A "good luck" postcard depicting a four-leaf clover

A good luck charm is an amulet or other item that is believed to bring good luck.

Almost any object can be used as a charm. Coins and buttons are examples, as are small objects given as gifts, due to the favorable associations they make. Many souvenir shops have a range of tiny items that may be used as good luck charms. Good luck charms are often worn on the body, but not necessarily.^[1]

History

The Mojo is a charm originating in African culture. It is used in voodoo ceremonies to carry several lucky objects or spells and intended to cause a specific effect. The concept is that particular objects placed in the bag and charged will create a supernatural effect for the bearer. Even today, mojo bags are still used.

Europe also contributed to the concept of lucky charms. Adherents of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland), adopted the four-leaf clover as a symbol of Irish luck because clovers are abundant in the hills of Ireland.^[2]

List

Luck is symbolized by a wide array of objects, numbers, symbols, plant and animal life which vary significantly in different cultures globally. The significance of each symbol is rooted in either folklore, mythology, esotericism, religion, tradition, necessity or a combination thereof.

Symbol		Culture	Notes
7		Western, Japanese	[3][4]
8		Chinese, Japanese	Sounds like the Chinese word for "fortune". See Numbers in Chinese culture#Eight Used to mean the sacred and infinite in Japanese. A prime example is using the number 8 to refer to Countless/Infinite Gods (八百万の神, Yaoyorozu no Kami) (lit. Eight Million Gods). See 8#As a lucky number.
Aitvaras		Lithuania	[5]
Acorns		Norse	[6]
Albatross			Considered a sign of good luck if seen by sailors.[7][8]
Amanita muscaria
Ashtamangala		Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism	Buddhism: Endless knot, Lotus flower, Dhvaja, Dharmachakra, Bumpa, Golden Fish, Parasol, Conch; additional symbols for Hinduism and Jainism
Bamboo		Chinese	[9]
Barnstar		United States	[10][11]
Chimney sweep		Many parts of the world	Said to bring good luck when being touched, especially on New Year and on weddings.
Corno portafortuna		Central and Southern Italy
Ladybird beetles		German, Italian, Poles, Russian, Turkish, Brazilian, Serbia	There is an old children's song in Serbia "Let, let, bubamaro, donesi mi sreću" meaning "Fly, fly, ladybug, bring me the happiness". In Serbian, "sreća" means "good chances" as in a lottery or "happiness", but this is about emotions.
Dreamcatcher		Native American (Ojibwe)	In Native American Ojibwa culture the human mind was believed to be susceptible to dark spirits, when the mind is weakest (I.e. asleep) and would give bad dreams. In defense the men and women would weave dream catchers. These talismans would let the good dream spirits through, whilst trapping the bad spirits in the pattern.[12][13]
Fish		Chinese, Hebrew, Ancient Egyptian, Tunisian, Indian, Japanese	[14][15][16][17][18][19]
Bird or flock going from right to left		Paganism	Auspicia
A monk passing through		Buddhist
Four-leaf clover		Irish and Celtic, German, Poles	[20][21]
Shamrock or Clover		Irish	While in most of the world, only the four-leafed clover is considered lucky, in Ireland all Irish Shamrocks are.
Horseshoe		English, Poles and several other European ethnicities	Horseshoes are considered lucky when turned upwards but unlucky when turned downwards, although some people believe the opposite.[22][23]
Jade		Chinese
Jew with a coin		Poland	Thought to bring money.[24][25][26]
The lù or 子 zi		Chinese	A symbol thought to bring prosperity.
Maneki-neko		Japanese, Chinese	Often mistaken as a Chinese symbol due to its usage in Chinese communities, the Maneki-neko is Japanese.
Pig		Chinese, German	[27]
Pythons' eyes		Meitei culture	Believed that pythons' eyes bring positive attention, good fortune, guard against awa ana (Meitei for 'bad happenings') and the unhindered travelling to desired places.[28][29]
Rabbit's foot		North America, England and Wales (originating from a hare's foot)	A rabbit's foot can be worn or carried as a lucky charm.[30]
Wishbone		Europe, North America	[31]
Sarimanok		Maranao
Swallow		Korea	Rooted in Folktale 'Heungbu and Nolbu'
Swastika		Multiple cultures	The swastika or crux gammata (in heraldry fylfot), historically used as a symbol in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, and widely popular in the early 20th century as a symbol of good luck or prosperity before adopted as a symbol of Nazism in the 1920s and 30s.
Tortoiseshell cat		Many cultures	Rooted in Folklore
White Elephant		Thai	[32]
White heather		Irish Travellers, Scotland	[33]

See also

• Horseshoe
• List of bad luck signs
• Luck
• Saint Cajetan, Patron saint of gamblers

Notes

Sources

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