General Everyday Superstitions

General Everyday Superstitions

You'll 'cut off' fortune if you use scissors on new years day

Coral beads are said to change color indicating whether the wearer is ill or well.

Nails should be bitten, not cut, for the same time, for that would make them thieves.

If you go to the bathroom in the night with no clothes on, insects will fall on you

An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.

If you want to see a friend again, then don't ever say goodbye to them on a bridge.

Never take a broom with you when moving house - buy a new one.

If you see a chimney sweep then shake his hand so that some of his good luck rubs off onto you.

Seeing a single crow is very unlucky. But 2 mean good luck! 3 means health, 4 means wealth, 5 is sickness & 6 mean death!

If your ear is burning, then someone is talking about you. To determine whether what they are saying is good or bad, remember this rhyme, - Left for love, Right for spite!

If the palm of your right hand is itchy, then it foretells that money is coming to you, but don’t scratch it as that stops the money from coming! If it’s your left palm that is itchy, then scratch away, as that means that you'll soon be paying out money

If you see a magpie, remember this rhyme - One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret, Never to be told.

How you start the year is how you will end it, so you must ensure that you are wearing new clothes & looking your best, have paid off all your debts & are with your partner (to ensure that you are still with them at the next New year). Also you must open

Dropping a pair of scissors is said to warn that a lover is unfaithful.

Never place shoes on a table as it means bad luck for the remainder of the day.

A bride must sew a swan’s feather into her husband’s pillow to ensure fidelity.

You must knock on wood 3 times after mentioning good fortune or the evil spirits will ruin things for you.

See a penny, pick it up; all day long you’ll have good luck.

Don’t break a mirror, or you’ll have seven years bad luck.

Don’t wash clothes on New Year’s Day, or somebody in your family will pass away.

Don’t walk under a ladder, or somebody will have an accident;

Don’t hit anyone with a broom, or it will make him or her lazy.

IF YOU BELIVE IN A SUPERSTITION, IT WILL ALWAYS FOLLOW YOU!

If the head of a bed is placed towards the north it foretells a short life, towards the south a long life, the east riches, the west travel.

Bad Luck: to leave bellows lying on the table or on the floor, since in such a position they presage domestic quarrels.

One's life is prolonged if, in later years, a visit is made to one's place of birth.

If you burn beef bones by mistake it is a sign of much sorrow to come on account of poverty. To burn fish or poultry bones indicates that scandal will be spread about you.

To cut bread in an uneven manner is a sign that you have been telling lies.

The best time for cutting one's corns is when the Moon is on the wane.

If a front door does not face the street, ill luck will attend the house. You should always close a front door with your face towards it.

To let fall an egg and smash it foretells good news; but if the egg is undamaged or merely cracked, bad luck is to be feared. When you have finished eating an egg it is a safeguard against misfortune if the empty shell is crushed with a spoon. If you burn eggshells, the hens will cease to lay. It is unlucky to take eggs out of, or bring them into, a house during the hours of darkness. Eggs laid on Good Friday never become stale.

When a woman reaches age 31 she may expect some great change to occur. Frequently it consists of an important journey, some unexpected danger, or some great temptation. She should be particularly cautious during this period, and take special care in her b

When eating a fish, you should begin at the tail and work towards the head.

To cross two forks accidentally is a sign that slander will be spread about you. To drop a fork foretells the visit of a woman friend. To stir anything with a fork is to stir up misfortune.


Source of info location and name......

Old Superstitions.com

http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/general.html

Part 2
It is a warning of treachery if a person's garter comes undone. If a girl loses a garter, a proposal of marriage at an early date is foretold.

To break uncolored glass in any form but that of a mirror or a bottle is a fortunate omen; but if the glass is red, future trouble and anxiety are implied. If green glass is broken, bitter disappointment will be your lot.

If you knock your hand accidentally against a piece of wood or a wooden article, it is an indication that you are about to have a love affair. If you knock your hand against iron, however, it must be taken as a warning against treachery.

Tying a knot in one's handkerchief is a means of warding off evil.

Finding a horseshoe is an assurance of good luck, but if you give it away or throw it away, your luck will leave you.

If after leaving your house, you turn back to fetch something, you must sit down when you get indoors and count backwards from seven, in order to avoid ill luck. It is unlucky to move into a new house during the months of April, July, and November.

If, before you retire to bed, you chants Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Bless the bed that I lie on, it will keep away evil spirits and ensure your good health.

If someone is lying dangerously ill, a lighted candle should be placed in a shoe, and all other lights in the room turned out. Then the name of the complaint from which the person is suffering must be written on a piece of paper and burned in the candle flame, and at the same time the following rhyme should be said three times: Go away death! Go away death! Life from the flame Give new breath I the candle must then be snuffed with the fingers.

The dropping of a knife foretells the visit of a man friend in the near future.

If someone lends you a pocket-knife, return it in the way in which it was given; that is, with the blade open or shut, pointing away from you or towards you.

Lightning will never strike a person when he is asleep, nor will it visit a house in which a fire is burning.

The days of the week on which it is considered most lucky for women to make any important decision or to undertake any great tasks are Tuesday and Friday. For men the fortunate days are Monday and Thursday

To spill matches is a very lucky sign, and if a girl accidentally upsets an entire box it will not be long before she becomes a bride. Crossing two matches by chance implies that joy and happiness await you.

When you have occasion to turn the mattress of a bed remember that if you turn it from foot to head, you'll never wed, and also that this task should never be performed on a Friday.

An infallible means of influencing one's luck regarding money is as follows: Choose a rainy day, and then to go to a place where there was a holly bush, clasp it round the main stem and chant three times, Holly tree, 0 holly tree, Let much wealth come t

If a girl's petticoat or slip shows below her dress, she is loved more by her father than by her mother.

Always pick up a pin when you see one lying on the floor, for See a pin and pick it up All the day you'll have good luck; See a pin and let it lie Luck will surely pass you by. To upset a box of pins foretells a surprise, so long as some of them are left

If you give anyone an empty purse he will never be blessed with riches. Place a coin inside it for luck.

Breaking one blade of a pair of scissors is an omen of quarreling and discord; if both blades are broken at once; a calamity is to be feared. . Scissors should always be sold; they should never be given.

A seventh son possesses many talents and is predestined for worldly success. The seventh son of a seventh son is gifted with the art of healing. The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter possesses the power of second sight.

If you do not present a new pair of shoes to a poor person at least once during your life, you will go barefoot in the next world.

If your shoelace persists in coming untied, take it as an omen that you are about to receive a fortunate letter or some kind of good news.



Source of info location and name......

Old Superstitions.com

http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/general.html

Part 3
To sneeze to the right is a promise of money, but sneezing to the left means a disappointment will soon come. There is an old rhyme that says: Sneeze on a Monday, sneeze for danger; Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger; Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for?

If soot bums in a ring at the back of the grate, pleasure and happiness are on their way to you.

Malice and envy are to be feared when sparks jump out of the fire.

Dropping a spoon means that a child or young person is going to call on you. To cross a spoon over fork presages happiness cut short by grief.

To put on your stockings or socks inside out is an omen that you will shortly receive a present. If your stocking comes down, your lover is thinking of you.

If thirteen people sit down to dine, the last to rise will meet with ill fortune.

To wash in water, which has been previously used by someone else means that you will quarrel with him, unless you clasp your hands together over the water when you have finished.

Never pour water into a tumbler which already holds some, for it is an invitation to evil spirits to visit you.

Never pour water into a tumbler which already holds some, for it is an invitation to evil spirits to visit you.

Women should not whistle, for it encourages evil spirits to visit them.

Spilling wine is an auspicious omen, if it is done accidentally; while to drop a glass of wine and break the glass is a token of a happy marriage and enduring affection.

When you are talking to someone, and if you should both happen to say the same word or sentence at the same time, you must each clasp the other's little finger and wish. Then, if you do not disclose your wish, it will be fulfilled.

People once believed the soul could escape from the body when a person sneezed. To stop this from happening, people ask God to bless and so to protect the person who sneezes.

People with hiccups were once thought to be possessed by the devil.

Yawning is caused by the devil so evil spirits enter your body when your mouth is wide open. Covering your mouth stops the evil spirits.

Watching someone else yawn makes you to yawn.

An itchy nose means your going to have a quarrel with someone.

Spit on your hands for strength. This originated from seeing animals lick their wounds, making people think saliva had some magical healing power.

To get rid of a cough, take a hair from the coughing persons head, put it in between two slices of buttered bread, feed it to the dog, and say - eat well you hound. May you be sick and I be sound.

To stop cramps, carry certain animal bones on your body. Another cure is to lay your shoes on your stomach, across the cramp.

Cross your fingers to make wish. Bad luck is trapped at the point where the two fingers meet so when we cross our fingers, we stop the bad luck from escaping and allow our wishes to come true.

Fingernail clippings must not be left behind. Fingernails can be used to cast spells on their owner, so they must never be left around for the evil spirits to find. They should be burned or buried instead.

An acorn should be carried to bring luck and ensure a long life.

An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.

Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds.

Seeing an ambulance is very unlucky unless you pinch your nose or hold your breath until you see a black or a brown dog.

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.



Source of info location and name......

Old Superstitions.com

http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/general.html

Part 4

To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant girl. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be a girl. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be a boy.

Spit on a new bat before using it for the first time to make it lucky

If you make a bedspread, or a quilt, be sure to finish it or marriage will never come to you

Placing a bed facing north and south brings misfortune.

You must get out of bed on the same side that you get in or you will have bad luck.

When making the bed, don't interrupt your work, or you will spend a restless night in it.

A swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.

The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud noise

When a bell rings, a new angel has received his wings.

If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake with the first puff you will get your wish.

The Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle tower in the Irish village of Blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney.)

To protect yourself from witches, wear a blue bead.

Touch blue and your wish will come true.

Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it.

A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it.

If you say good-bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.

Do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.

If you sweep trash out the door after dark, it will bring a stranger to visit.

If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps over your feet, you'll never get married.

Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.

To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately

If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.

Three butterflies together mean good luck.

If a candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits are nearby

If the first calf born during the winter is white, the winter will be a bad one.

Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.

A cat onboard a ship is considered to bring luck.

If you get a chill up your back or goosebumps, it means that someone is walking over your grave.

It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

Evil spirits can't harm you when you stand inside a circle.

If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.

Clover protects human beings and animals from the spell of magicians and the wiles of fairies, and brings good luck to those who keep it in the house.

It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up. Good luck comes if it's heads up.

To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.

Cows lifting their tails is a sure sign that rain is coming.

Don't step on a crack on a sidewalk or walkway.

A yawn is a sign that danger is near.

The number of Xs in the palm of your right hand is the number of children you will have.

Two people pull apart the dried breastbone of a chicken or turkey until it cracks and breaks, each one making a wish while doing so. The person who gets the long half of the wishbone will have his or her wish come true.

If you make a wish while throwing a coin into a well or fountain, the wish will come true.

A watermelon will grow in your stomach if you swallow a watermelon seed.

A bride's veil protects her from evil spirits who are jealous of happy people.

If a woman sees a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it means she will marry a sailor. If she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy. If she sees a goldfinch, she will marry a millionaire.

Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.

If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you have recently told a lie.

All wishes on shooting stars come true.

A spider is a repellent against plague when worn around the neck in a walnut shell.

You sleep best with your head to the north and your feet to the south.

If you sing before seven, you will cry before eleven.

Salty soup is a sign that the cook is in love.

Rosemary planted by the doorstep will keep witches away.

If you leave a rocking chair rocking when empty, it invites evil spirits to come into your house to sit in the rocking chair.

A wish made upon seeing the first robin in spring will come true - but only if you complete the wish before the robin flies away.

A red ribbon should be placed on a child who has been sick to keep the illness from returning.

A rainbow in the Eastern sky, The morrow will be fine and dry. A rainbow in the West that gleams, Rain tomorrow falls in streams.

If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will remember the answers.

It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunlight.

Unless you were born in October, it's unlucky to wear opals.

A wish will come true if you make it while burning onions.

An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.

If your nose itches, someone is coming to see you. If it's the right nostril, the visitor will be a female, left nostril, male.

A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death.

Mistletoe in the house protects it from thunder and lightning.

A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.

It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight.

It's bad luck to let milk boil over.

Clairvoyants use mandrake to increase their visions to enable them to see strange and wonderful things.

Mandrake is thought to have aphrodisiac and fertilizing properties.

Mandrake is a mysterious plant believed to have powers of preventing sterility in men and animals, causing barren women to bear children, and compelling love.

To dream of a lizard is a sign that you have a secret enemy.

Lettuce promotes child bearing if eaten by young women, and certain types of salad can bring on labor in pregnant women.

Lettuce is believed to have magical and healing properties, including the power to arouse love and counteract the effects of wine.

If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter.

A cricket in the house brings good luck.


Source of info location and name......

Old Superstitions.com

http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/general.html

Part 5


Counting Crows: One's bad, Two's luck, Three's health, Four's wealth, Five's sickness, Six is death.

Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

It's bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to come into it.

If your right ear itches, someone is speaking well of you.

If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you.

For good luck throughout the year, wear new clothes on Easter.

Pictures of an elephant bring luck, but only if they face a door.

If your right eye twitches there will soon be a birth in the family. If the left eye twitches there will soon be a death in the family.

To cure a sty, stand at a crossroads and recite “Sty, sty, leave my eye, take the next one coming by.

If an eyelash falls out, put it on the back of the hand, make a wish and throw it over your shoulder. If it flies off the hand the wish will be granted.

A fish should always be eaten from the head toward the tail.

Dream of fish: someone you know is pregnant.

Throw back the first fish you catch then you'll be lucky the whole day fishing.

If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day.

It's bad luck to say the word pig while fishing at sea.

It brings bad luck for a flag to touch the ground.

First Flower of Spring: The day you find the first flower of the season can be used as an omen: Monday means good fortune, Tuesday means greatest attempts will be successful, Wednesday means marriage, Thursday means warning of small profits, Friday means wealth, Saturday means misfortune, Sunday means excellent luck for weeks.

If the bottom of your right foot itches, you are going to take a trip.

To drop a fork means a man is coming to visit.

It is bad luck to kill a ladybug.

If a young girl catches a ladybug and then releases it, the direction in which it flies away will be the direction from which her future husband will come.

If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be broken.

A knife placed under the bed during childbirth will ease the pain of labor.

A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.

Ivy growing on a house protects the inhabitants from witchcraft and evil.

If your nose itches Your mouth is in danger. You'll kiss a fool, And meet a stranger. Rub an itch to wood It will come to good.

If your nose itches you will soon be kissed by a fool.

A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.

Pulling out a gray or white hair will cause ten more to grow in its place.

Shed no blood on Good Friday, work no wood, hammer no nail.

A person who dies on Good Friday will go right to heaven.

Cut your hair on Good Friday to prevent headaches in the year to come

A child born on Good Friday and baptized on Easter Sunday has a gift of healing. If a boy, he should go into the ministry.

The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck averts epilepsy and other fits.

A frog brings good luck to the house it enters

Never start to make a garment on Friday unless you can finish it the same day.

You should never start a trip on Friday or you will meet misfortune.

A bed changed on Friday will bring bad dreams.

Never eat beef on New Year's, it roots backwards, and that is bad luck. Pork roots forward for it's food, and that means moving forward for good luck.

People would say that spirits could not walk upon a path, so after dark don't leave the path/road.

Don't step on sidewalk cracks. "Step on a crack break your mothers back" people say.

It is considered bad luck to pass a black cat after 9pm

If your feet itch it means that you will be walking on new grounds.

If you wash your face in the dew on the morning of the first of May, and you will either see faeries or see your future spouse.

If you are ever in an accident, you should be wearing clean underwear.

The groom should never see the bride the eve of their wedding or their marriage will fail.

If you put a broom outside your door, a witch will have to count each strand before entering your house and by then it will be dawn and time to stop the witching.

If you stare into a mirror by candlelight you will see the spirit of a lost loved one.

Christians used to think that lightening bolts were thrown at them by devils.

If you secretly put your toenail clippings in a glass of lemonade and make someone drink it, then that person is supposed to fall in love with you.

God Bless You - When someone sneezes his or her heart stops a beat. By saying God bless you; it merely thanks God for allowing the heart to continue beating again


Source of info location and name......

Old Superstitions.com

http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/general.html

Part 6
considering if it had stopped they would not be alive.

Witches fly on broomsticks - comes from when the pagans were viewed hopping up and down on broomsticks in the fields, which was a harvest ritual.

Leaving the front door open for the prophet Elijah at Passover, so the kids think he drank the wine you left on the table for him, when in reality it was just evaporation.

There were fields in certain farms in Northern Ireland where a tree, especially a hawthorn, would be left standing in spite of the inconvenience to ploughing, rather than incur the hostility of the fairies who used it for their celebrations

Don't watch an animal defecating or you'll get a stye on your eye.

A red-tipped match will cure a case of the hiccups.

A wedding ring - An ancient symbol of completion, far older than the Christian religion. The ring signifies that which does not end or begin but it a circle of forever

When a couple is walking down the street holding hands and an obstacle (like a lamp post) comes between them you say bread and butter...thereby keeping the union until the hands meet again on the other side of the lamp post.

Counting a person's teeth robs them of one year of life for every tooth counted, this is why some people cover their mouths when they laugh, smile or yawn.

Whippoorwills call for the souls of the dead.

If an owl is staring at your house, someone there will die.

Clink two glasses of alcohol to scare the demon out of the alcohol.

It is bad luck to put up a calendar early or write in next year's diary before the New Year

When you cross a railroad track you need to touch a screw so you won't get pregnant.

If a woman's menstrual cycle begins while she is seated in a church the next child she has will be born dead.

If a bat gets in your hair you are possessed by the Devil.

Never take flowers from a grave or you will be the next to be in a grave.

If a single pigeon sits on your roof someone close is going to die soon.

A loud ticking from a clock means that a death is coming in the house soon.

Dropping silverware causes company. Drop a spoon and the company will be female, drop a fork and the company will be male. Dropping a knife will break the spell.


Source of info location and name......

Old Superstitions.com

http://www.oldsuperstitions.com/general.html