New Year superstitions?

Nope. No superstitions. Just do whatever needs doing

A Polish thing: whatever you do, whatever happens, on Christmas Eve will continue until next Christmas Eve. Never heard the one about NYDay and washing . I ma not superstitious of course but will never do any washing on that henceforth. Forewarned is forearmed I say.

No housework, other than essential food preparation on New Year's Day. We spent the afternoon playing snakes and ladders with our grandchildren and their parents.

Valdali, yes my mother was superstitious about peacock feathers in the house too. Strange really because the chances of that happening were vanishingly slim. Also lilac in the house, which was more relevant as we had a huge white lilac tree. These weren't specific to new years day though, my mother didn't seem to have any superstitions about that.

I have moved a lot of times , both here and abroad. So there are often different superstitions depending where you are. They may not have any scientific background, but mentally, I think the sayings about cleaning things and beginning a new period clean and out of debt as much as you can, have actually got a common sense background. If you can look forward to something new, something you want to happen or not, feeling that you are as ready as possible to cope with whatever comes, is a good idea, and you are mentally adjusting your views. If you have to cope with something new, to have your whole attention on the problem is going to be much better than worrying about other things too. It is like looking out at the weather and choosing the correct clothes to face the snow or rain or whatever. Life will be easier if you have the right things on. Then in a social way, quite a lot of groups I have been involved in or know about, have a habit of sharing the work and helping each other. So simple things, like making beds, are much easier and quicker to do when there are two of you, so taking turns makes the work get done quicker. A sense of society I think is very strong in yorkshire and other areas. So when we moved to a new place, the neighbours knew we were coming but had never met us. My mum and dad arrived with a 2 year old (me) and a baby (my sister) The next door neighbour came out immediately and said to mum that she should take us round to her house and she would look after us , with her own children, while they got on with the unpacking. A lady across the road came to say that she had some beef stew and jacket potatoes for our dinner and they would keep warm well and they could stop whenever they were ready for some food. Imagine how much quicker they could do the work, and concentrate, knowing that we were being looked after and they had some hot food when they were too weary to do any more! But more importantly, what a good way to meet your new neighbours, with kind help being offered to a young couple. Later of course when others moved closely we were the ones giving help. You build good relations this way, and having someone to tell you the best butcher and baker etc, which you could use , until you had time to make up your own mind. Long may that attitude last.

Peacock feathers in the house - No-no for mum. As for not cutting your toenails on a wet monday, in my version that's never cut your toenails on a Sunday!!!
They are rubbish, but that New Years washing one is terrible - very few actually believe it but "washing someone out of the family" is just such a horrible threat that many of us just don't do it anyway.

In superstition obv not factually

Yes lots of it is Chinese in origin. Sweeping under the bed when pregnant can cause miscarriage irrc

My grandmother was a very superstitious Irish woman. You wouldn't believe some of the things we had to do in order to cancel out or ward off bad luck! But I never heard her say a single thing about New Year's Eve/Day. Now if you bang your elbow on something (at any time of year) or pick certain flowers or spill a bit of salt or drop a knife (especially if it has butter on it), I'm your gal.... And if you find a tiny spider, don't forget that you'll be forever wealthy if you make 3 circles with it above your head while it dangles from its thread. I love this mumbo-jumbo, it's better than four comedians rolled together.

It's a Chinese superstition about not doing the washing on New Year's day, you will wash one of the family away. Also you shouldn't cut anything on New Year's day either, hair, nails etc or you'll cut someone out of the family

I wasn’t aware of any so have never observed any.

i try to get everything done on hogmanay, the one thing i always do is open the window and the door just before midnight to let the old year out and the new year in.

Never heard about not washing on NY day before. Surprising as my mother was the most superstitious person I've ever met. Too late for me now did 2 loads yesterday.

JaneJudge

my Mum always said you would go to hell if you washed on new years day, that and fish on good fridays
The peacock feather in the house thing too - bad luck
pants on the line - oh that wasn't a superstition just shame - and talking of shame = red underwear

I stopped someone from walking under a ladder at work, she had never heard of it!

Hilarious 😂

I live in Scotland and just learnt recently about not ding washing on New Years Day(I am part Italian).I decided to do a wash anyway but had not heard the part that someone is washed out of your life,

we have always done the coal thing except the last two years as we no longer have a coal fire - out with the old, in with the new

my Mum always said you would go to hell if you washed on new years day, that and fish on good fridays
The peacock feather in the house thing too - bad luck
pants on the line - oh that wasn't a superstition just shame - and talking of shame = red underwear

I stopped someone from walking under a ladder at work, she had never heard of it!

What a lovely thread, brought back some happy memories of my father. A Yorkshire man with very dark hair and tall. Although we lived in Leicestershire he always did the first footing and lots of houses on The Avenue where we lived asked him to call. He was never steady when he returned after all the tots. He also had brushes for sweeping chimneys and would arrive at a wedding if requested by family or friends to bestow good luck on marriages. I still practice some superstitions and must leave a house through the door I entered and never ever walk under ladders.

Oh dear, I had never heard of this and I did a big load of washing yesterday. No good luck for me then

I am from yorkshire, and I didnt know the washing superstition for NY day, but in general it was seen as shocking to be washing on a sunday and having it on the line in full view. You were seen as a slovenly and disorganised housekeeper if you had to have washing ou on a sunday. But very much superstitions about first footing. When my lovely husband was alive, he had to leave by the back door with
1. a piece of bread (may you never go hungry)
2. a piece of coal (may you never go cold)
3. a shined up shilling (may you never be without money)
With gas central heating we had had to find someone with a coal fire to scrounge a bit of coal from and that has travelled with us for more than 20 years!
So he would then walk round to the front door, and even if it was raining, there was no way he could come in until the clock started striking. We would hear the ships hooters etc to confirm my checking my watch and he would then knock on the door and I would answer with a small glass of single malt.
He then had to say May God bless all here and step inside and I would give him his whsky. The three things would be put in their little box and that would go back to its place in a tall cupboard. Then we would stand with the door open, to let in the New Year and I would have a drink too and we would raise our glasses and wish a Happy New Year to all our family where ever they were to all friends and relations and wish peace to the world. Then we would go in. Sadly I dont have a back door here now and am alone, but I still go to the door and step outside with my things and then come back in the house saying bless all who live here.
I also have the rituals that I would have the washing done, so no dirty clothes in the linen basket , would tidy up and have clean sheets on the bed. On new years eve, I go through my money and make sure that I am paid up and there are no outstanding bills. Obviously I dont mean your mortgage etc, but in the days we had the milkman, he used to call for his money ont he saturday. If New Year fell on the thursday, I would count out his money and put it in an envelope and seal it and put milkman on the envelope. The idea was that if the money was put away with a name on it was out of your purse, so not yours anymore. We also used to clean the shoes well. While it may sound just superstitious, I still follow the ideas, as in reality you are trying to face the new year in the best way you can, and being paid up and clean and tidy seems quite a good idea to me.This year I am not happy, because the wretched insurance have not paid for the hotel. Technically it is their bill not mine, and I know that they will pay, but I do not like the fact that there is £4000 owing on my account!! Not a good start to my year, but will go and look at my lovely new bathroom and try to convince myself that as it is their bill to pay, the fact that my name is on the account doesnt matter!
So I wish you all a better 2025 , to be in touch with those you love, and have good health to enjoy what the year brings.

Never heard of that one. Not generally superstitious unless it's practical, like walking under a ladder, not want anything dropping on me.

Never heard the washing one , done two loads this morning!

In case of what tho?
A few superstitions may have some merit, not walking under a ladder and so on but the rest are just made up things.
We could start some new ones?
Never cut your toe nails on a wet Monday
Don’t ever bring pink wellies into the house
If you break a plate throw pudding rice over your shoulder
If you see two rappers together touch your ears
If a shoplifter crosses your path shout Timbuctoo
And so on and so forth🤭

Oreo, good point about you not doing the washing, only the machine.
Having already ignored the superstition (which I didn’t know about) by making the machine wash the dog’s stuff, I’ve just loaded our washing machine with the bedding from our guests . . . But I won’t press the go button until 00.01 tomorrow, just in case.

Oreo

Allira

Norah

Lentils for good luck.

Eat them or throw them over your shoulder?

Pour them into a dark haired man’s hat 🎩 but not until midnight.

😁