When was the last time you suddenly started having hiccups... what? Only yesterday? Well, it means that somebody was thinking about you. But do not get wrongly pleased and think that the person was thinking well about you. You never know, he might me cursing you! Wait, I am not finished yet... Has your head itched recently? Don`t worry, it does not indicate the presence of lice but means that good luck will soon strike you!

These are some of the superstitions that I frequently come across in my daily routine. Wikipedia provides a very meticulous definition of the word `Superstition` Superstition is a belief or notion not based on reason or knowledge. It is derived from the Latin word supertitio, literally meaning `standing over`, and used in Latin as an unreasonable or excessive belief in fear or magic, especially foreign or fantastic ideas,

I am pretty sure that you must have come across innumerable superstitions in your daily life. Very hearty thanks to our nannis and daddis who staunchly believe in things having no logic behind them at all. Frankly, I do not really blame them. In fact, I get highly amused when they tell me about their superstitions and these talks have a strange charm of their own, especially when they are uttered by our grandmothers. On challenging them, they admonish the children by saying “We heard it from our elders who were certainly prudent and what ever reasons there might be, they knew what they were saying.” I believe the reason for them to believe so firmly in superstitions is that in their time, people usually did not seek scientific reasons and instead assumed everything, which was beyond the boundaries of comprehension, to be normally linked with bringing either good or bad luck.

Now, the scenario has changed considerably. Due to rampant scientific research, the mysteries to different natural phenomenon are being unveiled. But even then superstitions remain, and the amazing thing is that many are found in the most advanced countries. For example, tetra phobia remains widespread in China, Japan, Korea, and Hawaii, as the number four in Chinese is pronounced as `si` which sounds nearly the same as the Chinese word for death. The number four is so much feared that it is even skipped in buildings, labelling it the fifth floor instead. The same goes for the number 13 in the West as in the Christian belief, the number of guests at the Last Supper were 13 with the 13th guest being Judas, the traitor. Another, superstition that I found to be quite interesting is that when a great plague swept Europe, the affected ones were supposed to cover their mouth with a piece of cloth. Although it was to prevent the spread of disease, many believed that it would keep the soul intact; sneezing into air would allow the soul to escape and death would be imminent. Yet another very queer superstition in Russia is that before travelling, a person should apparently sit on his luggage!

The list goes on forever. And before your interest starts fading away, I will try to regain it by enumerating some of the things which are believed to bring good or bad luck.

Good luck

1. If you want to acquire good luck in the early hours of the morning, do not forget to sneeze three times before breakfast, even if you forcefully have to!

2. Seeing crows does not necessarily bring good luck; remember this to ensure what the crows bring for you seeing a single crow is very unlucky, but two means good luck, three means health, four means wealth, five means sickness and six means death!

3. Spill as many matches as you can, even if your mother fears that you have completely lost your senses and need a thorough check up. Do not deter even if she starts screaming at the top of her lungs, because this action of yours will bring you happiness and elation.

4. Would it not be fun and advantageous to keep three sheep as pet? The advantage you will gain from them is that a mere sight of them will cause good luck to come searching for you.

Bad luck
1. Even if you feel very effervescent in the morning and want to express your happiness by singing songs, think again! As singing before morning is thought to bring bad luck.

2. How many times have you spilled ink on your work and have been reprimanded by your teacher? Many times, I am sure. Well, it`s natural because spilling ink threatens worry; annoyance and the failure to project you are currently working on.

3. Do not be clumsy when you pin your button as fastening a button into the wrong whole is considered to be associated with bad luck.

4. A yawn is a sign of danger, so beware! So true isn`t it? When during classes, if we mistakenly yawn, we have to pay a huge price for this mistake and have to endure a never ending lecture from our teacher.

My motive behind writing this article was not to make you believe in superstitions as it is not very shrewd to believe in an illogical thing. What I wanted to tell was that even in today`s world, there exist such things.

What I personally believe is that if you really want to achieve something, to ensure that good luck is with you is not that important. What is more important is hard work, persistence and above all a firm believe in God.