Every culture has its own set of traditions and beliefs passed down through the ages, and among the most amusing cultural beliefs are superstitions, which are often unique to each society.
Egyptian society has believed in superstitions ever since the time of ancient Egypt, which many believe was the one of the first civilizations to hold strong superstitious beliefs. Some of these still live on today, while others are more modern, they are all however totally amusing.
1. Crows and ravens are bad luck
Many Egyptians believe that hearing the sound of crows or ravens, especially during the day, means something bad will happen, even the sight of them is considered unpleasant.
2. Shoes and flipflops can't be turned upside down
Originally an ancient Egyptian superstition, it is still an extremely common belief that leaving footwear upside down is just really wrong. Ancient Egyptians believed that doing so would insult the gods.
3. Leaving scissors open is bad luck
It is often believed in Egypt that if you open scissors and close them again without cutting anything means something bad will happen.
4. Blue turquoise protects from bad luck
Originating in Egypt, but also present across the Arab world it is believed that the figure of the blue turquoise eye protects you from evil, as well as blue beads and the figure of a blue human palm. Turquoise in general is seen as a good sign.
5. Throwing salt over your shoulder leads to great cooking
Also originally from ancient Egypt, there's the belief that throwing salt over your left shoulder before you cook will fend off evil and make your food better.
6. You shouldn't wake someone up suddenly
Ancient Egyptians believed that if you wake up someone suddenly their soul could separate from their body, that's why it's still seen as a bad sign if you're woken up suddenly.
7. Knocking on wood protects from misfortune
An ancient Egyptians superstition that has turned into a joke in modern Egypt is that knocking on wood will fend off bad luck as ancient Egyptian believed evil spirits lived inside trees.
8. If your ear hurts, someone is badmouthing you
Also an old superstition that has become a common joke is that if your ear is hurting you or if you get a cut on your arms or fingers, then that means someone is talking about you and what they're saying is not pretty.
9. Leaving a warm seat means a fortune will appear
Some Egyptians still believe that if your seat is still warm after you leave it, that means money is heading your way, one of the superstitions passed down from generations past.
10. Ladders are good luck
While Western superstitions consider walking under a ladder a sign of bad luck, ancient Egyptians believed ladders could help them climb to heaven, it's still seen by some as a sign of fortune.
11. Spilling coffee is good luck
How spilling coffee and good luck can co-exist in the same sentence is both weird and amusing, but some Egyptians do believe that spilling a cup of coffee means you're going to have a great day.