Superstitions used every day Performers
use routines
From unlucky 13,
to sidewalk cracks,
to found pennies,
students fear them
By Haleigh Wuster
Do you step awkwardly down the sidewalk just to avoid stepping on a crack? The
unluckiness of
the number 13,
walking under a
ladder, or even
breaking a mirror are all superstitions in which
people strongly
believe. What
superstitions do
you believe in?
Students
throughout the
school have different views and
beliefs when it
comes to superstitions. Some students
believe strongly in them and others do not
believe at all.
“I believe in some superstitions but not
all of them,” sophomore Kelsey Edwards
said. “Some of the superstitions like breaking a mirror is seven years of bad luck just
seem too unrealistic to me.”
One common superstition is a penny
that is heads up is good luck. When you
are walking down the street, and you see
a penny heads up, pick it up; if it’s heads
down leave it on the ground.
“I only pick up a penny off the ground
if it’s heads up,” sophomore Ellie Petersen
said. “I’ve believed since I was really young
that it’s only good luck if the penny is heads
up because my dad has always believed in
that.”
Another common superstition is “knock
on wood.” It is said that knocking twice on
wood or just simply saying “knock on wood”
after saying a hopeful statement will reverse
the bad luck. The expression comes from
the belief that good spirits lived in trees,
and knocking
on something
wooden would
call the spirits
there for protection.
“I honestly
believe in the
knock on wood
superstition because I think it
stops fate from
occurring and it
won’t jinx what
you just said,”
Edwards said.
Making a wish at the time 11:11 is yet
another superstition. The saying goes that if
you make a wish at 11:11 it is more likely
to come true because it is said that if you
happen to look at the clock when it is 11:11
it isn’t a coincidence.
“I always make a wish when I see it’s
11:11,”senior Brooke Phillips said. “One
of these days, one of my wishes will come
true.”
“I honestly believe in
the knock on wood
superstition because
I think it stops fate
from occuring.”
Kelsey Edwards
Other than the superstitions that bring
good luck, many superstitions are thought
to bring bad luck as well. One of the bad
superstitions is the belief that Friday the 13th
is an unlucky day. This superstition is one
of the most popular. There is even a horror
movie titled Friday the Thirteenth.
“I definitely believe that Friday the 13th
is an unlucky day,” sophomore Scott Wuster
said. “My family always seems to get into
car accidents on that day. It’s freaky.”
It is believed that the number 13 in
general is an unlucky number, not just the
day itself. It is believed to be so unlucky
that elevators do not feature a button for the
13th floor. Some people believe it to be so
unlucky that they refuse to wear it on their
sports uniform.
“Thirteen was my volleyball number this
year, and I think that it brought me a lot of
bad luck,” sophomore Katrina Devish said.
Opening an umbrella indoors is thought
to bring bad luck because back in the Egyptian days, umbrellas were used to protect
leaders from the heat of the sun, not the
rain. Opening an umbrella indoors, or even
in the shade, would offend the God of the
Sun. However, there is an exception to the
rule. If you open the umbrella outside before
bringing it indoors there will be no bad luck.
“I think that opening an umbrella indoors is very bad luck. It scares me if someone opens an umbrella inside, and I make
it a point to tell them not to,” Phillips said.
Although many superstitions seem too
unrealistic to be true, they are always believed by some.
“Superstitions are a little freaky,” Petersen said. “Some seem too weird to be true,
but I always wonder ‘what if they are?’”
Creatures of the night - Real or simply myth?
to guarantee
success
By Julia Kennedy
With any performance, those who wish
to do well take many precautions to keep
things running smoothly. Instruments must
be tuned properly and actors must know
their lines. With academics, students make
sure they get lots of sleep and eat well before
taking an exam.
Many superstitions have been created
to help relieve stress and have a great show.
Whether it’s saying a prayer or wearing your
lucky underwear, everyone has their own
ideas of what makes them perform best.
Band director Kevin Koopmann has one
superstition of his own.
“They say the rehearsal before the concert or contest, if it is bad, that’s good luck,
though I find it stressful for a director,”
Koopmann said. “If the rehearsal went well,
then the concert might be average.”
Matthew Gunter, the choir teacher,
agrees with Koopmann on bad rehearsals.
It allows the actors and musicians to make
any bad mistakes the night before. He also
knows of a few more superstitions, including one of his own.
“I have seen people say a prayer every
performance, and I have also seen every one
wear the same jeans and shirt the day of the
concert,” Gunter said. “For me, I like to play
just the beginning of each song and then
shake out and relax for a moment.”
He also said that many musicians or actors in one act like to put a mark on their arm
that revolves around the play like an animal
or symbol. Others use a pump up or a yelling
warm up to relieve some stress and jitters.
For theater, other popular superstitions
include not saying “Macbeth” on stage.
Ghosts are known to haunt theaters, so lights
are left burning on the stage to keep them
away. Objects like mirrors bring bad luck,
and telling an actor “good luck” or “break a
leg” can also make them have a good show.
Following some of these superstitions
can be essential to an actor’s or musician’s
performance. There’s a wide variety, but
everyone has his or her own unique ritual.
“Before any band performance, I mess
with the valves to make sure they’re not
sticky, and I play all the scales,” freshman
Morgan Pinkelman said.
Senior Madeline Miller has a few personal superstitions as well.
“I don’t like to see faces in the crowd
while I’m performing,” Miller said. “Obviously, no one should ever say ‘Macbeth’ on
stage. The scream circle we do before the
play helps me a lot, and I’m pretty sure I
would flop without it.”
Megan Wade