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Break from the Grind November 16, 2021
TUESDAY TRIVIA: Why Do We Cross Our Fingers for Good Luck?
Even if you haven’t actually crossed your fingers for good luck, you’ve likely used it in a sentence, such as ‘The trip will go well, fingers crossed.’
Reported by PS
Why is crossing fingers a symbol for good luck?
Crossing fingers dates to a pre-Christianity belief in Western Europe in the powerful symbolism of a cross. The intersection was thought to mark a concentration of good spirits and served to anchor a wish until it could come true. In those days, people would cross their index finger over that of someone expressing a wish to show support. This eventually evolved into one person crossing their fingers on their own.
In the early days of Christianity, when Christians were persecuted for their beliefs, to recognize fellow Christians, people developed a series of hand gestures, one of which involved forming the fish symbol by touching thumbs and crossing index fingers. Christians also would cross their fingers to invoke the power associated with Christ’s cross. In 16th-century England, people crossed fingers or made the sign of the cross to ward off evil.
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