Something old, something new, something borrowed, something completely irrational

LoraSprouls has picked the subject of 5 superstitions for this week's Friday Five. So, am I superstitious? I would like to think not. After all, there are very sound practical reasons for:

• not walking under a ladder (some historians of superstitious beliefs tell us that in times gone by, summary justice was sometimes arranged by lynching an offender under a ladder!)
• a four-leafed clover will bring good luck (of course! they are rare enough, you can flog it for a small fortune on Ebay!)
• fingernail cuttings should be saved, burned or buried (this goes back to some of the very oldest magical beliefs: bodily fragments such as fingernails, hair, or teeth can be incorporated into spells to affect a person).
  

But what about some less obvious superstitions?

• Step on a crack; break your mother's back (? In my experience children tend to be backbreaking no matter where they step. It's all about clothing hung up on the floor, toys left scattered; is there anything more painful than a Lego brick on the stairs in the dark?)
• If your ears burn, someone is talking about you.

How about this for an encyclopedic list of superstitions?

Postscript:
I thought about this while commenting on somebody else's blog. Musical instruments have souls; treat your instrument with the same care and attention you would treat your lover, and when it can no longer be played or repaired, consider its feelings when deciding what to do with it.