Paraskevidekatriaphobics!
What is this?
A morbid fear of Friday the 13th!
And on this particularly supersitious day, I thought you might enjoy hearing about wives' tales from a few other countries.
Here goes...
If you are in Italy and a cat sneezes, you are in for some good luck.
In other words, go to Italy armed with a bunch of pepper. Then look around for cats.
If you are in England, make sure you slice your bread evenly. Otherwise, people will think you've been telling lies.
Or...make life easy on yourself, and buy pre-sliced bread.
If you happen to be in Korea the night before a big test, don't wash your hair. Or you'll fail the test. Because you washed away the memories of what you studied.
This could be a good excuse for a student in any country who fails a test. "Ooops. I forgot and washed my hair last night. My bad."
If you're in Turkey and come across a spider inside your house, you'll soon have guests showing up.
However, don't expect me to come knocking at your door. I'm not a big fan of spiders.
And last but not least, here's a superstition from my own homeland. If you happen to find yourself living in Canada, and a neighbor brings you a plate of food, return the plate dirty. Or else bad luck will befall you.
Apparently, this superstition only holds true for the Prairie Provinces. I'm from Ontario, and I've never heard of it. But I do like it; one less thing to add to my to-do list.
Disclaimer: I have no idea how accurate these superstitions are. And all the pics are from Google Images. Happy Friday the 13th!
sources:
http://www.utne.com/2006-05-01/FoodSuperstitions.aspx
http:://www.eu-forums.com/tourism/superstitions-in-different-countries-t2356.html
http://www.topics-mag.com/internatl/superstitions/korea.htm
http://www.topics-mag.com/internatl/superstitions/turkey.htm
http://www.fedpubs.com/subject/canada/traditions.htm