Walking Under a Ladder: What's Behind This Superstition?

First, let's get the practical reasons out of the way. Most people don't walk underneath ladders because it's just unsafe. If a ladder is up, chances are someone's standing on it, working, and you don't want to take the chance of something falling on your head. Nor do you want to risk jostling the ladder and knocking someone down.

Of course, many other theories exist about the unluckiness of walking under a ladder. One explanation regarding ladders and bad luck has its roots in religion. Many Christians believe in the Holy Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This belief made the number three sacred in early times, and along with it, the triangle. A ladder leaning up against a wall forms the shape of a triangle, and walking through it would be seen as "breaking" the Holy Trinity, a crime seen as blasphemous as well as potentially attracting the devil [source: Pappas].

Others believe that a ladder against a wall resembles a gallows. Ladders used to be propped up to allow the person being hanged to climb high enough to get to the rope. Definitely not very lucky. Yet a third theory involves the Egyptian belief that if you walk under a ladder, you might accidentally see a god climbing up or down [source: Webster].

Avoiding walking under a ladder appears to be good common sense. But if you do walk under a ladder, can you reverse your bad luck? Richard Webster, author of the book "The Encyclopedia of Superstitions," lists five remedies you can try:

Another talked-about remedy is to spit on your shoe — but don't look at your shoe until the spit has dried. Or, spit three times between the rungs of the ladder. It seems easier just to avoid the ladder altogether.