Umbrellas seem harmless- besides the occasional warning from your parents to be careful not to “poke anyone’s eye out”, but according to superstition, if you open an umbrella indoors bad luck will “rain” on you, according to womansday.com.

      The superstition originates from the time when umbrellas were used as protection from the sun in Ancient Egypt, so opening one inside was an insult to the sun god, according to psychiclibrary.com.

      Other theories of its’ origin come from 18th century London, when umbrellas had clumsy spring systems and were big enough to cover an entire family. If opened indoors it could easily cause injury or break household items, consequently, the phrase was invented to prevent these injuries from occurring.

        Some people believe that the umbrella superstition only applies if they were a gift, and they are black. There is also the belief that if a single woman drops her umbrella she will never marry, according to womansday.com.