Communicated Content – One of the most fascinating aspects of our planet is the diverse cultures that have been established in each of the continents. Common actions and objects often have very different meanings in distinct countries – for example, did you know that in India, nodding your head suggests disagreement, whereas shaking your head left to right indicates approval or concurrence? This is in the polar opposite of what these behaviors imply in Western countries such as the United States and Great Britain.
The Phenomenon and Belief of Luck
Luck is an unusual feature of our lives; people have long had conflicting beliefs surrounding the very idea or concept of Luck as a phenomenon – philosophical debate continues to rage on around whether Luck even exists. Despite this uncertainty, every country, every culture, and almost every individual still has some sort of symbol or practice that they believe can bring them luck.
The Meanings Behind the Symbols
As we have moved around the planet as a species, we have taken our lucky charms and symbols with us. Almost every lucky sign or practice has a deep-rooted history relating to superstition, religion, legends or folklore. Some lucky charms are believed to be able to protect those who possess them, whilst others are thought to bring good fortune or perhaps even increase the likelihood of fertility.
Whether you personally believe in the concept of good or bad luck, it is unlikely we will ever be able to prove conclusively if such a thing could exist. Furthermore, the reasons why some lucky talismans have remained prevalent symbols of this concept throughout centuries of history are so fascinating and compelling they may be enough to convince even deepest sceptic to carry one such item, just in case.
The Most Common Symbols of Luck
There are so many widespread symbols of luck now that I could probably write a whole book on the subject! Before we get to the truly big guns, I feel as if an honorable mention should go to the Carp Scale. Carp is a regular feature on the Christmas dinner plates of Polish, Czech, and Slovakian people. In days gone by, people would keep the Carp swimming in their bathtub until they were ready to kill it for their Christmas dinner.
Today, modern Poles will simply buy a scaled ready-to-eat carp instead, and every member at the table will be gifted a few scales to place in their purse or wallet as part of a Christmas ritual. These scales are genuinely believed to be so powerful that they will bring good luck to their holder for the entirety of the forthcoming year, and the practice is still common throughout the region today.
Four Leaf Clover
The three leaved clover can be found in just about every country of the world, and yet the four leaved variation is extremely rare. The most recognized estimate gauges the frequency of these plants compared to their regular three-leaved counterparts as being as little as one in five thousand.
As for its history as a symbol of good luck, it is unclear exactly when or where the idea began, but the fact is commonly recognized in so many corners of the world suggest it must have been a very long time ago. The four leaved clover is also particularly common as a high-paying symbol on slot machines such as the Irish Eyes Slot by Scientific Gaming.
Horseshoe
The horseshoe has been considered a symbol of good luck for centuries, originally because the first designs were crafted from solid iron – a material that was believed to ward off evil spirits. We’ll be discussing lucky numbers in just a moment, but horseshoes were regularly design with seven mounting points – again, the result of a superstition that seven was the luckiest number.
Interestingly, the first ever modern slot machine known as the “Liberty Bell” featured a horseshoe amongst its limited symbol set. Since then, entire casinos have even been named after the unassuming horseshoe, ensuring that this charm will continue to be considered lucky for some time to come.
Special Numbers
The number seven is unchallenged as the ubiquitous lucky number of the Western World, though it does not influence people’s decisions and choices in the same way that numbers such as four and eight do in Chinese culture. The reason these numbers hold so much weight in Asian regions I that their pronunciation is extremely similar to that of prosperity or wealth in the case of the number eight, whilst speaking the number four out loud sounds extremely similar to their word for death.
In casino gambling, three is considered a very lucky number too – all jokes aside, th4ey do say the best things come in threes, and you will often see piles of chips stacked on this number at the roulette table. Conversely, the number thirteen is almost universally seen as being unlucky in many parts of the world, with some buildings even being constructed with an empty, unused, thirteenth floor.
Keys
The humble key has found a place as a symbol of fortune, liberation, and opportunity in almost every part of the world. Keys – or depictions of them – are regularly used in religious or cultural ceremonies, such as the Catholic faiths tradition of presenting each new incoming pope with two diagonally crossed keys. One of these will be silver, representing the spiritual authority of the pope. The second is gold and is intended to denote the superior power of heaven.
One of the most popular uses of the key as a symbol of good luck today is perhaps the ritual of couples attaching padlocks to bridges and tossing the keys away into the water, which is intended to symbolize that the couples love can never be unlocked.
Scarab Beetles
An unusual one, perhaps – if you live in a country where the Scarab is not a native species, catching sight of one for the first time can be quite a disconcerting experience. I say this from personal experience! Nevertheless, the legend of the Scarab as a good luck charm is amongst the most well documented, with reliable evidence pointing to the Scarab being considered lucky as early as 2345BC.
The Egyptians observed the scarab laying its eggs inside the bodies of dead animals and were so intrigued by this behavior that they considered it as the beetles’ way of attempting to bring forth new life from dead matter. Entire slot machines have been made based on the Scarab beetle such as IGT’s imaginatively named “Scarab” slot, Microgaming’s Wild Scarabs, and Just for the Win’s Scarab Kingdom.
