We live in a world where superstitions can control our lives and there’s nothing wrong with this as long as you are aware of this and don’t let these things choose your destiny and help you make decisions based on them. 

For example, you won’t plan your wedding on the 13th because it won’t be auspicious – so, you clearly let the superstition control your life and you have made a decision based on it which can be a mistake, according to experts. There are also individuals who ask for another hotel room if theirs is on the 13th floor. In fact, more than thirty percent of people in the United States consider themselves superstitious.

Even though there are people who don’t consider themselves superstitious, they still do superstitious things, such as saying “bless” when someone sneezes, avoiding a black cat and breaking the mirror and so on. 

According to experts, superstition is a belief in which a certain fact has a mystical or magical explanation or is only assumed culturally, socially, or religiously without any scientific basis. In general, superstitions can lead to irrational decisions and help people reduce anxiety and develop a positive mental attitude. Some people can even develop a negative behavior toward some creatures, such as black cats (and this may be a reason for abandoning black cats). 

However, here are some of the weirdest superstitious things that Americans do. Read on to find out more!

Some brides and grooms consider that spitting on them at the wedding is a blessing

Your wedding should be one of the most important days in your life, because you are officially committing yourself to the one you love for the rest of your life.

Just like any other important event in your life, your wedding day brings a lot of superstitions, and we have to admit that some of them are really weird, such as making sure that you don’t drop the wedding ring because the bride or the groom will die, avoiding to see your bride’s dress before the big day because it can bring you bad luck and you will divorce soon, and the weirdest one – letting others spit on you because it means good luck and blessing. 

Anyway, allowing your wedding guests to spit on you and your beloved partner is an old Greek tradition and people continue to do so because they believe that spitting will protect them from any evil spirits that could threaten their couple and ceremony.

They paint their porch ceilings and window frames haint blue

In general, the first thing that people do after buying a new house is to renovate and decorate it according to their own preferences, but there are people who choose the color of the house according to a certain superstition, which was also considered a Southern tradition. This is an example of a tradition created on the basis of superstitious beliefs.

That being said, some people paint their porch ceilings and window frames haint blue to make sure that they protect their house from dark forces or other negative souls that could threaten their family and peace of mind.

First of all, it’s important to understand what a Haint is. Thus, a Haint is a restless spirit that should normally be in Heaven, but it’s here to wreak havoc in your household until they are able to move on to the afterlife. However, it seems that these restless spirits are afraid of water and the blue paint imitates the water that can keep them away from your house. 

So, even though this is just a tradition in certain areas, some homeowners still believe in this superstition and paint their porch ceilings haint blue.

They hold their breath while driving past a cemetery

It is perfectly normal to be afraid when you have to drive a long distance to reach your destination, especially when you are not alone in the car and other people’s lives depend on you, right? That’s why many people develop some driving rituals when they choose to use their cars to keep bad luck at bay, and holding their breath while passing a cemetery or driving through a tunnel is one of them. 

It seems that if you breathe while driving past a cemetery you could awaken the spirit of someone who has recently died, and as a result, they could endanger your life as well. 

Moreover, there are some individuals who never buy a new car on Friday the 13th or drive on a road with the number 13 on it. However, imagine that your life depends on running down a street marked with the number 13. The side of the road is filled with cemeteries and tunnels. What do you choose: die from respiratory failure, or be followed by evil spirits? The choice is yours.

They never add milk before sugar and they ‘eat’ coffee bubbles 

As we said before, there are two types of superstitions, those who can protect you and your family from the devil and other dangerous things that could be life-threatening, and those who can make you lucky rich. So, if you want to invite someone to your house to have a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, you have to know that it is very important to ask them how they want to prepare their drink because – in their opinion – you can affect their destiny. 

To be more specific, some people believe that if they are having a cup of tea before dinner, the first thing that should be added to it is sugar and then the milk, because otherwise, they risk being single for the rest of their lives. More than that, people who drink coffee like to ‘eat’ the bubbles in their cup with a teaspoon because they believe that coffee bubbles are signs of wealth.

In addition, you should never seat 13 people at the same table because one unlucky guest is supposed to die in a year.

They follow some rules at a funeral ceremony

We are beings and, unfortunately, death is an inevitable process of life, as well as funerals – they are essential in some cases. Funerals are ceremonies that we organize as a tribute to the deceased to show us the respect, regrets and feelings that we had for a person who is no longer with us. These ceremonies can attract a lot of superstitions. 

For example, some people believe that the deceased should ‘leave’ the house with the feet first, otherwise, if they leave the building with the head first, they may look back and choose someone else to join them to the afterlife. Moreover, some folks choose a different route from the funeral event to their home, to make sure that they are not pursued by the spirit of the deceased.

Mothers-to-be plan baby shower in the seventh or ninth month of their pregnancy

In general, mothers to be plan a baby shower, namely a party, to celebrate their child, pregnancy and the fact that they will be parents. However, during pregnancy, mothers to be will try their best to protect their babies, such as sticking to a healthy and balanced diet, scheduling regular medical check ups, taking certain supplements and avoiding some things that could make them sick, and so on. 

Of course, there are some pregnant women who do superstitious things to influence the destiny of their child. In other words, some mothers wear keys around their neck on a full moon night to prevent their babies from developing a cleft palate. It is believed that the mood will reflect its rays in the keys and it won’t cut the baby’s lip. Also, some mothers to be will plan the baby shower in the seventh or ninth month of their pregnancy, because it seems that seven and nine are lucky numbers that will make the baby lucky as well. 

Yet, some women don’t want to cut their hair when they are pregnant because they believe that this act will cause eye problems when the baby is born.

They sit on their luggage when traveling and ensure the host won’t sweep after they leave

The truth is that traveling was so fun until the coronavirus pandemic spread all over the world and now we can’t travel wherever we want, and if we can, we have to follow certain rules to be safe. The idea is that things have changed but we can’t say the same for our traveling superstitions. 

So, if you want to have good luck while you are on a vacation, you have to sit on your luggage while your friends or other family members come to pick you up. Well, it’s not that hard, especially if you don’t have anywhere to sit because all the benches are busy, but what do you have to do if you need to take a taxi and no one is waiting for you at the airport?

In addition, some people believe that if the host or hotel staff start to sweep the room right after they leave the building, it means that every breath is taken out of their souls with every sweeping motion. So, many individuals tell the accommodation staff to sweep the room after a few minutes or hours before they leave.