Tips & Guides
17 Good Luck Symbols from Around the World
Tips & Guides
When you think of luck, you might think of gold coins or crossing your fingers. These two symbols represent good luck and are often used as lucky charms. Although these two may be the most known, they aren’t the only representation of luck.
Around the world, there are so many different good luck symbols. These lucky charms can be something that you wear or use as a house decoration. No matter how you display them, they will bring you prosperity and good fortune.
You might want to find a new good luck symbol or to learn about why different ones represent luck. Either way, you’re in the right place! In this blog post, I’m covering different good luck symbols from all around the world.
In This Article...
- Examples of Good Luck Symbols from Different Parts of the World
- Why We Should Embrace Good Luck Charms
- Your Good Luck Symbol Questions Answered
Examples of Good Luck Symbols from Different Parts of the World
You can find lucky symbols in all aspects of life. Some are objects that have taken on special meaning throughout time. Others may even be animals, insects, or plants. If any of these lucky charms resonate with you, you have the ability to make them your own. Learn about the object and consider making it a lucky thing to wear or own.
Keys
Keys symbolizing luck date back all the way to the ancient Greeks. They referred to them as the “Key of Life” and gave them power that allowed their prayers to reach the gods. Keys symbolize good fortune and freedom. Keys are very popular lucky charms to wear and can fit in with any style or outfit. Our Key of F Necklace is dainty, yet a powerful good luck charm. Have your “Key of Life” with you wherever you go.
Elephants
An elephant may be one of the last things you would think is good luck, but that’s far from the truth. In both Thailand and India, the elephant is a very prominent good luck symbol. It symbolizes wisdom, power, strength, and stability. Because of this, it is popular for Asian businesses to have an elephant facing the front door with its trunk up. This can also be a lucky symbol that you put in your home.
Acorns
Acorns as a symbol of good fortune actually come from England. It started when English soldiers carried them during the Norman Conquest. They believed that the acorns protected them from injury and death. The people of the United Kingdom then took them on as good luck charms. Acorns are also what oak trees grow from, so they also can represent growth. In more modern times, the English view acorns as less of protection and more of fertility and new life.
Bamboo
In Asia, bamboo is one of the most powerful lucky symbols. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant and gets used for a variety of different things. People used, and still use, it to write on, for food, shelter, and even for decoration. Bamboo has so many uses and was easy to get, because of its ability to grow so fast.
You can buy Lucky bamboo as a plant for your house or office. Although, it is not real bamboo, only a close relative. This symbol is a great decoration that still welcomes luck!
Horseshoes
The horseshoe as a lucky symbol comes from Western Europeans. Horseshoes got made from iron very early on, and this metal was seen as one that could ware off evil. Horseshoes were also an object that was said to keep witches away. Since witches were afraid of horses, a horseshoe would keep them away.
From this, the horseshoe became a lucky symbol that people began to keep in their homes. It also represents strength and durability, because of the horse that it belonged to. There is no right way to hang a horseshoe - right side up or upside down. It’s all whatever you think is the luckiest!
Four-Leaf Clover
Four-leafed clovers are one of the most cherished good luck symbols. The story of luck behind them originated in Ireland and they are very hard to find. The four sides of the clover represent love, luck, hope, and faith. The four sides on the clover are a representation of the four sides of the cross.
Four-leaf clovers may seem like they’re filled with luck and it’s true, but with one exception. They’re only luck on the day that you first find it.
Ladybugs
Ladybugs got their lucky status from farmers. Ladybugs are responsible for eating aphids, which are pests that eat crops. Because of this, farmers considered themselves lucky whenever the ladybugs were around. They knew that their crops weren’t going to get destroyed and they would be able to harvest them.
In America, there are a few beliefs surrounding ladybugs, which are
- A ladybug landing on you is lucky
- If you spot a ladybug, you soon will have something good happen in regards to luck or money
- If you catch a ladybug, make a wish and let it go. Whichever way it flies is the direction your luck will be coming from.
Coins
Coins are a symbol of good luck in many places around the world. In fact, different countries have different lucky coins. Here are four of the luckiest coins found around the world.
- The Silver Sixpence
This coin can be found in Great Britain. They consider it so lucky that brides wear one in their shoes for good luck. It also gets hidden in children’s Christmas Pudding to welcome in luck during the new year.
- The Lucky Irish Penny
It’s all in the name with this one! This lucky penny comes from Ireland and was minted from 1928 to 1968. One side of the coin has the design of an Irish harp, while the other has a hen and chicks. The hen and chicks are representative of agriculture since that is what the country is known for. Many people keep this lucky penny on them as a small token of good fortune.
- Leap Year Mercury Dimes
These dimes come from the United States. Their luck comes from the silver and Mercury being together. Mercury, who is on the dime, is the god of “Crossroads,” which also means fate.
Those who gamble find a lot of meaning in this coin and believe it brings luck and prosperity.
- Personal Lucky Charm Coins
All coins have a year printed on them and this can help you find a coin that is meaningful and lucky to you vans only to you. Coins that have your birth year on them or any other important date can be something you consider lucky.
Evil Eye
Despite what the name of this charm may be, it is actually one of the most powerful good luck charms. The evil eye does no evil towards you. It protects you from those who are wishing you harm or anything negative. Evil eyes of different colors protect different qualities, such as wisdom and confidence. The evil eye goes all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia.
Our evil eye jewelry comes in five different color combinations. Each color stands for
Wishbone
Wishbones are exactly what they imply. When you snap the bone alongside another person, you make a wish. If you get the bigger half, it means that your wish will come true and you’ll be granted good luck. The Etruscans believed that birds were oracles and could tell the future. When they would kill a chicken, they would first dry out the furcula (wishbone). Then people from town would come and stroke it, making a wish.
Trying to bring in some good luck or make sure one of your wishes is granted? We made our wishbone jewelry for exactly that. Whether you wear it as a necklace, bracelet, earring, or ring, you’ll have luck on your side.
Why We Should Embrace Good Luck Charms
Our good luck charms can say a lot about us. They can be something that makes us unique individuals -- even if we share one with thousands of other people. Our good luck charms are great examples of how we express ourselves. We can use them in our decorations or even in how we dress and what jewelry we wear.
Good luck charms can also make us feel protected and ready to face whatever comes next. If they aren’t the direct reason that you get hit with luck, they still can inspire you to push forward. They're the push you need to seize every opportunity and try new things. Lucky charms give us something to believe in, even when all hope feels lost.
Your Good Luck Symbol Questions Answered
Still, have some questions about good luck symbols? We have all the answers.
What Are Good Luck Symbols?
Good luck symbols are any object that attracts luck to the person who owns it. They can be house decorations, plants, animals, insects, or jewelry. There are objects that many people associate with luck, but you can also have your own good luck charm. It can be something you associate with a lucky moment or a special memento.
What is Considered the Most Powerful Good Luck Symbol?
There isn’t only one most powerful good luck charm. Good luck charms vary depending on the person. A coin can be a powerful good luck charm for one person, while another person finds more power in a key. Finding the most powerful good luck charm for yourself may take some trial and error. It may also happen when you least expect it. One of the objects listed above may be your lucky symbol, or it might be something different. All that matters is it has meaning to you.
What Are the 7 Lucky Charms?
As you can tell, there are a lot of different lucky charms. But there are seven of them that are the most well-known and recognized. For those that weren’t explained above, I’ll give a little description of them here!
- Four-Leaf Clover
- Horseshoe
- Rabbit’s Foot
The Celtics believed that rabbits were able to communicate with gods and spirits. This had to do with the fact that they were always underground. This led to the belief that a rabbit’s foot was a lucky charm! The Celtics thought that the left hind foot carries all the luck.
- The color green
Green being a lucky color is from Irish folklore. If a leprechaun wearing green got caught, it meant that the one who capture it would soon find treasure. Green is a symbol of good health, positive change, vitality, and growth.
- The Number 7
The number 7 is a lucky symbol that comes from the presence of the number in our everyday life. It may seem insignificant at first but just think of it. There are seven: colors of the rainbow, seas, days of the week, notes on the musical scale, and continents!
- Penny
In ancient times, people believed that metals were from the gods. Since pennies were made of copper, they believed that the metal would protect them from evil. And then, they became used more in currency, making them a symbol of good fortune.
- Ladybug
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Allie Berloco
Allie Berloco is a writer for Fortune & Frame. She graduated from Marist University with a double major in Media Studies, TV & Film Production and Communications, Journalism. She's sown here in her official Harry Styles fangirl outfit after seeing him perform live on the Today Show in NYC.
