Knocking on wood
Encyclopedia
Knocking on wood, or to touch wood refers to the apotropaic tradition in western folklore
of literally touching/knocking on wood, or merely stating that you are, in order to avoid "tempting fate
" after making a favourable observation, a boast, or speaking of one's own death.
Western Folklore
Western Folklore is a quarterly academic journal for the study of folklore published by the Western States Folklore Society. It was established in 1942 as the California Folklore Quarterly and obtained its current name in 1947...
of literally touching/knocking on wood, or merely stating that you are, in order to avoid "tempting fate
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
" after making a favourable observation, a boast, or speaking of one's own death.
- In some countries, such as SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, it is traditional to literally touch wood after an event occurs that is considered to bring bad luck, such as crossing paths with a black catBlack catA black cat is a feline with black fur. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The Bombay, known for its sleek black fur, is an example of a black cat. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats...
or walking under a ladder or noticing it's Friday the 13thSuperstitionSuperstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
. This is usually done when there's no salt nearby to spill over your shoulder, which is considered the "traditional" way of avoiding the bad luck caused by those situations. - In ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, "tocca ferro" (touch iron) is used, especially after seeing a nunNunA nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
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