GOOD LUCK CHARMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

ACORN

In Norse (Viking) culture, a single acorn is put on a windowsill to

protect the home from lightning strikes. Since oak trees (where acorns

come from) attract lightning, the Vikings saw them as having been

spared the wrath of Thor, the Norse god who created thunder

and lightning.

ALLIGATOR TEETH

Wearing the tooth of an alligator isn’t just for Steve Irwin or

Californian surfers – some African cultures believe alligator

teeth bring good luck while gambling.

BAMBOO

Commonly sold as lucky bamboo but more appropriately named

friendship bamboo, giving a gift of this plant is said to bring the receiver

good luck. Putting a friendship bamboo plant on the east part of a room

will improve your chi (energy), according to Feng Shui.

TRIANGLE

Triangles are centrally featured throughout history due to their strength

as a structure and their three sides representing the life cycle: birth,

maturity, and death. Triangles are often attributed to Egyptian pyramids

and the symbol on the back of U.S. dollar.

CRICKET

Crickets are a sign of good luck especially in Asian and Native

American cultures. It is terrible luck to kill a cricket, even if accidentally.

They are seen by some Asian cultures to act as a protector of the

house, stopping their chirping whenever danger is near.

HORSESHOE

Drawing on the strength and power of a horse, horseshoes are powerful

good luck charms. A legend of Saint Dunstan from the 10th century

says he trapped the devil in a horseshoe; thus, putting one above

your door protects your home from evil. An upward-facing horseshoe

is said to gather luck and a downward-facing one is said to cover you

in good luck. (Though, we’re not entirely sure what’s the difference

between those two.)

KACHINA

Kachinas are dolls which represent the spirits of things in the real

world to Native Americans in the American Southwest and Central America.

The dolls are dressed up and often played with by children.

Inviting the doll’s spirit into one’s home and family is said to bring a

good harvest.

DREAM CATCHER

Native American culture prominently features dream catchers to gather

good dreams and do away with bad dreams. The reason comes from

the story of Nokomis, the grandmother in Ojibwa folklore. Nokomis watched

a spider weave its web day-after-day until one day her grandson came in

and tried to kill the spider. She protected the spider and, in return, the

spider went to the window and spun a fresh web in the moonlight.

It told Nokomis: “See how I spin. See and learn, for each web will snare bad

dreams. Only good dreams will go through the small hole.”

EVIL EYE

Featuring prominently in Middle Eastern cultures, an Evil Eye amulet wards

off the Evil Eye: a curse received from the malicious glance of another,

often undenounced to the one being glared at. The amulet protects

the wearer from this evil glance and is one of the most popular tourist buys

across the Middle East.