Many people believe that throwing salt over your shoulder can stop bad luck. If you’re curious about this superstition, keep reading to learn why people do this, which shoulder to use, and where this belief comes from!
Why Throw Salt Over Your Shoulder?
According to superstition, spilling salt is bad luck and invites evil. Many cultures and religions think evil spirits hide behind your left shoulder. Throwing salt over your left shoulder with your right hand is supposed to blind these spirits and stop them from harming you.
The word “left” in Latin is “sinister,” which is why people associate the left side with evil. In Christian beliefs, the left side is linked to the devil and evil, while the right side is linked to goodness and angels.
In Buddhism, it’s common to throw salt over your shoulder after a funeral to keep bad spirits away.
Some people believe you should throw salt over your right shoulder, or even both shoulders. The correct shoulder to use is the one you feel is best!
The left side of the body is seen as the “receiving” side in terms of energy, making it a target for evil spirits.
Origins of Throwing Salt Over Your Shoulder
In ancient times, salt was very valuable, so spilling it was bad luck. For thousands of years, salt has been prized for its ability to season and preserve food. Because it was hard to produce, salt was rare and extremely valuable. Spilling salt was almost sacrilegious, so people started tossing it over their shoulder to counteract the bad luck.
- Salt was so valuable that battles were fought over salt mines.
- Many cities developed near salt mines to trade salt, like Salzburg, Austria, which means “Salt castle” in German.
- Salt might have been used as money in ancient Rome and other places. The word “salary” comes from the Latin word “salarium,” which means “salt money.” Roman soldiers may have used their pay to buy salt or were given salt as their pay.
- Phrases like “Salt of the earth” and “Not worth their salt” show how important salt was.
Christian Beliefs About Spilling Salt
In the Bible, salt symbolizes purity, integrity, grace, and God’s covenant. Spilling salt was seen as something evil caused by the devil. In Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper,” the traitor Judas is shown spilling salt on the table.
This belief also comes from the story of Lot’s wife, who disobeyed the angels’ warning not to look back at Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt. She betrayed the angels and gave in to the devil, leading to her downfall.
So, Christians started tossing salt over their left shoulder after spilling it to stop the devil from causing harm.
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