Superstition

A gambler may credit a winning streak in poker to a lucky rabbit's foot or to sitting in a certain chair, rather than to skill or to the law of averages.

In Afghanistan it is said that if you see a magpie sitting on a wall, a message will be coming for you.

In India if someone sneezes while you are leaving your house then it is considered as bad luck. The person has to come back into the house wait for a few minutes and can go.

In the Tampa, Florida area it has long been believed alligator sightings cause athlete’s foot.

In China people say that one should not sweep or dust on New Year's Day lest good fortune also be swept away.

An accidental burn on the left ring finger means one is soon to be engaged.

An airline passenger might believe that it is a medal of St Christopher (traditional patron saint of travellers) that keeps him safe in the air, rather than the fact that airplanes statistically crash very rarely.

Brides on their wedding day often do not see their groom until the ceremony, believing that to do so causes bad luck.

Some people turn back from a journey if a black cat crosses their path, although, some European countries (eg Britain) believe it's lucky to see a black cat.

Among African Americans it is considered unlucky to sweep someone with a broom while cleaning house.

Many believe that if you can blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with one breath while making a silent wish, your wish will come true. Also, many people believe that if you cause the knife to touch the bottom of your birthday cake while making the first cut in the cake, your wish will not come true.

Tetraphobia (the fear of the number 4) is widespread in Japan and China; the number's use is minimized or avoided where possible. This is because the word for 4 is homophonious with the word for death. Mobile numbers with 4 in them sell for less and some buildings even skip the level four, labeling it the 5th floor instead.

Triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13, is common among those of European descent.

Baseball superstitions are numerous.

Some believe that if you see a magpie, you must salute it with the words: "Hello Mr. magpie, how's your wife and family" or bad luck will follow. Unless you see two magpies, which is good luck.

It is also a common belief that breaking a mirror will bring 7 years of ill fortune.

Some believe that walking under a ladder will bring bad luck.

Opening an umbrella inside the house is purported to bring bad luck.

Entering a house left leg first is sometimes thought to bring bad luck.

In some countries an owl is a bad omen, in others it is a good sign because owls make their sounds when a dangerous animal is near

Some people believe that if you give someone a handbag as a gift, you must place a coin in the handbag, otherwise the handbag will bring the recipient bad luck.

Some people believe that it will bring bad luck if you give someone a knife as a gift, and to avoid the bad luck the recipient should exchange the knife for some money (even if it's just one coin), so that "technically" they "bought" the knife, rather than received it as a gift.

In theatre and drama it is considered bad luck to say "Good luck." "Break a leg." is substituted.

When producing the play Macbeth, it is considered bad luck to say the title and main character's name.

In many parts of Europe, "Break a leg" is substituted with the regional colloquialism for excrement. This is a tradition that dates back to times when horses were the primary means of travel, either directly or by carriage. When a spectacle had been well reviewed or advertised, there would be many horses in front of the theatre, and thus copious amounts of horse excrement.

Academic and cultural viewpoints

Superstition and the study of folklore

In the academic discipline of folkloristics the term "superstition" is used to denote any folk belief expressed in if/then (with an optional "unless" clause) format. If you break a mirror, then you will have seven years of bad luck unless you throw all of the pieces into a body of running water. In this usage, the term is not pejorative. Supersitions are based on general, culturably variable beliefs in a supernatural "reality". Depending on a given culture's belief set, its superstitions may relate to things that are not fully understood or known, such as cemeteries, animals, demons, a devil, deceased ancestors, the weather, gambling, sports, food, holidays, occupations, excessive scrupulosity, death, luck, and/or Spirits. Urban legends are also sometimes classed as superstition, especially if the moral of the legend is to justify fears about socially alien people or conditions.

Superstition and magic

Superstitions differ from magic spells in that the former are generally passive if/then constructs while the latter contain formulae, recipes, petitions, prayers, and enchantments for effecting future outcomes by means of supernatural, symbolic, and perhaps non-causal activities.

People who otherwise accept scientific de-mystification of the supernal world and do not consider themselves to be occultists or practitioners of magic, still may consider that it is "better to be safe than be sorry" and observe or transmit some or many of the superstitions endemic to their cultures.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia