In my last post, The Logic of Superstition Part I - The Bad Luck, there were some of the bad luck superstitions that didn't make sense (to me anyway). In this part II of II post on superstitions, I have to wonder about the "good luck" superstitions.
Rain on your wedding
I remember attending the wedding of a close family friend. As soon as Pachelbel’s Canon in D starts playing and the bride and her father line up at the top of the aisle, it began to pour. It was a summer Saturday and the doors of the church were open and we could hear the rain rapidly hitting the pavement. A friend had uttered an empathetic “aw” about the rain and said “well, they say ‘if it rains on your wedding day it is good luck.’” I would imagine this is the case because ten years later they are still married and have two wonderful children.
But I have had to think about this one. Is it limited to just rain or could it be any precipitous event? If it’s a winter wedding is snow or sleet just as lucky? If it’s not the precipitation but an unfortunate or unanticipated event, then would the limo getting into a fender bender on the way to the church be considered lucky? Or, what if all the guests are delayed by an hour because of a burst water pipe on the highway … certainly those unanticipated events must be better luck than that of a common rain.
Knock On Wood
"We're right on schedule, knock on wood." Admittedly, this one I have a hard time understanding. From what I understand, the phrase was originally "stomp wood" because way back in the day people would stomp on wooden floors for luck. When houses moved to tile, carpet, or even linoleum; why didn't the phrase evolve along with it rather than the "wood" part of the phrase staying and the motion being moved to the hands? Personally, I think "stomp tile" has a timeless quality to it.
That aside, I have to wonder there are acceptable levels of wood types. For example, is knocking on a piece of solid finished oak more lucky than an a piece of particle board? Also, if it's painted then does that qualify as wood? Technically, that's knocking paint.
Getting Pooped on by a Seagull
I couldn’t believe this one when I heard it. At first, I thought it was someone joking around with me. But others have come forth and have told me the same thing: “getting pooped on by a seagull is good luck.” I wonder if this is applicable to cars because my car seems to be very lucky when I go to the beach.
Why is this limited to just sea gulls? It seems equally plausible that a blue jay pooping on you would be just as lucky – maybe even luckier. I have seen more sea gulls at the beach than I do blue jays in my back yard, so the chances of a blue jay happening are rarer and the luck would seem much more valuable. And why is this just limited to sea gull poo? It would stand to reason, the bigger the poo, the luckier it is. I’ve never seen anyone stepping in dog, deer, or moose droppings and sincerely say “Goddamn that’s lucky!”
Admittedly I throw salt over my shoulders, don’t step on any cracks, and even have a lucky horse shoe. I suppose I don’t really have a hard time believing; I probably just have a hard time understanding. There are so many superstitions and old wives tales that it makes just as much sense to believe them in at face value as well as its reciprocal. I’m also inclined to believe in the compounding of them. But who knows if the day will ever come. If you see me get pooped on by a sea gull on my wedding day and it rains you know I’ll be playing the lottery very soon because there’s a good chance I can win … knock on wood.
