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by - July 24, 2008 - 2:02 PM
I don’t consider myself a very superstitious person… not really. I do knock on wood from time to time, but do I really believe it’s going to change the future? No. I mean, mostly no. Like, 99 percent no. I suppose that tiny little one percent chance is why we still avoid walking under ladders and opening umbrellas inside. Here are a few interesting superstitions I hadn’t heard of before. Hopefully making a list of 10 superstitions isn’t bad luck…
10 Superstitions That Don’t Involve Mirrors, Black Cats or Salt
1. If you go to make yourself a sandwich and see a hole in your bread, beware: a death in the family is just around the corner. At least, that’s one version. The other version is that the lady who baked the bread with the holes in it will find out she is pregnant (I’m assuming this comes from back in the day when only women baked).
2. Have friends on a cruise, or a relative in the Navy or the Marines? If you’re a girl, you’d better not comb your hair after nightfall. It will bring disaster upon the person at sea.
3. In other hair-related superstitions, you’re not supposed to throw old hair from your hairbrush away, ever. If a bird makes a nest out of it, you will have a headache until the nest no longer exists. I guess this means some people have a large collection of their own hair sitting around their houses.
4. If someone sneezes while you are putting your shoes on, you should just go back to bed. At least, that’s what St. Augustine of Hippo believed.
5. In Korea, you shouldn’t leave a fan on in a closed room – it means the residents of the house will suffocate.
6. In India, pregnant women should avoid going outside during an eclipse… that is, unless they want their child to have a facial birthmark.
7. This one dates back to WWI and is apparently somewhat well known – a movie was made about it. But I had never heard of it: if three soldiers light their cigarettes from the same match, either one of them will die or the last one to light the cig will be shot.
8. In Russia, if a chicken crows at you three times before noon, someone in your family is doomed. The chicken should be killed, but not eaten – eating it will only make things worse.
9. If you’re holding hands with someone and have to let go for whatever reason, you should say “Bread and butter” before letting go, then let go and join hand again as soon as possible. Otherwise you will have bad luck. I wonder if it’s just “Bread and butter”, or would any pairing work? “Peanut butter and jelly”? “Spaghetti and meatballs”? Hmm.
10. The ancient Chinese believed that if a man was out hunting, his children shouldn’t draw. The paths in the forest would become as complicated as the lines in the drawing and the poor hunter would never find his way home.
Comments (37)
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Pretty sure the 3 on a match wasn’t so much a superstition as just good common sense – the time taken to light 3 cigs would give an enemy sniper time to spot and aim at a target. Smoker #3 would be holding a great beacon to aim right at his head.
posted by Steve-O on 7-24-2008 at 2:24 pm
I find it very odd (and very interesting) that St Augustine was superstitious – seeing as he was one of the 4 fathers of Christianity and superstitions come squarely from pagan beliefs
also, #7 was a fuctional superstition (or maybe not a superstition at all?). In the trenches of WWI, in the time it took to light 3 cigarettes, the enemy would have time to see the light, aim his gun, and then fire on the person he could see still holding the match
:)
posted by Clotho on 7-24-2008 at 2:26 pm
#7 is based on the theory that by the third cigarette, the enemy was able to zero their gunsights on the soldiers.
posted by Paul on 7-24-2008 at 2:27 pm
what about the belief of no bananas on a boat?
posted by fisher man on 7-24-2008 at 2:33 pm
I’ve always wondered about the superstition that says if your palm is itching it means you’re going to come into money…I was always told that the right palm itching means money and you should scratch it righ away, but the left didn’t mean anything.
Then a few days ago, my boyfriend catches me scratching my left palm and he tells me not to scratch but to rub the itchy hand on my pockets. Apparently he was told that if you just scratch it like a normal itch, the money doesn’t make its way to you.
Go figure.
reCAPTCHA: St. Regardless
posted by Elizabeth on 7-24-2008 at 2:36 pm
Hopefully someone out west can confirm that I’m not the only one who was told this one, but:
Supposedly, if you see a red truck with a tractor trailer fully of hay behind it, you should lick your right thumb, swipe it across your left palm, and then punch your palm with your right fist (like in Rock, Paper, Scissors), all while making a wish. Apparently it only works for red trucks, though my mom and I still find ourselves doing it for all trucks pulling hay, even just pickups…go figure.
posted by Bekah on 7-24-2008 at 2:46 pm
my roommate won’t let me bring an open umbrella into the room. (i don’t close it if it’s wet.) she totally believes that one and ever since i’ve had to leave it in the hall of our dorm. luckily we don’t have umbrella thieves.
i’ve never heard any of these.
posted by Claire on 7-24-2008 at 2:48 pm
My mom used to always do the bread and butter thing with me, but never mentioned the superstition…I thought everyone did it, which led to akward early dating.
posted by Elizabeth on 7-24-2008 at 3:01 pm
We have a couple in our family:
Do not put your purse on the floor–it makes all your money go away.
I’m not from India, but similar to #6, if you are prego, do not look into an eclipse from the water in a bucket–I don’t know exactly why, but I’m assuming it’s that *something* bad will happen to the baby.
And my mother in law says that two ppl who are a couple should never walk on two seperate sides of a bar or column–hope that makes sense. Like when you go shopping and there is a column right before the entrance, both ppl should go to the left or vise-versa, but never each to seperate sides.
It’s all just a lot of rules to live by! :o)
posted by Iris on 7-24-2008 at 3:02 pm
heard almost all of these before.
A few of my favorites.
Hear a Hoot Owl at night, someone will die. To prevent it tie a knot in either your shirt tail or pillow case to strangle the owl.
Left hand itching is money, right hand itching is meeting a stranger.
If your right ear itches, someone is saying good things about you. Left ear, they are talking bad.
My mom was totally convinced of this next one. If the first person to cross your threshhold on new years day was a blond, your house would have good luck, if dark haired, bad luck, if red headed it would be mixed. Oh and it had to be a man. She even insisted that a blond neighbor of ours come to our house just after midnight to set the luck. Having black hair, I was not allowed to leave the house until after he had come and gone.
posted by Patrick B on 7-24-2008 at 3:06 pm
“Have friends on a cruise, or a relative in the Navy or the Marines? If you’re a girl, you’d better not comb your hair after nightfall. It will bring disaster upon the person at sea.”
I thought you said none of these involved mirrors. ;)
“If someone sneezes while you are putting your shoes on, you should just go back to bed. At least, that’s what St. Augustine of Hippo believed.”
I don’t believe it as a superstition, but I like the idea nonetheless!
Clotho: “I find it very odd (and very interesting) that St Augustine was superstitious – seeing as he was one of the 4 fathers of Christianity and superstitions come squarely from pagan beliefs”
Superstition, and paganism for that matter, are simply defined as someone else’s religious beliefs.
posted by gmsc on 7-24-2008 at 3:08 pm
These are several I’ve heard of:
It’s unlucky for two people to make the bed.
It’s unlucky to put a pair of shoes on the table (the musical “Blood Brothers” uses this).
Along the lines of “bread and butter”, it’s unlucky to be walking with a partner, come up to an obstruction (ie: a pole) and each of you pass it on different sides. You should not let it “split you” and should pass on the same side.
posted by KJ on 7-24-2008 at 3:10 pm
*KJ–that is exactly what I meant to say, I just couldn’t get it out, and I didn’t see your post when I was writting mine :o)
posted by Iris on 7-24-2008 at 3:14 pm
The only time I heard of the “bread and butter” one was in a Popeye cartoon (of all places) where superstitions where the main theme, but it was a little different. Popeye and Olive Oil were walking and a post passed between them. Popeye stoped, went back around the post over to Olive’s side (so that the space between them wasn’t broken) and said “bread and butter”.
One that my husband always says (which he heard from his grandmother) was that if your nose was itchy you were going to kiss a fool. Now, whenever he gets an itchy nose, he’ll kiss his own hand before he kisses me.
posted by Ann on 7-24-2008 at 3:19 pm
“It’s unlucky for two people to make the bed.”
HA
I’d be willing to bet that a man came up with that one. :)
posted by mrs.djs on 7-24-2008 at 3:34 pm
I’ve heard of most of these, but not #6. My wife has a large birthmark on her face; wonder if I should tell her why it’s there!
An odd one that my Mom used to bring up; if someone sneezes three times in a row it means that someone’s mother just died (not the sneezer’s mom, or my mom would have been dead numerous times before she actually went.)
posted by Dave on 7-24-2008 at 3:41 pm
I’ve used umbrellas several times in different dance numbers (It’s raining men, etc.), so that one really doesn’t bother me any more. My family will still squeam a little when I open one in the house.
One superstition we do follow at our dance studio is that you don’t clap at dress rehearsal. It’s supposed to mean bad luck for the performance.
Another one, popular at my high school, is to kiss your hand and slap the windshield if a stoplight turns yellow as you pass under it.
posted by scoobnut on 7-24-2008 at 4:00 pm
Not sure if mentioned as other weird ones –
**Hat on bed is unlucky
**Whistling in a theater (this comes from “show folk”) — I think backstage — considered unlucky
I’ve heard of no OPEN umbrella inside a home (any building?)
posted by WizardBoy on 7-24-2008 at 4:06 pm
“Another one, popular at my high school, is to kiss your hand and slap the windshield if a stoplight turns yellow as you pass under it.”
posted by scoobnut
We used to do this when i was in high school. it was thought to add 10 minutes to your sex life. :)
posted by kat on 7-24-2008 at 4:20 pm
Fans in Korea are equipped with a shut-off timer so that people don’t fall asleep with them on….there’s a whole wikipedia entry on this superstition and how widespread it is, and how ‘fan death’ or asphysixiation is one of Korea’s most common summer injuries. Apparantly, “some locals claim Koreans are uniquely vulnerable due to a peculiarity either of their own physiology or of Korean fans.” Check out the link in my name
posted by Leigh on 7-24-2008 at 4:27 pm
And about the on with the stoplight turning yellow, I remember doing that as a kid, except you kissed your hand and hit the visor or roof of the car (I mean we kids were usually sitting in the back) and you said “petitle”, and I don’t even know what for, I think if you had three in a row you had a wish come true. Definitely nothing to do about sex life. Same thing went for cars with a headlight out.
posted by Leigh on 7-24-2008 at 4:34 pm
I’m not superstitious, but so many of the people I work with (in theater) are. They really freak out if you say “MacBeth”. Supposedly, you should never say it (especially in a theater)lest there be a death in the cast. Instead you should call it the “Scottish Play.” There’s a huge list of other theatrical superstitions.
Another household one I’ve heard is that if a broom falls over, company’s coming.
posted by gibson8or on 7-24-2008 at 5:03 pm
I had a friend that did the yellow light thing but as a result of my superior driving skills (ahem) one day as we went through about the 8th or 9th yellow light for the day, she raised her hand as if she were going to kiss it and then just dropped it into her lap. Hahaha. I do it sometimes though, just for style. My boyfriend doesn’t know any superstitions and it is fun to teach them to him.
What about phrases? Like when it is raining and sunny at the same time and you say “The devil’s beating his wife”? I *know my family can’t be the only one who says this.
posted by miss k on 7-24-2008 at 5:16 pm
A follow-on to Wizardboy, whistling became a big no-no in the theater because way back when, the people who did the lights and curtains rigging typically started on sailboats. Sailors had different whistles to mean different things like ‘raise that rope’ or ‘drop that sandbag.’ The last thing anyone wanted was to whistle the wrong thing, and have something fall on their head. Practical at the time, but I don’t think many sailors turn to the theaters anymore.
…the scottish play, on the other hand…. deathtrap.
posted by AGray on 7-24-2008 at 5:42 pm
I think number 10 is eerily pretty.
posted by Keri on 7-24-2008 at 5:43 pm
“I find it very odd (and very interesting) that St Augustine was superstitious – seeing as he was one of the 4 fathers of Christianity and superstitions come squarely from pagan beliefs”
Except for the superstition of a “loving god” caring what you do in your day to day life and then using it to judge your place in some magical “afterlife” anyway.
posted by Todd McReady on 7-24-2008 at 6:42 pm
I must come from weird stock, we had all kinds of supersitions, Old your breath for luck as you pass the cemetary, when driving over railroad tracks lift your feet off the floor and make a wish, mom always said “companys coming” whenever someone dropped a fork.
posted by Claudiola on 7-24-2008 at 6:56 pm
I’ve always felt that it’s bad luck for my alarm clock to go off after I’m already awake. I’ve actually bolted out of bed and ran across the room to shut it off at 5:59 so it wouldn’t go off at 6:00. I have no idea why I do this.
I know, I’m a freak.
My Mom totally agrees with the no purses on the floor thing, by the way.
posted by Autumn on 7-24-2008 at 7:40 pm
“Another one, popular at my high school, is to kiss your hand and slap the windshield if a stoplight turns yellow as you pass under it.”
posted by scoobnut
We used to do this when i was in high school. it was thought to add 10 minutes to your sex life. :)
posted by kat
We did that, too, except we punched the ceiling. You can’t really tell if it works or not, because c’mon, how are you really going to know? But it was fun anyhow.
posted by Cassie on 7-24-2008 at 8:48 pm
Who knows where this one comes from, but accidentally stepping in dog crap with your left foot is good luck. Right foot, well you just got crap on your shoe.
posted by Zach on 7-25-2008 at 12:42 am
I have some:
never have 3 people doing the same thing. either the youngest or the eldest will die (i never remember wich one, mostly because i’m normaly the one in the midle, so not my problem ;)).
never say 666 three times in a row or the devil will spot you and never let you go (this one scared the bejesus out of me when I was litle).
when you loose something tie a not to the leg of your dinnig table and you will soon find it.
never go under anything if you don’t expect to get back the same way. aparently your life force will be traped under it.
I gess a lot of this was invented by bored kids wanting to make their little circle a special one. others just made sense a loooong time ago.
posted by xixita on 7-25-2008 at 3:27 am
This is great!
Here are a few of mine:
1. Whistling in the house brings bad luck
2. Disturbing an ant hill will bring rain
3. Never spend money on a Monday or the first of the month, you will end up spending all week/month respectively
4. For children, never pass under something, you will stop growing. To reverse, you have to walk backwards the same way.
5. Pregnant women should not take (steal) and eat any food without asking, a birthmark will appear on the child’s face. To reverse, you would have to spit out whatever you put in your mouth, pass it behing you back. This action would move the birthmark from face to back (provided you are caught while still chewing on the stolen food)
6. If you can easily light a good fire (as opposed to those stuggling to keep it going) will hopelessly love a gypsy
7. Dont let you mother in law (for women) stir your dinner, she will end up stirring your marriage too
8. During puberty(for girls), if sit on cold surfaces such as pavement, rock, stone bench your fertility will seep into it
9. If you get the cherry highest on the cherry tree, you will have luck for 7 years. The challenge here is getting to it, and getting to it before any bird does while ripe.
10. If it rains on your wedding day, you will be blessed with riches and happiness.
I know some other ones too, but these are my favourite!
posted by iubi on 7-25-2008 at 4:00 am
Death leaves a hat on your bed. Putting a hat on your bed is inviting bad luck.
I used to be VERY superstitious and I’ve heard of all these. I’ve put most of these (and more) behind me except two: Hat on the bed and not walking through a triangle (where the ground and two things create a triangle); basically, I don’t go under a ladder or under a guywire for a power pole.
posted by Rasp on 7-25-2008 at 9:25 am
I lived in Korea for a couple of years and the fear of “Fan Death” was something I always found interesting.
posted by Bob on 7-25-2008 at 10:28 am
Here are 3 more.
“Hold your breath when you pass a gravyard and you will live 5 seconds longer”
“kiss tour palm and then the top of the ceiling when you pass under a yellow light and good things will happen to you”
AND
“Pick your feet up when you go overtop of a railroad or you’ll get your feet hurt BADLY”
posted by D. on 8-17-2008 at 11:42 pm
My sister told me to always lift your feet and say peanut butter when going over railroad tracks for good luck.
posted by Danielle on 12-19-2008 at 12:24 am
My old southern great-grandmother had a few superstitions, but I can only remember this one: she never swept the floor at night, for fear of sweeping all the good luck out the door.
In general down south, eating black-eyed peas at New Year’s usually meant good luck for the coming year.
posted by Rachel Newstead on 1-26-2009 at 11:51 pm