Bradshaw Library put on a Halloween-themed lunch and learn program on Thursday. Ruth Cook, author of multiple nonfiction history books, gave a presentation to a packed room on superstitions.
Cook has given talks to various civic and library groups around the state on her books. After being invited to give another talk, despite not having a recent publication to share, she found herself without a topic. The invitation was around Halloween, which Cook saw as an opportunity to do some research into the spooky and strange associated with the holiday, settling on superstitions.
A researcher at heart, Cook opened with the top five superstitions in the United States. The most prevalent was spilling salt. The superstition goes that the number of grains spilled is the number of tears the spiller will shed.
The ‘remedy’ for the bad luck caused by spilling salt is pouring salt in your right hand and throwing it over your left shoulder. Cook said the tradition goes back centuries. Medieval Christian cultures believed that the Devil was hiding behind the left shoulder and salt would blind him from doing evil.