Why do we touch wood?
By,
Ragavaishnavi Yasotaran
We all believe that things are sometimes going too well, that by over confidence we might bring terrible retribution to our luck. An old proverb says, ‘He who talks much of happiness, summons grief’.
The strong idea that joyful events in life may suddenly hit us in reverse and end in misfortune tragedy is closely linked with the superstition of knocking or touching wood. People always run towards a wood and knock on it thrice if they tend to spill out horrific happenings.
That action is so commonplace that we scarcely recognize it as superstition. The believe that touching wood will placate the evil spirits goes back to pagan times, when trees were held scared as the abode of gods. These god commanded the trees to spring into life and to lose their leaves.
They choose some trees to be ever green, a sigh of immorality. Touching a tree was actually a belief of respecting our gods and a request for our favour to be granted as well as thanks giving to the almighty.
The superstitious aren’t happy of touching just any piece of wood. If no living tree is at hand, they tend to find for unpainted wood, touching and knocking thrice as a sign of washing out all negativity.
