Superstitions

I'm not particularly superstitious but there is one specialised rule in the biker community regarding guardian bells. These are small pewter bells which should be hung low on a motorcycle to ward off road imps and breakdowns. Apparently the ringing of the bell causes any malignant road imps to fall off, and that is what causes potholes! Entertaining if far-fetched. However it is considered bad luck to buy one for yourself, it should always be gifted to you. I ignored this, bought one on a bike rally, hung it on my bike and returned home without mishap. However, after leaving my bike outside for about an hour, when I returned to her, she was dead as a dodo and wouldn't start again - dead battery - extremely unlikely after a decent run to keep it charged up! So maybe there can be something valid about some superstitions!

All my bins have to be empty and new shoes on to bring in New Year

Shadowdancer

My MIL insisted on giving money (silver coins) when she gave us some knives as a present apparently to ward off bad luck. I do touch wood

I remember when babies were given silver coins, it was supposed to mean they'd never know want.

Always throw salt over my left shoulder ( into the devil's face , of course !) if I have spilt some.....
Never walk under ladders
Bit nervous on the Black Cat front.......
Never heard of the Magpie thingy but It's absolutely brilliant. The world might be a better place if we all spent time speaking to birds. Truth is, though , that the blighters always hunt in pairs so the other one is there somewhere, you just haven't seen him.!!
Green's being an unlucky colour makes me laugh.... at secondary school I spent six years in the obligatory bottle green school uniform(including bright green stockings and hat.) So there's a bunch of us condemned to bad luck for life? Unless it only counts if the green-wearing is voluntary.......

I put silver coins in a newborns pram last week ,he was the most beautiful baby I have ever seen .His parents who are “new Scots” hadn’t come across this before but his beautiful mother got emotional when I told her it was meant to bring him luck .To be honest he was so perfect I felt emotional and Broody myself .lol I follow my mum and granny,s superstitions no new shoes on the table etc We opened the window to let mums soul out when she died ,she knew she was going to die because she said her Dad. Was at the window to collect her,he died in 1943.
I wish. I believed this was true but I don’t believe in an afterlife .Happy to let others keep their beliefs though and the superstitions are just a bit of fun

Not at all superstitious but it’s funny hearing you all say that you say hello to magpies because I cannot pass a squirrel without saying ‘Hello Mr Squirrel’. I’ve no idea why apart from the fact that I think squirrels are really cute.

TheMaggiejane1

Not at all superstitious but it’s funny hearing you all say that you say hello to magpies because I cannot pass a squirrel without saying ‘Hello Mr Squirrel’. I’ve no idea why apart from the fact that I think squirrels are really cute.

Yes, I get that, we have a neighbour who can’t resist touching trees. And let’s admit it is only the same as talking to a cat or dog.
Sometimes is much more productive than talking to people 😂

Tuaim

Theatre environments have a few superstitions attached to them but I can think of any examples. Anyone here know of any?

Don't bring a peacock feather on stage if you are an actor.
Don't light 3 candles on stage.
Don't whistle backstage in the theatre.
Say "The Scottish Play" instead of "Macbeth"
Say "Break a Leg" rather than "good luck"
Never give flowers before a show.

There are probably more!

Don’t cross a knife over another. If you drop a glove sometime else must pick it up or it’s bad luck. If you bang your elbow you must quickly bump the other one. I’m from Liverpool. We’re very superstitious! 🤣

My OH says that in Lebanon and other parts of the ME if you want a guest to return you throw some water on the ground as they leave.
And if your shoes are crossed as you put them down that means you will travel soon.
And a mouse in the house is a precursor to ill fortune.

When we were travelling, if we saw an emergency vehicle we had to hold our collar till we saw a four legged animal! No idea why!
I don't do it these days as I'm the one driving!

I'm not superstitious at all. When I was in labour with DS I told the nurses I'd like him to be born that night. They assumed I was superstitious as the next day was Friday 13th - when he eventually made an appearance. The reason was that my DD's birthday was the 12th of another month and I thought it would be nice if both my children had birthdays on the 12th as my brother and I both had birthdays on the 27th but of different months. Anyway for me Friday 13th was not an unlucky day at all!

I struggle with certain obsessional behaviours and try so hard not to let superstitions upset my life. I just want to live without any of these ridiculous rituals. Just to be free of any superstitions and silly rituals and enjoy whatever life brings

My ex husband and his mother are very superstitious. My ex wouldn't pass me on the stairs and used to turn around on the step so we were both facing the same direction. (crazy as it could have caused an accident). His mother would not look at a Magpie to save her life! As a teenager I once read a book on the origins of superstitions. I can't remember them all in detail but here are some I do recall. An umbrella open indoors stems from cultures that worshiped the sun and only the priest were allowed to shade the sun from their bodies. Across the eons of time this has been translated from sunshades to umbrellas. Ladders were sometimes used as a makeshift gallows so to walk under one was to walk in the shadow of a hanged man. To give a gift of something sharp is to sever a friendship so the idea is for the receiver to pay a coin as if the buy the sharp object. To touch wood for luck stems from when pagans worshiped tree gods. Salt was a precious commodity so to spill some people thought they had angered the devil who sits on the left shoulder so they threw some of the spilt salt to appease the devil.

We’ve had threads on superstitions here before, but they are always interesting. My mother was very superstitious and if you grow up with them, they tend to stick. Now my daughter inherits mine…

Don’t look at a full moon through glass, no white May blossom in the house, she called it Motherdie?
She read playing cards for fortunes, but often threw the pack in the fire, I don’t know why. She never took the cards seriously, but had been taught to read them by my grandfather (this of course was such a long time before the world and his wife read cards). She loved green, so no problem with that, but we have Irish in the family, so maybe that was the reason.

Theatrical No no’s:
Whistling, real flowers on stage (not the bouquets at the end) saying the Scottish play rather than Macbeth. Don’t wish someone good luck, rather break a leg.
Italians don’t like to wear a purple costume.
The stage must always have one light on, even when closed.

No superstitions
Parents, husband and offspring had/have none either

I saw my first newborn baby when I was 12.Mum gave me a coin to give him and I was surprised when he grasped it. Look at him grabbing that money I said. Takes after his Dad said mum!

My Mum used to go ape if anybody put new shoes on the table. Peacock feathers in the house went straight outside. Crossed knives bothered her. Crossing on the stairs was another. If you gave anybody a purse as a gift you had to put a coin in it. I am sure there were loads of other superstitions my Mum had.

When i had my first baby a very elderly crippled lady managed to get herself from her cottage to mine to bring a fresh egg and a silver coin for the baby. I had never heard of that but it was meant to bring wealth and fertility. He is OK, but not wealthy and he doesn’t want children!!!

A group of us girls were chatting at school, when I was 14, and one said to sit combing wet hair by candle light at midnight on Halloween infront of a mirror. Apparently you will see the face of your future husband in the mirror.
So I tried it and as the clock struck midnight the door opened and I saw...........

My dad's face coming home from the pub. He wasn't at all pleased. This is actually true.

When my sister chose an opal engagement ring our aunt said, ‘Look what happened to your mother, widowed at 45.’ My sister was then widowed at 35. Our aunt knew her superstitions were right because, after she bought a green coat, her husband fell downstairs!

My DH says never give anyone the gift of knives as it will sever the relationship.

Skydancer if you give anything with a blade, give a coin with it since that can't be cut so it could the bad luck. Same with a purse or wallet, give a coin to ensure it will never be empty. I'm not saying I believe in these superstitions but that's what I was taught.

See above... Foils not could 🤔

lizzypopbottle
I thought the recipient had to buy the knife (or scissors etc) . They are the ones who should pay you with a coin.

A dear friend of my parents gave us kitchen scissors and chefs' knives for our wedding but wouldn't hand the parcel over without payment.

Always going out the same door you went in? No new shoes on the bed, uncrossing crossed knives on a plate... salt over my shoulder.... just a few lol