Top 10 Luckiest Symbols from Around the World

Life can be a pretty bumpy ride, but it’s comforting to know that we have all of these lucky charms to help us out. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Luckiest Symbols.

For this list, we looked across a multitude of cultures and chose symbols that were associated with good fortune, positive energy and just generally placing the odds in our favor.

Already lovable as can be with their big floppy ears and gentle temperament, elephants are also seen as a sign of good luck. Considering how this majestic animal is associated with power and durability, not to mention its great memory, many cultures throughout history have associated elephants with notions of strength, stability and wisdom. It is believed that having a carving or statue of an elephant facing the door of your home will ensure that only good vibes are able to enter, resulting in a long life and success. Similarly, some Asian business corporations have statues placed outside by the entrances of their buildings in hopes that they will positively affect the company.

Having too many nightmares lately? If so, then maybe a dreamcatcher will help. These round and beautifully hand-crafted pieces of art originated from Ojibwe tribes and are designed to represent a spider web, with the belief that any bad dreams will be snared by the dreamcatcher’s strings. While these negative thoughts are trapped, the dreamcatcher allows any good dreams to pass straight through into the subconscious mind, ensuring a relaxing and peaceful sleep. Although it is conventionally meant to be placed above a bed, dreamcatchers have become so popular over time that some people even hang them in their cars.

Don’t worry, he isn’t actually laughing at us; rather, this depiction of the Chinese folkloric deity – not to be confused with Gautama Buddha of Buddhism – cannot contain his overwhelming feelings of joy, resulting in a permanent smile. This constant happiness is believed to attract positive energies that many believe can result in great wealth and prosperity for a home or business. Furthermore, having a Laughing Buddha, or Budai, statue, especially one holding a fan, is thought to be a defensive barrier that is capable of warding off any negative problems or conflicts that can enter someone’s life. The cherry on the top is that if his belly is rubbed while making a wish, there’s a chance it will come true! Having this guy around can result in happiness flowing through a home - and honestly, who doesn’t want to feel happy?

Bringing wealth and prosperity to its owner, the Japanese Maneki-Neko (also known under various names like lucky cat and beckoning cat) has become a global phenomenon and can be found in restaurants, shops and homes around the world. Which paw is facing upwards influences in which area of life luck will be found. For business owners, if the left paw is raised, it is believed that customers will be enticed to enter the store while the right paw symbolizes wealth and success. Additionally, having a Maneki-Neko with a certain color is thought to attract luck to other areas of life, with red being love, white symbolizing happiness and green representing health.

Instead of waiting around in fear of something bad happening, how about just scaring it off before it ever comes close? Similar to the Hamsa hand from Middle Eastern culture, the Evil Eye is a talisman or protective charm recognized for its power to fend off bad fortune that could befall the owner’s home or workplace, especially in Greece and Turkey. The symbol is so commonly associated with good vibes that it can be found on a wide assortment of jewelry so that each owner may carry or wear his or her evil eye comfortably. Evil Eye charms are so highly regarded among Greek and Turkish people that newborn babies are often provided one of their own to ensure that their lives are off to a positive start.

This one would show up eventually. The reason this number has become so heavily correlated with ideas of luck is because of how frequently the number shows up in our lives. Think about it: there are seven days in a week, seven colors in the rainbow and even seven seas. That’s not even counting the seven chakras of Hinduism or Japan’s seven lucky gods. Considering that Chinese culture highly praises the number eight, there isn’t anything necessarily magical about seven per se. However, people tend to become fascinated with certain numbers, creating an almost emotional attachment to them. When everyone else is rooting for lucky number seven... sometimes it seems logical to jump on the bandwagon.

Throughout history, coins have been associated with notions of prosperity and wealth. It’s an obvious connection, as money makes the world go round. But did you know that different kinds of coins supposedly hold different lucky powers for their owners? A coin that was made on a leap year is thought to be a powerful good luck charm. Coins with holes are highly auspicious objects as well and old English superstitions believe that always carrying one around in your pocket guarantees that you will never be without money. And yes, Lucky Pennies work just as well.

In early Western-European culture, the iron with which the horseshoes were built was believed to have had supernatural powers embedded within. It also doesn’t hurt that the traditional number of holes on a horseshoe is our old friend lucky number seven. All this combines to create an object commonly considered a protective charm, hung around homes to fight off any evils that would come near. There are even options for how to hang horseshoes for different varieties of luck. Some believe that a horseshoe facing up means the luck will never run out, while others believe hanging it facing downwards means luck will flow into whomever walks underneath.

In North American traditions, it is believed that if someone carries around a Rabbit’s foot (and it has to be the left rear one!) in their left pocket, they will have good luck. When acquiring the foot, it can’t just be any old rabbit. The rabbit needs to have been killed during a full moon and maybe by a cross-eyed man – preferably on Friday the 13th! Alright, so there are some variations to these rules out there, but know that if you do go through all that trouble, legend says it is well worth the pay off. Anyone carrying an authentically obtained rabbit’s foot suddenly seems to have everything going his or her way. It’s like the universe is magically on your side - and who wouldn’t like that prospect? Please note: WatchMojo does not endorse the slaughter of bunnies…

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions….
- Ladybugs
- Bamboo
- Three Keys Together
- Cat’s Eye [aka Cymophane]
- Wishbone

Did you honestly expect anything else? Grounded in ancient Irish beliefs, a shamrock (or three-leaf clover) was known for granting its owner the ability to see evil spirits coming. So if three leaves are that special, four leaves just knock it out of the park. Since four-leaf clovers are also much harder to find, obtaining one is a momentous occasion and should be taken as a sign of good things to come. Furthermore, each leaf on the clover symbolizes something different: faith, hope, love and luck. These four ideas are important elements of life that nobody wants to be without, so to have them in an all in one package guarantees the symbol’s landslide win into our lucky number one spot.

Do you agree with our list? What do you feel are the luckiest symbols? For more feel-good Top 10’s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.