Broken mirror: superstition explained

The belief

Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck. People sometimes try to undo it by throwing the pieces into running water or by burying them.

Where it comes from

The belief is traced to the Romans, who thought that the reflection was part of the soul and that the body renewed itself every seven years. Mirrors were also expensive in the past, and breaking one was a real loss.

What is really going on

There is no luck effect, but broken glass is dangerous: pick up the pieces with care and wrap them in thick paper before throwing them away.

See also

• Walking under a ladder Thought unlucky in much of the West; one explanation is that a ladder against a
• Spilled salt Spilling salt is said to bring a quarrel, and throwing a pinch over the left sho
• Opening an umbrella indoors Said to bring bad luck in Britain and the United States; the practical reason is
• A clock as a gift in China Giving a clock is avoided in Chinese culture, because the phrase for giving a cl
• Cutting nails at night Elders in India, Korea and elsewhere advise against it. Before electric light it
• Chopsticks upright in rice In Japan, China and Korea, chopsticks standing in a bowl of rice look like incen

Questions people ask

This page reports popular beliefs for interest. Superstitions do not predict or cause anything, and nothing here is advice.