17 strangest superstitions from around the world (18 photos)

All over the world people believe in strange things. Almost every culture has its own unique set of superstitions, but the themes around which they are centered are the same everywhere - death, love, money and relationships.







In Japan, some people hide their thumbs when passing a cemetery. Why? In Japanese, "thumb" literally means "parent's finger." Hiding your thumb means you are protecting your parents from death.





A German superstition says that if you clink glasses of water, you secretly wish that your dining companions would die. Also, when clinking glasses, you should look into the eyes of your counterparts, otherwise you will be doomed to several years of bad sex.



What a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers! Our superstition says that by giving yellow flowers, you place the curse of betrayal on the recipient of the flowers, and soon he will be abandoned by his loved one.



If you give someone something sharp, be sure to include a coin or two with the gift. A sharp blade supposedly breaks a relationship, and money brings it back together. Likewise, if you give someone a wallet, you must put some money in it, otherwise you are dooming that person to a life of poverty.



It is unlucky to wish a happy birthday or celebrate a birthday before it arrives. This superstition operates in many countries.



Don't stick your chopsticks into your food. The Japanese believe that they are similar to incense sticks used at funerals, and to the number four - an unlucky number in Japan, and therefore leaving sticks stuck in food means death.



In Korea, many pregnant women abstain from eating strangely shaped foods. They believe that their child may be born ugly and strange because of such food.



According to Filipino belief, if you go home immediately after a funeral or wake, an evil spirit may follow you home. We need to make a detour!



Women in Rwanda practically do not eat goat meat. There it is believed that goat meat causes facial hair growth.



A Japanese superstition says that you should not sleep with your head facing north because this is how the dead are buried. The same superstition applies in some African countries - but there you are not advised to sleep with your head facing the West.



Don't sing at the table in the Netherlands. Why? Superstitious people may think that you are singing praises to the devil for your food.



Some Icelanders believe that knitting outside should not be done because it will prolong the cold winter weather.



In Lithuania, it is illegal to whistle indoors: it is believed that whistling summons demons. And here the same whistle blows money out of the house.



Brides in Ireland wear bells on their wedding dresses to ward off evil spirits trying to destroy their marriage.



Don't put your shoes on the table, otherwise you will kill someone in your family. Previously, by placing shoes on the table, you informed your family that the owner of the shoes had died - apparently, this is where this belief originated.



Do not place two mirrors opposite each other. The reflection loop is believed to open the door to hell.



Owls carry bad omens in many cultures. They represent impending bad news in Egyptian superstition, and in Italy, an owl in your home means that someone in the family is about to die.