Last Updated on 15 September 2023

Different cultures have different superstitions about things that can bring “bad luck.” Here is a list of many of them.

General (Multiple, often USA and UK)

• Walking under a ladder
• Breaking a mirror
• Friday the 13th
• The number 666
• Opening an umbrella indoors
• Black cat crossing your path
• Stepping on a crack
• Spilling salt
• Leaving your purse or wallet on the ground
• Putting shoes on a table
• Seeing a single magpie
• Leaving a white tablecloth on the table overnight
• Getting a knife as a gift without giving them a coin in return

Austria

• Mentioning how much success you have
• Sneezing before breakfast
• Telling your dreams before taking a drink of water

Belarus

• Cleaning your house after a guest leaves but before they reach their destination

Belgium

• Sweeping dirt out your door
• Throwing out a candle
• Sewing white linen with black thread

Brazil

• Leaving the house through a different door than you entered
• Eating mango then drinking milk
• Leaving flip-flops upside-down
• Pointing your finger at the stars
• The month of August is bad luck

Canada

• Returning a plate clean when someone gives you food
• Picking blackberries after October 11
• Giving shoes or a bag as a gift

China

• The number 4
• Giving a clock as a gift
• Sticking your chopsticks straight up in your food
• Wearing a mustache

Croatia

• Brushing your hair while in bed
• Opening two windows across from each other (many superstitions about drafts & breezes)

Cuba

• Saying a drink is your “last drink”
• Bringing home a bucket of seashells
• Not waiting 3 hours after eating before swimming
• Picking up a penny off the ground
• Going out at night with wet hair, especially if the moon is full

Czechia

• Pouring a different beer into a mug when there’s still some of the old beer in it
• Writing a love letter on Christmas Eve
• Leaving the dinner table early

Egypt

• Leaving scissors open or opening-and-closing them without cutting anything
• Hearing an owl hoot
• Leaving flip-flops upside-down
• Hanging pictures in your house of people or animals

Finland

• Leaving an open book face down
• An even number of sneezes (odd is good)
• Killing a spider
• After pouring a cup of coffee, if a bubble forms and it floats away from you (towards you is good)

France

• Putting a baguette on a table upside-down
• Having 13 people at the dinner table
• Wearing new clothes on a Friday
• Lighting 3 candles with the same match
• Giving carnations or chrysanthemums as a gift
• Sweeping at night
• Passing someone on the stairs
• Crossing a stream while holding a cat

Germany

• Toasting someone with a glass of water
• Wishing “happy birthday” before the actual day
• Giving a knife as a gift
• Walking between two old ladies on the road

Hungary

• Toasting someone with beer
• Cutting a baby’s nails before they are 12 months old
• Kissing a baby’s foot
• Visiting a baby but not sitting down

Iceland

• Knitting on your front porch

India

• Trimming your nails at night
• Getting a haircut on a Saturday
• Shaking your leg

Indonesia

• Sweeping at night
• Sitting or standing in a doorway
• Sitting on a pillow

Ireland

• Finding a comb on the floor
• Seeing a single magpie or crow
• An itchy nose
• Handing someone a knife
• Entering one door of your home and exiting another
• Knocking over your chair when you stand up
• Coming across a crowing hen

Italy

• An owl getting into your house
• Friday the 17th

Japan

• Whistling at night
• Children uncovering their bellybuttons during a thunderstorm
• Sticking your chopsticks straight up in your food
• Sleeping with your head pointing north

Kenya

• Geese honking at you
• Seeing an owl
• Scratching your right palm

Lebanon

• Scratching your right palm if it itches
• Stepping over someone
• Opening and closing scissors without cutting anything
• Laughing too much on a Thursday
• Showering at night

Lithuania

• Whistling indoors
• Lighting a cigarette from a candle
• Introducing yourself or shaking hands across a threshold
• Looking into a broken mirror
• Walking on manholes

Mexico

• Putting two mirrors facing each other
• Making tamales when you’re angry
• A large black moth entering your house
• Sweeping over your own feet
• Sweeping your house at night

Netherlands

• Singing at the dinner table
• Lending salt or fire
• Having a light-haired person be the first to enter your home on New Year’s Day

Nigeria

• Fetching water at night
• Kissing a baby on the lips
• Eating in the dark
• Stepping over someone’s crossed legs
• Eating food that fell on the ground
• Whistling at night

Norway

• Knitting a sweater for your boyfriend
• Whistling while facing the sun

Philippines

• Wearing red during a storm
• Going right home after a funeral
• Taking home food from a wake
• Siblings getting married the same year
• Steps on a home staircase that are multiple of 3
• Starting to clear a table while people are still eating

Poland

• Having a wedding in May
• Counting pierogi while they’re still boiling
• Sitting down while a cake is baking in the oven
• A squirrel on your roof
• The play ‘Mazepa’
• The number 7

Portugal

• Walking backwards
• Leaving a hat on a bed
• Crossing knives

Romania

• Blowing out a candle (use your hand instead)
• Cutting your nails on a Sunday
• Washing your hair on a Tuesday

Russia

• Giving yellow flowers as a gift
• Sitting at the corner of a dinner table

Rwanda

• Women eating goat meat
• Lending or receiving money on New Year’s Day

Slovenia

• Hearing hammering on New Year’s Day
• It’s bad luck to meet a woman on New Year’s Day
• Eating poultry on New Year’s Day

South Korea

• Sleeping with a fan running
• Giving shoes to your “significant other”
• Eating “slippery” foods before taking an exam
• Pregnant women eating “unshapely” or asymmetrical foods
• Seeing a single crow

Spain (and most of South America)

• Putting a hat on a bed
• The color yellow, especially yellow clothing given as a gift
• Entering or leaving a room with the left foot first
• Tuesday the 13th
• Bringing an old broom with you when moving into a new house
• Touching a single person’s foot with a broom
• Passing the salt shaker directly from hand to hand
• Sharing a lighter among more than 3 people

Sweden

• Leaving your keys on the table
• Bringing heather into your house
• Stepping on a crack on Friday the 13th
• Being served a slice of cake and it falls over on the plate

Syria

• Playing with a yo-yo
• Sitting on the ground behind a door
• Leaving the scissors open

Thailand

• Telling parents their baby is cute
• Getting a haircut on a Wednesday

Turkey

• Washing clothes on a Tuesday
• Chewing gum at night
• Jumping over a child
• Cracking your knuckles
• Handing a knife or scissors directly to another person
• Seeing a rabbit pass in front of your car

Ukraine

• Preparing a room for a baby before it is born
• Throwing bread crumbs in the trash
• Coming across a strange dog first thing in the morning
• Speaking to a priest as you pass them, or an elderly woman with a pail

Wales

• Spilling water while doing laundry
• Talking while passing under a railway bridge
• Taking holly into a friend’s house
• Two blackbirds sitting on a windowsill
• Parting from a friend by a bridge