Superstition surrounds so many of the objects, places, and ceremonies we encounter in our daily lives. The older the subject in question is, the more likely it is that there’s some form of superstition attached to it.
Superstition exists as a means of explaining the unexplainable, cementing tradition, or removing some of the fear surrounding uncertainty by bringing a sense of control or assurance.
Today, in a time when we know more than we have ever done (which is still a long, long way from knowing everything), superstition contributes to the magic of things: anthropomorphising the inanimate and strengthening our appreciation for the regular, the day-to-day, or the natural.
Is it bad luck to gift a knife?
Knives and gift giving can both be traced back thousands of years and therefore are both shrouded in centuries of tradition and superstition. Historically, knives represented symbols of power, strength, and honour, and the gifting of a blade was a means of recognising or acknowledging these qualities in the recipient. To this day, ceremonial daggers are awarded to soldiers in the British armed forces for showing valour and blades feature frequently on many military accolades.
Inversely, and from a different cultural perspective, knives can also have negative connotations such as violence, revenge, death, sacrifice, and division. It requires, of course, no stretch of the mind to imagine why these associations exist.
A purveying piece of knife superstition, likely stemming from the latter associations, is that it is bad luck to gift someone a knife. One of the origins of this superstition can be traced back to Chinese folklore, where it is stated that if a knife is given as a gift, then it shows that you are slashing your bond with the receiver – cutting ties, as it were. The proverb translates to “one slash, two parts” and the knife represents the tool that ends the relationship between two people.
This sort of knife gifting etiquette would therefore make a knife an entirely inappropriate wedding present or could dramatically sour the mood of someone’s birthday party.
Counteracting the bad luck
As a tonic to this knife gifting superstition, we have the penny, which has its own superstitions, usually related to luck.
When gifted alongside a knife, a penny is said to alleviate the bad luck by turning the act into a transactional one. Gifting a coin with a knife allows the receiver to immediately hand back the lucky penny, symbolising them buying the gift themselves, thus maintaining their bond and cancelling out the bad luck. The receiver is able to change the action from a negative to a positive. Much as the ritualistic throwing of salt over one’s shoulder after spilling some turns an accident into an act to ward off back luck.
When buying a Katto knife, no matter if it’s a whole knife set, a utility blade, or a santoku, you’ll find a penny enclosed within the box. Whether you believe it or not, indulging in a touch of harmless ceremonial superstition can add a special extra touch to an occasion.
To conclude
There is a beauty in the superstition surrounding objects. A ceremonious addition to their stories, harking from bygone times and kept alive with every passing. And, even if they may not be relevant to us anymore, or we know them to be untrue – or frankly, silly – their continuation connects us to our ancestors.
Moreover, engaging with these customs can serve as a tacit reminder of the values we hold in our relationships. The rituals we assign to gift giving lifts it from being a mere material exchange to something that turns ostensibly ordinary objects into vessels of connection imbued with history and the promise of future bonds.