Why you shouldn't look in the mirror before sleep: all the superstitions

The ability of a mirror to reflect an image, creating a mirrored world where everything appears inverted, has long intrigued people's imaginations. This has led to the attribution of magical properties to mirrors, giving rise to various signs, superstitions, and prohibitions surrounding them. One such belief is the taboo against looking at oneself in the mirror in the evening or at night. But why is it considered inadvisable to do so before going to bed?

In some regions, this superstition was so deeply ingrained that mirrors were deliberately avoided in bedrooms and strategically placed within homes to prevent accidental nighttime reflections. OBOZREVATEL has compiled the primary explanations for such a stringent prohibition.

Because a mirror is seen as a portal to the otherworldly, it was cautioned against looking into it in the evening to prevent the possibility of an evil force emerging and stealing one's soul during sleep.

For this reason, children were discouraged from gazing into mirrors in the evening to shield them from potential frights associated with encounters with the supernatural.

Unmarried girls were advised not to linger in front of the mirror before bedtime to avoid "seeing through" their happiness.

There is also a belief that looking into a mirror at night may trap a person's soul between the realms of the living and the afterlife, preventing its return.

Finally, a more practical explanation suggests that individuals prone to anxiety or sleep disorders should avoid keeping a mirror by their bedside. The reflection upon waking might induce fear, making it challenging to calm down and fall asleep again.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL told why signs forbid laughing at night.

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