Superstitions Around the World Quiz

Answer: You may possibly lose money

There are many superstitions that involve differences between the left and the right. Usually the right side of the body is good, and the left side of the body is bad. Turks believe that almost everything should be done or started with the right hand because the left hand is a sign of bad luck. That could be why you are advised to start your day off "right".

Answer: You will open a pathway to the devil

I tried it at home, but nothing showed up. This is known as an example of the Droste Effect where an image depicts a smaller version of itself, which in turn shows an even smaller image of itself, and so on and so on. It is named after a Dutch brand of cocoa that in 1904 designed a container with a picture on the outside of its container that contained a smaller image of the picture within the larger picture.

Answer: Black cat

There could be some logic to this superstition. Cats kill rodents which can damage ropes and food stores on board the ship. But I don't think the color of the cat would have much to do with its rodent-catching ability. A 2017 study by a geneticist at the University of Leuven shows that the mitochondrial DNA of cats was spread through shipping lanes to medieval northern Europe, indicating that cats and ships have a long history together.

Answer: You could cut airborne evil spirits

They believe that you could cut airborne evil spirits and they will be angered. It must be pretty tough to be a scissor sharpener in Egypt.

Answer: It will bring you wealth

Russians may believe that it will bring you wealth, but in England it is believed that if you get bombed by a rook, it is very bad luck. Personally, I believe it is bad luck wherever it happens and whatever bird is the culprit.

Answer: Someone is going to die

The Kikuyu believed that owls were harbingers of death, sort of like banshees in Ireland. If you are a mouse, it is probably true.

Answer: Getting your hair cut

The belief is that on certain days special kinds of rays come out of the planets and these rays are harmful to our health. The most important part of our body is the brain, and the head which encases the brain is protected by hair. If the hair is cut on certain days, then these rays that emanate from the planets will have a more direct effect on us. Tuesday is the day of Mars and Mars resides in the blood, so you will be more susceptible to diseases of the blood if you cut your hair on Tuesdays. I guess folks like Telly Savalis and Michael Jordan better just wear a hat on Tuesdays. Preferably one made out of tinfoil.

Answer: Walk backwards

The theory is that if you walk backwards, you are showing the devil which way you're going. I don't why the devil couldn't tell which way you're going when you're walking forwards, but that's the theory. There is an early church from the 1700s near me that has an adjacent cemetery where all the graves are marked with stones, but there is no writing on them.

It was believed that this would confuse the devil about who had died and would make it more likely that you would make it to heaven. No one has ever come back to tell us whether it worked for them or not. Oh, about the kangaroos - they can't hop backwards.

Answer: Manhole cover

Stepping on a manhole cover with an "A" on it is bad luck because it stands for the word for heartbreak, but stepping on one with a "K" on it is considered to be good luck because it represents the Swedish word for "love". I wonder why they don't just make manhole covers without the letter "A" on them, sort of like here in the U.S. where we never mark the 13th floor in a building. That way, no one would ever have to worry about it and could walk around with their eyes glued on their cell phones like the rest of us do.

Answer: Thunderstorms

The belief in the Philippines and in several other Asian countries is that wearing the color red will attract lightning. I suppose you could test that theory by wearing all red and strolling around in the rain, but I see no reason why you would want to tempt fate.