For example, in the UK people avoid walking under a ladder, as it is supposed to bring you bad luck that day. Of course, if as you are walking under it the painter drops a tin of white emulsion and it lands all over you that would ruin your day!I know a few people who really do try to avoid having to go out of the house on Friday the 13th.
Many places in the world avoid naming the 13th floor -- the 13th floor! I remember the first time when I saw my mother’s European swimwear boutique shop -- it was on the 14th floor. When I got on the elevator in the Steven’s Building in downtown Chicago and was about to push the 14th floor button I noticed there was not a 13th.
In Turkey I haven’t noticed an anxiety about high-rise buildings that actually name the 13th floor. We are more concerned about whether the foundations are earthquake proof!
Superstitions may affect many areas of our lives: weddings in particular.
One evening a group of my friends sat around telling stories about weddings that we had been to in different countries. One person shared about how one of his host cultures believes that it is bad luck to give knives as a wedding present. Is this something we should take more seriously, I wondered? Maybe that is why we have had so many murders in America where the perpetrator is the victim’s spouse.
Many nationalities believe that if the groom sees the bride’s dress before the wedding day, she’ll have bad luck during the ceremony or the in the marriage.
Spanish superstition has it that if the groom’s friend cuts a piece of the groom’s tie, they will soon to be the next one to get married. In the UK the same applies to the bride’s friend who catches the bride’s bouquet when she throws it before getting into the car taking the happy couple off on honeymoon. Is that good luck or bad luck?
The color blue also means something -- happiness! If the bride wears something blue she will have a happy marriage. In America we have the phrase for four items the bride must have on her: “something old, something blue, something borrowed, something new.”
Koreans believe that if the bridegroom smiles a lot in a wedding, the first child will be a daughter. (I was unsure if this was meant as good luck or bad luck?)
Some nationalities take superstitions very seriously. It is said that some Korean parents throw some nuts and plums to the bride after the wedding. The bride may even put the nuts and plums inside her blouse. This means the child will be a son.
Some Middle Eastern countries believe that if you get married between two annual Muslim festivals that are two months apart, you might be unlucky.
So what about some Turkish customs?
Turks often believe that if the bride writes the name of one of her friends under the sole of her shoes before wedding ceremony, and it is erased by the end of the day, the person will get married in a short period of time.
The bride and groom also desperately try to have their foot on top of their partner’s foot during the ceremony, as it is thought the one whose foot ends up on top will have the final say in matters their whole married life long.
Nearly everywhere in the world you will find people who are genuinely superstitious. Many others just keep these traditions alive for fun.
I don’t believe in superstitions and fate. The British author James Allen in the late 1800s wrote: “Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence and love and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation.”
Maybe we just need someone or something to blame when things go wrong.
Note: Keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman’s readers. Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com
