The weirdest superstitions around the world

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Full disclosure: I’m very superstitious. I regularly go out of my way to knock on real wood. I can never remember which shoulder I’m supposed to throw spilled salt over, but I’ll always toss a pinch over both for good measure (and then once again in case that last side was the wrong one ). I'm so superstitious that I tend to collect new superstitions wherever I go. To this day, I refuse to let my purse touch the floor because, years ago, an extremely expressive Polish woman I worked with was horror-struck when I set my purse on the ground, a seemingly benign act that apparently ushers in terrible financial luck.

But while you may know to avoid ladders and cross fingers here at home, the folk wisdom in other countries isn't as obvious. You may know to buy a nazar charm in Turkey for protection against the evil eye, but did you know that you should never whistle inside a house in Russia? Or leave your shoes upsidedown in Egypt? Even if you’re not the superstitious type, it’s sometimes better to stay safe than end up sorry. Here, then, are some of our favorite weird superstitions to watch for when traveling around the world.

If you happen to be in India during a solar eclipse, stay indoors—the belief that the suns rays become toxic during an eclipse is so pervasive that local newspapers continue to report on the phenomenon.

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In many places from Turkey to India, it’s very bad luck to cut your nails at night. In fact, this particular superstition pops up in so many different countries that it may be safer to ditch the practice altogether.

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Don’t wear red during a lightning storm. In the Philippines—a country that has seen its fair share of tropical storms—there's a belief that the color attracts lightning.

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