Egyptians are faithful believers in numerous myths and superstitions, but we never really bothered to investigate or question the reasons behind any of them. Here are the roots of the origins of some weird superstitions we adamantly believe in:
-Placing shoes upside down
“El Gazma w el shebsheb el ma2olbeen” are said to bring bad luck. However, that’s not always the case. In our culture, it’s considered rude to have the back of your shoe facing someone. Leaving the shoe “facing the sky” means it’s facing God, and that’s extremely sinful. People have stuck to this myth for generations without any sound reasoning, until it became synonymous with bad luck.
-Using scissors on air
It’s believed that bad things will happen to you and to those around you if you perform the act of cutting in the air. It’s argued that you are shredding the souls and spirits in the air and they’ll surely come back for revenge.
-The ‘Blue Eye’ protects us from the ‘Evil Eye’
We’re strong believers in “7asad”, and we like to shield ourselves from envious people with the “blue eye” which originates from the Eye of Horus. In ancient Egypt, it was believed to protect the kings against all evilness and illness.
-Spilling Salt
Salt used to be one of the most expensive trades; spilling it caused problems. It was thought of as bad luck, and it brought fear to those who spilled it. Even though spilling salt is considered bad luck, throwing it is believed to protect you from the devil. “Throwing salt with our right hand over our left shoulder protects us from the devil” is a myth of Christian origin. It’s believed that the angels are on our right hand side, and the devil on our left side. This myth was also portrayed at DaVinci’s “Last Supper” painting, as Judas spilt salt with his left arm.
-Black cats
Black cats are feared by Egyptians because they bring bad luck. We’re totally convinced of it to the extent that some people actually kill black cats if they come across them. Why are these cute fury animals feared? Black cats were worshiped by ancient Egyptians, and some say when they stopped worshipping them, the gods sent demons into black cats for revenge. Others believe witches take over them, because black cats were present when they summoned demons.
-Broken Mirrors
This myth actually has nothing to do with mirrors. It existed long before mirrors were even created. It was, and still, believed that distorted reflection could bring about a huge disaster.
