Superstitions

[Dria El]

Here's a list of superstitions I started awhile back. I was wondering if anyone believes in them, has any of their own, etc. What do you think?

SUPERSTITION

CANDLE
If a candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits are nearby.

CAT
If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.
Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.
A cat onboard a ship is considered to bring luck.

CHEEKS
If your cheeks suddenly feel on fire, someone is talking about you.

CHILL
If you get a chill up your back or goosebumps, it means that someone is walking over your grave.

CHIMNEY SWEEP
It's very lucky to meet a chimney sweep by chance. Make a wish when sighting one, and the wish will come true.

CIGARETTES
It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

CIRCLE
Evil spirits can't harm you when you stand inside a circle.

CLOCK
If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

CLOVER
It's good luck to find a four-leaf clover.
Clover protects human beings and animals from the spell of magicians and the wiles of fairies, and brings good luck to those who keep it in the house.

COIN
It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up.
Good luck comes if it's heads up.

COMB
To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.

CRACK
Don't step on a crack on a sidewalk or walkway.
Step on a crack
Break your mother's back.

CRICKET
A cricket in the house brings good luck.

COUNTING CROWS
One's bad,
Two's luck,
Three's health,
Four's wealth,
Five's sickness,
Six is death.

DANDELION
Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

DOG
A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen.

DOOR
It's bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to come into it.

DREAMS
If you dream of death it's a sign of a birth, if you dream of birth, it's a sign of death.
Dream of running: a sign of a big change in your life.
Dreams at night are a devil's delight
Dreams in the morning, heed the angels' warning.

EARS
If your right ear itches, someone is speaking well of you.
If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you.
Left for love and right for spite:
Left or right, good at night.

EASTER
For good luck throughout the year, wear new clothes on Easter.

[Danustouch]

Mirrors...if you break one..seven years of bad luck. To disperse the bad luck, run the broken shards under cold water for 1 hour.

Sit on cold cement?????? You might get a "cold" in your "kidneys".

Drop a fork- Visitors are coming.

Iron Horse Shoe over the door-Wards off mischevious fairies.

Don't walk under a Ladder..it is bad luck.

Just a few that I can recall.....

[Amora]

OK, I always wondered is it left ear for love, right for spite or is it right is good, left is bad? They contradict each other. Does anyone know because my ears ring frequently and I wanna know if somebody hates me!! (or loves me for that matter!)

[Nyah*]

bad luck:

---walk under a ladder (no clue why, I just don't do it.
---bless myself when i sneeze...can bless others when they do, but not myself...i believe that the devil will come.
---twirl in a chair, you can'tt just stop and resume what you were doing, you have go back as many times as you first twirled....

Where do we get these things???
*:)
Nyah

[Mariposa De La Luna]

If your palm itches it means you're going to get money

[Danustouch]

hmmmmm...then ....what does it mean if your butt itches??????

:eek: 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O

[Myst]

Black cats are unlucky in the west, while white cats are in the east.

If fire flames blue it indicates witches are about :)

If someone glares at you angrily form horns with your pointer and baby fingers pointed towards them to send the energy back...

[Dria El]

Good ones! Keep 'em coming!

:)

[flar7]

Always get a new broom for a new house.(i.e. when move)
preferrably as a gift. Never take old broom to the new house.

Never put a hat on a bed.

When returning a pocket knife to friend, always return it the way it was given, open or closed. Never accept a knife if not returned way you lent it. Most always prefer closed.

If you walk down cellar stairs(some say basement) in the dark, especially on full moon nights, and turn around quick, you will see an image of someone you know who is going to die. You usually see them in a casket.

Death in the family if a bird flies into your house. Especially strong Native American belief. With owls also.

[Semele]

Yup my Granny told me the one about not moving a broom. She said you take all your previous troubles with ya. I had forgotten about that one!!!

[Danustouch]

My grandma told me about the crossing and pointing your fingers to ward off the evil eye. Wow..does that bring back memories!

Salt over your shoulder for good luck, is another good one.

[Danustouch]

not sure whether this is more superstition..or folk tale...

but how many of you did the "Bloody Mary" thing in the mirror?

[bloodstone20]

i've done most of these, and alot are just superstitions.

The mirror one definatly is tho.I've done it before as part of a ritual.

[bloodstone20]

duh they are superstitions *slaps himself on the forehead*

[Kaylara]

Originally posted by Willow Raven

If someone glares at you angrily form horns with your pointer and baby fingers pointed towards them to send the energy back...

This is called the Maloiki (sp?) and it is the Italian Evil Eye. (Not the glaring, but the forming of the horns, etc.) One way to rid yourself of the Maloiki is to carry a red ribbon on your person.

Kaylara

[Myst]

Oh. If someone has overstayed their welcome turn your besom bristles up and they will leave (we've actually tested this twice and it worked both times).

(P.S. it's Malocchio, and according to my source (Raven Grimassi) it's a ward against the evil eye :))

[Lavender]

Originally posted by Willow Raven
If someone glares at you angrily form horns with your pointer and baby fingers pointed towards them to send the energy back...

I do that one all the time! My Grandfather taught me that! :D You get the strangest looks from people. I've had people tell me I've got the wrong finger up! :D

[gunner]

"CIGARETTES
It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match."


that "superstition" has a basis in cold fact. it began in the trenches in world war one, the germans made great use of snipers "scharfschutzen" and when you'd light a match to light a cigarette the sniper would spot the flash, as the first two men would be lighting their smokes he would be taking his sight and aiming, as the third man lit his cigarette the sniper would fire and number three would never get to enjoy his smoke.

[Danustouch]

:) BUMP:)

Bored tonight, peoples..so I thought I would bump some of my fave threads.

[flar7]

for faeriedust(sp?)

[Socharis]

Originally posted by flar7
for faeriedust(sp?)

Cheers :thumbsup:

[Danustouch]

combating the "Black Cat" Superstition....

From the NY POST:
*******************************************


NOIR GANG

By JULIA SZABO
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



October 21, 2001 -- Just 10 more days till Halloween, a night when our thoughts turn to all things spooky: jack-o'-lanterns, ghosts, witches and black cats.
But, animal lovers insist, black cats are nothing to be afraid of. They're wonderful creatures deserving of our love and compassion - because that's what they give us 365 days a year.

An ancient legend holds that it's bad luck if a black cat darkens your doorstep. But I'm here to report that black cats are neither unlucky nor evil. In fact, one of the happiest days of my life was when a black cat and I crossed paths.

I was busy selecting a couple of felines at an animal shelter, and choice No. 1 had already been made. I knelt down to meet the other kitties in the holding area when, to my surprise, one of them gingerly leapt onto my shoulder and nuzzled my neck. Sold!

He turned out to be a gorgeous jet-black specimen with extra-long white fangs, like Dracula himself. Despite this, Huey - named for Huey Newton - was, and continues to be, one of the sweetest critters I've ever known. He's always ready to cuddle or sit sympathetically on my chest if I'm feeling low.

"Black cats can be energetic and playful, or calm, quiet lap cats," says Sandra De Feo of the Humane Society of New York. "It's easy to find one to match your personality."

Whether short- or long-haired, black cats all have one thing in common. "They tend to be super-affectionate," says De Feo.

Put that claim to the test by visiting the cats up for adoption at the Humane Society, 306 E. 59th St., (212) 752-4840.

If there's one supernatural thing about black cats, it's that they are extremely empathic.

"My black cat Mookie was very sensitive and intuitive, more so than any other cat I've had," De Feo explains. "One time I sprained my ankle, and he'd lie very close to it, to keep it warm - very comforting."

Brooklyn resident Camille Casaretti, who recently adopted a female she named Prada, saidshe'd "always wanted a black cat; it's been my secret passion.

"I think black cats are the most sexy and sleek of the cat species, and Prada is all that and more!"

Cat-lover Anna Bell Washburn of Manhattan, who has rescued many felines of various stripes, admits to a special fondness for the black ones.

"I'm such a pushover for them," she says with a laugh. "My first cat was a black cat, and I learned the whole world of the cat through her."

Washburn recalls a visit with her friend, animal activist Henry Spira, who campaigned until his death in 1998 to phase out cruel animal tests by cosmetics companies.

"[Henry] smiled knowingly at me," she remembers, "and then he said, 'I guess you know, don't you, that when you get to heaven, you'll discover God is a big, black cat.' I just loved that!"

[Shy Hawk]

My grandmother covers mirrors during a thunder storm believing that if the mirror see the lightning, it will strike the house, or cause some other bad juju.

Also, if someone is sewing something onto your clothes while you are still wearing them, such as a button, I've been taught to say aloud "I am alive". This comes from the tradition of sewing a dead person's eyes and mouth shut when they died...and if you didn't specify that you were alive, it was bad luck to yourself...

Also, if someone cuts a thread off of you, while you are still wearing it...bite down on something.

Hand bread on the walls for prosperity, hang horse shoes for luck. Always have fresh flowers in the house, it brings luck.

Dreaming of a wedding means a death in the family.

All of the above, courtesy of my very Puerto Rican grandmother.

[Da Witch]

Recieving knives as a gift- I just heard this one at a wedding



If you recieve Knives as a gift, pay the person who gave them to you (a penny will do) or else they will stab you in the back.

[Emy]

Well most of those superstitions were new to me except for the circle thing, and the cat thing, sort of, we say it a little differently here if the cat crosses your road its bad luck (it is taking something) if it is coming from your left side, and good luck (it is bringing something) if it is coming from you right side (I think it was that way... may have been the other way around...)

Blessings

[talamh]

Hanging horseshoes.... one is normally supposed to hang them with the open part up to catch and contain good luck. But if you are a blacksmith, then you hang them with the open part down. Since in many villages the blacksmith was the highpriest, then i would say a person who considers him or her self a high priest/ess could hang the horseshoe open side down. bb talamh

[Danustouch]

The origen of the Horseshoe thing, is that in Irish Lore, Mischevious Faeries are repulsed by Iron. Thus, keeping an Iron Horseshoe above your door, will ward off the mischevious faeries.

More on Irish Faery superstitions....in Ireland, it is very bad luck to empty your trash after dark...since that is when the Fey are out and about..and you may just dump your garbage on their head.


On the Breaking a mirror causes 7 years bad luck......an old russian cure for this, is to run the shards under cold water for seven minutes. This dispels all of the bad luck.

[Pheonix]

I doubt I can even remeber a 10th of the superstitions my mother has but here goes

I f you drop salt thruw it over your left shoulder with your right hand something about hitting the devil in the eye

If you drop silverware someone is coming to your door hungry

If your right palm itches you get money but if it's your left you give

A black cat crossing your path is bad luck. ( I know this is false I have a black cat.

Bless yourself when you sneeze or your soul may get blown out.

There are so many more but i can't keep them all straight.

[Danustouch]

here's another one...Elephants with their Trunk Up. Not sure where this originated, or why...but a statue/pendent of an elephant with its trunk up is supposedly good luck, while an elephant with trunk down, is bad luck. My grandmother collected elephant statuettes (trunk up) for many years. She was a bingo-holic, and always carried at least one little elephant to all of her games. And..she usually...won :)

Shy...covering mirrors is also supposed to be done upon the death of a person. Any mirror in the house is supposed to be covered, or else the mirror might "Trap" their soul.

[Earth Walker]

I don't know where or how it originated.......but stepping on a
crack on the sidewalk.....I constantly got my ears boxed for
stepping on the cracks...:eek:

[Lavender]

For the Chinese, we eat noodles & rice on our birthdays & New Year and all special occassions. This is to ensure everyone has long life (noodles) and wealth (rice).

[Shy Hawk]

Hmm...I never sleep with my head towards the North, I believe this is a Chinese thing. Something about the dead all being buried with their heads toward the North....?

I throw salt over both shoulders with either hand, if it's spilled.

My grandmother will NOT open an umbrella indoors.

And, she too collects elephants with the trunk upwards.

She is a very supersitious lady. She too plays bingo with all her charms. Frequently rabbits feet (:( ) with her. Also, she's obsessed with the lotto and plays "lucky numbers" all the time. If she's sees a number any old place that looks "hot", she HAS to play it. Hey, she wins all the time, so who can blame her?

She's one of those ladies with HUGE pictures of Christ everywhere in her house, with rosaries hanging all over them. She's got a small broom hanging on her wall....but I never asked why...weird though. It's ornimentary, only a few inches long. She's got little elephant statues all over the living room with huge seven day candles alight all over the place (with "prayers" for luck, money, or love). There's bread and horse shoes nailed to the walls....with the odd buddha staute. She's got this tiny little wishing well with coins in it (that she never takes out)....there's a couple posters of Hindu Gods on the walls, mostly Ganesha. She's got a voudou doll in her closet on a shell. Made from black cloth with a painted on face and a yellow dress (it's creepy). She's got Saint statues everywhere (along with Mary and Jesus)...and she keeps a LARGE amount of holy water around. Her house is haunted by a fairly malevolent spirit....frankly I don't know what religion she is. Though she was born into Santeria. She's very Catholic.....but in that weird witchy way. I don't know how to explain it.
I could go on and on...but to spare you, I'll quit here. Besides, I'm way off topic.

[Myst]

Some superstitious people on the other side of the world think white cats are bad luck, not black. It's sad to me that people still believe that stuff, because here you can see the effects - when was the last time you visited your local shelter? The number of black cats in there far exceeds any other type. Also, the shelters often won't adopt black cats out during October as well as sometimes white females due to nasty people doing nasty things with them.

[Laiste]

Shoes put on a chair will bring bad luck...

That's the only I can remember...that wasn't already mentioned!

[Laiste]

Death always comes in threes...anyone know the origins behind this one...??

[Wyrdsister]

Thanks for mentioning the "opening umbrellas indoors" superstition, ShyHawk! I used to get flack for this from friends because I'd open my umbrella inside after using it to let it dry (a habit from my Dad). I don't recall any bad luck coenciding (sp?) with rainy days... ;)

And how about this one: "knock on wood!" to keep something you just said from coming to pass. I can't believe that one hadn't been mentioned yet. :)

Hmmm, I'm sure I know more, but of course a lot of them have been mentioned. I'll have to keep thinking!

Wyrdsister

[Danustouch]

Myst..we have THREE black cats..lol...and would probably adopt more if we could right now:)

[Myst]

Originally posted by Laiste
Death always comes in threes...anyone know the origins behind this one...??

I've heard " bad things come in threes "

[bansidhe]

in northern ireland, we used to put something made outta iron in the babys cradle, especially a newborn's, to stop the child being swopped by the faeries..a changeling, i think. even when we came to australia nad my littlest sister was born two years ago, i still did it. :) cant be too careful!
and i do everything in threes. i have no idea why. right down to stirring my coffee...
take care and brightest blessings,
bans. :bubbles:

[bansidhe]

oh oh!!! i nearly forgot...the one in, one out superstition? if a baby is born, it means a family member or friend will die? my grandma died a short time after my littlest sis, tara was born...
take care and brightest blessings,
bans. :bubbles:

[talamh]

i have always heard that one *should* sleep with one's head to the north because then one is sleeping in allignment with the magnetic lines of the earth and that will keep a person in balance.... bb talamh

[faeriedust]

thank you for bumping this up for me. It was very interesting. Alot of it I grew up hearing. Didn't see anything about these birds though. They are driving me nuts.

[story]

heh. I don't know where it came from, but saying the "step on a crack, break your mothers back" thing is an amazing oracle for divining how your friends feel about their family.
as for not walking under ladders, this one makes perfect sense. I worked as a painter for a year. If you walk under a ladder, theres a chance that the schmuck on top may drop something heavy on you.
When some one dies in my family, we always cover the mirrors. This seems to be our only collective superstition. I like it. Kind of suggests that at a time of family tragedy, the self becomes irrelevant. :)

[Lavender]

I just remembered an odd one...

When my dad died, my aunt wouldn't let anyone touch his skin with our bare skin. She said the body would steal part of our soul. Odd because she's a very strong christian now but had been buddist all her life. Her religion seems to be a mix of the two.

[Shy Hawk]

I don't know if this is superstition or not, but I never give a love interest a yellow rose. Because well.....yellow roses are for friendship, not love. Wouldn't want to give the wrong impression....and I might be a little upset if a lover gave me yellow roses, because I would think that perhaps they wanted to be "just friends".

My grandmother insists on putting candy on my grandfather's grave...I dunno about that one either...

Muslims only sleep on their right side, so my family all does. 'Cept me o' course.

And, hmm....I never pour myself tea...I pour everyone else at the table tea, and then wait for someone to pour me tea. Sort of a hostpitality. And, I accept all gives, business cards, invitations, and objects of worth with two hands.
Much of these are from my exposure to Japanese culture.

[Lavender]

I do that too. I always use two hands when accepting or giving something to an elder or someone you respect. It's a sign of respect in oriental cultures.

[flar7]

Bump
and heres the other one Old Witch!;)

[AradiaSupernova]

I don't know if this has been posted already, but

"Look upon the face of death, never feel your baby's breath" Don't to go funerals when you're pregnant.

Rocking a rocking chair empty will cause a death in the family.

If your nose itches, you'll kiss a fool.

[Flar's Freyja]

This one may have been posted already because it's very common, but I didn't see it. When your broom falls, you'll get a visitor.

Another is that when a broom falls, if you count how many times it bounces on the floor, that's the number of grandchildren you will have.

To protect a business, put a broom outside your door with the brush up and be sure to reverse it in the morning or it will keep customers away.

The goofiest one I've ever heard is that if you see a hay truck you have to keep your fingers crossed until you see a dog. Supposedly if you don't do this you will be cursed with bad luck.

[AradiaSupernova]

ohhhhhhh! I forgot. Hold your breath when you go past a cemetary! hehe

[Desert_Shadow]

This one has actually happened to me several times: If a picture falls off the wall , someone you know is going to die.
My daughter-in-law does this one to my granddaughter when she is extremely fussy: She takes an uncooked egg and rubs it all over the baby, then puts it into a glass of water for abou;t an hour. This is supposed to take away the influence of the "evil eye". I've seen the egg come out of the cold tap water with the yolk the consistency of a hard boiled egg.
She learned this from her grandmother who came from Mexico.
Another one on dogs:If one howls outside your house, someone is going to die.

[Flar's Freyja]

Oooh, those are morbid.....

My mom and nana always said don't ever set new shoes on the table, you wouldn't have enough to eat.....

Italians hang garlic to ward off evil and this is also a Wiccan thing..

[Annika]

Some of these superstitions brought back so many memories. The one I completely agree with, that so far no one has commented on, is that a cricket in the house brings good luck. My rommates probably think I'm a little insane while they watch my desperate attempt of saving any cricket the cat has discovered, since the cat thinks crickets are a wonderful play thing.

Anyway, another aspect of the giving knives as gifts. A friend told me this one, so I have no idea about the origins.....if you give knives as a gift it symbolizes that you are wishing harm to the person you gave this gift to. It gave me chills when my friend told me this, and I don't know why because I've never given anyone knives as a gift.

Blessed Be.
Annika

[flar7]

well, the way some of my friends (cherokee) think, is that if you
loan a knife it must be closed...if open means ill will.

[GingerBurkley]

I always heard when you go past a cemetary you have to keep saying "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" until you're past it.

Also, I used to live in a small town in Florida, where there were a lot of direct descendents of slaves - Africans are very superstitious, and a lot of that has survived to this day - they always told me that you should never put your purse on the floor, or you'll never have any money. And that you should never leave your clothes hanging outside on a line overnight, or evil spirits will occupy them. And also, at night you should make sure something is on every chair and seat in your house, so evil spirits don't take up residence in your house. And that if you're home alone and you hear someone call your name, don't answer because you'll be inviting evil spirits in.

[Epona44]

In sociology there is a belief that is common and classed as a superstition.;)

It is called the concept of limited good. How it works is when something good happens to someone, other people become envious because they perceive that there is now less good in the world to go around.

Funny huh? Think of how many times you've met someone who believes this. :rolleyes:

Horseshoes. In America the horseshoe is supposed to hang points up so the luck doesn't run out. In England, it's supposed to hang points down so it's crescent protects the house.

Horse related: In America it is considered bad luck to meet a red-haired woman on a black horse on New Years day. In the United Kingdom, it's bad luck to meet a red-haired woman on a white horse on New Years day. :confused:

White animals are connected to the faerie realm, which may be why they are perceived as bad luck in English, Irish or Scots culture. :elf:

Red-haired people also have many superstitions connected to them. It was believed in European Slavic cultures that they would be likely to become vampires. :devil:

Crows: There's the rhyme, one for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a wedding, four for a birth, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. Crows were the messengers of Odin. He had two one named thought, the other memory. In country lore, it was said that if crows sat on the fence that rain was coming. ;)

There's another, that's sort of based in fact. When farm animals such as cows and horses turn their backs to the wind, a storm is coming. They actually do that. :bubbles:

[Jasmine Star]

I heard a different version of the magpie rhyme

one for sorrow
twp for joy
three for a girl
four for a boy
five for silver
six for gold
seven for a secret never to be told.

I also since I was a little girl always believed when you crossed your fingers for good luck if you crossed both hands it was bad luck.
Don't cross on the stairs- bad luck.
If you walk under an arch or anything that goes over you (eg road sign) its bad luck and you have to cross you fingers to avoid it.
If you are walking with someone never go opposite side of a post etc as its bad luck. ie "don't split the post".

Can't think of any more that haven't been used.:eyebrow:

[Epona44]

I think in French country lore, and maybe French-Canadian, that if you have a black cat come to your house, and you convince it to stay, it will bring good fortune as long as it remains. The cat is called a Matagot.

There are variations in the Magpie rhyme, and it's interesting to hear them. I enjoy different cultural versions of poems.

Crows are :cool: creatures. I have a personal superstition about them. I've found that when I meet a single crow on the ground and it doesn't fly off right away, it usually means a death. It doesn't necessarily mean a death in the family, though.

I had completed an interview with a 102 year old man for a story I was writing. When I left the building, I noticed a crow standing near the entrance. It was looking at me and at the building. The man died in three days. Could be coincidence, true.

It's not the only incident. :eyebrow:

There's the actor's superstition that it's bad luck to wish someone well the opening night of a show. That's where "Break a leg." came from. :eek:

[Euphoria]

theres also the actors superstition of rebeth as the "scottish play"

and in japan if a black cat looks at you it will bring good luck ... a white cat ... good luck and a brown cat ... prosperity

oh yeh and we never pour ourselves tea

and if a visitor of importance comes only green tea will do

and hold your breath when travelling through a tunnel

touch red when u see a mail van

[Flaire-FireStar]

Originally posted by Nyah*

---walk under a ladder (no clue why, I just don't do it.


It's because the triangle the ladder forms between the building and ground is supposed to be a gateway between the living and the spirit world...If you walk through it, you open the gateway, thus letting the spirits out to roam the physical world. :) Spooky, eh?


Hold your breath while going over a bridge...:rolleyes: Friends told me that one...not sure the story behind it though

[Flar's Freyja]

Originally posted by Flaire


It's because the triangle the ladder forms between the building and ground is supposed to be a gateway between the living and the spirit world...If you walk through it, you open the gateway, thus letting the spirits out to roam the physical world. :) Spooky, eh?


Hold your breath while going over a bridge...:rolleyes: Friends told me that one...not sure the story behind it though

:T I also heard that it's just common sense - can be dangerous, ladder could fall on you.....

A little girl I worked with told me that when your necklace clasp slides down to the front, you'll have ten years of good luck:)

[Jasmine Star]

I must have so much good luck my necklace does that all the time. I heard hold your feet off the floor driving past a graveyard or you are walking on the graves.

[Flaire-FireStar]

Originally posted by Freyja


A little girl I worked with told me that when your necklace clasp slides down to the front, you'll have ten years of good luck:)

I heard that meant that someone was thinking of you. ;)

[MidnightSun]

If you rock a rocking chair when its empty someone in your family will soon die. My dad told me that one when I was little :)

When You are Pregnant:
Look upon the face of death *go to a funeral*, never feel your babies breath. I know this doesn't work cuz I am alive..lol

If you go to a zoo and look at the monkey's, your baby will look like one.
Those are both courtesy of my great-grandmother :) Full of old wives tales :)

[Mithrea]

In Appalachia we have a ton of strange ones. They are so much a part of my thought processes though it's hard to get them out. I'm glad someone mentioned the broom falling/company's coming one.

If your feet itch, it means you will soon embark upon a journey.

If your cigarette (or fire, I've heard) burns down one side faster than the other, it means you are loved.

If you peel an apple from top to bottom without breaking it and throw it over your left shoulder with your right hand on Halloween, the peel with show you the initial of the person you will marry.

Toads give you warts.

Never walk between lovers or they will fight.

Red birds mean love is coming. If you start saying your ABC's when you see one, the letter you are on when it flies away will be the first initial of the person you will marry.

Hunting: Kiss your shells before you load them so you won't miss :(

If you accidentally swallow a watermelon seed, you'll get pregnant.

Never set a baby in the moonlight--I don't know why. And make sure a new baby sees a sunset before a sunrise.

We also do the salt thing and the knock on wood thing alot.

Owls on the windowsills are angels coming to take you to heaven. But also, any bird in your house means someone is going to die.

If 13 people sit down to a table, the first one to stand will be the first one to die. This one's in Harry Potter too ;)

Never ever ever kill a daddy long legs--very bad luck.

Lift your feet when you drive over a bridge and cover your head when you go underneath an overpass.

I'm sure I'll think of more! :D

[gunner]

"Hunting: Kiss your shells before you load them so you won't miss "

interesting, i've carried and worked around guns some 50 years or so and i've never run into that one before now.

[Mithrea]

Originally posted by gunner
"Hunting: Kiss your shells before you load them so you won't miss "

interesting, i've carried and worked around guns some 50 years or so and i've never run into that one before now.

What can I say? Hunters are weird here. ;)

[Euphoria]

hehehehehe

[Flar's Freyja]

Here's a site I found while looking for something else:

http://www.e-musicbox.com/super.htm

[sweetbabe]

im not really superstitous to be honest..i used to be, but now for some reason im not..

[Mythrel]

I was always taught to say Rabbit Rabbit on the first day of the month to ensure good luck that month...

I myself don't like the number 6...
don't really know why but I don't

[sweetbabe]

6 is my fave number

[Radocs]

Originally posted by Danustouch
not sure whether this is more superstition..or folk tale...

but how many of you did the "Bloody Mary" thing in the mirror?

I remember that. Used to scare the crap outta me when I was little..

[materra]

From little known history lessons:
the reason it is unluck to light three cigs on a match? During the World Wars and police actions It gave the sniper time to target and take down the solders. Or sight in the cannons or a few other goodies. Oh and once upon a time a match was called a lucifer....so there was that piece of bad luck too.

The broom is one of the oldest superstitions, and the way to get rid of a broom? Burn it....any other way just brings trouble to the person who uses it or moves to a new home.

By corn brooms with wood handles.
:)

[WtchyChick13]

Personally, I was born on Friday the 13th and always found it lucky! hehehe

However, like Garfield the cat--MONDAY the 13th has always been an unlucky day for me! LOLOL ;) :eek:

[sweetbabe]

yeah i remember that bloody mary things was quite scary actually lol

[Myst]

and later candyman

[Flaire-FireStar]

Never could figure out the Bloody Mary thing...Some friends and I tried it one time *cough* (wimps) *cough* :D

[Faolan]

wow.. alot of these are sending shivers up my spine.. and I"m sitting here alone at 1:30 am >.< anyway, I can't believe no one said this. If it rains on your wedding you're being blessed with good luck.

Also, the death comes in threes thing isn't true.. at least not in my family, it came in 8's >.<

I never did the bloody mary thing, but I remember in elementary school we heard about a girl who did in the bathroom, and came out with a large scratch on her cheek.

*shivers again* wow.. glad I'm finished reading this thread. How come there are so many more bad supersititions then good ones? It's definately something to think about.

[Élistariel]

I was always to scared to do the Bloody Mary thing. My friend told me she did it once. Her ordeal ended rather funny though. Okay, with her, Mary actually came out of the mirror, and instead turning on the light to make her go away, my "brilliant" friend tries to beat her up with a rolled up towel. Then her grandma came by and opened the door, and asked her what she was doing. She was pounding the toilet with her towel. She swears she saw Bloody Mary, but can't explain where she went. I know Blood Mary is supposed to be scary, but it's just the sight of my friend as a little kid pounding a toilet with a rolled up towel, instead of just turning the lights on.

[FlamedLilly]

ABout the never let a cat sleep with a baby it'll take it's breath away is becuase cats always sleep where it's warm. All of my cats have slept at either my head or on my chest. The warmest areas of the body. SO when a cat sleeps with a baby they sleep in the same areas, the cat never "steals" the babies breath they accidentily suffocate it. I've heard medical stories to back that one up.

I've also read in books that a 3 leaf clover is good luck and you should carry a 4 leaf clover to avoid military service, wish I would've known that 2 years ago!

[Flar's Freyja]

Received these in an e-mail today. Some of them may be redundant.

*Samhain Superstitions*

If a candle flame suddenly turns blue, there is a ghost nearby.

In North America, it is bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and
good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In Britain and Ireland, it
is exactly the opposite.

If you ring a bell on Samhain, it will scare evil spirits away.

If you see a spider on Samhain, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.

Knocking on wood keeps bad luck away.

You should walk around your home three times deosil and widdershin before sunset on Samhain to ward off evil spirits.

Some believe if you catch a snail on Samhain night and lock it into a flat dish, in the morning you will see the first letter of your
sweetheart written in the snail's slime.

Many people used to believe that owls swooped down to to eat the souls of the dying. If they heard an owl hooting, they would become frightened. A common remedy was thought to be, turning your pockets inside out and you would be safe.

In Britain, people believed that the Devil was a nut gatherer. At
Samhain, nuts were used as magick charms.

If a girl puts a sprig of Rosemary herb and a silver sixpence under her pillow on Samhain night, she will see her future husband in a dream.

To prevent ghosts coming into the house at Samhain, bury animal bones or a picture of an animal near the doorway.

A person born on Samhain can see and talk to spirits.

If you go to a crossroads at Samhain and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months.

When bobbing for apples, it is believed that the first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry.

Peel an apple from top to bottom. The person with the longest unbroken peel would be assured the longest life. If you threw the apple peel over your shoulder, the initial it forms upon landing is the initial of your future mate.

If a bat flies around a house 3 times, it is a death omen.

If bats come out early and fly around playfully, then it is a sign of
good weather to come.

If a bat flies into a house it is a sign that ghosts are about and maybe the ghost let the bat in.

[Mnemosyne]

Neat, Freyja! I liked those superstitions. You wrote that if a woman puts a sprig of rosemary and a silver sixpence under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband. Now what if I don't have a silver sixpence. Can I just put six pence under my pillow? lol.

Freyja got me in the Samhain superstition mood. Here are some more.

If you put a candle in the jack-o-lantern, evil spirits will be kept away.

If a candle goes suddenly goes out, a spirit is around.

If you burn a new orange colored candle at midnight on Samhain and let it burn until sunrise, good luck will come to you.

[Flar's Freyja]

*rummages in magickal cabinet*

Where did I put those dang orange candles? :lol:

[Old Witch]

Gonna make a run to Yankee candle this weekend......................:D

[Flaire-FireStar]

Hmm.....Need to go find some orange candles now. :lol: :)

[Rose Sunny Rionach]

A friend and me did the Bloody Mary thing. It definately worked for us.. (her grampa was even there..we had him standing by the switch just in case 'things got bad' :rolleyes: ) The mirror got all weird and there were colorfull lights swirling in it. I went all cold and my wrist hurt really bad and when the lights where turned on I had a red mark going around my wrist where sumone had squeezed it really hard and there were little claw marks (I know my friend didn't do it cause we were holding hands and she couldn't have been holding my wrist too, and she didn't have any nails at the time). And she had scratches on her wrist all the way up her arm. Her grampa even swears he saw something, but he won't say what exactly. My other friend and some of her friends did it at a b-day party.. one of them got scratched really bad across the chest and my friend was choked. :crazy: I've been trying to get her to do it again with me to see if it happens again...

[Skye]

I am glad I did a search before posting this thread again....how interesting:D

I greatgranny always told me that the doors to your home had to be fae blue to ward off unwanted spirits, I have blue doors in both the front and back.

She also believed is was harmful to bathe in hot water or to use soap...don't know about that one, I do both!

She always insisted on putting bread and mead outside the doorway to prevent the wee ones from stealing a newborn babe.

probably think of more later,

[Haruka2077]

Originally posted by AradiaSupernova

ohhhhhhh! I forgot. Hold your breath when you go past a cemetary! hehe

I took that one far too seriously when I was a kid- I was in big trouble if we drove past Forest Lawn!
:blushake: