We’ve all heard the basics. "Friday the thirteenth is bad luck." "Don’t step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back." "Don’t let a black cat cross your path." "Don’t walk under a ladder. " "4-leaf clovers bring good luck."
"It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match." To that I say, well, duh? Isn’t it kind of bad luck to light a cigarette at all??
"It is bad luck to cut your fingernails on Friday or Sunday. Fingernail cuttings should be saved, burned, or buried." Okay. Confession time. How many of you have fingernail burial mounds in your back yard???
"It's bad luck to say the word "pig" while fishing at sea." I am at a total loss here.
"Stabbing your needles though your yarn balls brings bad luck to anyone who wears something made from that yarn." So do be wary of those homemade sweaters, folks – especially if the gift was a surprise from someone you suspect is not your friend.
"If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter." This one I’m going to try. I’ll get back to you on whether or not it works
"Do not place shoes upon a table, for this will bring bad luck for the day, cause trouble with your mate and you might even lose your job as a result." Big pile of trouble there so remember: No shoes on the table. But didn’t your momma teach you that when you were little? Might there be a hygiene issue at play here?
19 comments:
Cindy-- I'm not that superstitious but my mother always has to eat blackeyed peas on New Year's Day. She has to have her Christmas Tree down before New Year's Day.
What I am is always "waiting for the other shoe to fall." I've been so blessed in life so far I'm sure I'm going to have to pay sometime! So a friend of mine got a little clay angel and glued a Barbie shoe to it's hand. Now she says I don't have to worry anymore. LOL! It sits in my office to remind me that I'm also blessed with wonderful friends.
Superstitions!! Funny things. I mean, I think most of us would say we're not REALLY superstitious. Cuz it's crazy, right? But I think most of us have a little of that craziness implanted in us. Such as, my mother wouldn't let us rock a rocking chair if we weren't seated in it. I believe it meant a death in the family. We could also not compare hand sizes. No idea. Come to think of it, Mom's pretty superstitious and some of that has definitely seeped into my psyche. I'm going to call her right now and tell her she's the reason I'm just a cup full of crazy.
Deb - love the Barbie holding the shoe! and Lois - yes, sweetie, you are just a cup full of crazy - that's why we love you!!
I confess, stepping on a crack still gives me pause. Sometimes I'll make an extra wide step to avoid it. Other times it doesn't even come to mind.
And then there are those rare times when I smile quite widely as I firmly place my shoe upon the crack. :-)
Let's see: Wild roses keep vampires away. Of course, said roses should be planted by a witch. So there's that.
See a penny pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck. (This one still seems to work for me.)
M
You know I am not superstitious. The whole stepping on a crack like Michele mentioned makes me laugh. But we used to own a black cat after all. :)
Michele - I knew there was a reason I picked up pennies other than the piggy bank aspect.
Lover of books - You are a brave soul!!
I'm not superstitious...I even say Friday the 13th is a =lucky= day. But I do pick up pennies and recite Michele's little mantra.
A friend of mine thinks that finding feathers are signs of very good luck coming her way. I saw one yesterday on my run, but I didn't pick it up. I hoped spotting it worked as well as actually bringing it home.
I have rosemary planted in an herb garden beside my back porch. Glad to know that's why we have no witches (though my DH might disagree :grin: ). I also have parsley, sage and thyme as an homage to Simon & Garfunkle. And the oregano and lavender are there cause I wanted it all.
We do black-eyed peas, rice, collards and ham on New Years. I cook collards for my DH, God bless him, but I can't stand to eat them. Am I a good wife or what???
Folks in the south predict the severness of winter with wooly worms. And there's the ever popular putting a knife under the bed to cut a mother's labor pains. I'm not sure the hospital would appreciate a weapon being brought into the labor and delivery suite. Though it might come in handy for cutting off a certain part of the father's anatomy when you're in transition and he asks when you're going to have the next baby.
Then there's tossing spilled salt over your shoulder. Better spilled salt than spilled milk. :grin:
Marilyn
Christi - you RUN? OMG. I'm so amazed.
Playground moniter - I LOVE those. Especially the knife under the bed during labor.:o)
Cindy, I'm a big fan of silly superstitions. . . did a book based on them some years back.
That whole "knock on wood" thing comes from thinking that "Luck" is absorbed into trees as they grow and can be released from the wood later with a knock. Also, the big hoop earrings gypsies wear is to catch luck. . . circles being "luck traps" of a sort. Spiders on the ceiling? Leave them alone: they bring good luck. Old shoes have "luck" in them-- that's why they're connected to weddings. Throwing an old shoe at somebody is a way of wishing them good luck on their wedding day! Say it with me: Ewwwwwww.
My dad insisted on a modern, scientific approach to life. But he still picked up pennies and tossed salt over the shoulder and rubbed little children's heads for luck. Rex is a big believer in the black-eyed peas, collards, sausage, and ham (also called Hoppin' John)tradition at New Years. Who am I to fight yummy food?
Just had to explain about why it's unlucky to light three cigarettes from one flame. During wartime, if you kept a flame lit that long, the enemy could get you in his sights and kill you. Very unlucky indeed.
Oh, also. . . it's bad luck to stitch or mend clothes while someone is wearing them. Also to IRON clothes while someone is wearing them. . . which is fairly self-explanatory.
Betina cool. And since you're a believer and since you love owls, did you know it's bad luck to see an owl in the daylight? Just thought I'd warn you.
Interesting explanation on the 3 cigs on one match. Makes sense too.
I love this stuff!
I'm not superstitious about the classic things.
But I have my own. I have to do the exact same things every time I get on an airplane. And I won't talk about a book idea until it's been sold - every single time I've broken this one, that book didn't sell!
Susie
Susie - now that you mention it I have certain superstitions about airplanes and writing too. I have to say certain things, do certain things, certain ways each time I board a plane. Not that I'm OCD, mind you :o)))
Here's one my mom has recited to us since as far back as I can remember. But I've never heard it anywhere else. If you drop silverware on the floor, it means company is coming. If you drop a knife, expect a man; a fork, a woman will visit and if it's a spoon, your visitor will be a child.
And we've always had pork and sauerkraut on New Year's for a prosperous year.
Cheryl
Cool, Cheryl. Those are new ones on me! thanks
CG
From my Scots father in law, we always hope the first person to cross our doorstep on New Years Day will be a dark-haired man, so we'll have a good and prosperous year.
Love it, Jean. Of course I'd ALWAYS love to have a tall handsome dark-haired man cross MY doorstep :o)
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