Superstitions

Ruth n Jersey said:
These came down through the family and I follow them. Never place new shoes on the kitchen table,I have know idea why you would do that in the first place. I guess smelly old ones are ok. Don't open an umbrella in the house. If you spill salt throw a pinch over your right shoulder for good luck. Don't walk under a ladder. If you happen to put your underwear on inside out,wearing it that way brings good luck. I'm sure there were many more.
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The shoes on the table according to my nan was because it invited a face injury, the umbrella was because of bad luck and the salt over the shoulder was to stop someone arguing.
 
Tish said:
The shoes on the table according to my nan was because it invited a face injury, the umbrella was because of bad luck and the salt over the shoulder was to stop someone arguing.
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I remember an old neighbour of mine used to do the salt over her shoulder thing to ward off evil spirits and bad juju.
 
Tish said:
The shoes on the table according to my nan was because it invited a face injury, the umbrella was because of bad luck and the salt over the shoulder was to stop someone arguing.
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Hahaha. It’s no wonder we didn’t all end up born with flippers 🙄... lol. It’s something my husband and I usually say when we hear our parents saying crazy things. Lol
 
Keesha said:
Wasn’t that just common courtesy?
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Yes, common courtesy and good hygiene, but I remember a superstition was attached to it.

Another superstition I remember, if a person was buried with the string attached around their feet in the casket, they wouldn't be able to walk in their afterlife, so two people (one from each side of the family) were appointed to ensure said string was removed prior to burial.
 
Now lots of people check their door locks to make sure that the door has really locked, don't they? Common obsessive-compulsive behavior includes checking locks multiple times. My late mother, however, would check the door lock the number of times equal to the number of years that she had been married, and she was married over fifty years! That's a long time to be waiting for someone to close their door...and it wasn't even a great marriage! o_O
 
My mum was the most superstitious person ever..and of course I grew up with that believing it all, and even as an adult when common sense told me it couldn't be so, I still couldn't not do them in case it brought me bad luck..

The ones I have been able to dispense with are those since I've travelled in many countries have found that their superstition is different to ours.

For example.. Black cats crossing your path in the UK is considered extremely Good luck.. people will slow down in cars to allow a black cat to cross.

In Spain..it's considered horrendously bad luck!!

Top ones that I know of are..


  • Avoid walking under a ladder
  • Touching wood for luck
  • Breaking a mirror ..but the bad luck will be averted if you bury the mirror face down
  • Crossing your fingers
  • Picking up a penny
  • Breaking a wishbone and making a wish
  • Throwing salt over your shoulder because you spilt it
  • Avoiding opening an umbrella indoors
  • Avoiding putting new shoes on the table
  • Avoiding telling anyone your birthday wish when blowing out your candles
  • Saluting a magpie
  • Ensuring you have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, borrowed, something blue on yours or a friend's wedding day
  • Avoiding the number 13
  • Avoiding the number 666
  • When seeing an ambulance with sirens blaring, recite the verse.. Touch my colour , touch my knee, hope that never happens to me
  • Black cats are lucky
 
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