Trivia: What animal’s foot is considered lucky?
Lizard
Mouse
Cat
Rabbit
Correct Answer: Rabbit
So why is this answer correct? : The morbid practice of keeping a rabbit’s food dates back to ancient Celtic communities. The Celts highly revered nature and the natural world. Rabbits lived in the ground, closer to the gods. So having the foot of a rabbit on you meant that you were closer to the gods as well.
Trivia: If you spill salt, what should you do?
Leave it
Sweep it up
Eat it
Throw it over your shoulder
Correct Answer: Throw it over your shoulder
So why is this answer correct? : When you spill salt, you should throw it over your shoulder. But why—and which shoulder—varies depending on the myth. The traitorous apostle Judas is depicted as spilling salt in The Last Supper, leading some to believe that throwing salt over your shoulder blinds the demon behind you. Other theories say spilling salt is bad luck because in ancient times, it was an expensive commodity—and throwing it over your shoulder serves as penance.
Trivia: What celestial event is believed to make people go crazy?
Lunar eclipse
Shooting stars
Full moon
Solar flares
Correct Answer: Full moon
So why is this answer correct? : The words “lunatic” and “lunacy” come from the idea that the full moon, or “luna” in Latin, makes a person a little, well, loony. This idea is an old one — even Hippocrates, who is considered the father of medicine, affiliated strange behaviors with the moon goddess in the fifth century BCE. Although no longer a tenet of modern medicine, this moon-based superstition has survived in our language.
Trivia: What do blue and white charms protect against?
Dopplegangers
Evil eye
Stink bugs
Demons
Correct Answer: Evil eye
So why is this answer correct? : Dating back to ancient Greece, the evil eye can wreak all sorts of havoc on your life—from having one of your possessions break to just being cursed with bad luck. To guard against it, people often wear blue and white amulets, called a nazar, that look similar to eyes.
Trivia: What bug is considered lucky throughout the world?
Ladybug
Cricket
Bumble bee
Caterpillar
Correct Answer: Ladybug
So why is this answer correct? : Many consider it good luck when a ladybug lands on you. Apart from being one of the cutest insects in existence, the ladybug is also a good friend to humans. For one, the insect isn’t harmful to us like mosquitoes and other biting insects. Ladybugs also feast on aphids, small sap-sucking insects that infest gardens and crops around the world.
Trivia: How many years of bad luck does breaking a mirror bring?
1
7
13
21
Correct Answer: 7
So why is this answer correct? : Breaking a mirror doesn’t just bring bad luck—it brings seven years of it. The history of this superstition actually goes back to the ancient Romans. They believed that gods observed people’s souls through mirrors, and damaging one was so disrespectful that it brought bad luck from the gods. But they also believed the body completely refreshed itself every seven years—so the bad luck didn’t last forever, just until you became a refreshed person.
Trivia: What happens if you step on a crack?
Get a whack
Break your mother’s back
Eat a tasty snack
Experience financial lack
Correct Answer: Break your mother’s back
So why is this answer correct? : A particularly gruesome superstition, “Step on a crack, break your mother’s back,” and the less common, “Step on a line, break your father’s spine,” share a strange bit of parental violence. People are unsure about the origins of these sayings — whether derived from humans’ historical fear of cracks or small fibs in an effort to instill parental respect — but the superstitious warnings persist to this day.
Trivia: What body part itches if you’re about to come into some money?
Arm
Head
Foot
Palm
Correct Answer: Palm
So why is this answer correct? : If your palm itches, you’re in luck! You’re about to get some money. Allegedly, this superstition persists because people hold out their hand to take money. But if you scratch your itchy palm, you’re working opposite magic—it’s bad luck. The money will never show up.
Trivia: What item should you not walk underneath?
Balcony
Bridge
Ladder
AC unit
Correct Answer: Ladder
So why is this answer correct? : Walking under an open ladder isn’t just bad luck, it’s also common sense. You may run the risk of being hit on the head by a paint can, a hammer, or worse. However, the superstition is rooted in less practical reasons. An open ladder creates a triangular shape, which many belief systems hold represents life. If you walk through that triangle, you may be tempting fate.
Trivia: What brings good luck if you find it on the ground?
Penny
Paper
Battery
Leaf
Correct Answer: Penny
So why is this answer correct? : Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck. At least that’s how the story goes. Finding money is inherently lucky already, so it only makes sense that your luck would continue. But depending on what you were taught, you might want to leave that coin alone—some people believe if the penny is tails-up, you’ll have bad luck if you take it.