What is Superstition?

Superstition, a belief in part, or a practice without apparent basis in reason. The word implies that one has superior information or proof to support one's own scientific, philosophical, or religious beliefs. It's a vague word that should presumably only be used in an arbitrary way. Superstitions can be broadly categorized as religious, cultural, and personal with this caveat in mind.

Culturally derived superstitions are incredibly diverse and sometimes inseparable from religious superstitions. Throughout history, a great number of people have had illogical ideas about how to avoid or cure illness or accidents, predict the future, or fend off evil or bring good. These beliefs might be held lightly or with great seriousness. Certain folk traditions, like the belief in amulets' healing properties or the evil eye, have persisted throughout most historical eras and geographical regions. Others might be restricted to a single family, one nation, one area, one village, or one social or professional group. Lastly, people form their own unique superstitions: a schoolboy uses a certain pen to produce an excellent exam paper, and that schoolboy will always use that pen.Superstition has shaped history in significant ways. Even in the so-called contemporary era, when objective evidence is widely esteemed, few would deny, under duress, that they harbor one or two superstitions or unreasonable ideas in private.

Some Supertitious beliefs and Science behind them:

Let's quickly review the following instances: 
1. Consume sugar and curd before leaving.

 Eating curd and sugar before embarking on something novel and significant is said to bring good fortune since the curd cools the stomach and the added sugar produces immediate glucose, which facilitates and expedites labor. Indians consider this mixture to be essential, and its consumption has gradually come to be associated with good fortune.

2. On some days, avoid washing or cutting your hair. It's said to be unlucky to wash or trim hair on specific days, such as Tuesdays or Thursdays, although this is untrue because it was a water management technique. Furthermore, barbers received holidays on certain days in the past. People don't cut their hair on certain days solely to give them a holiday.
3. Never chew or swallow tulsi leaves.
Tulsi leaves are meant to be ingested, not chewed. According to science, tulsi leaves have a trace quantity of arsenic in them. Therefore, chewing it directly could cause enamel to deteriorate.

4. Take a bath following a funeral. Bathing was once required after attending a funeral, but things have changed since then because our predecessors were not immunized against viruses like smallpox, hepatitis, and other serious illnesses. They therefore devised this bathing procedure to shield themselves from infection from the corpse.

5. A lizard that falls on a human is unlucky
Although lizards exude toxic compounds from their bodies to ward off predators, this phenomenon is thought to be unlucky. If a lizard lands on a human or food source, it will undoubtedly contaminate it. Therefore, after it falls on someone, a bath is taken.

6. Death is certain when bats enter a dwelling. It's interpreted as a terrible omen. This belief is actually based on the fact that bats carry a number of fatal diseases, and in the absence of medical facilities in those days, people would die from rabies, Ebola, Nipah, and other diseases.

7. Spirits that live in peepal trees

This is still a common misconception today. However, the scientific explanation for this is that during the day, trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen; however, at night, the opposite occurs. Therefore, the high carbon dioxide content while sleep under a tree might cause you to feel suffocating and heavy in the fist, which is related to the sensation of being possessed by some ghosts.

8. Tossing coins into rivers and fountains brings good luck
The majority of ancient money was composed of copper, and it seems that our ancestors made sure they were drinking pure water by tossing copper coins into rivers. According to scientific research, 99.9% of bacteria that cause infections can be killed by copper's antibacterial properties. Nevertheless, we no longer drink water straight from the river or use copper coinage. More pollution than good fortune has come from this notion.