Tag Archive: Maneki-Neko

Throughout history, life was hard, so it's no surprise that people became superstitious when it comes to their good or bad fortune. Today, you'll find that many gamblers still carry these ideas. Because all casino games rely on luck, they look towards anything or any idea that might give them an advantage with good luck. Many turn to traditional lucky creatures. They carry a small talisman or representation of these creatures in the hope that by doing so they can attract good fortune and win.

The belief in lucky animals goes back thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians believed that frogs bought good fortune for pregnant women, thanks to the River Nile overflowing with them every season. Both the Chinese and the Japanese have little statues of the beckoning cat, Maneki-Neko, in their businesses and homes. The Chinese see crickets and red bats as harbingers of good luck and you'll see many illustrations of them throughout Chinese culture. In India, elephants are good for business.