Hispanic superstitions cover everything from mal de ojo and unlucky dates to money, spirits, love, household luck, and protection. Many have been passed through families for generations, with grandparents and parents warning children about what happens if they leave a purse on the floor, sweep at night, break a mirror, or hear an owl outside.
“Hispanic” covers many countries and communities, so traditions vary considerably across Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Here are 15 well-known superstitions and the meanings associated with them.
1. Mal de Ojo (The Evil Eye)
Mal de ojo is the belief that envy or an intense gaze can bring illness, bad luck, or negative energy to another person. Babies and young children are traditionally considered especially vulnerable.
Protective charms vary by country. Red bracelets, azabache charms, amulets, and religious symbols are all used to protect against the evil eye.
2. Tocar Madera (Knocking on Wood)
Saying toco madera and touching or knocking on wood is used after mentioning something fortunate that you hope will continue.
You might say your family has been healthy all year and immediately touch wood, protecting that good fortune from suddenly changing.
3. Martes 13 (Tuesday the 13th)
In Spain and several Latin American countries, Tuesday the 13th carries the unlucky reputation that Friday the 13th has elsewhere.
The Spanish saying “En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques” warns against getting married or beginning a journey on a Tuesday. Mars has long been associated with war and conflict, adding to Tuesday’s unfortunate reputation.
4. Lechuzas (Owls)
Owls and lechuzas have supernatural associations in parts of Latin American folklore. Depending on the region, they can be connected with witches, death, spirits, or warnings of approaching trouble.
Stories of witches taking the form of large owls are especially prominent in Mexican and Mexican-American folklore.
5. Cuervos (Crows)
Crows have traditionally been connected with death, bad news, and omens because of their dark coloring, calls, and association with carrion.
A crow near the house may therefore be interpreted as a warning, although the exact superstition varies between families and regions.
6. Espejos Rotos (Broken Mirrors)
Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck. The superstition itself has older European roots and became part of folklore across many Hispanic communities.
Mirrors also acquired supernatural associations with the soul, spirits, and divination, making a cracked or broken mirror especially ominous.
7. Derramar Sal (Spilling Salt)
Spilling salt is associated with bad luck, arguments, or misfortune. Throwing a small pinch over the left shoulder is traditionally used to counteract it.
Salt has historically been valuable and has strong associations with purification and protection, which helped give spilling it such negative symbolism.
8. Sweeping at Night
Sweeping the house after dark is said to sweep away money, prosperity, or good luck. The superstition becomes especially relevant around New Year’s celebrations, when household actions can symbolically influence the financial fortune of the coming year.
9. Yawning Without Covering Your Mouth
An old superstition warns that leaving your mouth uncovered during a yawn gives evil spirits an opportunity to enter the body.
Covering your mouth therefore had a protective meaning long before it became ordinary etiquette.
10. Whistling Inside the House
Whistling indoors can be associated with calling spirits, attracting bad luck, or driving money out of the household.
The exact consequence changes across countries and families, but the warning remains familiar: save the whistling for outside.
11. Putting Your Purse on the Floor
Putting your handbag or purse on the floor is said to make money disappear from your life.
The purse physically holds your money, so placing it on the ground symbolically lowers your financial fortune. A chair, hook, table, or another elevated surface is considered luckier.
12. Garlic Near the Door
Garlic has a long history as a protective plant. Hanging or keeping it near an entrance is associated with repelling evil, envy, spirits, and negative energy before they cross into the home.
Its protective reputation extends far beyond vampire folklore and can be found across Mediterranean and Latin American traditions.
13. Chamomile Baths
Chamomile, or manzanilla, is used in folk cleansing practices associated with luck, prosperity, protection, and removing unwanted energy.
A chamomile bath may be taken before an important event or after a difficult experience to symbolically wash away negativity and invite better fortune.
14. Red Underwear on New Year’s Eve
Wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is associated with attracting love, romance, and passion during the coming year.
Color matters in New Year’s superstitions. Red is connected with love, and yellow underwear is another popular tradition associated with money and prosperity.
15. Dropping a Broom
A broom already carries strong symbolism because it removes dirt from the home and has long been associated with cleansing.
In household superstition, accidentally dropping one can be interpreted as a sign that someone is coming to visit. Regional and family versions differ, with the identity or intentions of the visitor changing from one tradition to another.
The Superstitions Families Keep Passing Down
Many of these traditions survive through ordinary family habits: keep your purse off the floor, touch wood after saying something fortunate, leave the nighttime sweeping until morning, and protect babies from mal de ojo.
You may follow every rule or none of them, but hearing one from a parent or grandparent can instantly bring back the household where you first learned it. That generational connection has helped these superstitions survive long after their origins were forgotten.
More Superstitions From Around the World
- Why Germans Say You Shouldn’t Sing at the Table: An Old Superstition
- Superstitions About Prams: Why Parents Delay Bringing One Home
- Why Is Crossing Someone on Stairs a Bad Luck Superstition?
- Leaving a House by the Same Door You Entered: The Superstition
