Not everyone has the luck of the Irish. Many people often have an unexplainable superstition. Whether it be avoiding to walk underneath ladders or knocking on wood, we all do these arbitrary actions to cover ourselves in a, possibly mythical, blanket of protection.

Superstitions originate when a certain ritual or belief is given a magical significance. These rather odd beliefs can add to one’s confidence and if not repeated, it tricks the individual into thinking years of bad luck will haunt them. We pick up these irrational behaviors in hopes it results in a specific outcome, and if we fail to perform them, we are destined to failure or pain. What superstitions do our Apaches have?
Sophomore Elizabeth Lui tells us an odd superstition her younger self had believed in. “I broke a mirror when I was 7. I believed that until I turned 14, all those bad events that happened in my life were all due to that one incident.” People claim breaking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck. The most common explanation for this superstition is that the reflection not only shows someone’s physical appearance, but it also represents their soul. Shattering a mirror could mean damage to the soul of the one who broke it, and thus, they would more prone to misfortune.

Sophomore Sahana Saikumar had a superstition she created herself, “A week before we would play a team in basketball, I would always take a marker that matched our opponent’s colors and slam it to the ground. So if the team we were against had their color as orange, I would take out an orange Crayola marker out of my backpack and leave it on the ground for a week. We went undefeated.”

Sophomore Samantha De Guzman still believes in the spookiness of Friday the 13th. “It can’t be a coincidence that something always bad happens to me on Friday the 13th. I either fail a test, have plans canceled, forget my lunch, or anything else happens along those lines. I started believing it ever since I was 10.” There is no definite justification for how this superstition came about. However, the number 13 has a long history of being unlucky. Many people also, particularly those with a religious background, commonly report that Friday is an unlucky day.

Superstitions, for the most part, are harmless. We tend to forget how silly and undetermined their authenticity is. The best thing to keep in mind is that actual efforts are the most reliable key to success! And you don’t need a rabbit’s foot to win you that!