Don’t point your shoes towards your bed. Always lock eyes while toasting. Don’t leave shoes upside down. Feed hyenas on New Year’s.
At first these rules sound completely random. But after talking to some students at ICSA about the superstitions they grew up with, it became clear that everyone has at least one strange belief they learned from family members, relatives or culture. Some people fully believe in them, while others follow them “just in case.” Either way, superstitions continue to shape our daily routine, even in modern life.
Superstitions have existed for centuries in almost every culture around the world. Some are meant to protect people from bad luck or spirits, while others are supposed to bring good fortune, love or success. Many of them started long ago, but families continued to pass them down from one generation to another. Even when people don’t know the exact reason beyond them anymore, the habits still remain.
One of the most interesting superstitions came from Emily, who is from China. According to her grandmother, shoes should never face toward your bed while sleeping. The reason? A lost soul or wandering spirit could supposedly use them to find you. While Emily laughed while explaining it, she admitted that after hearing it so many times growing up, she makes sure to never place her shoes facing her bed.
Apparently, shoes are dangerous in more than one country. Khalil from Lebanon shared another shoe-related superstition which he learned from his family. In his house, leaving shoes upside down brings bad luck. He explained that his parents take it very seriously and immediately yell at him whenever they notice it. Even though why this superstition exists is a mystery, the reaction of Khalil’s family made it impossible for him to ignore it.
Some superstitions were not about bad luck at all, but protection. Sara from Ethiopia explained that hyenas have a spiritual role in Ethiopian culture. According to the belief they eat the malevolent spirits that enter people and help protect the city from evil. During New Year celebrations, hyenas are given special porridge, which symbolises hope for a good year ahead. While many people in other countries see hyenas as dangerous and scary animals, this belief gives them a completely different perspective to look from.
However, not every superstition involves spirits or animals. Emma from France shared one that is more social and apparently very important. In France, when people toast drinks, they are supposed to lock eyes while saying “tchin-tchin.” If they don’t make eye contact, it is said to bring seven years of bad luck in love life. Emma remembered forgetting to do this with her uncle during a family gathering and immediately getting called out for it by him. According to her, he was “lowkenuinely annoyed”.
What makes superstitions so interesting is that even people who say they don’t believe in them still continue following them anyway. Maybe it is out of habit, respect for family traditions or simply because nobody wants to take the risk. After all, forgetting a simple thing like making eye contact during a toast and risking seven years of bad love life is probably not worth it.
And honestly, after hearing all these stories, checking the direction of your shoes before going to sleep does not seem like such a bad idea after all.