somebody an orange makes them fall in love with you. Rice Tossing rice at a newlywed couple supposedly brings the pair good health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity. Silverware If you drop a fork, a woman will come to visit. Parsley Parsley has a surprising number of superstitions around it. Hot Peppers You should never hand a hot pepper directly to a friend —superstition has it that is will bring discord into the friendship.
Knives Passing a knife directly to someone will do the same thing as a hot pepper— "separate" as knives are known to do the two friends. Peanuts Don't eat peanuts at any kind of performance, whether it's a play or a racing event really! Birthday cake The tradition of having a cake with candles on a birthday began with the ancient Greeks.
Black-eyed peas In the South, they eat Hoppin' John , made with black-eyed peas, for good luck and prosperity in the new year.
Apples In the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, people dip apples into honey to symbolize the hopes of a sweet year to come. Onions If you stick pins into a small onion and keep it on a windowsill, it dispels bad spirits from your house. Grapes South American countries believe that you should eat 12 grapes one-by-one at the stroke of midnight to symbolize each month of the year.
Chopsticks In China and Japan, sticking your chopsticks into a bowl of rice upright is an omen of death. If you look closely at Judas in the painting you may notice that he is in the process of knocking over a small salt cellar.
This action is meant to be a metaphor for his coming betrayal of Jesus. Salt is often considered a powerful mineral because of its close associations with the ocean, purification, and preservation.
Because of this it is often considered incorruptible or has the power to fix corrupted things. To me, it is unsurprising that is has power and folklore-inspired action behind it that is meant to stop evil or bad luck.
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