Salt superstition which shoulder

The United States has had its battles over salt. Many battles and treaties took place before Western salt licks were free to be used by settlers. During the War of with England, it became very difficult to obtain salt from abroad.

Because of this, commercial production of salt began in Syracuse, New York. Transporting salt has always been a problem because it is bulky and low priced. Did you know three out of four American households experience hard water? Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Zoe Bain 7-second life story: I was pre-med in college, until I realized that I could turn baking my problems away instead of doing my chem homework into a profession.

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More From Food Trends. We don't know exactly when this tradition began, but there are a few explanations about why spilled salt is bad luck. Take a close look at Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper , and you'll see that Judas Iscariot has knocked over the salt with his elbow. Because Judas betrayed Jesus Christ in the Bible, people began associating salt with lies and disloyalty.

Throwing salt over the left shoulder blinds the devil, who was waiting there to force you into acts of bad behavior as well. Why toss it over the left side? Some Christian beliefs hold that the devil hangs around behind your left shoulder, waiting to take advantage of you.

If you spill salt, the devil sees it as an invitation to step in and do evil. Throwing it over your shoulder into his face blinds him and renders him helpless. One theory has more to do with etiquette than warding off bad luck.

In ancient times, salt was expensive -- so precious that, in some civilizations, it was even used as currency [source: Pettit ]. Spilling salt was tantamount to throwing away money, and only the devil would cause someone to act with such foolishness. Some cultures believed that it might be bad luck to spill salt since it could reduce your longevity or happiness.

In Britain, for example, each spilled grain was said to represent a tear, while in Germany spilled salt awakened the devil, bringing about enmity and a string of bad fortune. Many of the superstitions about spilled salt pre-date the Christian era. As was the case with many other traditions and superstitions, the fear of spilling salt was also adopted into the Christian faith. It is said that Judas spilled salt at the Last Supper , and since he later turned out to be the betrayer of Christ, spilled salt is considered unlucky by many Christians.

Should you be unfortunate enough to spill salt, you might want to try throwing a pinch over your left shoulder to spite the Devil.