Everyone has heard it, “Don’t break a mirror, it brings seven years of bad luck!” The moment glass shatters, there’s a hush, followed by that familiar warning. But why should a piece of glass have such power over our future? Like most superstitions, this one has a mix of history, fear, and symbolism behind it.
In ancient times, mirrors weren’t just everyday objects. They were expensive, rare, and often thought to hold a reflection of the soul. Breaking one was seen as harming the image of the self, which could disturb the balance of life. The “seven years” part likely came from old Roman belief, where people thought life renewed itself every seven years. So, if you broke a mirror, your soul and your fortune were thought to remain damaged until the next cycle of renewal.
There’s also a simple, practical side. Back then, mirrors were hard to make and very costly. Saying “it brings bad luck” was probably a clever way to make people more careful with them. Fear was a stronger teacher than explanation.
Even today, when mirrors are cheap and everywhere, the idea lingers. We still feel a little uneasy when one breaks, as if we’ve disturbed more than just glass. Maybe it’s not really about bad luck at all, it’s about how fragile things, like mirrors and even life, can be. The superstition stays alive because it gives us a way to respect that fragility.
