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Even the modern are under superstition's charm

By LAVERNE HAMMOND
Published October 30, 2005

Are you superstitious? Many of us are. We won't walk under a ladder, open an umbrella indoors or step on a crack in the sidewalk.

Some superstitions go back a long way. Spilling salt has long been considered bad luck, for example. The antidote apparently is to throw a few grains over your left shoulder. Why? Apparently, the bad spirit is standing behind that shoulder, and maybe the salt will hit its eyes and keep it from the evil it is planning.

In Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, The Last Supper, an overturned saltcellar lies in front of Judas, who is sitting at the table with Christ and the other disciples. Less than 24 hours after the meal, Christ, betrayed by Judas, was crucified.

Historically, of course, there is no evidence that salt was spilled at the Last Supper. Da Vinci was dramatizing the superstitions of his day. In fact, the painting contains two evil omens: the spilling of salt and 13 guests at the table.

The number 13 still carries a stigma. Airplanes often skip the 13th row of seats. In America, modern skyscrapers, condominiums and hotels often label the floor after 12 as 14.

Disastrous events are alleged to have happened on Friday the 13th: Eve tempted Adam; Noah's Ark set sail in the great flood; a confusion of tongues struck at the tower of Babel; Christ died on the cross.

Almost every group has its superstitions, but probably none has more than theater people. Most everyone knows not to wish actors "good luck" on opening night but to instead exhort them to "break a leg." Some actors, like many of us, believe that a rabbit's foot brings luck. Tallulah Bankhead carried one that her father had given her. When she died, it was buried with her.

Some articles are barred from stages: peacock feathers, real mirrors and jewels and Bibles (painted ones are used). It is believed that certain colors on stage can bring bad fortune. Green costumes and scenery do tend to look brown when the lights are on.

Even today at rehearsals some directors forbid actors to say the last lines - called "tag lines" - of plays or enact the final scene before opening night in the superstitious belief that it is better to leave things to chance and retain spontaneity than to challenge the gods by trying for total perfection.

I remember the closing scene of a school play I was in. I was the leading lady and my leading man and I were to end the play with a romantic kiss and embrace. Thanks to a superstitious director, we never rehearsed the final scene. On opening night, he bungled the kiss, which landed on my nose.

Primitive people lacked knowledge of nature's laws; they thought superstitious beliefs would protect them from evil and chaos. That's why they adopted such good luck charms as the rabbit's foot and the four-leaf clover. If one charm failed, they would come up with another.

In a sense, we do the same today. If a person writes a prize-winning paper with a certain pen, that pen becomes "lucky." Baseball players continue to wear a hat or underwear that they were wearing during a hot streak.

Superstitious beliefs should have diminished with the advance of science and education. And yet, all across America, millions of lottery tickets are purchased daily, often based on someone's "lucky" numbers.

Superstitions seem destined to remain part of our heritage. Even though we have scientific explanations for many things, much in daily life is unpredictable. It is not surprising that we turn to superstitions to aid us. Early primates abandoned their dead. Archaeologists, however, found that Neanderthals buried their dead with rituals and provided them with food, weapons and fuel to be used in the next life. Superstition and the birth of spirituality go hand in hand.

So cross your fingers, knock on wood, keep your thumbs up, cover your yawn, and remember to say, "God Bless You!" when someone sneezes. These superstitions can't harm you, and with any luck, they may help.

-- LaVerne Hammond, who divides her time between Wisconsin and Florida, is at work on her memoirs. Write her in care of Seniority, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

[Last modified October 28, 2005, 10:02:58]