According to legend, a chimney sweep once saved the life of Britain’s King William, moving him out of the way of a runaway carriage. The king declared chimney sweeps good luck, and ever since, it has been seen as good luck to touch them throughout Europe. If you’re not close enough, simply touch a button somewhere on your person and make a wish if you see a chimney sweep from a distance.

Dala horses originated in the Swedish province of Dalarna in the 17th century. Painted bright red, they were kept as sacred objects or even traded for food and board if needed. In 1939, a large painted Dala horse was placed outside the Swedish pavilion at the World Exhibition in New York City, causing a sensation and leading to 20,000 Dala horses being shipped for sale in the United States.

Madrid, Spain, is home to the “Lucky Frog” statue, an 11.5-foot-tall bronze installation by Spanish artist dEmo. The work was commissioned for the opening of the Casino Gran Madrid in 2014, a major occasion after the city had banned gambling for 90 years. A frog was chosen for its lucky symbolism in some cultures, including in Chinese Feng Shui.

The cornicello is an Italian talisman that has been a symbol of good luck for over 3,500 years. The horn-shaped object is said to represent animal strength; others say it is intentionally modeled after a hot pepper, linked to fertility in ancient times. Acting as a protector against the evil eye, it remains a popular symbol in Italian culture today — represented in decor, jewelry, and more.

Ganesha is the elephant-headed deity of the Hindu religion, considered to be a remover of obstacles and the patron of arts and finances. Lord Ganesha, as he is also called, is the most important god in the Hindu religion, believed to bring prosperity and good luck. Statues featuring his likeness are often found at the entrance to or above the front door of homes in India.

Ukrainian pysanky (the plural form of pysanka) are usually decorated in colorful, intricate geometric and floral designs, through a layered application called the wax-resist method. The egg is a symbol of fertility and rebirth, making them a common Easter-season fixture. In Ukrainian folklore, it is customary to give pysanky to family and friends as a gesture of good luck, prosperity, and happiness in the coming year.

Statues of Maneki-neko, the “beckoning cat,” are often seen at places of business (especially stores). While it is often referred to as the waving cat, thanks to its lifted left or right paw (or both), the uplifted paw is not a greeting. It is believed that a lifted left paw is inviting or “beckoning” success in business, while a raised right paw is for protection at home.

Maneki-neko is the name of the iconic Japanese cat statue with a waving paw. While it is sometimes referred to as the waving cat or lucky cat, its name translates to “beckoning cat.” Maneki-neko comes in many different colors, which signify different things: black is said to bring luck, the traditional tri-color palette brings prosperity, white stands for purity, red means protection, and pink brings luck in love.

The hamsa is a hand-shaped amulet popular in the Middle East and North Africa. The open right palm is often embellished with an eye motif in the middle, which is intended to ward off bad luck — especially that which can be brought about by the evil eye. The word “hamsa” means five, representing five fingers.

An old Norse legend says that Thor once sheltered himself from a thunderstorm under an oak tree, leading to the use of acorns on Nordic homes’ window sills to prevent them from being struck by lightning. The acorn is also a good luck charm in England — it serves as the symbol of the National Trust and has long been seen (and sometimes carried around) as a symbol of good luck.

The scarab beetle was used extensively in hieroglyphs, amulets, and other jewelry throughout ancient Egypt as a symbol of new life and good luck. The beetles would push balls of waste across the earth and would eventually lay their eggs in their collection. Ancient Egyptians saw this as symbolic of the sun’s path across the sky, and associated the humble insect with the sun god Khepri.

The Laughing Buddha — also known as Budai — is a 10th-century Chinese monk whose likeness has become a symbol of abundance, fortune, and joy in China, Thailand, India, and other parts of Asia. The folklore surrounding the Budai depicts him as an eccentric vagabond who enjoyed food and drink and was beloved by children. Statues of the Laughing Buddha are seen as good luck — especially if you rub Budai’s signature belly.

For centuries, red has been considered a color of luck, prosperity, and fertility in Chinese culture. The art of Chinese knotting — a decorative handcraft that began as a form of folk art in the Tang and Song dynasties — is typically done with a single piece of red cord, which is tied and weaved into many symmetrical shapes. The knots are used as home decor, gifts, and as buttons in traditional Chinese clothing.

A popular theory about the origin of hanging a horseshoe for good luck dates back to 969 CE, when English Bishop St. Dunstan is said to have painfully nailed the shoes to the Devil’s hooves. It remains a good luck symbol around the world and can be hung open side up or down — upward catches good luck like a cup, or downward lets luck flow out over a home and its visitors.

In some European countries — such as Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Austria — it’s traditional to eat carp with Christmas dinner and considered good luck to put the carp’s scales under the dinner plates. After the fish is consumed, people also keep a few scales in their wallet or in their pocket for the next 12 months to bring more good luck.

The four-leaf clover is a well-known good luck item in Ireland and beyond. While the origins of the tradition are murky, its luck stems from its rarity: Clovers typically have three leaves (like the Irish shamrock), but a genetic mutation combined with environmental conditions such as temperature and soil acidity produce a fourth leaf (and even sometimes a fifth and sixth). A 2017 study found that one out of every 5,000 “typical” clovers will be a four-leaf clover.

The “evil eye” is believed to have roots some 5,000 years old, dating back to the Sumerians of the Euphrates Valley. The blue-and-white circle, representing an eyeball, is not actually evil itself, but is instead intended to ward off any unsavory glares that may come your way. It has been popularized in the modern era, appearing frequently on jewelry and home decor.

According to an early-20th century British superstition, saying the words “rabbit, rabbit” before anything else on the first day of the month will bring you good luck for 30 days. (Other variations include “white rabbit” or “bunny bunny.”) President Franklin D. Roosevelt was known to keep this practice, and even carried a lucky rabbit’s foot during the 1932 presidential election, which he won by a landslide.

Many ancient cultures, including Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe, viewed metal such as iron and copper as magical, protective matter sent to them from the gods. This has influenced the popular superstition that finding a penny — which is, of course, made of metal — will bring good luck. Other superstitions have evolved over time, including that each side of the penny represents either good (heads) or evil (tails).

Chinese numerology is rooted in symbolism — and in language. The number eight is considered the luckiest because its pronunciation sounds similar to the Mandarin word for “fortune” or “prosper.” People will try to incorporate the number into their lives in several ways for good luck, from their addresses to their phone numbers or their wedding dates. Monetary gifts are also sometimes given in denominations of $88 or $888.