Superstitions XIV – Odds ‘N Ends

One of our most enduring superstitions is making a wish and blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. If you can blow them all out in one breath, your wish will come true. The ancient Greeks would bake round honey cake and top it with candles, symbolizing the moon, as an offering to the goddess Artemis when they wished her favour. It was believed the lingering smoke would carry wishes to the gods as it rose in the air.

You should never place two mirrors facing each other. The infinite reflections are pretty cool, but facing mirrors open a doorway for the devil.

Never give a blade as a gift as it will sever your relationship. If you receive a knife, or even a pair of scissors, as a gift, you need to give the giver a coin in return.

Going home directly after a funeral will invite a bad spirit to tag along and enter your home. You should make a stop at a restaurant or store along the way, just in case.

Whistling indoors is thought to summon demons.

Greek mythology has it that if you toast with a cup of water you’re actually wishing death upon the people you’re drinking with.

It’s bad luck to place someone’s shoes on a table as it used to be of the ways of letting the family know they had passed away. .

The Egyptians believe that if you see or hear an owl it means terrible news is coming. The Italians, however, believe that an owl in your house means someone is going to die.

Wedding bells are meant to ward off evil spirits who might try and ruin the marriage.

Singing at the dinner table means you’re singing to the devil for your food.

Some people hold their breath when they pass a cemetery, but you should actually tuck your thumbs in to protect your parents from death.

Be careful not to step on a manhole that has the letter A on it or it will bring you a broken heart and bad luck.

Never cut your nails after the sun goes down – it can cause premature death.

Superstitions XIII - Luck

Good Luck

Luck from a wishbone dates back to the Etruscans, who used chickens to predict the future. They believed the collarbone, or wishbone, of the chicken was sacred and would dry them in the sun to keep for luck. To share the luck they would break them apart. The person who gets the biggest piece gets the bigger share of the luck, or wish.

If you say “rabbit rabbit” on the first day of the month, it ensures good luck for the month. It’s a little unclear why this is a common belief in Britain and North America, but it’s also believed that a rabbit’s foot (the left hind foot) is also lucky.

Crossing your fingers to bring good dates back to early Christianity. Two people would cross index fingers, making a cross, when making a wish, the one in support of the other. Anything associated with the shape of the cross was considered lucky. In time crossing fingers for luck became something someone could do on their own.

While accidentally stepping in dog poop might seem like a bad thing, it’s only bad luck if you step with your right foot. If you step with your left foot it’s considered lucky.

Bird poop is also considered lucky, especially if it lands on you, your home, or your car. It signifies money will be coming your way.

In Spain, instead of kissing someone at midnight on New Year’s, you should eat twelve grapes one after another to bring good luck for the year.

Once upon a time, it was considered extremely lucky to get your hands on a piece of the bride. To keep the dress and veil in one piece, brides began throwing their bouquets in the air to distract the crazed guests. Today it’s believed that whoever catches the bridal bouquet will be lucky in love and the next one to marry.

A belief in beginner’s luck is an example of confirmation bias. This is a psychological condition where a person believes events that fit their world view. If they believe they are going to win because they’re a beginner, they’re more likely to remember all the times this was true in the past and forget the times they lost.

Bad Luck

Bad luck coming in threes is another example of confirmation bias. If something goes wrong, you begin to look for other bad things to happen and ignore the good.

Walking into a room with your left foot is bad luck – you should always enter or leave a room with your right.

You should never wish someone a happy birthday before the day arrives or it will cause bad luck.

Opening an umbrella indoors has been thought to bring bad luck since the time of the pharaohs. The parasols ancient Egyptians used were believed to be magic because they protected them from the sun. When one is opened indoors, out of the sun’s rays, it offends the sun god and incurs bad luck.

A flock of birds going from left to right means that bad luck is on the way.

The Greeks find Tuesday the most unlucky day of the week, but especially Tuesday the 13th. It was on Tuesday 13, 1204 that Constantinople fell to the Crusaders.

But they’re not the only ones who have a thing about Tuesday. Many countries in Latin America believe you shouldn’t get married, go on a trip, or leave your house on a Tuesday because you’re sure to have bad luck.

In Italy it’s considered bad luck to lay bread upside down on a table or in a basket. Bread represents the body of Christ and therefore needs to be treated with respect.

According to Welsh tradition, it is unlucky to cut a baby’s fingernails before they’re six months old. The mother should bite them off instead.

The Japanese believe that sleeping with your head to the north is bad luck because that's how the deceased are laid to rest. The same superstition exists in Africa for sleeping with your head to the west.

Better not take any chances and sleep with your head to the south or east tonight.

Pleasant dreams!

Superstitions XII – Ladders

Everybody knows it’s bad luck to walk under a ladder, but do you know why?

The oldest instance of this superstition comes to us from ancient Egypt. When a ladder leans against a wall it creates a triangular shape, like a pyramid. This shape was sacred to the Egyptians as it represented the trinity of the gods. To pass through a triangle was to desecrate it and incur the wrath of the gods.

The followers of Jesus Christ had a different take on this superstition, linking it to the death of Christ. Because a ladder had rested against the cross Jesus had been hung on, it became a symbol of wickedness, betrayal, and death. To walk under a ladder was to court misfortune.

The Holy Trinity of the Christians is made up of three parts – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – making the number three sacred. The triangle, having three sides, became sacred by association. As with the Egyptians, a ladder leaning up against a wall was seen as a triangle and to walk under the ladder, or through the triangle, was seen as breaking the Holy Trinity. Breaking the Holy Trinity was considered blasphemy and the person who did so was believed to be in league with the devil. This kind of label was a quick path to the witch trials and the hangman’s noose.

Before the creation of the gallows, murderers were hung from the top of a ladder. The ladder was propped up and the person being hung was made to climb up to the rope. After they died it was said that their ghost would remain after the body had fallen. This made the area around the ladder very unlucky.

There are, of course, more pedestrian reasons why walking under a ladder is unlucky. The presence of a ladder suggests someone is standing on it to do some work. You don’t want to walk under a ladder and have something fall on your head, nor would you want to risk jostling it and causing someone to fall.

But as with most superstitions, there are ways to reverse the bad luck:

- make a wish while you’re walking under the ladder.
- spit through the ladder’s rungs three times.
- walk backwards through the ladder again.
- cross your fingers until you see a dog.
- spit on your shoe and continue walking, but don’t look at your shoe again until the spit has dried.
- say “bread and butter” as you walk under the ladder.
- put your thumb between your index and middle fingers as you walk under the ladder (but be warned, this is called the “fig sign” and is sometimes seen as a mildly obscene gesture.

Or better yet, don’t take any chances and just avoid walking under a ladder in the first place.

Superstitions XI – Itching Palms

Originally, this series was supposed to end with the New Year’s post. But as usually happens when holidays do not conveniently fall on a weekend, my days got kind of mixed up in my head. Yesterday I suddenly realized it was Tuesday and I needed a post for the next day. Oops!

When I did what I thought was going to be a little research, I was surprised at just how many superstitions about itchy palms there are.

Right to receive and left to leave
rub on wood and it's sure to be good,
rub on brass and it will come fast.

The ancient Saxons and Celts believed an itchy palm brought good luck, but if you scratched it the luck would go away. The only way to keep it is to scratch your palm on a piece of wood.

The roots of the superstition can be traced back to the pre-Christian era. The Saxons believed that rubbing silver on your skin was a cure for many diseases, so they would rub an itchy palm with silver. This eventually became the superstition that silver was coming your way. This belief was later adopted by Roman fortune tellers and turned into the version we know today.

If your left hand itches:
- you’re likely to become rich.
- indicates you’ll be on the receiving end of several opportunities.
- means you’ll be on the receiving end of a fight.
- quickly scratch it on wood and you’ll receive money.

If your right hand itches:
- don’t scratch it or you’ll lose money.
- you’ll meet someone new
- you’ll shake hands with a stranger.
- you should clean house – company’s coming.
- a friend you haven’t seen in a long time is coming to pay a call.
- it means you want to give someone a beating.
- news from afar or a letter is coming your way, but you’ll have to spit in your palm to receive it.
- money is coming, but to get it you’ll have to shove your hand in your pocket. If you don’t, the money will never come.

There is also the belief that itchy palms are an indication of some kind of internal energy. The right hand indicates active energy and the left hand is passive, or receptive. So if your right palm itches it means the energy is moving outward, and if the left one is itchy it means you are receiving energy.

Or an itchy palm might just mean you’ve got a bad case of eczema or you’ve touched something you’re allergic to. Better check with your doctor, just in case.

Superstitions X – New Year’s

I don’t think any of us will be sorry to see the last of 2020, but you might want to check out these superstitions before you wave the final bye bye.

Stock your cupboards up with food and your wallet with money to bring prosperity in the New Year. Empty pockets or empty cupboards on New Year’s Eve portend a year of poverty.

Open a window a few minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve to let the bad luck out and welcome in good luck for the New Year. Then at the stroke of midnight you should open all the doors of the house to let the old year escape unimpeded.

It’s tradition to make a lot of noise at New Year celebrations to scare away the devil and his servants. Church bells are rung at midnight for the same reason.

Kissing at midnight ensures that affections and ties will continue throughout the New Year. It is also said that to not do this would be to set the stage for a year of coldness.

If you eat 12 grapes at midnight (one for each month of the year) you will have good luck for the entire year.

One food you don’t want to eat, however, is lobster. It’s believed that eating lobster before midnight on New Year’s Eve is bad luck because they move backwards, which will set you up for a year of obstacles. You also don’t want to eat chicken because chickens have wings and your good luck could fly away.

The direction of wind during sunrise on New Year morning prophesies about the coming year. Wind from south foretells fine weather and prosperous times ahead while wind from north foretells bad weather. Wind blowing from east foretells natural calamities and wind from west foretells plenty of milk and fish for all, but death of a person of great national importance. No wind means joy and prosperity throughout the year.

Nothing should be carried outside on New Year’s day to avoid carrying out the family’s good luck for the year ahead

Don’t leave the house until someone enters from the outside first on New Year’s Day. And no one should enter the home from the outside world without bringing in something from outside, to ensure a year of prosperity for the family within.

The appearance of an unexpected visitor on New Year’s Day means a year full of company for the household. If the unexpected visitor is a man it’s considered good luck, but if it’s a woman it means trouble.

If you dance in the open air, especially round a tree, on New Year's Day it ensures luck in love and prosperity and freedom from ill health during the coming twelve months.

Avoid breaking things or crying on the first day of the year if you don't want to continue the pattern for the entire year.

In several countries, people do not let money, jewelry, precious items or other valuable things leave home on New Year’s Day. You should also not pay loans and bills or lend things to anybody.

Mountain superstitions dictate that the traditional meal for New Year’s Day is black-eyed peas and hog jowl. The black-eyed peas are served in heaping helpings because each pea or bean eaten is a guarantee of one day of good luck. Hog jowl is also considered good luck.

You should only do a token amount of work on New Year’s Day to ensure advancement in your career, and starting a serious work project is unlucky. Working hard at a task will guarantee a year of hard labor, since whatever deeds are performed will influence a person's actions for the rest of the year. People go to the extent of not taking out garbage or even sweeping their carpets on this day to ensure that nothing goes out of home during the year.

It is also believed that washing dishes and doing laundry on New Year's Day will lead to a death in the family during the year. Many people do not even wash hair on New Year day.

Any superstition that tells me I shouldn’t wash dishes or do laundry is one I can really get behind. :-)

May you have nothing but luck in the New Year.

Superstitions IX – Christmas

With Christmas being so commercialized these days, it’s easy to forget its old-fashioned roots and traditions. And let’s not forget the superstitions. Many, many superstitions.

Christmas evergreens represent endurance while the berries represent resurrection of life. Since the 15th century, holly and ivy were essential part of Christmas decorations for church. If the holly used for Christmas decorations is smooth the wife will be master. If the holly used for Christmas decorations is prickly the husband is the master. Prudent couples use both kinds of hollies on Christmas to assure balanced and harmonious home.

Mistletoe, also known as Celtic-All-Heal was popular by the 19th century. Since the times of druids, it was associated with fertility and kissing. Luck favors those who kiss under the mistletoe but turns against those who avoid it. It is bad luck to take Christmas mistletoe down and it should only be replaced on the following Christmas. Burning old mistletoe was said to predict marriage prospects of an unmarried girl. Steady flames ensured happy marital life while the spluttering flames predicted bad tempered and cross husbands.

The Yule log should be lit by a piece of the log used on the previous Christmas. Once that is done, no evil spirit can then enter into the house. Yule Logs should never be bought. Once lit, it must burn all through the 12 days of Christmas otherwise bad luck will visit the household. Any difficulty in lighting the Yule log was taken as a bad omen for the year ahead. Yule logs were burnt on the Christmas fire and many people kept a piece on the log from the previous year as a lucky talisman.

Small amounts of lead were melted over the Yule log then poured into a container of water. The resulting shape was then used to predict future about the pourer

After the Christmas dinner, a popular parlor game was to float walnut shells as boats with small burning candles in them in a bowl of water. The owners whose boat crossed across the bowl safely were said to be endowed with prosperity for the coming year while bad luck awaited those whose boats sunk in the bowl.

Everyone was given an apple after dinner, which was then cut in half lengthwise. If the core was star-shaped, the company was sure of meeting again safely next year. If anybody's core was in a different shape, their death was predicted within twelve months' time. The appearance of four-point cross was a particularly bad omen.

The weather on each of the twelve days of Christmas signifies what the weather will be on the appropriate month of the coming year. If you really want to know the rainfall for the next year, you can hollow out 12 onions, putting salt into each. Each onion is named after a month of the year, and there will be rain in every month where the salt in that onion is wet. And if Christmas Day falls on a Thursday, the following year will be windy.

Whatever you dream on any of the 12 nights between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6) will come to pass within the next year.

Singing Christmas carols at any time other than during the festive season is unlucky.

Failing to decorate a Christmas tree will cause spring to never come – instead you’ll have bad luck and evil spirits.

A dog that howls on Christmas Eve will go mad.

If an apple is eaten at midnight on Christmas Eve, good health will follow for a year.

The gender of the first visitor to the house on Christmas Eve was said to foretell the sex of the child of the pregnant women in the household.

The gates of Heaven open at midnight on Christmas Eve. Those who die then go straight to Heaven (an Irish belief).

Christmas candles should be left burning until Christmas morning and should rest undisturbed from time of lighting until they are snuffed.

On Christmas morning the first person down the stairs must quickly open the front door and sweep trouble out the door.

Never give shoes for Christmas gifts. Giving a new pair of shoes as Christmas gifts would make your friends walk away from you.

Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green.

The first person to hear the rooster crow on Christmas Day is assured of good luck.

Every mince pie you eat at Christmas means a happy month in the year to come.

Bathing on Christmas Day will keep you safe from fevers and toothache in the year to come.

It’s bad luck to leave the dinner table before everyone has finished on Christmas Day.

The child born on Christmas Day will have a special fortune.

A Christmas tree should never be thrown out doors or it will attract evil spirits and goblins. Christmas trees should be burned, but save a section to be used as next year’s Yule log.

To avoid bad luck, all of your Christmas decorations should be down by Candlemas (February 2).

Superstitions VIII - Theatre Superstitions

Performers in the theatre are among the most superstitious people alive, so it’s no wonder I can dedicate an entire post to theatre superstitions. Some of them you may be familiar with, but others may take you by surprise.

Never wish an actor “good luck” say “break a leg” instead. There are two reasons for this. The first is that many theatre folk believe the theatre is filled with mischief-making spirits who will use their magic to cause the opposite of what you wish to happen. The other explanation is the word “leg” does not refer to the actor but to the curtains that mask the backstage which are known as “legs.” “Breaking a leg” means you’ve crossed from the backstage into the front, thus entering the spotlight.

It’s bad luck to say the name of the play Macbeth in the theatre as it curses the production. Many actors will refer to it as the Scottish play or the Bard’s play instead. It’s widely believed that Shakespeare used a real spell incantation for the opening scene and real witches cursed the play because of this. In 1606 the actor playing Lady Macbeth died tragically and Shakespeare himself had to step into the role. Other productions have been plagued with accidents such as actors falling off the stage, mysterious deaths, and even narrow misses by falling stage weights.

The last person leaving the theatre at night is responsible for leaving on the ghost light – a light in the middle of the stage that stays on when all other lights have been turned off. Now this may have a more practical reason seeing as there’s usually a lot of debris on stage for someone to trip over in the dark, but the light also appeases any spirits who may be living in the theatre and keeps them from playing pranks.

It’s bad luck to whistle backstage. This superstition started in the middle of the 1600s when scenery was lifted into the air by ropes and pulleys. The stage hands would communicate with each other by whistling, so a random whistle could cue a stagehand to lift or drop scenery with disastrous results.

Blue should not be worn on stage. Several centuries ago, blue dyes were expensive because they were so difficult to make and a theatre troupe’s success was often judged by the number of blue costumes it could afford. Failing troupes would spend every penny they had on blue costumes to deceive audiences into thinking they were more successful than they actually were. To distinguish themselves, the more successful troupes would adorn their blue costumes with silver because only a flourishing troupe could afford to do so. To this day, blue costumes are considered unlucky and a sign of failure unless they’re paired with silver.

Green is often shunned as well. When the spotlight was first invented it worked by burning a chemical called quicklime, which is where the term “limelight,” originated. The limelight had a greenish glow to it and any actor wearing green might not be visible when hit by the spotlight. The other reason to avoid green was that it was the colour of the costume actor/playwright Molière was wearing in 1673 when he suffered a coughing fit while onstage, brought on by tuberculosis. Though he finished his performance he had started to hemmorage and died, still in his green costume.

Bringing a peacock feather on stage will bring bad luck to a production. The eye-like pattern on the end of the feather is reminiscent of the evil eye, something that has been thought to bring on a malevolent curse since the early Greeks. Peacock feathers were also feared by the early Europeans as they were part of the adornment of the Mongols who invaded during the Middle Ages. Peacock feathers became associated with that dark and bloody history and no one wanted it associated with their production.

Don’t give gifts of flowers before the performance because it tempts the fates to ensure a lacklustre show. But interestingly enough, there was at one time a tradition that involved giving the leading lady and the director a bouquet of flowers stolen from a graveyard when the show closes to symbolize the death of the show.

It stands to reason in the early days of theatre having an open flame was dangerous as well as unlucky, theatres being built of wood with thatched roofs. Shakepeare’s Globe Theatre burned down when a cannon was set off during a production of Henry VIII. Having three lit candles on stage was considered especially unlucky, as the person standing closest to the shortest candle would be the first to die.

Mirrors on stage are considered bad luck because they reflect light, which can wreck havoc with the lighting design of a production. A reflected spotlight could blind an actor, causing him to walk right off the edge of the stage.

Other Theatre superstitions:

* A bad dress rehearsal portends a great opening night.
* To keep the ghosts of a theatre quiet, there should be at least one night a week when the theatre is empty (traditionally Monday night).
* It’s bad luck if a cat runs across the stage during a performance.
* It’s good luck if you’re greeted at the stage door by the theatre cat.
* It’s excellent luck if the cat rubs up against or sits on your knee, and it will bring good reviews.
* A loose thread on a costume must be snapped, never cut, off and wrapped around the forefinger. The number of loops will tell you how long the run of the show will be.
* Never speak the last line of the play while in rehearsals or the play will never get through a performance.

Superstitions VII – Salt

Homer called salt divine. Plato described it as a substance dear to the gods. Pythagoras said that salt was the emblem of justice.

Salt is a purifier, a preservative, and symbolizes the good and lasting qualities of life. It became a sign of hospitality, trust, and friendship because of its high price. Soldiers in Rome were often paid in salt, which is where the saying that a person was "not worth his salt" originated. It was mixed into the foods used in the religious ceremonies of both the Greeks and Romans and was also used for medicinal purposes.

In the Middle Ages salt was very valuable and the waste of it was said to bring bad luck. To avoid this bad luck you were supposed to throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder, a remedy that was Christian in origin. By doing this, you're throwing the salt into the devil's eye to blind him and deflect the bad luck and bad health he had in store for you. You need to throw it over the left shoulder, not the right, because the angels sit to the right hand of God and the seat of the devil, the fallen angel, was to His left.

If you look closely at Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper, you will see that the betrayer Judas has accidentally spilled salt onto the table, another reason spilling salt is considered bad luck.

In the Hartz Mountain region in Germany, peasants believe that three grains of salt in a milk-pot will keep witches away from the milk. To preserve butter from uncanny influences, it was a custom in Aberdeen, Scotland, to put salt on the lid of a churn. In Normandy the peasants would throw a little salt into a vessel containing milk in order to protect the cow who gave the milk from the influences of witchcraft.

In the Province of Quebec, French Canadians sometimes scatter salt around the doors of their stables to prevent mischievous little imps called lutins from entering and teasing the horses by sticking burrs in their manes and tails. In Marsala, west Sicily, a horse, mule, or donkey is thought to be liable to molestation by fairies when they enter a new stall. As a precautionary measure a little salt is placed on the animal's back. This is believed to insure freedom from lameness or other evil resulting from fairy spite.

The Germans of Buffalo valley in central Pennsylvania believe that a boy may be cured of homesickness by placing salt in the hems of his trousers and making him look up the chimney.

In India the natives rub salt and wine on the affected part of the body as a cure for scorpion bites, believing that the success of this treatment is due to the supernatural virtue of the salt in searing away the fiends who caused the pain.

A Magyar house-mistress will not give any salt to a woman who may come to the door and ask for it in the early morning, believing that any such would-be borrower is surely a witch; but in order to keep away all witches and hags, she strews salt on the threshold. On St. Lucien's Day neither salt nor fire must be taken out of the house.

Scots fishermen have a traditional custom of salting their nets for luck, and they also sometimes throw a little salt into the sea "to blind the fairies."

Salt and bread, representing the necessaries of life, are the first articles taken into the dwelling of a newly married pair in Russia. In Pomerania, at the close of a wedding breakfast, a servant carries about a plate containing salt, upon which the guests place presents of money.

Other superstitions regarding salt:

• In order to reverse the bad luck that was coming your way from spilling salt, enough tears must be cried to dissolve the salt that was spilled
• If salt is spilt in a particular person's direction, bad luck is coming to that person
• Tossing a pinch of spilt salt over the left shoulder is the antidote of ill luck raised
• If you have a curse or hex placed on you by a gypsy then once they leave your home throw a pinch of salt in their direction to nullify the curse
• If you have a frequent visitor whom you don’t want, then simply throw a pinch of salt at them when they’re in your house and they won’t return
• Fishermen never use the word while at sea because it’s taboo, however it’s a tradition to sprinkle fishing nets with salt to ensure a safe return
• If you want a lover to return then burn salt on seven consecutive mornings
• If you sprinkle some salt on the doorway to a new house then no evil can enter it
• If you are a bride then sprinkle a pinch of salt onto your dress for a happy marriage
• Never lend salt if you are outside the house, at a picnic etc., this will bring you very bad luck
• Newborn babies were once bathed in salt and water to ward off witchcraft
• Never offer another diner a salt cellar that is open - help me to salt, help me to sorrow
• You can tell if a girl is a virgin if she forgets to put salt onto the table

Superstitions VI – Sneezing

Who would have thought there were so many superstitions about sneezing?

Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for danger.
Sneeze on Tuesday, kiss a stranger.
Sneeze on Wednesday, sneeze for a letter.
Sneeze on Thursday, something better.
Sneeze on Friday, sneeze for woe.
Sneeze on Saturday, a journey to go.
Sneeze on Sunday, your safety seek—
For Satan will have you for the rest of the week!

Ancient man believed that his breath was also the essence of life, or soul. A rapid exhaling of that breath--a sneeze--was the same as expelling life from one's body. It also left a vacuum in the head that would allow evil spirits to enter.

The Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians considered the sneeze a kind of internal oracle that warned them in times of danger and foretold future good or evil. Sneezing to the right was considered lucky; to the left, unlucky.

There is an old legend that before the time of the Old Testament, people sneezed only once and then died. However, Jacob interceded on behalf of humankind and obtained a cessation of this rule on the condition that the words "God bless you!" follow every sneeze.

In Iceland, according to legend, there was once a terrible epidemic in which many people died. A brother and sister observed that everyone around them who succumbed to the disease was first seized by a sneezing fit. Therefore, when they themselves sneezed they cried, "God help me!" Because of this prayer they were allowed to live, and they spread the story of their healing blessing to all the inhabitants of the area. The Icelanders have continued the custom of saying, "God help me!" when they themselves sneeze and "God help you!" when others sneeze.

Closer to home, it is believed that the custom of saying "God bless you!" after a sneeze dates back to the bubonic plague. Sneezing was an early sign of catching the infection and hence of imminent death. The pope decreed that persons who sneezed should be blessed with the phrase “May God have mercy on your soul,” to protect them from imminent doom. This was later shortened to “Bless you.”

There are also many other beliefs about sneezing:

• A sneeze at the time of prayer gives negative result.
• If you sneeze without covering your face, your soul may escape.
• If anyone says good health or long life, the sneezer will live for one hundred years.
• Sneezing before stepping out of the house or at the onset of a new task or journey is considered ill luck.
• A sneeze during a conversation means the words spoken are true.
• If you sneeze when you are talking you are telling a lie.
• The first sneeze of a baby should be blessed as it means that the child is mentally balanced.
• A fool cannot sneeze.
• If you feel like sneezing and can’t, it means that someone close by is in love with you.
• If you sneeze while at a meal this means you are going to meet a new friend.
• If you sneeze two or three times in a row, it means that someone is complaining or gossiping about you.
• If you sneeze between 6 a.m. - 9 a.m., you will be lucky that day.
• If you sneeze between 9.01 a.m. - 12 p.m. you will receive good news from someone far away.
• If you sneeze between 12.01 p.m. - 3 p.m. you will receive some good news from someone of the opposite sex.
• If you sneeze between 3.01 p.m. and 6 p.m. you will receive some good news regarding business. If you have lost anything you will get it back.
• If you sneeze between 6.01 p.m. - midnight, do not accept anything from anyone because bad things will happen.
• If you sneeze between midnight until 6 a.m., someone will come to ask to stay with you. Do not allow them. If someone asks for help, do not help. They will bring trouble.

So next time you sneeze, pay close attention. It might just mean more than your allergies acting up.

Superstitions V – Black Cats

The life giving rays of the sun rest in the cat’s eyes at night for safe keeping.
~ Egyptian superstition

Originally, the black cat represented good luck. This began in Egypt with Bast, the official deity of Egypt in the 22nd Dynasty. It was believed that by bringing a black cat into the household Bast would become part of the cat in spirit and bless the home with riches and prosperity.

A strange black cat on a porch is considered to bring prosperity.
~ Scottish superstition

In the 1600’s, Charles I of England owned a black cat. He was so attached to the it that he kept it under constant guard. When the cat fell ill and died, Charles proclaimed, “Alas, my luck is gone.” The next day he was arrested and charged with high treason. Ultimately he was put to death.

Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers will have no lack.
~ English Proverb

In the Yorkshires, a black cat was believed to bring fishermen home safely from the seas. During the height of the fishing industry in this village, black kittens were often catnapped and sold to the highest bidder. In other parts of Europe, if a black cat crosses your path, you are considered to have good fortune. If a black cat walks into your house or home, you are truly blessed.

While dreaming of white cats is considered lucky, seeing one in the night is bad luck.
~ American superstition

Many people believe that a black cat brings good fortune and also, that anyone who finds the one perfect, pure white hair in an all-black cat and plucks it out without being scratched, will find great wealth and good luck in love.

A black cat in the audience on opening night portends a successful play.

In the English Midlands, a black cat as a wedding present is thought to bring good luck to the bride.

Any one who hears a cat sneezing is considered to be blessed with good luck.
~ Italian superstition

Fear of cats, particularly black cats, first arose in Europe during the Middle Ages, mainly in England. The cat characterizes independence, willfulness, and stealth. Alley cats were often fed by poor, lonely old ladies, and when witch hysteria struck Europe, many of these harmless women were accused of practicing black magic. Their cat companions (especially black ones) were deemed guilty of witchery by association.

In the Netherlands, cats were considered to be evil and weren't allowed in a room where private conversations were taking place. It was believed that they could spread the gossip around.

The Pilgrims brought with them not only a devout faith in the Bible, but also a deep fear of anything considered to come from the devil. They were a very suspicious people. Black cats were viewed as a witch’s familiar. A black cat was considered to be part demon and part sorcery. Anyone caught with a black cat would be severely punished or even killed.

As the Christians gained a foothold in America, they perpetuated the belief that black cats were an integral part of witchcraft. Black cats were often sought after and killed. If a farmer believed his land had a spell cast on it, the only way to break that spell was to shoot a black cat with a silver bullet.

All Hallows Eve is believed to be the time when an opening is created to the Otherworld and the black cat is considered the catalyst for that driving force.

A black cat crossing one's path by moonlight means death in an epidemic. However, killing a cat brings 17 years of bad luck.
~Irish superstition

The belief that a black cat crossing your path is unlucky depends largely upon what country you’re in. In Japan it is believed to be good luck. So the next time a black cat crosses your path, just say “Konichiwa” and turn your luck around.

Superstitions IV – Breaking Mirrors

The first reflections man had of himself were found gazing into pools, ponds, or lakes. If the image became distorted in any way, it was a mark of impending disaster or a corruption of his soul. When he became more civilized he used polished stone, such as obsidian, to reflect his images. Then came mirrors of polished metal, but they were small and heavy and used mostly for decoration.

The Romans, Greeks, Chinese, Africans, and Indian cultures, believed that a mirror had the power to confiscate part of the user's soul. If the user should break a mirror it would mean his or her soul would be trapped inside the world the mirror represented. Essentially, a broken mirror created a broken soul, which in turn lead to the broken health of the unfortunate user.

The origin of the ‘seven years of bad luck for breaking a mirror’ superstition can be traced back to the Romans, who were the first to create glass mirrors. They believed that a person's physical body renewed itself every seven years, which meant it would take seven years before the user's soul would be fully restored. Until the seven years passed, life for a mirror breaker would be one long string of unfortunate events, since he or she no longer had a healthy soul to ward off spiritual evil-doers.

There are several different ways of warding off the ill luck caused by breaking a mirror:

* Throw salt over your shoulder.
* Directly after breaking the mirror, turn around three times counterclockwise.
* Since the pieces can still reflect the corrupted soul, grind the shards into a fine powder.
* Gather the broken mirror pieces and submerge them in the waters of a south-running stream.
This will wash away the bad luck after only seven hours rather than seven days.
* Burn the mirror, or at least blacken its shards in the flames of a fire. Save the fragments for a year and then bury them, and the curse will be counteracted.
* On the first night after breaking the mirror, light seven white candles and blow them out at midnight in one breath.
* Touch a tombstone with a piece of the mirror and the hex will be lifted.
* Bury the pieces under a tree during a full moon.

Other Mirror Superstitions:

John Dee, alchemist and court magician of Queen Elizabeth I, used a mirror for scrying. He has been credited with prophesying the plot to kill King James in 1605.

It is said that having a large number of mirrors in the home is lucky because of the mirror's ability to deflect evil and attract good.

The mirror is symbolic of, among other things, money. Hang one beside the table in the dining room or kitchen to attract wealth and food to the home.

Ideally, no mirror should be hung so low that it "cuts off" the tallest household member's head (doing so may cause headaches). However, mirrors shouldn't be hung too high either.

If you feel sad or troubled while home alone with no one to talk to and no apparent way to control your blue mood, stand before a mirror and gaze into your eyes. Your anxiety should disappear.

Any mirrors in a room where someone has recently died, must be covered so that the dead person's soul does not get trapped behind the glass. Superstition has it that the Devil invented mirrors for this very purpose.

To see an image of her future husband, a woman is told to eat an apple while sitting in front of a mirror and then brush her hair. An image of the man will appear behind her shoulder.

To see your reflection in a mirror is to see your own soul, which is why a vampire, who is without a soul, has no reflection.

If a couple first catch sight of each other in a mirror, they will have a happy marriage.

If a mirror falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will soon die.

It is bad luck to see your face in a mirror when sitting by candlelight.

Someone seeing their reflection in a room where someone has recently died will soon die themselves.

Actors believe that it is bad luck to see their reflection while looking over the shoulder of another person.

Babies should not look into a mirror for the first year of their lives.

Superstitions Part III – Knocking on Wood

If you read my post on Sunday, you may have noticed several times that I wrote *knock on wood* including in the title of the post. The expression is used when there is no wood to actually knock on, an action that’s used when you feel like you’re tempting fate and want to ward off evil. When you’re actually knocking on wood you need to do it three times, but if you’re saying it or writing it, once is fine.

The tradition traces back to an ancient pagan belief that spirits resided in trees, particularly oak, ash, holly, or hawthorn. By knocking on or touching the wood you are paying tribute to these spirits by acknowledging them and can call on them for protection against ill-fortune. It’s also a way of thanking them for their continued blessing and good luck.

The Greeks worshipped the oak because it was sacred to Zeus, the Celts believed in tree spirits, and both believed touching sacred trees would bring good fortune. Irish lore holds that "touching wood" is a way to thank the leprechauns for a bit of luck. Pagans also held similar beliefs of protective tree spirits. The Chinese and Koreans thought the spirits of mothers who died in childbirth remained in nearby trees.

A Jewish version traces the origin to the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century. At the time, persecuted Jews fled to synagogues built of wood, and they devised a coded knock to gain admission. Since this practice spared countless lives, it became common to "knock on wood" for good luck.

Like many of their traditions, the Christians appropriated the idea of knocking on wood from the pagans, making the practice more acceptable by claiming the wood in question referred to the cross Jesus was crucified on.

In the 1800s, many children's games included a saying to knock on wood. The game of “Tiggy Touchwood” was a kind of tag in which players were “safe” whenever they touched some kind of wood like a tree or a door.

In these modern times, many traditionally wooden items only appear wood-like – tables, bookcases, etc. It’s become acceptable to knock on a table with a wood veneer, or even on something that is not wood at all, such as plastic or Formica, as long as you say "knock on wood" or "touch wood". To me, this shows that the original reason for knocking is becoming forgotten, even in folk memories, in favor of the knocking action itself.

To my surprise, while doing research for this piece, I came across many references to a person knocking on their own head if no wood was available. This is something I’m in the habit of doing, even when there is wood around. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.

Superstitions Part II – Horseshoes and Pennies

A long time ago, people believed that metal was a gift from the gods, given as a protection against evil. Any form of metal was considered lucky, whether it was a horseshoe hung over a door or a good luck coin.

Early Celtic tribes would put a horseshoe above the door to keep away elves and goblins. Not only was the horseshoe made of iron, which was used to ward off evil spirits, it was shaped like a crescent moon which was another symbol that repelled evil. Traditionally it was held in place by seven iron nails, seven being a lucky number.

As to the question of which way you should hang your horseshoe, hang it open end up to keep the devil away and bring good luck into your home, or hang it open end down to share good luck with anyone passing through the doorway.

The old-wives tale of putting a penny in the shoe of a woman on her wedding day comes courtesy of an old Victorian rhyme. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in your shoe." If a sixpence wasn’t available, a penny could be substituted. Over time the saying changed to, "and a lucky penny in the shoe." The penny in the shoe ensured that the newly married couple would always have wealth.

Find a penny, pick it up
All the day you’ll have good luck
See a penny, let it lay
Bad luck will follow you all day

The original phrase was "see a pin and pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck." This was a reference to a pagan ritual in which a pin could be used in a good luck spell. The myth was that a dropped pin might have been used in such a spell and would provide good luck to the person who found it.

As far as pennies are concerned . . . if you lose a penny it’s believed you’re losing your luck – whether you’re losing good luck or bad depends on how the penny lands. If it lands heads up you need to pick it up, otherwise you’re leaving your good luck behind. However, if it lands tails up leave it alone because you’ve just gotten rid of some of your bad luck.

Looking to change your luck? Take ten pennies, find a parking lot, and toss them into the air. Pick up all the pennies that land face up, leaving behind all the pennies that are tails up. Then you have to wait for someone to come along and pick up all the bad luck pennies, taking your bad luck away with them.

Good luck with that.

Superstitions Part I – Halloween

What better time to start a series on superstitions than right before All Hallow’s Eve?

This Halloween is particularly special because it’s being lit by a full moon, which happens only once every 19 years. And rarer still, it’s blue moon (the second full moon in a month).

Here in Canada and the U.S., every year hoards of children dressed in costumes, converge on innocent neighborhoods, knocking on doors to get free candy or other goodies before going on to the next door to repeat the process. So just how did this tradition get started?

This tradition can be traced back more than 2,000 years to the Celtic belief that the spirits of the dead still remained present on our plane of existence, and required food and drink to be placated. Failing to leave out an offering was sure to invite the disgruntled spirits to cause mischief and ill fortune in retaliation. Later, people began dressing up as the spirits in order to receive these offerings of food, and playing practical jokes on those who did not furnish them.

In Ireland, there was a practice among the peasants of going door to door to collect money or food in preparation for the festival of St. Columba.

In England, the poor would go around to different households on All Souls Day (November 1) begging for food. They would be given "soul cakes" in exchange for the promise to pray for the family's dead relatives. This practice was known as "going a-souling".

In Scotland children, or guisers, would have to impress the occupants of the houses they visit with a song, trick, joke, or dance in order to earn their treats.

In Mexico they celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, otherwise known as the Day of the Dead. This celebration is designed to honor dead ancestors, and runs from October 31 through November 2. This is the time when the dead are believed to walk the earth and return home for a visit. Altars to honor deceased family members are built, decorated with candy, flowers, and samples of favorite foods with a basin of water and towel left out so they can wash up afterwards. Candles or incense are burned to help the dead find their way back home. Families gather at the gravesites on November 2, tidying and decorating the graves before having a picnic to celebrate.

Halloween Superstitions

When you ring a bell on Halloween, it will cause evil spirits to fly away.

If a bat flies into your house, beware! You may have some ghosts or spirits visiting.

If bats fly around your house on Halloween night three times, death is inevitable.

If you’re out walking on Halloween night and you hear footsteps behind you, don’t turn around! It may be Death following you, and if you look him in the eye you’ll hasten your own death.

A person born on Halloween can both see and talk to spirits.

If you happen to see a spider on Halloween then the spirit of a loved one is watching over you.

At one time it was believed that Satan was a nut-gatherer, so, on Halloween night, nuts were used as magic charms.

The burning candle inside a jack-o-lantern keeps evil spirits and demons at bay.

If a candle suddenly goes out by itself on Halloween, it is believed that a ghost has come to call.

Always burn new candles on Halloween to ensure the good luck. If you burn Halloween candles at any other time it can draw strange happenings to you or bring bad luck.

Gazing into a flame of a candle on Halloween night will enable you to peer into the future.