SUPERSTITIONS: WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

How do you feel about black cats? Would you open an umbrella indoors? Are you afraid of the number 13? You may believe in them or not, but you’ve probably heard about these superstitions.

But where did they come from? Stuart Vyse shares the weird and specific origins of some of our favorite superstitions.

Are you good now at knowing the origins of these superstitions? You may do this quiz to find out:

 Because it is such an important aspect of culture throughout the world, superstition is often reflected in the arts. Legendary American blues singer and composer Willie Dixon wrote the song “I Ain’t Superstitious”. But perhaps the most famous example from popular music is Stevie Wonder’s song Superstition, which was a number one single in the United States in 1973.

Listen again and shoose the words you hear in the lyrics of the song:

 Stevie Wonder

“Superstition”

Very superstitious, writings on the hall/wall,
Very superstitious, ladders/feathers bout’ to fall,  
Thirteen/thirty month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad/good luck, the good things in your past

When you believe in things/ideas that you don’t understand,
Then you are happy/suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way

Very superstitious, close/wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problem/money, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin’ long/strong,
You don’t wanna save me, sad/weird is my song

When you believe in things/ideas that you don’t understand,
Then you are happy/suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way

Very superstitious, nothin’ more/less to say,
Very superstitious, the devil’s on his way,  
Thirteen/thirty month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass
Seven years of bad/good luck, the good things in your past

When you believe in things/ideas that you don’t understand,
Then you are happy/suffer,
Superstition ain’t the way, no, no, no

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