Superstitions

Superstitions are also known as folk beliefs.Superstitions involve beliefs, practices, and procedures based upon conscious or unconscious assumptions, usually concerned with the nature of cause and effect. Superstitions are powerful in that it can influence people how to act or not to act in everyday life.

Some Superstitions

ACORN

An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life.An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.

AMBER

Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds.

AMBULANCE

Seeing an ambulance is very unlucky unless you pinch your nose or hold your breath until you see a black or a brown dog.

APPLE

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

BABY

Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy.

BASEBALL BAT

Spit on a new bat before using it for the first time to make it lucky

BED

It's bad luck to put a hat on a bed. Placing a bed facing north and south brings misfortune.You must get out of bed on the same side that you get in or you will have bad luck.

BEE

If a bee enters your home, it's a sign that you will soon have a visitor.

BELL

The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud noise.

BIRD

A bird in the house is a sign of a death.

BIRTHDAY CAKE

If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake with the first puff you will get your wish.

BLUE

To protect yourself from witches, wear a blue bead.

BREAD

Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it.

BRIDGE

If you say good-bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.

BROOM

Do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.

BUTTERFLY

If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.Three butterflies together mean good luck.

CANDLE

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

CALF

If the first calf born during the winter is white, the winter will be a bad one.

CAT

If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.

CHEEKS

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

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.

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.

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.

COW

Cows lifting their tails is a sure sign that rain is coming.

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.

DOOR

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

EARS

If your right ear itches, someone is speaking well of you.
If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you.

EASTER

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

ELEPHANT

Pictures of an elephant bring luck, but only if they face a door.

EYE

If your right eye twitches there will soon be a birth in the family. If the left eye twitches there will soon be a death in the family.

EYELASH

If an eyelash falls out, put it on the back of the hand, make a wish and throw it over your shoulder. If it flies off the hand the wish will be granted.

FINGERNAILS

It is bad luck to cut your fingernails on Friday or Sunday.Fingernail cuttings should be saved, burned, or buried.

FISH

A fish should always be eaten from the head toward the tail.
Dream of fish: someone you know is pregnant.

FISHING

Throw back the first fish you catch then you'll be lucky the whole day fishing.If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day.

FLAG

It brings bad luck for a flag to touch the ground.

FOOT

If the bottom of your right foot itches, you are going to take a trip.

FORK

To drop a fork means a man is coming to visit.

FRIDAY

A bed changed on Friday will bring bad dreams.

FRIDAY THE 13TH

More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor. Many airports skip the 13th gate. Airplanes have no 13th aisle.Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue.Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.
If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck .

FROG

A frog brings good luck to the house it enters.The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck averts epilepsy and other fits.

GOOD FRIDAY

A child born on Good Friday and baptized on Easter Sunday has a gift of healing. Cut your hair on Good Friday to prevent headaches in the year to come.A person who dies on Good Friday will go right to heaven.

HAIR

Pulling out a gray or white hair will cause ten more to grow in its place.

HAND

If the palm of your right hand itches it means you will soon be getting money.If the palm of your left hand itches it means you will soon be paying out money.

HORSESHOE

A horseshoe, hung above the doorway, will bring good luck to a home.
A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.

IVY

Ivy growing on a house protects the inhabitants from witchcraft and evil.

KNIFE

A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.
A knife placed under the bed during childbirth will ease the pain of labor.
If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be broken.It will cause a quarrel if knives are crossed at the table.

KNITTING

Don't knit a pair of socks for your boyfriend or he'll walk away from you.
If you knit one of your own hairs into a garment, it will bind the recipient to you.

LADDER

It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.

LADYBUG

If a young girl catches a ladybug and then releases it, the direction in which it flies away will be the direction from which her future husband will come.It is bad luck to kill a ladybug.

LEAF

If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter.

MILK

It's bad luck to let milk boil over.

MIRROR

To break a mirror means 7 years bad luck.It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight.A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.

MISTLETOE

Mistletoe in the house protects it from thunder and lightning.

MOTH

A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death.

ONION

An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.A wish will come true if you make it while burning onions.

OPAL

Unless you were born in October, it's unlucky to wear opals.

OWL

It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunlight.

PENCIL

If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will remember the answers.

PEPPER

If you spill pepper you will have a serious argument with your best friend.

PHOTOGRAPH

If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.

RED

A red ribbon should be placed on a child who has been sick to keep the illness from returning.

ROBIN

A wish made upon seeing the first robin in spring will come true - but only if you complete the wish before the robin flies away.

ROCKING CHAIR

If you leave a rocking chair rocking when empty, it invites evil spirits to come into your house to sit in the rocking chair.

ROSEMARY

Rosemary planted by the doorstep will keep witches away.

SALT

Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt unless a pinch is thrown over the left shoulder into the face of the devil waiting there.Put salt on the doorstep of a new house and no evil can enter.

SCISSORS

If you drop scissors, it means your lover is being unfaithful to you.

SEA GULL

Three seagulls flying together, directly overhead, are a warning of death soon to come.

SHOES

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.It's bad luck to leave shoes upside down.

SINGING

If you sing before seven, you will cry before eleven.

SLEEP

You sleep best with your head to the north and your feet to the south.

SNEEZE

Place a hand in front of your mouth when sneezing. Your soul may escape otherwise.

SPARROW

Sparrows carry the souls of the dead, it's unlucky to kill one.

SPIDER

Seeing a spider run down a web in the afternoon means you'll take a trip.
A spider is a repellent against plague when worn around the neck in a walnut shell.

SWAN

A swan's feather, sewed into the husband's pillow, will ensure fidelity.

THIRTEEN

If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over.

TONGUE

If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you have recently told a lie.

UMBRELLA

Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.It's bad luck to open an umbrella inside the house.

VALENTINE'S DAY

If a woman sees a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it means she will marry a sailor. If she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy. If she sees a goldfinch, she will marry a millionaire.

VEIL

A bride's veil protects her from evil spirits who are jealous of happy people.

WOOD

Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.

WINDOW

All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.

WISH

If you make a wish while throwing a coin into a well or fountain, the wish will come true.

X

The number of Xs in the palm of your right hand is the number of children you will have.

YAWN

A yawn is a sign that danger is near.Cover your mouth when you yawn, or your soul can go out of your body along with the yawn.