Why do we cross our fingers to wish for luck?

Joseph Chance (0:04)

Why do we cross our fingers to wish for luck?

Thanks for asking.

Whether it's making a wish over a birthday cake, waiting for the lottery results, or opening an email following a job interview, it's pretty common to cross your fingers. It's a way of communicating that we're hoping luck swings in our favour, and our wishes come true. Often, you don't even need to physically cross your fingers. Simply saying fingers crossed is enough to get the message across. But the roots of this tradition go way back. Does it have anything to do with the Christian sign of the cross? Absolutely. In the Middle Ages, folks crossed their fingers to ward off the devil, mimicking the famous exorcism phrase, Varde Retro Satana, or Back Off Satan, uttered by a priest holding a cross. Yet people were crossing their fingers for luck long before the Middle Ages. In ancient times, before Christianity even existed, the cross symbolized perfect union, a point where only good spirits could connect. So by making a wish while making this gesture, there was a higher chance of it coming true. Back then, for the superstition to work, two individuals had to cross their index fingers, preferably using the right hand. Over time, the collective gesture turned individual, with people crossing their middle and index fingers alone, as we do today. While this tradition lost its luster with the rise of Christianity, the religion adopted it to fend off evil spirits and as a sign of recognition during the persecution of early Christians. Are you saying that it originally had nothing to do with religion at all then? Exactly. But even so, to say this tradition lacks a spiritual aspect would be inaccurate. Later on, the term became synonymous with luck. In 1994, the National Lottery even adopted a logo design featuring a hand with two crossed fingers, which had been created by Satch and Satchi Design. Just a heads up though, if someone promises you something while crossing their fingers behind their back, you probably shouldn't count on it coming true. That's because of the similar belief that crossing one's fingers while making a promise invalidates said promise. There you have it.

Now you know why we cross our fingers to wish for luck. In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts, and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you will really know for sure.

Ba-ba-bam.