Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Although a traditional Irish holiday, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated globally every year on March 17 and is typically characterized by all things green, festivals, and good luck. It is believed that wearing green on this day will not only lead to the inability to get pinched but will also lead to good fortune. Wishing luck to one another tends to be very common in our day-to-day lives, from a simple, “break a leg!” to superstitions that bring prosperity. But what do these superstitions really mean?

Superstitions follow us everywhere. As they are surprisingly widespread, completing a task is usually followed by an act of ensuring success. For example, why do we knock on wood? It actually comes from the Pagan belief that if you knock on wood after expressing a hope for the future, the malevolent spirits that live inside of wood will not hear you, and your dreams will come true.

In addition to superstitions, many of us perform acts of luck without even realizing it. Junior Katherine Pair commented that “I make a wish every time the clock strikes 11:11 – morning and night. And every time I interact with someone backstage of a cheer competition, I like to tell them good luck!” In addition to phrases of good luck, carrying around a rabbit’s foot is, in fact, a common good luck charm. It comes from a tribe originating from the hare family that worshipped animals as a religious practice. From there, it has slowly grown into a token of good luck. These amulets can actually be found at your local stores such as Walmart and Lowes.

Although good luck is extremely common, there is also bad luck. Signs of bad luck are known to come from the unlucky number 13, spilling a salt shaker, and failing to respond to chain messages. A popular form of bad luck is if a black cat crosses your path. This belief came from the Salem witch hunts, in that black cats were associated with the witches. In America, the belief was that the witches would actually transform themselves into black cats so they could be free on the streets without any hunters spotting them. To this day, if you see a black cat, maybe just stay clear.

On this very lucky holiday, be sure to take a look at all the superstitions and good luck charms that come with this day. And stay clear of the unlucky ones. In fact, there is another Friday the 13th in 2020…