h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You know in the United States it is generally bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.

That's what's been getting me confused all this time! never was sure if they were supposed to be good or bad. Why are there two different versions of this superstition?

I did a posting on this to another forum. I can't remember where, so here goes. In Britain and in some parts of Europe, black cats are lucky. In other parts of Europe (Mediterranean countries and Sweden (for some reason)), black cats are unlucky. The reasoning is the same in both cases - black cats are associated with witches, so if you see a black cat there must be a witch in the vicinity. In Mediterranean countries the reasoning continues, 'If there's a witch around, that's bad luck'. However, in Britain the reasoning continues along the lines of, 'There may be a witch in the area, but she's ignoring me so it's good luck.'

Being British, I prefer our version. I always think I'm going to be lucky sometime soon if a black cat crosses my path.