Your grandmother may have warned you against opening an umbrella indoors because of the bad luck it will bring. But why?

Some believe that the superstition began in ancient Egypt, where sunshades were reserved for nobility. Others credit the Victorians, who used umbrellas with metal spokes and spring-loaded mechanisms that

could poke eyes out if opened in close quarters.

We’ve all heard the superstition that breaking a mirror comes with a very specific seven-year curse, but where does that come from?

The Greeks had mirror seers who used glass water bowls to read futures. If a bowl slipped during a reading, it was said that the person had no future. The

Romans added the bit about the seven years. They believed that it took that long for one’s health to cycle, and because mirrors reflect appearance, a broken reflection equaled seven

years of misfortune.

Black cats are linked to various dark themes and myths, but having one cross your path is especially unlucky.

According to legend, cat overpopulation in the Middle Ages meant more alley strays, which were fed by poor people and homeless old ladies. When these women were marked

as witches, their black cats were too, with some claiming that black cats were just witches in disguise (like Professor McGonagall in "Harry Potter").

You may not even consider it a superstition because it’s generally positive, but why do people make wishes on coins before throwing them into a well or fountain?

The tradition dates back to Celtic and Roman-British mythology. Coins and other objects were given to the waters as gifts to the gods in exchange for good fortune.

You won’t find a 13th floor in many skyscrapers, and there is a popular horror franchise linked to Fridays that fall on the 13th, but who turned the number bad?

This one is a little harder to pin down because there are SO many connections. One of the earliest is from Norse mythology, where a 12-god supper was crashed

by Loki. The 13th caused trouble, which resulted in the death of Baldr, the god of light and joy.

If you ever spill salt while cooking or sitting at the table, superstitious people will tell you to throw some over your left shoulder.

In one of his most famous paintings, “The Last Supper,” Leonardo da Vinci painted a knocked over salt shaker in front of Judas, the apostle that betrayed Jesus. The religious

belief is that throwing spilled salt over your left shoulder blinds the devil.

When speaking of bad things that have yet to happen, or when hoping that good fortune continues, some people knock or touch wood.

While some argue a connection to Christ and the wooden cross, others link the superstition to a Native American belief that oak trees were the home of the sky god,

because they were often struck by lightning. Knocking on an oak tree was like asking for forgiveness for gloating.

Not leaving free money on the ground is generally a smart practice, but why are pennies specifically supposed to bring good luck?

The general credit for this one seems to go not to a group but to a time — back when all metals were considered precious, people considered them to be

gifts from the gods.

Crossed fingers have become an almost universal symbol of good luck, but why?

Crossing fingers may stem from pre-Christian beliefs in Western Europe, where crosses were powerful symbols of intersection that had nothing to do with Jesus and were often wished upon.

Fingers replaced physical crosses, and here we are.

It definitely doesn’t feel like it in the moment, but some welcome bird poop on their head because of what it means for their future.

Like with pennies on the ground, it is believed that to be shat on by a bird is a gift from heaven. Some blame Russia for this lie, and others

say it was Lithuania. Either way, this is the one time in life where we would prefer to take the pennies.