Full moon, Black Friday collide - we're in for a crazy day!
BLACK cats, broken mirrors and ladders combined with werewolves and zombies is what tomorrow night will bring as Friday the 13th collides with a full moon.
Full moons are known to bring out werewolves, strange personalities, witches and even zombies which might make for a frightening night if you believe in that kind of thing.
But when a full moon and a black Friday land on the same day it is bound to turn out a schmozzle.
Think cats crossing in the path of werewolves, or witches walking under ladders.
Tomorrow is set to be a killer day of days with a touch of bad luck - are you ready?
This is the first time in 14 years a full moon has landed on a Friday the 13th and won't happen again for another 35 years.
Some common superstitions
- Find a penny, pick it up …
And all day long, you'll have good luck. This little ditty may arise because finding money is lucky in and of itself. But it might also be a spin-off of another old rhyme, "See a pin, pick it up/ and all day long you'll have good luck/ See a pin, let it lay/ and your luck will pass away."
- Don't walk under that ladder!
Frankly, this superstition is pretty practical. Who wants to be responsible for stumbling and knocking a carpenter off his perch?
But one theory holds that this superstition arises from a Christian belief in the Holy Trinity: Since a ladder leaning against a wall forms a triangle, "breaking" that triangle was blasphemous.
- Black cats crossing your path
As companion animals for humans for thousands of years, cats play all sorts of mythological roles. So why keep a black cat out of your path? Most likely, this superstition arises from old beliefs in witches and their animal familiars, which were often said to take the form of domestic animals like cats.
- Bad luck comes in threes
Remember confirmation bias? The belief that bad luck comes in threes is a classic example. A couple things go wrong, and believers may start to look for the next bit of bad luck.
- Careful with that mirror
According to folklore, breaking a mirror is a surefire way to doom yourself to seven years of bad luck. The superstition seems to arise from the belief that mirrors don't just reflect your image; they hold bits of your soul.
Reader poll
Are you superstitious?
This poll ended on 14 June 2014.
Current Results
Yes, I'll be casting spells to keep the bad luck away
12%
Sort of, I don't walk under ladders and that's about it
28%
No, bring on the black cats and broken mirrors
59%
This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.
