Family rituals and superstitions

No new shoes on table. No May blossom in house. Mum and dad went around the house and turned off electricity during thunderstorms. Don't open umbrella right way up indoors. If you buy someone a purse, put a coin in it. I was also fed Halibut liver oil and malt.

My Father would never hand a knife to anyone, he'd put it down first. He also insisted on people wearing a metal pin if travelling...I had a safety pin under my collar on school trips!
A family tradition is never naming a new baby after a living family member either...even as a second name.

My DH’s grandma would whisk the cutlery from our hands and unplug everything if there was a thunder storm. Imagine the havoc that would cause today, with everything needing resetting.
I still sometimes put my knife and fork down at the first crash of thunder-then realise what I’m doing.
The clothing inside out one affects me still. Unless it’s underwear, I have to take it off and wear something else.
We also have a special piece of coal for first footing -let in the New Year at the front door and run through to let the old one out at the back. I can hardly wait to let 2020 out!

My mother truly believed that if you wash the leaves of the plants when you had your period, the plant would die.
I told her it was b.s. and made no sense from a super young age.

Guess what excuse I used everytime she asked me to do that

One day, I carried on with that weekly task on my period and when she realized I broke the golden rule, she went on a rage, grounded me and called the florist to check what to do to avoid the death of the plant.

I don't know what the answer from the florist was but my mother never mentioned it again -yet I stayed grounded for my "irresponsibility"

If you truly washed

Gosh! These bring back some lovely memories handed down through the generation. I can’t think of any others to add but I love reading your traditions

My mum being Scottish would always have someone first footing on New Year’s Eve at 12.00 - it had to be a darker haired person and they had to carry a drink, a bit of food and a lump of coal. I carried this on and now my daughter does the same.

When I was too young to stay up for the bells at Hogmanay my father would creep upstairs at midnight with some ginger wine and shortbread for me. From about ten years old I was allowed to take part in the celebrations and enjoy steak pie and mash after the bells, oh and a snowball, Advocaat and lemonade!

My husband's grandmother was shocked that I wore green for our...very low key...wedding, and said that meant it wouldn't last.
We celebrated our 55th anniversary this year, so I think have proved her wrong.
My only regret was that we didn't get married a week earlier, on Friday 13th, then she could have been truly shocked!

Reminded by Lemsip
from the Fylde area of Lancashire on seeing a hearse
'touch your head, touch your nose
Never go in one of those
touch your head, touch your collar
Never follow
Hold your collar 'til you see a dog
or as an alternative ( which was more difficult)
Never swallow 'til you see a dog

Gaps between paving stones
' Tread on a nick
You'll be dead in a tick'
Bringing hawthorn blossom into a house
no No No
Also as described by others, having red and white flowers in the same vase
'

GrandmasueUK

Oh and my mum wouldn't have red and white flowers in the same vase. She said because they were supposed to represent blood and bandages!

My mother was the same.. When my daughter was planning her wedding she wanted a red and white bouquet so I told her her granny would have been horrified - she ended up with an all red bouquet.

My mum always did our stockings at Christmas and put the same things in every year. Now my sister and I give each other stockings with the same things in them as I are mum did. I ran about one Xmas Eve hunting for Raspberry Ruffle sweets, couldn't believe the shops I went to before I found a packet. Mum always put a few in from the pick and mix in Woolworths when we were kids as they were a bit treat in those days.

No shoes on the table because dead people were often 'laid out' on the table wearing their best, including shoes. Touching your collar until the dog is believed to have started during the great Plague.

I had a green velvet going away suit allule and it will be 50 years for us in 2021. I wanted an emerald in my engagement ring, my mother managed to persuade me not to have it.

Shalene I think your DH got away with it lightly after throwing a wobbler when you whistled for him. I would shout a much ruder word than ‘marmalade’, which I must admit gave me a giggle.

I remember holding my collar when I saw an ambulance (1950's Birmingham) but dont remember having to wait to see a dog before letting go
If we but clothes on inside out or back to front(!) My mother who was quite superstitious allowed us to put them the right way round providing we went outside and turned round 3 times on the doorstep before doing so.
DH absolutely forbids nail cutting on a sunday and thinks the sky will fall in if we do. Naturally, its the one day of the week that I break a finger nail but over the years have become too fearful to even use a nail file on that day.
Don't get me started on "The Scottish Play" the name of which could not be uttered aloud in our house - it made life difficult when I was studying it for O level!

@Maytime2 at one time salt was a very expensive commodity

White blossoms in the house not allowed, called “Motherdie” by my mother. Spit and salute the lone magpie. I worry about the knives being “crossed” in the dishwasher, which is ridiculous. Giving knives as a gift could be the end of the relationship.
I love opals, but believe they are unlucky unless it’s your birth month (October).
One Fine Day from Madame Butterfly considered an unlucky aria. Blue and green should never be seen without another colour between.
I always walk round a post or lamppost with a friend or relative as if it’s between us it could break the bond?

Casdon - My mother and sisters (all from Stoke on Trent) also used to say "It's a bit black over Bill's Mothers". I thought it must be unique to them as never heard anywhere else.

My mother always used to say that "a bird in the house means a death" and I still always fear birds in the house.

My daughter also wanted red and white flowers for her wedding but Dh was very much against it. I then couldn’t remember what coloured flowers she did have so went to look at the wedding photos and spent the next 20 minutes looking at them. It brought back happy memories.

My mother also told us not to cut fingernails on a Sunday as otherwise the devil will be with you all the week. I still feel guilty if I forget and cut my nails on a Sunday.

Follow many already mentioned adding when meeting a new baby placing a silver coin in its pram. I live the whistle custom. Need info on what kind of whistle though, is it the kind fingers placed on teeth and somehow a whistle comes out? That, is a complete mystery to me, would live to be able to do it.

Never heard of having a whistle in the family.
I often whistled to my dog if she seemed to be running too far away and she always responded and came back to my side.
Never whistle before 10 a.m if you work in the theatre it's supposed to be unlucky.

Don't put new bought shoes on the table.
Salute the lone magpie and say good morning.
My mother always said that pearls are unlucky (must be an old wives tale) but I never wear them.
Put a silver coin in a newborn babies hand for good luck.
I still put money in new born babies hand but I usually put a pound coin in accounting for inflation.

We were never allowed to whistle as a whistling women and a crowing hen are fit for neither God nor man according to my Gran.

She also covered mirrors and hid cutlery during a thunderstorm and would read the leaves.

Never cut your toenails on Sunday , if you do you’ll have the devil with you all week ..

No May blossom in the house.considered unlucky.
If my father spilt salt on the table he would always throw some
Over his shoulder,he was Welsh ,may be it was a Welsh custom

Salt over left shoulder- Clothing left inside out- No shoes on the table- Things happen in 3's- Knock wood and head- If left palm itches, scratch it on wood- Touch the roof of the car while driving under a bridge if a train is passing overhead- Lock fingers when saying the same word at the same time as someone else- Say a certain word spotting a car with one headlight- Calling everyone on the first of every month- My grandmother did maloik- Looking at the clock and seeing 11:11 and then telling someone else you saw it-