holding collar for funeral - Superstition?

touch your collar touch your toes never go in one of those .thats gateshead saying

When we saw a funeral it was ''hold your collar till you see a dog'' which was not too difficult as there were lots of dogs just roaming about.

Blimey! We never got that far Elegran!

This is taking me back. I'm on my way home from school again.

Thank you all - as usual GN's have come up trumps. It was definately only funerals we did it for where I lived and I don't remember any little rhymes that went with it (but when the procession had gone by, we kids could resume noting car number plate numbers - anyone else do car number spotting?)

Touch collar,never swaller
Any kind of fever.
Nor you nor me,
Nor any of the family.
Touch collar, touch nose.
Never go in one of those.

I have just googled it and there is quite a bit about it x

There was a rhyme we chanted when we saw an ambulance:
Touch your collar
Be a scholar
Never be a patient

Our family had a game we played in the car. As soon as we saw an ambulance we had to cross our fingers until we saw a dog - there was much competition be the first to see a dog.

I remember it. We said "touch collar, never swaller" and we did n' t have to swallow until the funeral car had gone by.

I remember holding my collar when we saw an ambulance not a funeral. I lived in North London though..