Some ban bananas on boats to stop bad luck, but do I have to play along?

While on a fishing charter, I started eating a banana. The guide got upset, saying bananas on a boat bring bad luck. Do we really still have to accommodate superstitious people who believe in such mumbo-jumbo?
– R.Z., Wodonga, Vic

Credit: Illustration by Simon Letch

Apparently, this is a thing. For centuries, sailors have believed that bananas on boats can bring on bad weather, scare away fish and even cause ships to sink, so, even to this day, sailors don’t allow bananas onboard or even let their passengers break into the “Day-ohhhh” refrain of Harry Belafonte’s The Banana Boat Song – which, for many, is the only thing that makes watercrafting bearable.

I’ve no idea how the superstition started, but maybe a sailor once slipped on a banana peel, fell onto the rudder and the ship hit a whale. Whatever the reason, I think we should all respect the traditional mumbo-jumbos of any profession. In the theatre, it’s unlucky to wish an actor “Good luck” – you say “Break a leg” – while in horse racing, you only wish a horse “Good luck” because breaking a leg usually involves a shotgun to the head. In the sporting world, winners often refuse to change their underwear during a winning streak, which may also be why they often avoid having sex during a winning streak. In my profession, too, some writers believe that a mirror in a room will steal their creative soul (although that may just be an excuse to avoid mirrors because many writers have a face like a flan).

Yes, of course these superstitions are ridiculous, but if your boat guide was truly upset, you could’ve just thrown your banana overboard. And hidden your Bananas in Pyjamas merchandise. And not even thought of smearing on Banana Boat sunscreen. Better to burn in the sun and develop melanomas than risk unluckiness.

[e-mail]

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.