Good Luck Tattoos - A Hot New Trend
By Chris Ryerson
There is a long tradition in the art of tattooing for good luck. Many of the most popular tattoos that people get are symbols of good luck. This dates back to the tattooing tradition of sailors. They often lived a life of uncertainty at sea and needed all of the good luck possible to come back home alive. Thus, sailors often got tattoos like a sparrow for good luck and safe return.
In recent years the art of tattooing has gone through somewhat of a rebirth or a neo classical period of sorts. Some of the older tattoo designs are being brought back to life with new bright and vibrant colors. For example, the sacred heart or sparrow tattoo are two classical images that have resurfaced into circulation and design themes. The difference is the new versions have lots of bright and vibrant colors. They offer a kind of retro look and a nod of appreciation back to the history of tattoos. Thus, they are fairly popular. Along with the resurgence of older or classic tattoo designs has come a strong resurgence of good luck symbols. Again they were once worn by sailors, but now a good luck tattoo can be appreciated by many different types of people.
Here is a list of some of the more popular good luck tattoo designs:
Sparrow Tattoo
Often used by sailors as a symbol of good luck because the bird would be spotted near land. This meant the sailors were returning safely home to family.
Nautical Star Tattoo
The exact meaning of the nautical star is somewhat shrouded in history and lore but most have come to interpret it is a symbol of the northern star or Polaris which sailors would use to navigate by. So a Nautical star is kind of the guiding light through life and often thought to bring good luck.
Three 7's
Historically in western culture, the 7 has become symbolic for good luck. 3 is also a symbol for good fortune, so three 7's is about the luckiest symbol one can have. Most people would agree that the significance of these numbers come from Christianity. Of course, the three is symbolic of the holy trinity.
Horseshoe
The tradition of the horseshoe has been said to date all the way back to Roman times when people would hang them from their front door. Some would hang them right side up to catch all the good luck, while others would point them downwards so the bad spirits would bounce off and not enter the house.
Good Luck Amulets
Good luck amulets are another popular good luck tattoo. These can range from religious amulets or medallions to a luck rabbit's foot amulet. The idea is that by getting these tattoos, the symbol is close to you at all times and you will always have the good luck from it.
Shamrock Tattoo
This symbol harkens back to the Irish and we see them all over the place on St. Patrick's Day. The shamrock or four-leaf clover is another very popular tattoo design.
The Number 13
It is said that the tradition of the number thirteen dates back to the Aztec culture. They believed that this number held significant importance because of their calendar system.
One of the most interesting things is that many of the symbols of good luck are often paired with symbols for bad luck. This is typically done to show both sides of good old lady luck or the Roman idea of luck as a spinning wheel that has two sides. So often good and bad luck symbols will be tattooed together to show both sides of the equation. Without the bad luck there can be no good luck. It is very similar to the Eastern concept of Yin and Yang.
Chris is an avid tattoo enthusiast, as well as an observer and writer of the tattoo scene. He has run numerous tattoo related website business in the past. However, now he provides great tattoo information in the form of articles and web pages for everyone to enjoy free
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