Bad luck is an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate. This is a list of signs believed to bring bad luck according to

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs ...

List

*Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck *A bird or flock of birds going from left to right ( Auspicia) (

Paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

) *Certain numbers: **The number four. Fear of the number four is known as

tetraphobia Tetraphobia () is the practice of avoiding instances of the digit . It is a superstition most common in East Asian nations. __TOC__ Rationale The Chinese word for "four" (, pinyin: sì, jyutping: sei3), sounds quite similar to the word fo ...

; in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, the number sounds like the word for "death". **The number 9. Fear of the number 9 is known as enneaphobia, in

Japanese culture The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Historical overview The ances ...

; this is because it sounds like the Japanese word for "suffering". **The number 43. In

, maternity wards numbered 43 are considered taboo, as the word for the number literally means " still birth". **The number 13. Fear of the number 13 is known as

triskaidekaphobia Triskaidekaphobia ( , ; ) is fear or avoidance of the number . It is also a reason for the fear of Friday the 13th, called ''paraskevidekatriaphobia'' () or ''friggatriskaidekaphobia'' (). The term was used as early as in 1910 by Isador Cori ...

. **The number seventeen. Fear of the number seventeen is known as

heptadecaphobia Heptadecaphobia (Greek: , "seventeen" and , , "fear") or ''heptadekaphobia'' is the fear of the number 17. It is considered to be ill-fated in Italy and other countries of Greek and Latin origins, while the date Friday the 17th is considered e ...

and is prominent in Italian culture. **The number 39 is known as the curse of 39, in Afghan culture. **The number 666. Fear of the number

666 666 may refer to: * 666 (number) * 666 BC, a year * AD 666, a year * The number of the beast, a reference in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament Places * 666 Desdemona, a minor planet in the asteroid belt * U.S. Route 666, an America ...

is known as

hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia The number of the beast ( grc-koi, Ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, ) is associated with the Beast of Revelation in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Book of Revelation. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of t ...

. Per Biblical prophesy, the "Number of "The Beast", an evil takeover of humanity worldwide. Also called the "Mark of the Beast", wherein all humans will have it on their forehead or hand. *

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

(in Spain, Greece and Georgia: Tuesday the 13th) *Failing to respond to a

chain letter A chain letter is a message that attempts to convince the recipient to make a number of copies and pass them on to a certain number of recipients. The "chain" is an exponentially growing pyramid (a tree graph) that cannot be sustained indefinite ...

*Giving a clock as a gift in Chinese culture, as in Chinese, to give a clock () has the same pronunciation as "sending off for one's end" (). *Hanging a

horseshoe A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human ...

with the ends pointing down, as it is believed that the luck will 'fall out' *Opening an

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

while indoors *On the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

, rats are referred to as " longtails" as saying "rat" is considered bad luck. *

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...

culture: **pointing at a rainbow **throwing rocks into the wind **a

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

crossing one's path heading north **an

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

flying over a house. *Placing

chopsticks Chopsticks ( or ; Pinyin: ''kuaizi'' or ''zhu'') are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks of Chinese origin that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East and Southeast Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the ...

straight up in a bowl of rice in Chinese and Japanese culture is reminiscent of food offerings left for the dead. * Pointing towards feces (England) * Ravens, crows and magpies * Saying the word "Macbeth" or wishing someone "Good Luck" while inside a theatre *

Shoes on a table There is a superstition that bad luck will come to a person who places shoes on a table. Another belief common in the North of England is that the tradition relates to the coal mining industry. When a miner died in a colliery accident, his shoes ...

Three on a match ''Three on a Match'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama released by Warner Bros. The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis. The film also features Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Bog ...

* Tipping a

salt shaker Salt and pepper shakers or salt and pepper pots, of which the first item is normally called a salt cellar in British English, are condiment dispensers used in Western culture that are designed to allow diners to distribute grains of edible salt ...

over * Viewing one's

doppelgänger A doppelgänger (), a compound noun formed by combining the two nouns (double) and (walker or goer) (), doppelgaenger or doppelganger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person. In fiction and mythology, a doppelg ...

may be considered a harbinger of bad luck * Killing a ladybug * Walking under a ladder * Black cat crossing one's path

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unlucky Curses Lists of symbols

List

See also

References