When Superstitions Are True

The idea of breaking mirrors as originators of bad luck goes back to the Ancient Greeks, who would use mirrors during a form of divination, attempting to see into the future. A distorted image would mean you would die!! (Genius work from the Ancient Greeks, we guess there was no time limit placed on this statement "You're going to die.... at some point in the future, we're not quite sure when!") Whilst there's no evidence breaking a mirror caused bad luck, this writer can attest to the fact that breaking a mirror can result in a horrible cut, a trip to A&E where a nurse with halitosis made a mess of stitching me up leaving me with a lovely scar to last my entire life. Breaking glass, in whatever form, is BAD. BIGLY! As a famous American President might say.

The more mundane truth behind this superstition is probably related to the fact that historically, mirrors would have been relatively expensive. Yes, at a time when your worldly possessions consisted of a rabbit skin kilt, some arrows and shared ownership of a four bed dung-covered hole in the ground somewhere in Suffolk, a polished piece of glass would have been worth taking care of.

Well, apparently it goes back to the First World War. Cigarettes were a mainstay of trench life, and who can blame them. Facing sudden, violent death, living in a trench, watching your friends die, you'd be grateful for any break! But keeping a match lit long enough to light three cigarettes would give an enemy sniper long enough to zero in on you and provide you with a more immediate risk to your health than the risk of cancer some years down the line. We'd suggest if you're that broke you're trying to save matches, maybe skipping the fags instead of economising on matches might be an easier way to save cash.