KNOCK ON WOOD AND CROSS YOUR FINGERS!

Superstition and good luck charms survive in the age of AI: they influence the actions of millions of people around the world and have always helped humans cope with the uncertainties of life

WORLD | CULTURE | SOCIETY

La Spezia (Italy), at the Teatro Civico the typical Italian ritual of “merda merda merda” (shit shit shit) before the show “Chicago by Fosse” by Gloria Clemente and Alice Sinigaglia. A tradition that would date back to the wish that outside the theater there would be lots of horse droppings, meaning lots of carriages that accompanied a therefore large audience.

We think we are completely rational, yet in this era dominated by science and technology, we cannot free ourselves from superstitious thinking. The list of examples is endless. World-renowned surgeons who do not operate on Friday the 13th, famous drivers who repeat the same gestures before every race, operas that cannot be mentioned because they are considered ill-auspicious, and singers ruined by accusations of bringing bad luck. Not only that: making the sign of the horns, crossing your fingers or knocking on wood, changing direction if you see a black cat, keeping amulets and talismans, wishing someone "good luck" in a theatre, performing special rituals before an important event. Widespread in every culture, these habits may make us smile, but they actually influence the daily lives of millions of people. Is it just folk tradition and popular belief?

Or is the magical/theological interpretation of reality the result of psychological and social processes that have survived thousands of years of evolution? In order to cope with the uncertainties of existence, the human mind - as confirmed by studies in neuroscience, cognitive anthropology and developmental psychology - has developed “self-defense” systems that lead us to see inviolable taboos, regular patterns and schemes in events, and non-existent cause-and-effect connections. A naive automatism but one which, as researchers point out, has undoubtedly had an evolutionary advantage for our survival as a human species. In short, as is often said: being superstitious is ignorant but not being superstitious brings bad luck...

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Colobraro (Italy), a ceduta of the village. Colobraro, in Basilicata, is the so-called “unmentionable” village, the village that brings bad luck, what the Italian anthropologist Ernesto De Martino called “a village of jettors.” It is all linked to an episode that occurred in the mid-20th century, and for the past few years the administration has been exploiting this name for tourism purposes, hiring actors who in August stage rituals inspired by the village's superstition and alleged bad luck.

Pisa (Italy), at the Lion Yachts shipyard, shipmaster Marco Carlesi smashes - as usual during various naval events - a bottle of champagne against the boat Pandora, after intense winter maintenance operations. Carlesi is observed among others by the boat's owners, on the left: Fania Raffellini and Luca Buffo, along with friend and collaborator Damiano Pugliese (outermost). It is considered obviously unfortunate, during the various, the failure to break the bottle.

Bibione (Italy), Francesca Burza (I Segreti di Luna) reads tarot cards at a booth during the Bibione Holistic Festival. Divination through fortune telling is a technique that has been around for centuries and mixes skill and superstition.

Milan (Italy), at San Raffaele Hospital, Professor Pietro Mortini, head of the Neurosurgery and Stereotactic Radiosurgery Unit (center), is performing brain surgery. Professor Mortini, an international luminary and author of more than 230 scientific publications, admits, however, that “on Friday the 17th I never operate!” In fact, the fear of the 17th (“heptacaidecaphobia”) - typical of countries of Greek and Latin origin - generally increases when combined with Friday, the day of Jesus' death.

Bologna (Italy), at Tanexpo, the funeral industry fair, small coffin-shaped key chains are on display. Beyond commercial use, ironic objects like these also serve to exorcise a taboo as strong as death.

Delhi (India), during a wedding in the Mohammadpur district the groom is decorated with banknotes, a symbol of prosperity and good fortune.

Caracas (Venezuela), a villa in the wealthy neighborhood of La Lagunita is surrounded by a high wall with barbed wire, unambiguously defining private property. Researchers argue that superstition reinforced respect among others for private property and its sanctity.

Silverstone (England), Italian rider Kevin Zannoni undresses after a MotoE race. “Since I am a child,” explains Kevin, 24, ”I always wear first the right boot and then the left boot, and so first the right glove and then the left glove. I also never lean my helmet on the ground, it's bad luck!”

Waterloo (Sierra Leone), at the New Cemetery, appropriately protected workers prepare the burial of people who have died from Ebola. During the epidemic, those who buried the victims made themselves unrecognizable not only to protect themselves from the disease but also because they were considered by part of the population to be spreaders of the disease, carriers of the disease themselves and therefore to be kept at a distance.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Pisa (Italy), boys pose in front of the famous leaning tower, the 57-meter-high bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta built between the 12th and 14th centuries. Students who attend the local university know that they absolutely cannot climb the tower before they graduate, otherwise they may not graduate (while they cannot go around it either, under penalty of a longer graduation time).

Naples (Italy), the hands of craftsman Gabriele Maresca in his workshop on Via San Gregorio Armeno paint a red cornetto. An apotropaic amulet against the evil eye and jinx prevalent especially in the Campania region, the cornetto is often made of coral and is historically inspired by the phallus of the god Priapus, a symbol of fertility and sexual strength.

Matera (Italy), Anna Lapacciana, 78, here in her home, was born in the so-called Sassi (in the caves) and was a “maciara” when she was young. In Matera, as in much of southern Italy, there existed the figure of the maciara (or masciara), a person to whom popular culture attributed magical powers especially in relation to curing illness.

Quixadà (Brazil), Carlos Alberto André is a white magic (Umbanda) priest who performs rituals in his home. Umbanda is a Brazilian vodou cult with a strong element of Afro-Catholic syncretism, considered by many to be a form of black magic and superstition.

Nogales (Mexico), the border between Mexico and the United States (right) a few kilometers from the city. Researchers argue that superstition reinforced respect for, among other things, private property and boundaries, which were considered sacred: the pomerium in Roman times was the inviolable and sacred boundary of the city, drawn through a series of rituals.

Vercelli (Italy), City of Vercelli Dance Academy, students during a lesson under the eyes of teacher Isabel Cortés Nolten. In dance, superstition plays an important role: both the color green and purple bring bad luck, repetitive rituals and anti-jella amulets are widespread as well as wishing (in Italy) “merda merda merda” (shit shit shit) before the performance, but also the “break a leg” (breaking a leg) of Anglo-Saxon tradition.

Maro (Chad), an ethnic Sara boy selling fish at the market has obvious scars on his face. In the Sara ethnic group (as well as in many other West African tribes), ornamental scarring, or scarification, a painful practice associated with personality formation and social belonging, is widespread: in many groups those who were unwilling to engage in the ritual were ostracized.

Naples (Italy), ex votos displayed at the entrance of the Ex Voto Tattoo Napoli store on Via De Sanctis. Short for the Latin ex voto suscepto , “from the vow made,” an ex voto is a votive offering that in Christian tradition is usually made to a saint or directly to God as a sign of gratitude or devotion.

Naples (Italy), a Sciò Sciò for sale in the Di Virgilio store on Via San Gregorio Armeno. A Neapolitan scaramantic figure, the Sciò Sciò drives away bad luck by scattering incense and reciting anti-malocchio formulas.

In Cavaria con Premezzo (Varese), Mayor Franco Zeni pays tribute to the grave of Italian singer-songwriter Mia Martini, who died on the night between 11 and 12 May 1995 in an alleged suicide. The real cause of death has never been ascertained, but it is true that in the 1970s a legend spread that Mia Martini brought bad luck, a rumour that damaged the singer and led her to abandon the stage in 1983.

Nuku Hiva (Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia), tattoos on a man's chest and right arm. The tattoo in pre-European Polynesian society was a sign of belonging, defined social rank and was a sacred symbol that conferred strength and protection, and was linked to rites of passage.

Verona (Italy), at Juliet's House tourists touch the breast of the statue of Juliet, protagonist of Shakespeare's tragedy. Tradition has it that touching the right breast (noted by the wear and tear on the statue) brings good luck to lovers, the same luck Juliet did not have in life.

Churchill (Canada), a stuffed polar bear at the Seaport Hotel. For the youth of the Inuit population of the Netsilik, killing a polar bear was considered a rite of passage to adulthood.

Freetown (Sierra Leone), a wedding luncheon. The significance of the wedding veil dates back to Roman times, when the so-called flammeum served to invoke protection and good omen, as well as to conceal the bride and groom's true features until the exchange of their wedding vows.

Mamoiada (Sardinia, Italy), girls dance in front of a bonfire during the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate on the night of Jan. 16. The bonfire and fire have a symbolic role of purification and rebirth, a propitiatory rite for the new agricultural year.

Scilla (Italy), Giovanni Malara, Lipu's national anti-poaching officer, observes from Mount Scrisi that there are no poachers in the area. From the mountains overlooking the Strait of Messina (a spring route for a number of birds) poachers shoot birds of prey partly because in Calabrie there is an ingrained belief that shooting one down in flight and displaying it in the house puts a husband away from his wife's horns.

Pomposa Abbey (Ferrara), relic (a tibia) of Pomposa Abbot St. Guido, who died in Fidenza in 1046.

Seoul (South Korea), at the Ole Pop cosmetic clinic, 25-year-old Ju Hyo Jim gets a Botox injection while clutching a stuffed animal doll to herself for protection-a sort of amulet that gives her a feeling of security.

Ponae-ri (South Korea), some friends toast at a restaurant near the border with North Korea. The toast is said to have a superstitious origin: it makes a racket, generates noise and chases away demons that would creep into the man when he has his mouth open.

Seoul (South Korea), a Korean flag from the early 1900s is preserved at the National Palace Museum of Korea. In South Korea, the flag is regarded as representative of the “Korean race” rather than solely of the South Korean state: consequently, its desecration is not only forbidden but also a sign of grave misfortune.

Moundou (Chad), a traditionally animist Sara ethnic girl is given a veil made of green beads to cover her face during a ceremony of initiation and passage to adulthood. In general, in various cultures around the world, rites of passage may involve tests of courage, infibulations, tooth removal, scarification, haircuts, fasting etc.

Naples (Italy), a hand making horns for sale in a store on Via San Gregorio Armeno. An apotropaic gesture against ill fortune, the gesture has Greek origins and is also a symbol of infidelity: the Cretans thus reminded Minos that the Minotaur was the son of his wife Pasifee and a bull.

Bandarchula village (30 km from Lahan, Nepal), Nausad Miya, 8, blind since birth, in his home. In Nepal but not only, blind people are considered the bearers of bad luck, and seeing one while leaving home is a bad omen.

Naples (Italy), red good luck horns for sale among the stalls of Via San Gregorio Armeno. An apotropaic amulet against the evil eye and jinx prevalent especially in the Campania region, the cornetto is often made of coral and is historically inspired by the phallus of the god Priapus, a symbol of fertility and sexual strength.

Naples (Italy), Sept. 19 in front of Naples Cathedral, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe shows the ampulla with the melted blood of St. Gennaro to the faithful. Popular tradition holds that the liquefying blood stands for good omens and is believed to have stopped cholera, plague, earthquakes and eruptions of Mount Vesuvius in the past.

Matera (Italy), in an ancient cave that was once inhabited and is now a museum, past furnishings have been reconstructed: on the wall, among other things, an open scissor useful for warding off the evil eye and cutting off all forms of negativity.

Parma (Italy), the Verdi Chorale rehearses “La Vergine degli angeli,” an anthem that closes the second act of Giuseppe Verdi's opera “La forza del destino.” First performed in 1862, “La forza del destino” is believed to be a harbinger of misfortune and harbinger of accidents, mishaps and tragedy, so much so that it is considered unmentionable.

Naples (Italy), at the intersection of Via dei Tribunali and Via San Gregorio Armeno, a man in exchange for money throws apotropaic salt on two female tourists. In the past, salt was one of the most precious commodities, and wasting it would have provoked the disdain of the gods, but in Naples salt is also sprinkled against the evil eye: in ancient and popular beliefs it is considered a protective and purifying element.

Cervia, Italy, osteopath Tommaso Mazzini (center) and entrepreneur friend Francesco Pelosi (back left) focus before the start of an Ironman, a race that involves a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. Tommaso explained that before each race he makes a superstitious gesture by slipping a bracelet into the bar rack of his time trial bike along with a little drawing of his daughter Bianca. He also takes a swim in the sea every night before the start of the race as a “greeting” to the race course.

Chengdu (China), a giant panda in the city zoo. A symbol of endangered animals mainly because of the threat brought by deforestation, the panda is now protected but in the past it was often hunted because sleeping on its skin was believed to give three benefits: it kept ghosts away, it predicted the future, and it was useful for controlling menstruation.

In Somma Vesuviana (Italy) every year in May people climb to the top of Mount Somma (originally part of Vesuvius) to exorcise fear and hope-performing a series of dances and superstitious rituals both Christian in origin and inspired by ancient paganism-that the volcano will not erupt.

Barcelona (Spain), MotoE riders on the podium spray themselves with sparkling wine and then douse their mechanics and fans: the ritual, which began in 1966 at Le Mans, has become a tradition that the motorsport world can no longer do without.

Chongqing (China), at the headquarters of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Academy, Dr. Liu Guangrui practices “fire” massage, or huo liao, to a patient. The discipline has its roots in ancient traditional medicine and involves treating the part of the body to be treated with fire. But huo liao has no scientific basis and in general, according to many experts,traditional Chinese medicine remedies often rest on beliefs and superstitions.

Moundou (Chad), in one village some boys of the Sara ethnic group, traditionally animists, during an initiation and transition to adulthood ceremony are covered their faces and are dressed in traditional clothing and symbols. In general, in various cultures around the world, rites of passage may involve tests of courage, circumcisions, tooth removal, scarification, haircuts, fasting etc.

St. Petersburg (Russia), some nuns eat at a McDonald's. One of the most famous superstitions is the one related to nuns, who are said to bring bad luck (and tradition is to “pass them on” to a neighbor, transmitting bad luck by touch).

Istanbul (Turkey), Turkish tourists feed pigeons in Taksim Square. In 1948, American psychologist Burrhus Skinner conducted an experiment at Harvard and came to understand that pigeons exhibited behaviour that could be described as “superstitious”, based on false correlations.

Mamoiada (Sardinia), issohahores during a parade held during the ancient local carnival. The masks have an apotropaic function: those who wear them lose their identity and become ancestral spirits, propitiatory to the passing of the seasons.

Jelgava (Latvia), on the occasion of the spring equinox (“Lieldienas”) priest Andris and other members of the Neopagan Dievturiba movement perform a ritual along the Lielupe River offering those present a blessed egg that will bring them good luck and health.

Chengdu (China), at a stall near Anshun Bridge, a young man reads cards for a group of tourists. Divination through cartomancy is a technique that has existed for centuries and combines skill and superstition.

Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), at the National Museum, the Thaj Treasure. The mask used to cover the faces of the deceased is an ancient custom typical of many different cultures, steeped in magic and religious beliefs. The part of the body that was considered the centre of demonic powers that could invade the deceased and threaten the living was the head, which is why it was isolated with a mask: on the one hand, to render the deceased harmless, and on the other, to defend them from those very demons.

‘These shoes saved my life, and I will always keep them with me as a good luck charm.’ On 13 January 2012, Antimo Magnotta was on board the Concordia as a pianist. ‘Elegance was a must,’ he says, ‘yet that evening I wore shoes with rubber soles.’ At 9:45 p.m. and 7 seconds, the ship crashed into the shallow seabed. The ship tilted more and more, the floors became slippery walls, and the shoes with rubber soles came in handy. ‘With leather soles, I would have slipped several times and probably ended up in the sea. Those rubber shoes were my salvation.’

Naples (Italy), a sign dedicated to good luck with a horseshoe and a red cornetto for sale among the stalls of Via San Gregorio Armeno. An apotropaic amulet against the evil eye and bad luck, widespread especially in Campania, the cornetto is often made of coral and is historically inspired by the phallus of the god Priapus, a symbol of fertility and sexual strength.

Nogales (Mexico), a section of the metal wall separating Mexico and the United States. Experts argue that superstition has reinforced respect for private property and borders, which are considered sacred: in Roman times, the pomerium was the inviolable and sacred boundary of the city, marked by a series of rituals.

Matera (Italy), at the Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum, there is a Greek vase from the end of the 5th century BC depicting Dionysus, seated on the left, watching a maenad and a satyr dance. The latter jumps to the rhythm of the music, holding a thyrsus, a ritual staff inspired by the phallus, a clear symbol of fertility and vital force.

Marrakech (Morocco): in the city's souk, it is easy to find amulets and talismans that protect against the evil eye, as well as herbs and traditional remedies based on popular beliefs and superstitions.