Why Do We Throw Salt Over Our Shoulders?

If you spill salt should you throw some over your shoulder to prevent bad luck? Photo: unsplash.

For some people when we spill a bit of salt the first thing we do is throw a bit over our shoulder without even thinking. Where did this strange ritual come from?

Is Spilling Salt Bad Luck?

For centuries spilling salt has been associated with bad luck. This seems logical when you consider how important salt was in the ancient world.

Salt is a crucial tool for preserving food which was very important in the years before refrigeration became commonplace.

It was also important for cleansing rituals and adding flavor to dishes. Salt was very valuable in ancient times due to these applications so spilling it would be very bad luck indeed!

So why did wasting more salt by throwing it over your shoulder become commonplace?

Why We Throw Salt Over Our Shoulders

In Christian mythology the left hand side is associated with evil and the devil. In many historical societies if you were experiencing bad luck it was almost always attributed to the devil.

Because salt was associated with purification and the devil was associated with the left hand side throwing salt over your left shoulder was considered a way of scaring off the devil and restoring your good luck.

Some people have associated the act of throwing salt over your shoulder with the biblical story of Lot and his wife. According to the story God was angry with the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah so he destroyed them with fire.

He gave Lot and his wife advanced warning but told them they must not look back towards the burning cities or they would face consequences.

Lot’s wife disobeyed God and turned back to see what was happening and was immediately turned into a pillar of salt.

According to some old wives tales throwing salt over your shoulder is an act of defiance to the devil. By throwing the salt you are declaring that the devil is behind you and you are dedicating yourself to God, therefore your luck should improve.

This symbolisim also shows up in Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of the last supper. Judas is seen to be knocking over a container of salt as a symbol of his betrayal of Jesus.

Hopefully that has answered any burning questions you had about the ritual of throwing salt over your shoulder! Do you have any stories to share about your salt throwing habits? Share them in the comments!

If you enjoyed this article you might also like to learn about itchy body superstitions and what to do if your house is haunted.