Christiane Amanpour and her Superstitions

Did you know that Christiane Amanpour, fearless reporter for CNN, is superstitious? According to the New York Times she says that she is. Among her superstitions is that she touches wood a lot and that she will rush in to light candles in a church wherever she is.

Touching wood is a very common superstition. According to World Wide Words to touch wood (or knock on wood) is a superstition action to ward off any evil consequences or bad luck, perhaps because of some recent action you’ve taken or untimely boasting about your good fortune (“I’ve never been in danger of drowning, touch wood”); it can also be a charm to bring good luck.

The origin is unknown, though some writers have pointed to pre-Christian rituals involving the spirits of sacred trees such as the oak, ash, holly or hawthorn. There is, I’m told, an old Irish belief that you should knock on wood to let the little people know that you are thanking them for a bit of good luck. There’s also a belief that the knocking sound prevents the Devil from hearing your unwise comments.

I tend to be a bit superstitious too from never walking under a ladder to always tossing spilled salt over my shoulder. To get the full range of superstitions out there, read The Encyclopedia of Superstitions