Estela Flores had a family tradition where a handkerchief was passed down as a good luck symbol for the women of her family to carry when they walked down the aisle. It was a handkerchief that her great great grandmother embroidered and it was white and lacey and had embellishments in the corner. Since there were several daughters in the family it was passed back to the mother to keep for the next wedding. It served as a security blanket for her family.

When Estela’s own wedding approached she was given the handkerchief. She carried it down the aisle with her but was not able to recall how she managed to lose it between the church and the reception. She felt an immense amount of guilt at the time but as she reflected back on the situation, she realized the loss of the handkerchief was mostly likely a bad omen, as her marriage ended thereafter.

As a result her younger sister who married after her never got to carry the special handkerchief but her mom found something similar that she had from her youth and so the tradition has carried on although not with the original item. The family wanted to ensure that this family tradition carries throughout the generations are so were willing to sacrifice the real handkerchief in order to keep the ritual alive.

This tradition is specific to the Flores family but in many circumstances people possess items that they believe to be lucky or unlucky. Some people have certain “good luck” items they have with them before important exams or others have specific game day preparations that need to occur in order for them to succeed.

I don’t know that one specific item can cause good or bad luck but I do think it affects the way one views a situation. If one had the initial outset that an object will affect their performance than it is more likely they will actually perform better. It is not the object that causes the change in performance but rather one’s mental preparation.

Weddings have a lot of superstition involved with them. There is the standard, “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” concept associated with weddings, where the bride is “required” to collect all these items before the marriage ceremony.

Committing to marriage is a large step in all people’s lives and in many cases there is insecurity as to whether one is making the right choice. As a result, people rely on superstitions to ease this uncertainty. By making sure to bring along good luck charms or doing little rituals to rid any bad luck people feel more comfortable with their weddings. For example it is rumored to be bad luck for the bride to see her groom right before the ceremony. This seems ridiculous as this one meeting does not seem to correlate with luck in the future and whether the couple will succeed. Yet people are certain to keep the bride and groom separate in order to increase chances of a good future.

Some people believe that the future is predetermined and that man does not have the freewill to affect his future. However, others do believe that through certain practices or customs they can bring prosperity and good fortune.