How did the custom of knocking on wood three times come about

Each of us has knocked on wood three times at least once in his life to drive away failure. Many do this regularly, almost automatically. At the same time, we do not even think about how this custom appeared and what meaning was originally invested in it. Meanwhile, our ancestors put a deep meaning into this action and associated it with higher forces.

Knocking on wood to protect themselves from trouble began in Russia before the advent of Christianity. They resorted to this method in case they boasted about something and did not want to get into trouble with it. At first, people just touched a tree, certainly a living one. They believed that there was a spirit inside that could protect against the evil eye or the evil intent of an envious person.

Later, they started knocking on the tree, while the number of blows did not matter. It was believed that knocking helps to drown out bragging. Evil spirits will not hear him and will not be able to harm him. It no longer mattered whether to knock on a living plant or on boards — the very fact of extracting sound from a tree was important.

Not only Slavs believed in the magical power of the tree. In ancient Egypt, it was also believed that it could protect against evil spirits. The Egyptians wore wooden amulets and they, in some cases, were valued higher than gold. The ancient Celts and Vikings also protected themselves from the evil eye. The most valuable tree species among most European peoples was oak. In the UK, there is still a custom of hammering coins into a tree for good luck.

The modern custom of knocking three times on any wooden object, although it originates in paganism, is already closely connected with Christianity. The tree was associated with the cross on which Christ was crucified. Therefore, interaction with him drove away everything bad from a person. Now, without understanding, we are looking for any wooden object around us. But our ancestors firmly knew that it is impossible to knock on a table or aspen products.

The rule of knocking exactly three times also has Christian roots. It is associated with the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and By the Holy Spirit. In this way, a person enlists the support of higher forces. It is with this that the custom of spitting three times over the left shoulder and kissing three times when meeting is connected.