The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions: Ancient and Remarkable Traditions That Will Captivate Your Mind

by Arie Kaplan

Explore the most fascinating superstitions from around the world and marvel at the impact they have on our present-day lives.

The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions sheds light on the impact that superstitions have on our global society at large, world history, the pop culture we consume, the art we create, and even the way we think about marriage, death, prosperity, self-protection, and luck, to name a few. No matter where on Earth you live, superstitions have always been the infrastructure of societies since ancient times. They can be found in social rules of etiquette, in the vocabulary we communicate with, in rituals performed during holidays, in birthing rooms across time, at funerals, or just in our everyday habits. These mysterious practices provide an essential source of comfort, safety, and control. Even more fascinating is that they have been used since time immemorial to explain the unexplained. Unpack the lore and origins of cultural superstitions and how they have persisted throughout many generations.

Discover how:

Celtic fairies are behind our compulsion to knock on wood
Norse mythology is responsible for our fear of the number 13
Taylor Swift finds the number 13 to be lucky
A quick death in Japan is thought to be ensured if you cut your toenails at night
The evil eye is an important talisman in Jewish and Muslim cultures
The meaning behind your birthstone can predict your personality
Rabbits hold significance in some Asian and Indigenous cultures
Finding a husband in Nebraska is as simple as 99 horses, a white mule, and a handshake
Eating twelve grapes on New Year's Eve in Spain and Central and South America can bring forth prosperity

Beautiful illustrations further challenge the images your mind may have already held about the beliefs you instinctively carry throughout your life. You will be continually surprised and delighted by how superstitions not only define the bedrock of a culture but also demonstrate the nuanced ways in which we are all connected.

Unlock a world of wonders in The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions.

The Wonderpedia series offers comprehensive, display-worthy illustrated references on a range of intriguing topics, including archeological discoveries, world mythology, pop culture, global superstitions, and the fascinating stories behind signs and symbols. A cross-cultural exploration of what makes humans tick, this series magnifies the connective threads between us across time and geography and demystifies the surprising, confounding sides of life.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Religion

256 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2025

Reviews

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3-star title. Nothing really new here but still interesting to read. I did find it rather interesting - maybe even comforting - to learn how many rituals/superstitions are shared by us humans, around the world and across the span of time. When we seem so divided about so many things, we need that sort of reminder, that we are all human beings.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Encyclopedia of Curious Rituals and Superstitions" was a curious and interesting read. This compendium of well-known and not so well-known superstitious behaviors and rituals covers the unique, peculiar, and sometimes downright bizarre human behaviors that different places and people around the world used to do, or still partake in to this very day.

This book has a lot of colorful graphics and artwork throughout to break up all the different information inside. A lot of this information might already be known to readers, but I did learn a thing or two in here. This was a fun to read, fascinating book.

[Biased · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun light read, recounting various rituals and superstitions from all over the world. A broad range of topics, from lucky/unlucky numbers in various cultures, why we throw salt over our left shoulders, to the origin of bringing in dead trees into our homes for the pagan holiday re-skinned as Christmas.

[Michael]

Encyclopedia is misleading. This is a coffee-table book. I should have paid more attention to the cover design than to the title. Still could be fun for the slightly curious reader.

[Jamie Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads giveaway win 🎉 An excellent coffee table, topic starter sort of book. Makes you want to learn a little more about some things and makes you think.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Reed and to share with others.