Just because you leave the planet doesn't mean you leave superstitions behind. Since the early days of space travel, NASA astronauts have been taught to observe specific rituals before going to space. Because if they don't, they may wind up lost in space… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From a certain point of view, birthday celebrations can be seen as a little... ritualistic. Candles, special songs, birthday cake... Where did all these practices come from? And what are they meant to protect us against? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Your luck can change drastically depending on what day of the week you cut your nails. Fortunately, there’s a playful rhyme to help you remember. And if you forget? A broken nail will be the least of your worries… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In a ritual that can be found around the world, invoking the rabbit on the first day of a new month brings good luck. And in this story, a teenage witch is about to discover just how much fortune she can find… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When you become successful, all eyes are on you. But there is one eye above all others that will always be watching, waiting to take away your success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Timekeeping devices have been around for millennia. But at what point did we stop seeing them as tools... and start seeing them as a reminder of our own mortality? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Toys are supposed to be harmless and fun — their arrival signaling playtime, not disaster. But in 1930s Syria, one toy was thought to cause a devastation so severe, it was banned from the country. If yo-yos could control the weather… what else could they control? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meteorology is an advanced study, but not a precise one. So when the heavens themselves seem determined to destroy you, who wouldn't turn to some seemingly ridiculous rituals? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sailors are a superstitious lot, and refraining from whistling might sound like a typical warning from an old salt. But if you're not careful, an errant whistle can blow up a storm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why do we think weddings have to be commemorated with tiny flakes of paper? And what are the consequences for getting too wrapped up in the idea of "the perfect wedding"? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
To bestow good luck, an American might say “break a leg.” But in Italy, there’s a different phrase: “In bocca al bupo.” The problem is, if you say thanks in return, you might end up in the mouth of a wolf… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you look for it, you can spot the number seven everywhere. But of all the numbers, why did we pick this one to be the lucky one? And what happens when you rely on it too much? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In many cultures, it's considered polite to bless someone after they sneeze. But this dates back to a much older belief, where if you sneeze without a blessing, your soul can fly right out of your body. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Gemini season is upon us, the season of twins. Which makes us ask: Are twins *really* telepathic? How do we explain the uncanny connection between the closest of siblings? For more celestial stories, keep listening across Parcast Network for episodes on the Zodiac signs, constellations and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When planets align, chaos can follow. For thousands of years, the movements of those heavenly bodies have been used to understand — and even predict — earthly upheavals. History is dotted with uncanny examples. For more celestial stories, keep listening across Parcast Network for episodes on the Zodiac signs, constellations and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s so common that we hardly think of it as a superstition. Today, we use it to wish for luck and to excuse a broken promise or white lie. But throughout history, crossing your fingers has been used over and over to invoke the Divine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you feel an inexplicable chill, you may be coming down with a cold… or someone just walked over the patch of earth where you’re destined to be buried. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s not just bad luck. It’s an affront to ancient gods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you want a bright and sunny Southern wedding, there’s only one thing to do: One month before the nuptials, bury a bottle of bourbon. But take care to dig it up on your wedding day. If you don’t, you might suffer a thunderstorm… or worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When an owl speaks, death follows. But if they can bring doom, can they reverse it, too? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Giving away clothing is an act of charity, but if your old outfits end up in evil hands, they could be used to cast a spell of harm against you. They say clothes make the man… but they can unmake him, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Some use a table. Others, a doorframe. There are even those who jokingly use their head. Whatever wooden object is closest, you better knock on it for luck before you speak, or else you may just experience something bad… or jinx something good. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1980, the New York Islanders hockey team stopped shaving during the playoffs, and they won the Stanley Cup. That moment marked the birth of a new superstition: the playoff beard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
One wrong step can have consequences of seismic proportions... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The real estate industry may sound like the last place to find superstitious practices, but some agents have come to rely on a special talisman to sell homes: a small plastic statue of St. Joseph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When the very sky above us lights up with a shooting star, it transports us to another world… a reality where anything is possible. And so, we make a wish. But usually, we don't think about the consequences of that wish coming true... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bad luck is everywhere in the world of sports. But perhaps a famous curse centers around the Chicago Cubs, who didn't win the World Series for 71 years... all because they insulted a goat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Don’t toast with a glass of water, or you’ll wish bad luck upon the toast’s honoree and yourself. Though this European superstition sounds like an excuse to get drunk, it’s really an ancient tool to ward off disaster and death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For St. Patrick's Day, we're exploring the very symbol of good luck itself! Where in history does this Irish tradition come from, and what does its presence say about the land it originated from? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
You cannot avoid bad luck just by staying indoors. Especially if the number of steps in your home is a multiple of 3. In the Philippines, that is a very bad sign indeed… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
