Hello all, I missed you so much! Last week, there were no Highlights since we were taking a seasonal break from our #SuperstitionSat Sessions. We returned this week for one of our in-house traditions, which is to feature a region or continent of Earth as one of our Session themes in order to celebrate all of the diverse cultures of our planet. Last year, they were called “Regional Specials” and scattered throughout the year. In 2022, we made the decision to have a whole month dedicated to them – sort of like a “World Tour” to find all the superstitions – and we hope you will want to come aboard with us!

So, for yesterday’s Session (14/05/22) our first stop was CENTRAL/ SOUTH AMERICA. We’re taking off with this superstition shared by OldSoul, since the day before our Session was Friday the 13th – a day that may be frowned upon even by those who dismiss superstitions! While the fear of a Friday falling on the 13th day of the month may be more popular in, for instance, Anglophone countries, in South America it is Tuesday the 13th that is seen as unlucky instead. Countries such as Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru – as well as colonizer Spain – are more prone to think twice of a Tuesday because the name of this day in Spanish is Martes: the planet Mars, thus associated with the Roman god of war and destruction. Some also say the day corresponds to the fall of the Tower of Babel, thrown on the ground on a Tuesday 13th by the Christian God who punished humankind with the inability to speak the same language. As OldSoul told us, in Spanish there is even a saying that goes like “en Martes, ni te cases, ni te embarques, ni de tu casa te apartes” – which means it is bad luck to get married, embark on a journey or even leave the house on a Tuesday. Yikes!

Our second Highlight was from Rachel Deering, who told a tale of the Black Witch Moth – Ascalapha Odorata. This nocturnal creature is considered to be extremely unlucky in its natural habitat countries in Central and South America – such as Mexico, Brazil and Ecuador. With a wingspan of almost 25cm (in females) and a name like Black Witch Moth (Tara Bruja, Bruxa Negra, etc), it’s no wonder that people consider it a harbinger of ill health and death, especially if it somehow finds its way inside a house! But I agree with Rachel – it’s so pretty!

At last, our final Highlight was from Wunderkammer, who quoted Mexican poet Octavio Paz: “Death revenges us against life” and the local belief that we die three deaths: first, when the body ceases to function; second, when the body is buried or put out of sight; the third, when there is no one left alive to remember us. When the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is celebrated in early November, families will therefore prevent their loved ones from dying their third death, by remembering them and making them offerings of candles, flowers, toys, cigarettes, and much more. This belief is sweetly portrayed in the Pixar film Coco through the character of Hector de la Cruz and his great-grandson Miguel.

That was all for today! Hope you enjoyed this selection. It is always so hard to pick only three, but you can always check out everyone’s contributions by searching for our hashtag #SuperstitionSat on Twitter and Instagram. We hope to be able to feature all of you at least once in our Blog’s Highlights, to show you our gratitude for your participation as well as to preserve folklore for future generations – because who knows, one day everyone might stop using Twitter! So, as always, whether you’re old, new or just passing through, your presence is very much appreciated and I am glad to see you stop by. Join us for another stop on our World Tour next week (21/05/22):

MIDDLE EAST/ AFRICA

Have a lovely week!
– Superstition Sam 🐾