Silly Superstitions

THE WASHINGTON POST

10/13/2006

Today is Friday the 13th and, if you're not careful, an evil spirit could enter your body and steal your soul -- or, at the very least, cause you to drop a meatball on your crisp white shirt. To ward off bad luck, protect yourself with any of these five rituals or tokens employed by cultures around the world.

Muslims call it the Hand of Fatima,
while Jews refer to it as the Hand of Miriam, hamsa hand or hamesh hand.
Both faiths, however, agree on its powers. The hand with the colored eye -- found on necklaces, ornaments, stickers, etc. -- will shield you from the powers of the evil eye.

Layer on the eyeliner and smoky eye shadow.

Ancient Egyptians believed that makeup prevented the evil one from entering your eyes.

Show the 'horned hand.'
It looks like a secret greeting among Metallica-heads, but Italians do the mano cornuta for protection. To form the gesture, use your thumb to hold down your middle and ring fingers, then extend your pointer and pinkie like horns. Though this might ward off evil spirits, it could also attract heavy-metal rockers or University of Texas fans.

In Jewish tradition, you have a few
options:

Spit three times on your fingertips, then wave them in the air; throw salt; say, in Yiddish, kayn aynhoreh ("no evil eye"); or eat lots of garlic. For Transylvanians, the garlic (worn, not ingested) also frightens off vampires and werewolves.

Grab a carrot,

a replica of the Washington Monument or any other phallic object. According to Romans, such objects seduce the evil spirit away from you -- however, your carrot might then be possessed

"Friday the 13th. I have family from Argentina. Many Latin, (& perhaps Greek), believe that it is not Friday, but Tuesday the 13th! Perhaps since Tuesday in Spanish is "martes" which comes from the God of war, the red planet, also some believe that the Tower of Babel confusion was a Tuesday the 13th. Many other superstitions seem to stem from common sense; blessings if you sneeze (to ward off illness), cover your yawn (to ward off evil/keeps you from breathing in germs), you'll stay single if someone sweeps & the broom touches your shoe (of course, means you're lazy & who wants to marry a lazy person who doesn't get up to help), spill salt (which was precious in antiquity) brings bad luck because if you are wasteful of course, so throw it over your shoulder in the evil eye who is always lurking. So some are good to keep in mind. Wikipedia also mentions Tuesday the 13th. " - chiknlitle08@gmail.com

"I have heard that the number 13 is unlucky because of the number of attendees of the last supper. I don't have a handy reference however." - pbunt@indiana.edu

"I read in a book on superstitions some time ago that the reason we are encouraged to hold our hand over our mouth when we yawn so as not to let the Devil into our mouth." - Corey Moore4 - cleo@olywa.net

"Of course I don't have a definitive source to cite, but people in my neck of the wood (So. Cal.) have held that it was once believed that when a person sneezed their soul might be expelled from their body at the same time. Therefore it was necessary to bless the sneezer to keep this from happening. Of course, it doesn't make much sense to bless the sneezer *after* the sneeze, when the soul has had its opportunity for escape, but who said superstitions were logical?" - Ken Thompson (MonkeyBoy) kthom@earthlink.net

"Friday the 13th is considered unlucky because of the combination of the day with the number: Friday is the Goddess' day, (Frida in Norse, Venus in Latin languages) and 13 is the number of the moon goddess (13 lunations in a solar year). When originally Saturday was the 7th day (of rest) it was Saturn's day, who needed the rest after spending the previous day with the goddess." - Kimberly McCrea - First.M.Last@CI.Eugene.OR.US

"Don't forget "knock on wood". Supposed to keep the devils living in the wood from hearing your ill-considered idle comments." - Bob Vincent - inocent@exis.net

"I believe the Dec 25th also had something to do with Saturnalia, a popular Roman Holiday, and the Dec 21st solstace (Celebrated in many ancient cultures). The Christian fathers were trying to compete with the old pagen religions and needed to provide holidays in order to distract their "flocks" from their previous pagan celebrations." - Alex Hopmann - hopmann@holonet.net

"Years ago, someone in school told me you were supposed to hold your breath when passing a cemetary so as not to make the dead jealous." - Pamela - myrrdin@interaccess.com

" Breaking Mirrors = 7 years bad luck. Some time ago (ancient Romans, if I remember right), people believed that reflections were actually glimpses of the viewers soul. People had gazing pools in their gardens in which they could look at themselves. A really mean thing to do was wait until a person was gazing at their reflection and throw a stone in the water because the distruption of the reflection affected their soul and brought about bad luck. We don't have gazing pools anymore, but the mirror breaking superstition still lives on." - Donald Wilson - dpwilson@ualr.edu

"When I was a child in Detroit, Michigan, fifty years ago, no one dared open an umbrella in the house. It was said that doing so would cause a death in the family. Someone was always around who knew of a case where someone had opened an umbrella in the house and someone else had died. Surprise! Now I have been living in California for thirty years and no one thinks about the open umbrella superstition. In fact, it is common for people (including me) to leave them open to dry in a corner of a room. Of course, my generation was the first to have the benefit of antibiotics and other effective treatments to prevent sudden death from diseases which were always lurking nearby. We must not forget how different things are today from the way they were when a superstition was formed." - Roger Zabkie - rzabkie@calweb.com

"Before we knew about electricity, Christians thought that lightening bolts were thrown at them by devils. During storms, the Christians had people ring the bells in the church towers to scare away the devils. Not suprisingly, many Christians, who were ringing the bells in the towers, got electricuted by these lightening bolts that would hit the towers. This is because in those days the church tower was the tallest thing around and, if you remember, lightening likes to hit the tallest things. But the Christians thought the devils were throwing those lightening bolts at their churches. When Ben Franklin invented the lightening rod and said that lightening was really electricity, not something some devil carried around, the Christians scoffed at installing lightening rods on their churches. But, like the fact that the Christians got over Galileo's odd thought that all the planets revolve around the sun, not like the Christian view that the planets and sun revolve around the earth. And it took them about twenty years before it became an accepted practice to install lightening rods on churches (and of course - remove those bell ringers during the storms)." - Frank Becker - fb12990@deere.com

"I thought you might be entertained by some observations about Christians. One of their primary religious services involves ritual symbolic cannibalism (the Lord's supper features the Lord as the main course after all.) Also, the majority of congregations that have sufficient finances choose to build their houses of worship in the form of, and display very prominently, the form of an ancient instrument of torture, execution and political oppression (this would be the cross.) One wonders when some genius will sell communion wafers that are guaranteed to transubstantiate (sp) only into red meat, without any of Christ's bone, teeth, gristle or hair (not to mention his unmentionables.)"

"If this isn't a fair treatment of Christianity, tough. It's representative of what far too many Christians do to others they hate (Pro-Choicers and homosexuals come to mind.) It's pretty tough to watch half-truths being told and not notice." - C Shaffer - shaffer@fsheb2.hep.fsu.edu

"I read that the word "pagan" actually means one of the country. Pagans were farm people, and farm people were often behind in fashion as compared to those in the city. Those city dwellers first started wearing those pointy black hats we know to be witches' hats. When the fashion hit the countryside, they were behind with the fashions of the city and pagans (witches) became synonymous with the hats.

"Also, the idea of witches flying on broomsticks comes from when the pagans were viewed hopping up and down on broomsticks in the fields...a harvest ritual. (Not actually flying)

"These things aren't superstitions, but neither is Christmas and the Star of Bethlehem, so I thought maybe it would be of interest. :)" - c00kie - (c00kie has 2 zeros, not o's)

"Concerning the Star of Bethlehem: During the year 1 AD there was a quadruple conjuction of the brightest planets. Although Mercury supplied very little in the brightness of the conjuction,it is included. The major players were Jupiter, Mars amd Venus. This was also at a time when Venus was at it closest to the Earth. From the deserts of the Middle East, the view would be to the East before Sun rise. It is also interesting that this conjuction occured in the constelation 'Virgo'. Neat, huh!? Confirm this by using StarMap or similar shareware. Also if you ignore this, it is important that you know that there are only observable PLANETARY connjuctions in the nature you describe. Not 'star' or stellar conjunctions, unless they moved faster then. You need to replace 'star' with 'planets'." - Larry Laird - lairdl@cvn.net

"I had read and I can't remember where though, sorry. That the reason people say God bless you when you sneezed was because when one sneezes it attracts evil spirits and saying God bless you would ward off the evil spirits." - mallen@netcom.ca

"I know it was not posted with any intention of dis-harmony, but I just wanted to put down for the record that the "Christian" beliefs listed in your posting are rather accretions to Christianity than central tenets of our faith. Such alterations of language, dates, festivals, etc.,do not represent the spiritual experience of the Christian believer nor the essential things in which s/he believes. - Andrzej Markiewicz - sidahmed@emirates.net.ae

"My Mom always told me to say "Bless You" after a sneeze because your heart skips a beat when you sneeze, and it may not start beating again. She's an LPN, so I thought she'd been told that in nursing school. She also told me never to put a hat on a bed because it means someone is going to die." - Kelly Walker - kwalker@mhpagency.com

"I don't have any reference for this other than my family, but when I was young my mother told me that you knocked on wood after saying something that might jinx yourself so that the evil spirts in the wood would not hear you and act upon the idea that you might have given them." - PC Warehouse Sales Representative - jessica@techmart-inc.com

"I heard that if you stumble over a threshhold, you need to snap at it to send away all the demons. If you get up on the left side of the bed, you have to go back into the bed by taking 9 steps backward, then getting up on the right side of the bed. " - Melissa - TGO810304@AOL.Com

"My wife is pregnant. A bird (sparrow) flew into our house. She was told it's bad luck. Now she's concerned about losing the baby (probably because she recently watched the movie "Seventh Sign" with Demi Moore, etc.)" - Windsound@aol.com

"Concerning December 25 as the celebration of Christmas: I heard that because the Roman Empire had made Christianity illegal at some point, so Christians chose to celebrate Christmas on December 25 to escape detection. Since their Christmas celebration coincided with a Roman holiday, they could say that their celebrations were for that holiday, not for Christian purposes, and thus, escape arrest, attack, etc. Sorry, no source." - Ramey Ko - erick@computek.net

Here are some additions to the origins of superstitions and holidays:

1. We cover our mouths when we yawn because it was believed that evil spirits could enter our bodies via our mouths.

2. We say "God Bless You" when someone sneezes because it was believed that your soul could escape from your body during a sneeze, and saying "God Bless You" immediately after someone sneezed would stuff it back in.

3. Since the actual date of the birth of Christ isn't known, the early Christians took the date of an existing holiday, the birth of Mithras, an ancient Persian sun-god. The date of December 25th is also meaningful because at the time of the Winter Solstice, when the daylight lessens, people thought that the world was ending...Thus, after a couple days or so, when the days began to lengthen, people celebrated. If you want to figure out the "actual" date of the birth of Christ from clues in the Bible (the sheep at pasture, the alignment of the stars in the sky, later clues of the age of Jesus) he was probably born in late summer or fall. When the cult of Christianity (The Romans)wanted to destroy all the earlier pagan religions that were flourishing, they adopted the days that were sacred to the other religions to keep the followers happy. Sidenote: The Evergreen tree is used as a symbol because its year-round green branches suggested everlasting life.

4. Knocking on wood was supposed to keep the evil spirits that lived in the wood from coming out to spoil our good fortune.

5. Walking under a ladder was bad luck because a ladder leaning against a wall formed a triangle and the Egyptians believed very strongly in the power of pyramids and triangles. To break the triangle was considered very dangerous. Sidenote: Sleeping with a pyramid over your head is supposed to either bring good (prophetic) dreams or is supposed to bring good luck (I can't quite remember). - Ruth

"The reason Friday the 13th is considered unlucky according to the book "Dungeon, Fire, and Sword" is that on that day, I forget the year, the King of France, I forget his name, put the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jaques DeMolay, to the stake and burned him alive along with other Knights. The reason for the executions according to the King was because the Templars were secretly Satanists. In reality he was jealous of their wealth and power and had his Anit-Pope excommunicate them and condem them as heretics. The Knights Templar were the richest group in Europe at the time and were loved by most of the 'common' folk. As he was burning, DeMolay cursed the Pope and King of France to die within the year, which they both did. So that is the true reason that Friday the 13th is considered unlucky." - Peter Siegel - psiege@roinet.com

"The new testament states that there were no rooms available in any of the inns as there was a festival on, so Mary & Joseph were stuck in a stable. This festival was the Feast of the Tabernacles, as the goyim call it, or 'Succot' in Hebrew, which is held in October. So Christmas has NOTHING to do with christianity. The pagan festivals held around the mid-winter solstice (Saturnalia to the Romans) were very popular so instead of banning them, the church merely renamed them, and made Jesus the centre of attention. As for Jesus' birthplace being Bethlehem in Judea, that too might be inaccurate. There is a village called Beitlehem HaGlalit (Bethlehem of the Galilee) which lies just north of Nazereth, where Joseph and Mary lived. Herods' decree for a population census required people to return to their native towns. Some people hold that the Bethlehem referred to in the new testament is Galilean, not Judean." - David Ommanney - t03do@abdn.ac.uk

"I just had to add something. The habit of knocking on wood to prevent bad luck was first a Roman custom, to communicate with the dryads, or tree spirits. So when one said something good about oneself or one's luck, one would also knock on the wood of a nearby object because it was also good luck to have the dryads in one's favor. (And being remembered in the wood was nice.) Latin professor was my source." - Mirj - mirjen@ibm.net

"When my father was a boy he went to a friends house. He placed his hat on his friends bed and his childhood friend told him it was bad luck. My father did not believe his warning and the two of them ran off to play. Upon returning to the house, the house was burnt to the ground. My father was never a person to heed superstitious warnings, but until the day he passed on, I was never allowed to place any hat, on any bed, at any time. He actually used to spank me when I left hats on beds! Anyway I was wanting to know if you could possible share the origin of this superstition or connect me to some source of information regarding the rule." - Johnny Chance - JChance@ensemble.net

"I remember, when I was a kid, when the family would drive past a cemetary, we would all hold our breath, to avoid inhaling evil spirits. Also, it was thought good luck to carry a handcuff key with you. It would get you out of trouble. - Felix Xavier Jinx - President, Skitzophrenic Pyromaniacs, Incorperated - sdhslib@cyberg8t.com

"The true reason that breaking a mirror was 7 years bad luck is because when mirrors were first made they were so expensive that if you broke on you would serve 7 years as an indentured servant to the owner of the mirror because not too many people could afford to buy another one to replace it." - JUMPMAS842@aol.com

"I have learned growing up that if you see a penny on the ground and it is heads up you should pick it up and it will bring you good luck. Also, it is said that while you drive over railroad tracks to lift your feet and make a wish for good luck. Finally, good luck charms are used by many people. Things such as rabbit's feet, horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, and other things to peoples interests will bring them good luck." - Brian Prince - dprince@ccpl.carr.lib.md.us

"Now the bride and groom kiss at the ceremony but at one time they made love in front of the village. In the days of arranged mariages this was the only way they could be sure that the mariage would be properly consummated. Also, the ring was placed on the third finger until science discovered that there was no nerve directly from that finger to the heart, making it irrational to employ it in any romantiic connection." - Yggdrasil4@aol.com

"I am not sure if this is true but when you enter a car you are suppose to enter it with your right leg for good Luck." - KimBear444@.aol.com

"Living in Hawaii all my life, I have heard lots of superstitions, like for instance, never give an empty wallet, because if you do, it will be empty forever. Never wear your shoes in the house, because it brings the devil in your house. A pregnant lady should never wear a lei, 'cause the umbilical cord might choke the baby. These are all super silly, But the one I am about to tell you is the mother of all superstitions that I have heard. Never sleep with your feet toward the door, because the mysteries night marchers will come to your home, and steal your soul." - Megan Shibuya - shibuya@aloha.net

"If you secretly put your toe-nail clippings in a glass of lemonade and make someone drink it, then that person is supposed to fall in love with you. I got this superstition from a book called "Cross Your Fingers, Spit In Your Hat.", by A. Shwartz." - Sabrina Beaudoin - SUEMSA@SILK.NET

"I do not recall where I heard this superstition from, but when someone sneezes their heart stops a beat. By saying "God bless you", it merely thanks God for allowing the heart to continue beating again considering if it had stopped they would not be alive." - Patricia Rose - plrose@bond.net

"When I was younger my little brother would tell me to lift my feet when we rode past a cemetary because the people buried there would sneak their spirits into your body (via the wheels of the auto I think). I also was told (by a "witch" at a convention) that the number 13 was considered strange because the five pointed-star represents the maiden, the mother, the crone and the two faces of the gods. The maiden also wore the face of the motherly maiden and the cronly maiden, the mother had the face of the maiden, the mother and the crone - and so on. When you add all of these many faces you end up with the number 13. It represents the power that comes in many forms. If you want to know my opinion I think it kinda scared most (if not all) of the Christians who were rapidly gaining popularity." - Amber Strom - kbell@theshivers.com

"How about the idea of not stepping on sidewalk cracks? "Step on a crack break your mothers back" was the alleged justification. I know nothing of the origin of this one. I do remember a few kids who stomped the hell out of some cracks! Made me wonder about how things were going around home!" - DOWNING - gwhiz@interoz.com"@Interoz.com

"Did you ever hear the superstion that a woman could tell who her future husband would be by standing at the side of the road, waiting until she counted 10 red cars, then saw a red-haired girl in a purple dress, then a man in a green tie, and THEN the next young man she saw would be her husband?&quo; - Jason Mojica - JMojica@aol.com

1. It is bad luck to walk under a ladder because they used to be used only by painters, so if you walked under one, paint or anything else could fall on you.

2 .Friday the 13th is only bad luck for males. The calendars used to have 13 months for the 13 phases of the moon in a year. Men changed the calendar to 12 months. Women also generally have 13 cycles in a year. Friday is also ruled by Venus which represents women.

3. A person is supposedly closest to death when they sneeze. You say "God bless you" so that if they die they may go to Heaven.

4. When passing a cemetary hold your breath because every breath you take supposedly wakes up a spirit. - CAMSILVER@aol.com

"My grandmother would never say "thank you" when she was given a plant as a gift or handed a knife. She believed that the plant would die and she would cut herself, respectively. She would also never point her finger at a plant because it would then begin to wither and die. Also, to this day, opening an umbrella indoors is a BIG no-no in my family." - Jessica Jacques - jjacques@sprintmail.com

"The 'walking under a ladder thing' started in northern Europe, and its purpose was that the only time a latter was used, that was big enough to walk under, was for getting a body off the lynching pole. If one were to walk under it, they would meet death.

Friday the 13th...Friday was considered to be a bad day any time of the year. The 13th...the unlucky number had, again little to do with early christians too. In fact most of Central Europe, being mainly christian at the time, Friday the 13th meant nothing to them. Tuesday the 13th was the worst day of the year.

The term 'bless you' came from Egypt about 600 years before your claim. Tyberius Caesar would roam the city and bless all whom would sneeze, because of a sickness.

Salt was considered to be a pure substance. There are many superstitions involving salt. Evil spirits lurk over the left shoulder and if salt was spilt then the person who did the act was open for attack by the spirit.

Black Cats... The Goddess Bias was many colors, and the fear of the cat....not black cat, just cat, came years before Christians took over Europe. In Druid Celtics belief, the cat was a dark and evil verminous creature. If a black, or other cat was to walk to you, this was a good omen, if it were to walk away from you, this was bad.

The ladybug was considered a good omen centuries before Christ was thought of in most of Europe. It meant a good crop and if you killed one, your crop was shit. - Matthew - mdjacks@okstate.edu

"My mother used to say that dropping the silverware meant that company was coming." - Lee Dowler - dowler@alltel.net

"My grandmother is very superstitious and she always told me never to leave shoes on a bed because it would bring you bad luck and if you every left the house and forgot something, when you went back to get it, you had to sit back down on a chair before leaving or your trip would be a disaster. She also taught our entire family that when you ate a piece of pie, or anything pointy, you had to cut off the point and push it to the side. After you had eaten the entire pie piece, you put the point in your mouth and made a wish." - Tricia Bull - Tbull@worldnet.att.net

"Jewish homes have a mezzuzah, or good-luck charm, on their door jambs. Orthodox (very religious) Jews kiss it each time they enter or leave. It contains some religious writing inside and symbolizes the blood left on the doors of Jewish homes (reference the Passover miracle). You are supposed to nail it to your door jamb diagonally, supposedly to symbolize the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (all that's left is the Wailing Wall). I heard - sorry, can't remember where- that it really is due to some rabbis arguing whether to nail it horizontally or vertically. Therefore, diagonally is a compromise."

"There are some that are fairly normal, like 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."

"I still like to offer the orthodox jews rides on saturday mornings on their way back and forth to shul (temple). They walk, because they aren't allowed to operate machinery on the sabbath (who said so, anyway?)."

"At a jewish wedding: the bride and groom gave everyone a page of information about the ceremony. The information went something like this:

"We do this and that to show our relationship to G-d. We ask G-d to bless this or that, yada yada yada." The "G-d" is because: the name of the lord is not to be defamed in any way, including by improper disposal of material that includes the lord's name. Therefore, any thing on which you wrote "God" should be buried or burned in specific ceremonies. Since we didn't actually write the whole name (came close, though ;) ), we can throw this piece of paper away!"

- Spikat@aol.com

"People would say that spirits could not walk upon a path, so after dark don't leave the path/road. REALLY FOR: So people wouldn't get lost at night."

"If you stare into a mirror by candlelight you will see the spirit of a lost loved one. TRUTH: Your eyes just get so screwed up that you see anything."

"13 is unlucky. EXPLANATION: If you count the original Christian gang with Jesus as 1 and go up Judas is 13 and he betrayed Jesus (According to the Bible." - Jerry Pelton - panda_bear@hotmail.com

"Knock on wood" has a more positive variation than to hide one's ill intentions. The Druids of Briton (about the time of the Romans, too - which might mean that the Romans stole the idea and then corrupted it to a more sinister idea), believed spirits lived in trees, especially in the forests. And they also lived in any kind of wood. The Druids were animistic, attributing supernatural qualities to many things. They built Stonehedge. If a person wanted a favor, such as a GOOD thing to CONTINUE, or to AVOID BAD things, they would make their request (as people make prayers but perhaps not as fancy), and knock on wood to get the ATTENTION of the spirits they wanted to hear their request." - Robert F. Fulton, Ph.D. - rfulton@usa.net

"At least as recently as the 1960's, there were fields in certain farms in Northern Ireland (doubtless also the Republic) 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. Sometimes I think that such superstitions offer a welcome counterbalance to the destruction caused by the worship of the most worthless of all gods, Mammon." - Albert Rogers - theSkeptic@angelfire.com

"A woman that used to work as a housekeeper while I was growing up had several superstitions that I never forgot:

1. Don't watch an animal defacating or you'll get a stye on your eye.
2. A red-tipped match will cure a case of the hiccups.
3. If your nose itches, it means that someone is thinking about you.

She was a very religious Mexican Catholic woman named Elvira Flores." - Ashlee Matthews - aamatthews@mindspring.com

"The concept of 13 being unlucky originated before Moses, much less JC. If you take a look at the Code of Hammurabi, available in electronic form in many places on the web, you will notice that the laws are numbered - but law 12 is followed by law 14 (just like the floors on many buildings today). Notes in several translations point out that 13 was considered very unlucky in ancient Babylon - just exactly why is still a conjecture, but we DO know that 7 and 12 were very sacred to them." - Joe Jackson - jjackson@flash.net

"The four leaves in a four leaf clover represented good luck in fame (first leaf to the left of the stem), wealth, lover, and health. My source is "The Complete Book Of Amulets and Talismans"" - Robert Crix - rob@nmbrokers.com

"If your nose itches, that means someone is thinking about you.

If your left ear rings, someone is saying good things about you.

If your right ear rings, someone is saying bad things about you.

If your left hand itches, you're going to be rich.

If your right hand itches, you're going to be poor.

I dont know where these came from, my friends told me this." - Egypt31611@aol.com

"The word witch is a misspelling of Wicce, a female practitioner of the Wiccan religion. A male is known as Wicca, not Warlock, which is celtic (I think, maybe anglo-saxon?) for Oathbreaker. I have this on good authority from several Wiccans, as well as the Witches League for Public awareness (yes, the WLPA does use the better known spelling). Also, a great number of Christian holidays fall on the eight Wiccan Sabbats (not Black Sabbaths--another Christian corruption). Lastly, the pentagram (point-downwards) is the satanic symbol; the pentacle (point-upwards) is not. Things to think about." - Matt Hackell - mdragon1@hotmail.com

"This may not be considered a superstition, however it is a tradition. The wedding ring is actually a 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. Ah how sweet..... " - Tiffany Popham - tpopham@theatrix.com

"My great grandmother from Georgia was the source..50 years ago.

1. Nose itches? You are about to kiss a fool.
2. Hand itches? You are bout to come into some money.
3. It is ok to open an umbrella in the house...you just can't put it over your head or the family will have bad things "rain" upon them. Some umbrellas might be considered back luck indoors, but our patio umbrellas are always great for when you're outside! We also carry this sunbrella to keep the sun out of your eyes too.
4. If it rains on your wedding day...your marriage will be showered with blessings.
5. 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.
6. But the best one came from our mother. Remember how when you get scared or chilled and you get this little shiver that runs over your body? Our mother said that is a rabbit running over a grave. So whenever mom or dad would yell at us and we would shiver, we would look at each other and say "rabbits".

Sharon in Florida - booksrme@BELLSOUTH.NET

"My grandfather believed that if a black cat crossed in front of you, you would receive bad luck. He believed soo stongly that he would drive around the block(a one mile square in those days in the country) just avoid going over the cats trail. My mother is also a believer in the receiveng of knives brings one bad luck in friendship. You will have a falling out with the person that gave you the knife.(It will cut your friendship apart.) I also, as does my family, believe that if you tell too many people about what you want to happen that it will dissapate the energy of that thing happening and will NOT happen." - TOMROB3690@aol.com

"My mother told me you should sleep with you feet towards the door so if you died in your sleep your soul could easily walk out (strictly speaking I just think its practical for a child to be able to see the door should there be a fire or emergency). This is also the reason you never leave shoes on a table -- your soul will go to get the shoes and fall off the table to hell (again more likely shoes could be polished on the kitchen table but why should the mother have to move them to make breakfast). The most intriguing superstition I know is if you give a knife as a gift the recipient must give something in return (usually a coin) if not the friendship will be severed." - robotboy - robotboy@alphalink.com.au

• 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.
• Whiporwills call for the souls of the dead.
• "Three on a match" is bad luck because during WW1 lighting three smokes on one match at night allowed an enemy sniper enought time to draw a bead.
• Never sweep over a threshold because it sweeps all the luck out of the room.
• 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.
• Lucky horseshoes should be hung with the tips up, like a "U" or else the luck drains out.
• Use coins you find on the street to buy luckier lottery tickets.
• When someone is leaving, always turn away before they are out of sight, elswise you'll never see them again.
• If you say a prayer in the morning, don't say "amen". That way the rest of the day becomes part of your prayer.

I learned these things from an Old Wife. - Lemuel Stewart - manic97@chaffee.net

"It's superstition that we blame going outside with wet hair causes a cold. I forget the guys name who started th rumor but he was an atheist. That must mean all atheists are silly superstitionists!" - Rush Jamison - eppc@unidial.com

"The number 13 was unlucky to the Babylonians because it was a Prime number. 12 was sacred because it could be divided so many different ways. (Hey, you know those Babylonians & their math...)" - reinhart - reinhart@gvtc.com

• I have heard that by placing a new baby on someone's bed will ensure that that person will be the next to have a baby. (or, in the case of a male - his wife or girlfriend)
• Opening umbrellas indoors is bad luck
• When a bird flies inside a house or building, someone in the building will die. I heard this from my grandmother (1902- Northern Mass.)
• "Red sky at night, A sailor's delight, Red in the morning, Sailors take warning." My grandmother's father was a ship captain, this was something he lived by. So did she, so did my mother, and now I do.

- Debi - djarrell@dmv.com

"Some superstitions coming from old Europe"

1. In Italy, not only number 13, but also number 17 brings bad luck and/or death. Explanation: in Roman digits 17 was written XVII; an anagram of this is VIXI, that in Latin means "I lived" - and if I lived, now I must be dead! (From an Italian magazine)
2. Also in Spain when one sneezes the others say "Jesus!". This is because it was once believed that by sneezing one expulsed bad spirits from his body, and so the others had to pronounce the name of the Lord in order to protect themselves from these bad spirits (from a Course of Spanish for Italians ("¡Claro que sí!"), dealing also with Spanish costume-and-society items)
3. In some zones of Southern Italy many people put a knife in the door frame, in order to keep bad spirits out from the house (source: my wife - she comes from there!)

- Luca Bergamasco, Italy - fornaro@vdiget.polito.it

"My Grandmother told me that when it rains and the sun shines it means that the devil is beating his wife with a frying pan. Also means it will rain the same time tomorrow.

If lightning strikes a tree and you witness it then someone you know will die.

Also, saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes comes from the time of the black plague because sneezing was a sign of the sickness and once you got the plague you were assured of death. "God bless you" was used almost like a prayer that maybe you weren't sick while also asking god to literally bless the person." - Fatmansmle@aol.com

"If Christ was actually born it would of been during the spring sometime. That's when the stars would have been lined in such a way that one would be very bright. Dec. 25 was celebrated by the Romans because it was believed that the devil lurked in the night. Since the days are the shortest this time of the year people would gather together all night to keep the devil and nasty spirits away. They would light candles on trees (Christmas trees) to create light so it wouldn't be so dark. Since catholicism evolved in Rome they just combined the holidays as God and Jesus were also to keep away bad spirits." - BbWinds@aol.com

"My mother told me that, if I ever bang one elbow accidentally, I must bang the other one deliberately, or else I will have bad luck. Since then, this has been a reflex of mine, and one that causes much hilarity among friends. I think the superstition must have been passed down through a few generations." - Tony Barrell in London - tonybarrell@email.msn.com

"I was watching the movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock called Shadow of a Doubt and the characters mentioned that putting a hat on a chair indoors is bad luck!" - Dulciter@aol.com

"My neighbor, Dawn, says don't leave your purse on the floor or you will stay broke, and don't buy your man a pair of shoes or he will walk out of your life forever." - Kads120@aol.com

"When I was young we were told that after eating a boiled egg we should make a hole in the bottom of the eggshell to stop the witches using it to sail across the sea. None of us really believed it, but the habit stayed with me for years." - Martin Thomas - martin.thomas@saqnet.co.uk

"Here are some silly superstitions:

• My mom said that if your palm itches, you will recieve money, and if the back of your hand itches you will lose money.
• When I was a child, my friends always said that the amount of times you can put your first finger and thumb around your arm from your wrist up, that's how many children you're gonna have (I hope that's not true 'cause I can do it 8 times!!).
• The amount of times it takes to blow all of the seeds off a dandelion is the amount of children you will have.
• I read in a Wiccan spell book that if a female sees a ladybug, the direction the ladybug flies away is the direction of her future husband.
• My sisters told me that if I played with my belly button that my guts would fall out.
• You are supposed to lift your feet and hold your breath for good luck when you ride over a bridge.

- Dana - MizuAmi@aol.com

People tell me that in order to keep the evil eye away, One must wear a red string around their wrist or sew it onto their clothing. Apparently this comes from the Jewish faith and the string should come from the tomb of Rachel. - Msctw9797@aol.com

My parents always said if you get hit by a car and the paramedics see that you're wearing dirty underwear they won't help you. - ThunarGodi@aol.com

Here are a few dos and don'ts on Maui, some of which may apply to some of the other islands.

1. During the sugarcane days, a train ran off the tracks above Homoa village killing all of the passengers. Don't ever cross the bridge where it happened in Febuary or March (I forget which).
2. Don't take a lava rock from the isles. Pele, the volcano goddess, will get you.
3. If you ever encounter flat rocks stacked one on top of the others, have respect and don't touch them. They are prayers.
4. There's a stretch of road where you should avoid driving late at night with pork. If you do, you risk seeing the "white lady." If you do ever see her at the side of the road, pick her up. She will climb into your car, and sooner or later disappear. Don't ever, EVER look in her eyes or she will steal your soul.

- Robert Atha - atha@cie.cendant.com

When I was a little kid my grandmother told us to hold our breath when we were driving past a cemetery because if we didn't the spirits could steal our souls through our mouths... She also used to say that people were "dying to get in there." - jennyphl@aol.com

Here are some interesting superstitions I learned from my Vietnamese family and friends:

1. Sneezing -- If you sneeze, it means that someone is speaking well of you.
2. Houses -- It is bad luck to have a house where you can see or walk straight through out the back door from the front door (i.e., there needs to be walls in between). Also, if you can see up the staircase from the front door, that means all your money will "pour out" of the house. There are other ways of reading into the layout of a house, but it takes an expert to evaluate. This may be related to the Chinese art of fung-shei, regarding spiritual harmony with one's environment. In any case, many Vietnamese will have a monk "bless" a new house before they move in.
3. Gifts -- With certain gifts like scarves or combs, the receiver must immediately give something back to the giver -- like money or other compensation -- or else it's bad luck.

- Emily Nghiem - educere@ghgcorp.com - Houston Progressive Webzine

My grandmother has lots of superstitious sayings and actions, but the one she is the most vehement about is to say "bread and butter" if we walked around different sides of an object (such as a light pole or trash can). Something about how things will eventually come between us. - Leslie Soden - lesticia@yahoo.com

From a child's book on history:

The number 13 was thought unlucky by Christians because that was the number of people at the last supper when Christ was betrayed.

They thought 4 was lucky because of the 4 gospels by Mathew, Mark, Luke and John.

Of course people remember unlucky things more than lucky ones.

Alan Urdaibay - urdaibay@eclipse.co.uk

The whole idea of Christianity is superstition, & not based on any facts!! According to the book , "The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths & Secrets", by Barbara G. Walker, Jesus was a composite of many! He was Chistos "anointed " This title was stolen from middle - eastern Saviors-gods, like Adonis,& Tammuz, born of a Virgin Sea Goddess Aphrodite-Miria.

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Earlier versions of same hero was Joshua son of Nun (Exodus 3:11) The Christian gospel J.C. seems to have made NO impression on his contemporaries! No literate person of his own (supposed) time mentioned him in any known writings! The gospels were not written in his own time, but as late as 2 centuries after his (supposed) life ended.

The books were composed AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE "church". The details of the Jesus story were accumulated through later adoption of Myths attached to EVERY Savior -god throughout the Roman Empire! Like Adonis - J.C. was born of a consecrated temple maiden in the sacred care of Bethlehem, the House of the Bread of god. Like worshippers of Osiris, those of J.C. made him part of themselves by "eating him," so as to participate in his resurrection. (" He that eats my flesh, & drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, & I in him" John 6:56) Like Dionysus, J.C. was King of Kings, God of Gods, like Hermes, J.C. was the Enlightened One & The Logos. Like Vishnu & Mithra, J.C. was Son of man & Messiah. Like Mot-Aleyin The Lamb of God , and SAVIOR was applied to all of them!!!

His ability to walk on water was copied from the Far - Eastern holy men who claimed this one ever since Buddhist monks praised it as the mark of a true ascetic. Like Buddha, J.C. advocated poverty & humility. I can go on with stolen Myths, but I suggest everyone get the encyclopedia I mentioned at the start. Just one more thing, the "historical" figure in the gospels , Pontius Pilate, to whom J.C. was ( supposed )to have been presented as King of the Jews & simultaneously as a criminal deserving death penalty for blasphemy for calling himself son of the blessed. This alleged crime was NO real crime ! Eastern provinces swarmed with self-styled Christs & Messiahs calling themselves son's of god & announcing the end of the world !!! None of them was executed for blasphemy!!! The beginning of the story probably lay in the tradition of the sacred king sacrifice in Jerusalem, LONG before Pilate's administration, when Rome was trying to discourage such barbarisms!!

Despite centuries of research, No historical Jesus has come to light. It seems his story was not merely overlaid with MYTH ...it was MYTH to the core!!! It seems Christianity is based on the UBIQUITOUS social phenomena of credulity. An idea is able to gain & retain the aura of essential truth through telling & retelling. The process endows a cherished notion with more veracity than a library of facts. The further removed one gets from the period in question, the greater is the strength of the conviction. Initial incredulousness is soon converted into BELIEF in a probability & eventually SMUG ASSURANCE!!! - L. Larkin - plarkin@primenet.com

The actual, historically documented reason why Friday the 13th is considered to be an unlucky day has nothing to do with witches or the day Christ was crucified, or what have you. The real reason is that when Philip the Fair (the King of France) arrested the entire Order of the Templars, and seized all their property for the throne, it was a well coordinated raid that took place on Friday the 13th. The action was so swift, brutal and efficient that the day has lived on in infamy ever since. (sorry I don't have the year, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out.) - Richard Douek - richard_douek@mvbms.com

One of my English professors from college (Mythology class) told me that the earliest documented example of the number thirteen as something bad came from the Song of Ishtar, an ancient Babylonian epic poem. The thirteenth line contains the name of the Goddess of the Dead (which is never a good thing). - Matt Rhodes - MRhodes@FARS.IDINC.COM

Here's a really strange one. My primary school was not far down the road from an overbridge, and a lot of us, including me, had to go under that overbridge to get home from school; also, when we had swimming lessons we used to go as a class to a swimming pool on the other side of the bridge. And we believed that if you talked under the bridge, you got seven years of bad luck. How the superstition began, and whether it applied to any other overbridges as well, I have no idea. - Daniel Copeland - copeyns@es.co.nz

My grandmother told me that you should never allow a rocking chair to rock without someone in it. (Such as if someone should bump into it). If you didn't stop it from rocking immediately then some horrible tragedy would happen. Also you should make sure picture frames that didn't have a picture in them are face down. An empty picture frame face up or set out was very dangerous, a wandering soul that hadn't found its way to heaven could become trapped in it and never find peace. We are from Arkansas, superstitions run rampant and are taken seriously. - LaJeana Cass - lcass@cicoa.org

My mother has always said that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day brings good luck for the entire year, and if you put a dime in the pot while cooking them, it also brings monetary fortune during the year. As far as I know, she still prepares black-eyed peas every New Year's Day. I have no idea of the origin of this silly superstition, but I thought it was worth mentioning, especially since I've heard others say the same thing over time. Funny how we humans come up with such things... T. Edens - go-edens@texas.net

Here are some superstitions from my family:

·  Never sleep with your head facing the door - I was told the reason for this is because they carry dead bodies out of the room head first.

·  Never step over somebody - they won't grow.

·  Upon first seeing someone's new car you throw money (change) into it for good luck.

·  Never receive something sharp, like a knife, without giving the giver money.

·  When my children were babies I actually put red ribbons on their crib, stroller and even pinned onto their T-shirts - in case someone said what a beautiful baby or complimented them, such as being healthy or a good eater, then the ribbon would protect them and they would stay beautiful, healthy, etc. - I had all bases covered

·  If you purchase an elephant, make sure the trunk is turned upward, it means good luck. I guess downward might be the opposite. - LINDA - LINSCORP@aol.com

Here are a few I have heard as a child:

·  My father told me that when a dog starts howling at night in front of someone's house, then it means some one in that house has died. He said they can sense their spirit leaving the body.

·  If you have frequent nose bleeds, get a pure lead ball, tie it on a ribbon and wear it around your neck so that it falls in the gully of your throat and your nose will stop bleeding. This one really works because he used it on me.

·  Don't sleep on feather pillows because after time, a ball of feathers will form under your head and when it is a complete circle, you will die.

·  Moles on your back, bring money by the sack. - Mukayla@aol.com

My mother always told me:

·  Never put new shoes on a table, it would cause a family fight.

·  Never put new shoes under a bed and then go to sleep, it will cause nightmares.

·  Never stare in an animal's eyes, if you look away first it will be very bad luck, if the animal looks away first then you have a bad spirit around you.

·  Always pick up pennies only if they were "heads" up. I didn't listen to her advice. I picked up 3 pennies,(all 3 were in a row), and all "tails" up. The next day my car wouldn't start and it cost me over 200 dollars to fix, the second day my daughter fell face first on the pavement and on the third day my back went out, bad enough to go to the hospital. Made me a believer!!! - Angela Whitley - Angell67@email.msn.com

In my family, it is tradition to pull the wishbone when you have a full turkey and the person who gets the larger piece will have their wish come true. Also, my mother once told me that when you wake up on the first day of the month, you should say "rabbit rabbit" before anything else and you will get presents that month. Any idea where these superstitions came from? - Jenn Stuart - a1249@truman.edu

My mother told me to always put my right shoe on first or I would die early. - Carolyn Modica - cmodica@swbell.net

• In England, black cats bring fortune
• If you can take the one white hair off an otherwise all black cat without getting scratched, you have a very powerful good luck talisman.
• Cats can physically see spirits, so they make excellent guardians against evil spirits. They also love to play with friendly or benificial spirits.

- AT

• Walking under a ladder: It IS bad luck to walk under a ladder when someone is working at the top of the ladder with heavy steel tools.
• Black cat crossing path: It IS bad luck for a black cat to cross your path when the cat weighs more than 200 pounds.
• Breaking a mirror IS bad luck if the mirror is made of glass you break it over your head.
• One more superstition that I believe in is that it IS bad luck to go into a known "tough bar" and walk over to the biggest guy in the place and call him a wissy.

- David F Mayer - DMayer@via-net.net

Pennies Heads vs Tails....

Any information on whether turning a tails-up penny over - without having it leave the ground and then picking it up on heads - will STILL bring good luck? What supposedly happens if I DO pick up a tails-up penny? BAD Luck...or NOTHING at all? What if I turn a tails-up penny over and then come back to it the next day? Does anyone have any info on this superstition? - Gary Frischman - ital@webspan.net

I once heard somewhere that if you eat dessert right before going to bed, you will have nightmares. Of course, being the non-comformist that I am, I just had to test the theory and though I will admit I've had some really *weird* dreams all of my life, I can't really equate them with nightmares.

One of the most superstitious group of people I know...are actors, actresses, and theatre performers. Being a member of the International Thespian Society and having done several productions on stage and behind the scenes, I know many of them, however I can't say whether or not they are true.

"Phantom of the Opera" seems to have been modified to be the "ghost of the Theatre". Every working theatre seems to have at least one ghost...sometimes this ghost sleeps in the dark storage rooms..sometimes it can be heard running along the catwalks...whenever electrical equipment fails or programmed settings reset themselves, blame was placed on the ghost.

• Don't whistle in a theatre....your next performance will be a total bomb!
• Never open an umbrella unless it's on stage during a scene....for this reason, umbrellas are often cut out of scripts.
• Never peek out at the audience before a production, it brings bad luck...(and probly stage fright).
• Never eat or drink anything made from milk or lemons before a performance...this is more common sense as these things effect your saliva glands and you lose the clarity of your voice...especially bad for those who must sing solos.

The superstitions aren't just for that one person. Theatre people are team players, and their superstitions effect everyone. Typical horror story told to me when I first got into theatre was that the new girl whistled..the star of the show got the hickups, the co-star got lost her voice...the supporting actors contrived hives, stage fright, and all sorts of other nasty bothersome ailments which would effect the performing ability of the show. Depite everything.."The Show Must Go On"...therefore...there were usually different ceremonies which could be done to reverse the effects of the bad luck. The one who started the curse..but whistling or whatever, would have to stand on his head, and sing a song backwards or something.

Many of the basic black cat, spilt salt, walking under a ladder superstitions are also practiced by theatre groups. Also, for those thespians who do their performances on a set or for the Silverscreen, also find themselves with similar superstitions, *especially* if they started out in theatre. Source for this Knowledge is based on my own experiences with my fellow thespians of the ITS (International Thespian Society). Whether they are real or not, I practice them for the benefit of those who are hard core believers, else they curse themselves with bad luck and the show bombs anyway. - Gwendolyn - XtremeQriosity@aol.com

I would like to know if there are any wedding superstitions like; what does it mean when your church.that you’re getting married in burns down? The church that I'm getting married at, had a fire. - Nicole Evely - nevely@eaglebrk.com

Have you ever heard of a weird superstition involving bad luck with GREEN CARS? Supposedly, there's statistical data on the number of accidents based on car color, and green is WAY ahead of the others. - Deb Milton - debmaelstrom@hotmail.com

I was told by my Grandmother, that if anyone was worried about becoming bald, then sneakily place some snipped ( or plucked,it doesn't matter ! ) pubic hair into a fresh bowl of chicken soup.( the thicker the better , so as to avoid detection ) . Incidentally, my Grandfather had more hair than chewbacca!!!!! Thus promoting the regeneration of the vital follicles. I believe it works better if one has had one's tonsils removed.......let me know....Thanks - cayte.symonds - cayte.symonds@ntlworld.com

Muslim Superstitions

1. If a fly falls on your food , take it and immerse it once more because according to prophet Mohammed, the fly carries the medicine on one wing to counter the disease it carries on the other wing!.
2. When you enter the toilet room , use your left leg first while entering and when you come out use the right leg to step out according to Hadith of prophet Mohammed who instucted muslims to do so.
3. When prophet Mohammed migrated to Madina city after being persecuted in Mecca by his relatives, his supporters in Madina competed to alot a land to build his house on it and since all were keen to have him as a neighbour. Not to offend them he gave the choice to his camel which made a tour in Madina with prophet sitting on its back before selecting the location, so all accepted the choice of the camel.
4. When prophet Mohammed was hiding in Hira cave of Mecca being afraid of Meccans, a spider came and built its web. On seeing the web, the infidels of mecca, who were chasing him, didn't enter because they assumed it as an abandoned cave.
5. On the night of his flight from Mecca, prophet Mohammed recited some verses and passed by Meccan infidels but they couldn't see him.
6. In Mirag night the God sent to prophet Mohammed an animal that resembles both donkey and horse (hybrid)..he rode that and travelled over a night to Jerusalem , from where he ascended to sky, met the god and came back to his house in Mecca before morning (one thound kilometers approx.)

Thanks, I found the contributions were mainly about Christian & Jewish legacy, so I wanted you to share these as islam is the third of what they call monolithic religions. - one two - halfawi_yahya@yahoo.com

Regarding the superstition that whistling in the theatre brings bad luck. According to a Terry Pratchett book (Masquerade?) stage hands used whistling signals to communicate with each other while a performance was in progress. This way they could move props etc with sandbags and pulleys without disturbing the performers. If you whistled on stage, you risked having a sandbag land on your head. - isperera@hotmail.com

Here is just a couple of superstitions that I was told by my grandmother:

• If you find a penny that is tales up, pick it up and give it to someone this will give you both good luck.
• If you play in the fire you will pee the bed.
• Pee in the road, get a sty in your eye.

Someone mentioned to me recently one about hearing a knock on the head of your bed. I would like to know the meaning of this one if anyone knows it. - dsexton@voyager.net

• You must hold your breath when you go past a cemetary or else you will breath in the soul of someone who has recently died.
• You have to get out of bed on the same side you got in on or else you will have bad luck.
• Don't burn bread because it feeds the devil so he will be lurking nearby.
• The devil is always over your left shoulder. Thats why when you spill salt, which is supposes to be the purest substance, you throw it over you left shoulder with your right hand to blind the devil.
• You're supposed to say "bless you" when someone sneezes to keep the devil from coming off of your shoulder while you're distracted.
• You have to hold your hand in front of your mouth when you sneeze to prevent your soul from escaping.

- Ashlee - stekbaer@antigopro.net

My grandmother used to say never give knives as presents- they cut love. For some reason my mom always kisses the clock at a repeating time (ie 3:33 or 2:22. 11:11 is the best time) and some of my friends make wishes....does any one know why? Why do we wish on shooting stars? - Valerie Ann Van Alstyne - freakychick4@hotmail.com

To add to your collection of superstitions, my mother always swears that snowdrops picked and brought into the house will mean a pregnancy. She says that my Great Aunt swore by this and when my sister was having difficulty conceiving my mother gave her a bunch of snowdrops and conincidence or not, guess who was pregnant very soon after? What I would like to know is why do undertakers refuse to bury people with their shoes on? - Clare Ansdell - clare.ansdell@ntlworld.com

In my ancient art class we were told that Akhenaten, then pharaoh of Egypt, popularized/enforced a monotheistic sun worshiping religion in 1380-1340 BC. His temples had no ceiling, so that the sun might shine through. Any who opened a parasol (umbrella that keeps the sun off) was denying the sun's blessing, and doing a great evil. Also, the god Amen, is thought by a some scholars to have been a corrupted version of Amun, the primary god of the ancient Egyptians. The Jews, who were then slaves, would say their prayers in Hebrew, and end with the word Amun, in order to fool the Egyptians into thinking that they were praying to Egyptian gods. Its amazing how long some of these things can last. - Reid Simmons - simmons4@email.unc.edu

The reason 'It's bad luck to walk under a ladder' is that hangmen used to use a ladder to hang someone from the gallows, and it was believe that if you walked under a ladder, the hangmen would turn his gaze your way, or 'Death would notice you'. I'm from Yorkshire England, and I was told this by a museum historian. - Tia Dawson - 984020568@98.lincoln.ac.uk

Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer" has a lot of the superstitions of the day and brief explanations of what they meant (though not why)... He mentions "ticking" in the wall as being a "deathclock", counting down someone's last seconds. - Tursi - tursi@yiffco.com

I have to disagree with Matt Hackell in his explanations of pentacles vs pentagrams. I have been told by many of my pagan and Wiccan friends and acquaintances that the "horned" pentacle (two points up) is used in some sects of Wicca as a sign of a higher ranking or more advanced witch, and not as a satanic symbol at all. I could go off about people mistaking the various horned gods of Wicca and other pagan religions for the Christian devil, but I am tired of hearing about it...

Picking up tails-up pennies, you were either supposed to give them to the first person you met, both reversing and passing on the luck, or place them in your back pocket b/c the act of sitting on them would reverse the bad luck. (I always wondered if it reversed again if you sat on them twice)

A book titled Treasury of Superstitions authored by Claudia de Lys brings reason (or simply multiple explanations) to the hat on the bed and hundreds of other superstitions. The hat on the bed is explained variously as sanitation (keeping lice from infesting either the bed ot the hat) to transference of demons (the ones that make your head itch!) or the evil eye. - Angelfish

I believe in the black cat superstition. When I'm driving and a black cat (or any cat for that matter,who knows if its' ancestors are black) cross in front of me, I lick my finger and put an x on my windshield,to ward off bad luck.----Find a penny,put it in your shoe,you'll have good luck,the whole day through. A howling dog means death. A firefly in your house means death.If a broom is lying in the floor and you step over the handle it is supposed to bring death. If you tell of something good happening to you, you're supposed to knock on wood in order for good luck to continue. Bringing a garden hoe into the house is bad luck.It's bad luck to start a journey and have to return home for any reason. If someone is leaving and you watch them go out of sight they're not supposed to return again. If you are visited by a ghost, ask them,"What in the name of the Father,Son and Holy Ghost do you want?" and they'll either tell you or go away.That one came from my Dad. Most of all these did. - SHANNON CHAFIN - viper69_4u@hotmail.com

These are passed down from generations in our family.

1. Don't open an unbrella in the house or the house will catch on fire.
2. If a bird tries to fly into the house and kills itself by flying into the window, there will be a death in the family or close friend.
3. If your right hand itches, you will meet someone new and shake their hand. If your left hand itches you will receive money.
4. If you hear a cow MOO at night, it means death in the family is soon to come.
5. Close your eyes when driving over a cattleguard. (keeps you from seeing evil spirits under it.) Lift your feet when going over a bridge. Doing these two while driving can be pretty tricky.
6. When moving into a new house, never take any mirrors with you. Leave them in the old house and buy all new ones. The reason is, spirits can be transported from place to place with mirrors and to avoid taking evil ones along it is better to leave them.
7. To stop someone from having "hiccups" just say "I DARE YOU TO HICCUP". Odds are they won't be able to hiccup again. ( A truck driver did this to me, it worked )
8. If a black cat crosses the road in front of you, it is bad luck. To lure off bad luck, draw and X on your windshield.
9. Also a new one my brother thought of is "Never stand on a mountain in a lightning storm with steal-toed boots on. You are sure to be struck by lightning." He was struck and survived.
10. In China, ( as told to us by a chinese grocer we knew) men who are struck by lightning and survive are sure to become famous.

- Val - Lemay65AM@aol.com

The term 'May God Bless You' Came from the Black Plague in London town. The onset of the plague was heralded by sneezing, as is a cold or flue. The consequences of contracting this plague was certain death. One sneeze would reap no reaction, two sneezes and you would receive the statement "May God Bless You'. because there was more likely hood that you had contracted the plague and would surely die. Three sneezes in a row and people would run away from you. My information was gathered during my second year in high school, when we had to select a city of the world and write of a catastrophic, historical event in that cities past. I submitted two projects, The Black plague and the great fire of London. - Lynn - morello@boztek.com.au

Regarding Friday the thirteenth... You were right to say that Christ supposedly died on a Friday and as for the satanic ceremony crap.... that only came about as a result of the already established superstition of the number 13... the one you're missing is .....THERE WERE THIRTEEN PEOPLE AT THE LAST SUPPER. The reason it is bad luck is because the last person to come to dinner with Christ and his buddies that night was a man he thought was his best friend but had actually sold him out, JUDAS. Christ and him were friends and Christ was happy to see him (the thirteenth and last member of his group to join for dinner) until all hell broke loose and Jesus was captured by the Romans. - Hilary Craig or David Thompson - dmthompson@cableregina.com

If you go through a tunnel, you have to hold your breath. If you can hold your breath the whole time through the tunnel, you make a wish and it is supposed to come true. - Barbara E. Graf - spg@sunlink.net

I was viewing your webpage trying to find information on a specific superstition or ol' wives tale. My mother used to say it whenever she saw one or more crows. Hopefully, you've heard this one. Although I do not know the actual wording, the phrase went something like this:

One crow - sorrow
Two crows - joy
Three crows a letter
Four crows a boy... The phrase goes on for a while but I was wondering if anyone can add to it. Please reply to bscreate@tbaytel.net

I had once heard that when you "shiver" for no apparent reason it is because someone is walking over your grave. Not meaning you will die right away, just that it already exists.
Another one I heard, is when you sneeze, your soul is expelled from your body, thus giving evil a moment to get in. This goes back to the Salem witch days.
And one more, about religion now...I read in a book of witchcraft that the Christians "devil" was actually once a God of another religion, a god of hunting, hence the horns...the book said that's what people do, the god from one religion becomes the devil to another. - Jaime - JaimeLMason@aol.com

I have been trying to find the origin of an old family superstition of saying "Rabbit-Rabbit" before saying anything else on the first of the month. If you do so, you should receive a present that month. Any idea where the superstition originated? - Ted Boyer - woxof1@webtv.net

I am looking for an old wives tale dealing with "thundersnow" or thunder and lightning in Febuary. Anything you can pass along on weather superstitions would be greatly appreciated. katscorner@hotmail.com

Here are a few I've been exposed to by my family and friends:

1. If you shiver for no good reason, a goose has walked over your grave. I'm not sure where this came from, but in Australia it has been used as an analogy by political cartoonists for a fair while.
2. if some-one gives you a knife, you are supposed to pay them, or else it cuts the relationship. This is a strange corruption of a custom where a person would let another know they were being challenged in a duel by giving them a knife. It seems to date back to medieval France. (source: a French teacher at high school)
3. Actors must never, EVER, say the name of the play Macbeth. They refer to it as 'the Scottish Play' or 'Duncan's play'. I have no idea of the reason. (source: 'Complete Actor's Guide To The Theatre' - an Australian book)
4. And finally, a touch of confusion. Relatives who lived on farms always had horseshoes above the door-frames so that those entering or leaving would have good luck, and the horse-shoes were pointing upwards so they did not "leak" their luck. And yet, in a book on medieval England, they stated that horseshoes were hung above the door upside down to sprinkle luck on those who came and went. Anyone know what is what?

And a word for the Christians, Jews and Moslems: remember that all religion is based on superstition. Without a belief in rituals, luck, miracles, Gods that can't be seen, evil, or anything else, religion would just be a state of mind. - Steven - scgepp@chariot.net.au

All my friends always say that if the clasp on your necklace shows in the front that someone is thinking good things about you or is missing you. - Emily Wilson - ewilson7@hotmail.com

I am looking for the orgins and meanings of several superstitions. Perhaps you or some of your readers can help me. "Shaking Hands," "itching nose" meaning company is coming, and "horseshoes" as a good luck charm. - Linda Linn - LLinn@sjcd.cc.tx.us

My mom use to tell me that when your nose itched it meant you had to kiss a fool. I have no idea where this came from and the tradition in my home is to then kiss your own hand. I'm guessing that was done so the superstition could be met and nobody was offended! - Stacy Pirog - stacy@mail.rit.edu

I'm pretty sure that there was a St. Christopher because I heard a biblical story that Jesus tested him in the form of a small child that needed to cross the river and Christopher carried Him across on his shoulder. And I have a statue of him and a medal so I think that he was real. - Chris Peirce - Muscles5585@aol.com

Not really related to superstitions. Christmas and, incidentally, St. Valentine's Day were attempts by the new Christian movement to "adopt" pagan festivals such as, Saturnalia (Pamela is quite right) and, more entertainingly, Lupercalia; a celebration of fertility in which young Romans would take young ladies into the fields and beat them with thongs of goat's hide to induce fertility. Amazingly enough, it worked; lots of girls got pregnant. Ain't science wonderful? - Charles Matthews

When I was little my mother used to tell me , "always keep your feet covered while you're sleeping, because if you don't and you have been bad, the devil will come pull your toes". I believe she just wanted to keep me from catching a cold. - Thaihevia Williams - TWilliams@stmary.k12.la.us

Always lift your feet and touch a screw when you go over a train track. - Mallory Myers - 2mallory@home.com

If a child captures a ladybug and lets it go and it flys straight up or behind them, the person that they will marry will stand at the place where the ladybug was released the next day.

If you are with your boyfriend or girlfriend and a sparrow flys to your shoulder,a dead relative approves of the relationship. If a sparrow flys to your head, a dead relative dissapproves of the relationship.

Oh, by the way, my student number in class happens to be 13, and the books that I get in the public library and the school library almost always have the number 13 on the front page. I'm an unlucky child. - Chris - clairerwh@home.com

I heard that if you buy someone cutlery for their birthday, wedding, anniversary, or basically buy someone cutlery as a gift, the person receiving is supposed to give you a penny (basically pay a fee for the cutlery). My mom's friend's brother had cutlery given to him as a gift and he was killed in a car accident days later. It has happened to a friend more than once, so now she gives people money instead of cutlery. Needless to say, this lady never buys cutlery for people. (I would personally freak now if someone gave me cutlery). My girlfriend actually doesn't believe this. When she talked of getting her mother-in-law cutlery for her second wedding I got all freaked out and she didnt' listen to me. She said she doesn't believe in that stuff. In the end she bought something else but hhhmmmmmm, you never know!!!! - Tanya Scrimbit - t_scrimbit@hotmail.com

I don't know if this is just a Texas thing, but have you ever heard the one where if you swallow a watermelon seed a watermelon will grow in your stomach? Also, my mom would say don't eat cookie dough or you'll get worms! Do you know anything about any of these? - Chris Terman - c.l.terman@att.net

When you go through a yellow light, kiss your fingers and touch the ceiling. That way a cop won't see you and you won't get pulled over. - Nick O - skinut101@yahoo.com

I have noticed a number of mistakes that you might want to correct, less people read them and believe that you are wrong on most of your statements. The first was by the skin of your teeth or.....
"Skin Of Your Teeth. This saying means to barely escape from a harrowing situation. It comes from Job 19:20, where God inflicts all sorts of terrible things on one of those who love him. Poor Job had all his animals stolen, his children die, his house collapse and his body covered with sores. Job has this to say; "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth."
I want to dwell on the line that says "where God inflicts all sorts of terrible things on one of those who love him." The fact of the matter is that it was the devil that was inflicting these things on Job and not God!!! The same is true for bad weather, where often people say that they are acts of God. In fact, if they are acts of God when Jesus rebuked the storm that was causing his fishing boat to sink He would have been rebuking His heavenly Father. Not so! Common failures to understand what the Bible actually is saying. They are acts of the devil. God does not bring bad things on anyone and here is a Scripture to prove it.
"For he (the devil) cometh not but for to kill, and to steal, and to destroy. But I (Jesus) have come that you might have life and that more abundantly." John 10:10
You might want to correct the idea that God is inflicting pain and suffering on people. That is not His way or function. It does however, fall into the ways and desires of the devil. So, give credit to whom credit is due, etc. - Michael G. Murphy - agbtg8@aol.com

Whistling in a theatre relates to the practice of sailors being involved in the rigging of flying gear. They communicated by whistles, so any one whistling might get something heavy dropped on them. - Andy Hoyland - a.hoyland@newmedia.warr.ac.uk

I was told by my mother, that if your second toe , (the one beside the big toe) is bigger than your big toe on BOTH feet, you will be the head of your household. If it is bigger on only ONE foot, you will share the house hold. And if it isn't bigger on either foot, you better watch out, because your spouse is going to be in charge! - Booboles - booboles@utinet.net

I was always told:

1. See a penny, pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck (probably because you'll have more money)
2. Most superstitions are based on sound sense - don't put hats on beds (headlice), don't walk under ladders (something might fall), cover your mouth when you sneeze (don't spread germs). They were often used to teach as it was easier to scare someone into doing or not doing something than to use lengthy explanations - especially for children. Anyone read Strawpietre 'don't care didn't care, don't care was hanged'. Other 'old wives' tales include - look before you leap, don't put all your eggs in one basket etc. All tenets of sound advice.
3. To answer an earlier enquiry;
4. One for sorrow, two for Joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold and seven for a secret never to be told - heard in my family for a murder of ravens.
5. We were also told that if you saw one magpie you had to look for the second one or it would bring bad luck
6. As for 13 - someone once said - there are never any new things, just things we have forgotten. It has probably always had significance, even before there was any written or pictorial evidence. More powerful than people know perhaps! I know that we are never allowed to have 13 people at a dinner party, but you can't uninvite you have to add another person. I think that's Christian though
7. 1st of the month, we always said "White Rabbit", but that might have been an Alice in Wonderland thing. It generally came after the rhyme 'Pinch or a Punch first of the month, Kick or a Flick for being so quick' etc... White Rabbit was 'Mercy' to stop you from getting bruises.
8. As for Black Cats - cats of any colour have always been held in awe, mainly because they always remain slightly wild and have never been completely domesticated. Cat in the wild will go feral, dog will often die. This independance is either revered or frowned upon dependant on society at the time.

- Alice Wood - ace76_wood@hotmail.com

I have heard that if a bird flies into a window of your house that it means that there will be a death in the family. Is there some similar superstition when a bird flies into the window of your car? Is there supposed to be some significant meaning to this other that the bird hitting the window in a house? Please contact me at - Jan Lyness - jlyness@ionsys.com

SOME SILLY MALAY SUPERSTITIONS

1. Young ladies should not sing while cooking.
   Why: You are asking for an aged husband.
   Truth: When you're singing and paying attention to cooking at the same time, you might mix up and end up doing some kind of awful tasting dish!!! (or accidentally cause fire)
2. Do not open an umbrella at home. ( for small kids)
   Why: A snake would came out from the inner centre of the umbrella.
   Truth: To prevent someone from getting a poked-eye. The kid under the umbrella may accidentally use the tip of the umbrella to poke someone's eye behind him.
3. Some umbrellas might be considered back luck indoors, but our patio umbrellas are always great for when you're outside! We also carry this sunbrella to keep the sun out of your eyes too.
4. Do not sit on pillows. ( especially kids)
   Why: Your backside would swell.
   Truth: Well, pillows are for our heads. Surely you don't want to get something extra... you know!
5. If you accidentally bite your tongue, it means that someone is speaking ill of you.
6. For Muslims: we are not supposed to play outdoors ( kids) during Maghrib ( during sunset). Around this time, we believed that this is the time when there are the most ghosts wandering around.

- Aishah Isa - Aishah_isa@eminem.com

As for sneezing, Muslims also say "May god bless you", only it's "May Allah bless you" for the first three sneezes. This is to get rid of the sickness inside you, and after more than three sneezes that means you really have a cold.
According to Muslim superstition, while yawning you should close your mouth so that the devil can not enter your body. By covering our mouths, the devil will not be able to annoy us and keep us from doing the good deeds.
As for entering and leaving the toilet, the toilet is known as the devil's lair. Therefore entering must be with the left foot and going out with the right foot.
Do not kill spiders unless they intend to hurt you because a spider helped prophet Muhammad. - Shari Alkaff - i_luv_choc@hotmail.com

Never pass the salt across the table from one person to another, or else you will start a fight. - rockstarangel71@yahoo.com

It is said that breaking a mirror would bring you 7 years of bad luck because the mirror reflects you and your life. Breaking it would destroy the reflection of the good/positive things you have in your life. - mcmanus2001@tinyworld.co.uk

The reason people said god bless you when you sneeze was because your heart skipped a beat everytime. - Scott Weiman - scott726@home.com

My Dad told me when I started racing that green race cars are bad luck to the driver. I do know the only time I ever crashed I was racing a green car for a friend, who, interestingly enough, wrecked a green motorcycle in a race. - Rich Gillies - rgillies@1st.net

If you would be so kind as to let me know what the superstition is for horseshoes. How should it be placed over the door of your house? Right side up to catch the luck. Upside down to let the luck spill into your home....? If you know, could you please share the information with me. - Cynthia - maxine8777@home.com

Although I am no longer a Christian, I was raised that way, in semi-rural Oklahoma. There was a strong, prevailing custom there to never allow any book or article to be placed on top of the bible. I can recall people reacting in a kind of panic when some careless person laid, say for example their Sunday School quarterly, or a folded newspaper on top of the good book. They would stand up with concern on their face to remedy the problem. When I came to a more urban area where people seemed treat bibles just no differently from books they were reading, I began to view this as a kind of superstition. - MichaNew@aol.com

I read in a book that the reason you knock on wood is to call the spirits that live in the wood so they will give you luck and grant your wish. Also, in some wood lived bad spirits, so people knock very hard and loud so the bad spirit cannot hear what you wish and therefore give you bad luck.

In the same book, I read that breaking a mirror will give 7 years of bad luck because in ancient times, people believed that the reflection in the water is your soul, and if it is blurry then you are in for trouble. When mirrors were invented they believed the refletion was an actual person, not your reflection. When they broke a mirror they were breaking the persons soul.

Ancient people believed that if you spilled salt, you would have to throw it over your left shoulder because the evil spirits live behind your left shoulder and when you throw the salt in their eyes, that would prevent them giving you illness. They believed this because salt was very valuable back then in preventing illness, and you could not waste it. - Vic Dallaire - vicdallaire@home.com

Here's two superstitions that I know of:

1. If you wear a birthstone other than your own ( such as in a ring, necklace, etc.), the gem will fall out.
2. If a pregnant woman stands for your child at their baptism, their baby will have bad luck. My family especially believes in this superstition because when my aunt had her son, Michael, baptised, my other aunt stood for him during the baptism. She was also pregnant at the time. When her baby was only two years old, he got cancer and died at age four.

- A.S. - hardyzgirl4life316@yahoo.com

This is the superstition for counting crows:

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

The superstition listed for crows is really for sneezes, and it also continues:

One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a letter
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for Gold
Seven for a secret never to be told

Also there is another for sneezes:

If you sneeze on a Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow.
Sneeze on a Sunday, and the devil will have domination over you all week.

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

Do not place shoes upon a table, for this will bring bad luck for the day, cause trouble with your mate and you might even lose your job as a result.

It's bad luck to leave shoes upside down.

If you drop scissors, it means your lover is being unfaithful to you.

If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over.

If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.

Mistletoe in the house protects it from thunder and lightning. It also cures many diseases, is an antidote to poison and brings good luck and fertility.

A girl standing under a mistletoe cannot refuse to be kissed by anyone who claims the privilege.

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.

It is bad luck to kill a ladybug.

"Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home.
Your house is on fire,
Your children all roam."

"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."

To cure a sty, stand at a crossroads and recite
Sty, sty, leave my eye
Take the next one coming by. - Foxy4Howie@aol.com

I was told that if you bury a statute of St. Joseph upside down in your yard it will help your house sell quicker. Have you ever heard of this one? If so, does it matter which direction St. Joseph is facing once he is upside down? - LBarefoot1@aol.com

My mother used to say it whenever she saw one or more crows. Hopefully, you've heard this one. Although I do not know the actual wording, the phrase went something like this:

One crow - sorrow
Two crows - joy
Three crows a letter
Four crows a boy... The phrase goes on for a while but I was wondering if anyone can add to it. Please reply to bscreate@tbaytel.net

For information on veiled babies: I just moved my great Aunt to a nursing home. In cleaning out her apartment, I came upon a box. At first I thought it was a baptismal candle, or sealing wax. It looked like a fruit roll up... Yuck when I read the bottom of the box, I learned it was My Great Uncle's veil. He had been born it with at birth.. EEEEwwwww.. This uncle"s sister informed me that he had only a head veil. She had a full veil and still has it. A sea captain, who lived nearby, had made several attempts to purchase it from her. It is said that a baby's veil, kept aboard ship, keeps the ship from being sunk... Any ideas or clues on this topic? - clorox23@aol.com

Knock On Wood: Most people don't know that you are only suppose to knock twice, not three times. Knocking twice prevents what you say from happening while the demons are preoccupied. Knocking three times gets their attention.

When you drive under a yellow traffic light, kiss the back of your hand and tap the ceiling. This prevents you from getting in an accident. - Jennifer

HELP Does anyone know why there is a crescent moon on the outhouse door? I had heard there is a superstition about it. - Doris Holowicki

• Walking under a ladder was unlucky because ladders were used in the hanging of witches and if you walked under one a dead witch might fall on you!
• In the Middle Ages people said "God bless you" when someone sneezed because a sneeze was the first sign of the bubonic plague.
• The Horse Shoe is a Christian Symbol because it relates to the legend of Saint Dunstain who put horse shoes on the Devil. The shoe should have the opening up so the luck would be contained and NOT spilled.

- Al Fairbrother

The Twelve Days of Christmas The beloved carol was actually a tool to help children learn important tenets of Christianity. Here's what the gifts mean. When Oliver Cromwell came to power in England, Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Tradition holds that Catholic parents developed "The Twelve Days of Christmas" to teach children their beliefs.

The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus (the partridge will sacrifice its life to save its young).

Two turtle doves: The Old and New Testaments

Three French hens: Faith, hope, and charity, or the three gifts of the Wise Men

Four calling birds: The four Evangelists--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

Five golden rings: The first five books of the Old Testament

Six geese a-laying: The six days of creation described in Genesis

Seven swans a-swimming: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord)

Eight maids a-milking: The eight Beatitudes

Nine ladies dancing: The nine choirs of angels (Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and regular angels); or the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control).

Ten lords a-leaping: The Ten Commandments

Eleven pipers piping: The eleven faithful Apostles

Twelve drummers drumming: The twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed

- Anne Robson robsanne@shaw.ca

In our family one of the superstitions that I have always heard is that a Green Christmas is a full cemetery. - Cofio - stappie@uswest.net

Someone mentioned black eyed peas as good luck on New Years... in Germany, it's pickled herring, according to my stepfather who is of German heritage. He really believes it, so I guess it's worth mentioning. - Brian

I'm not sure where or how these superstitions came about but my grandmother swears by them:

• it's bad luck to pass someone in the stairs.
• it's bad luck if one crow crosses your path, if you X it out with your finger you'll be okay.
• it's bad luck to sing at the kitchen table.
• if saphire is not your birthstone, it's bad luck to wear it.

Shawn Saunders

To remedy the bad luck of breaking a mirror: take the pieces to water, preferably running. place the pieces under water so that as your image is restored, so too is your luck. - Randy

1. Never give knives as presents - of you are given a knife you should give some money for it - even a penny (from my grandfather a butcher)
2. Never put new shoes on a table ! don't know where this comes from or what harm will befall you !

- Louise Binks

My grandmother told me when breaking an egg you must crush the shell so witches can not use them as boats. Where did this come from? - Arlene Sheward

• When you get married, the first person who falls asleep will be the first to die.
• It is bad luck to step on a spider while under and umbrella.
• It is bad luck to stir anything with a knife. "To stir with a knife, is to stir strife".
• When one is pregnant, you may determine to sex of the unborn child by using a stone called pedulum or peridot or one's wedding ring on a string and seeing which way it swings.
• If you find a penny on tails, throw it over your shoulder and don't look back; make a wish.
• Hold your breath when driving through a tunnel and make a wish.
• Lets not forget wishbones and birthday candles.
• Ring around the Rosy was a song derived around the period of the black plague. The rosy was the rash developed on the skin as a result of the disease. Often, like ring worm, there was a ring around it. The pocket full of Poseys was supposed to chase the evil spirits that were making you sick away. ashes because of the burning bodies and we all fall down.....

Jennifer Ramirez

Reading this page made me realize just how superstitious I am. Most of these come from my great-grandmother, who was both Irish (moved to America when she married my great-grandfather) and an Irish Catholic. Some of these I picked up after reading R.L. Stein's *Superstitious*. Here are my list of superstitions:

1. When you move, never take your broom with you or you'll bring bad spirits/energies into the new home.
2. For married women, when you are first brought home, always enter the home with the right foot or your marriage will be doomed. (Hence the practice of carrying the bride over the threshold--she can't step in with the wrong foot.)
3. Find a penny, and it's heads up, all the day you'll have good luck.
4. Never enter a new (or unfamiliar) house without giving a gift. (I think this is more out of politeness rather than luck, though.)
5. Hold a weighted string over the crook of a pregnant woman's right elbow--if it swings in a circle, it's a girl. If it swings across it's a boy. (I've done this with 10 women, and every time it's been right!)
6. Always leave a little milk & bread by the back door for the "Little People" to keep you in their good graces.
7. Never split poles or something bad will happen to one of you. (That means if you're walking with a friend or group of friends, don't walk so that a light pole or something similar splits the group.)
8. Sleep with your head to the North or the East to prevent nightmares.
9. If your nose itches, someone's thinking about you.
10. If your ears itch, someone's speaking about you.
11. When dining with a friend(s), never fold your napkin back up or you shall never see them again.
12. As for the Horseshoe debate, it depends on how you want to use the luck. To keep the luck for yourself & household, hang it U up. To spread the wealth to all who enter and leave, hang it U down. We keep one up on our back door for ourselves and one down over the front door to share with friends/family.

Here are a few other's I don't practice but are also mentioned in R L Stein's *Superstitious*:

• If a man and a woman pour tea from the same pot with their hands over one another, they'll have a child together.
• Never speak while a clock is chiming or you'll have bad luck.
• Eskimo boys are forbidden from playing "Cats Cradle" because it's believed their hands will become snared in thier fishing nets or tangled in the harpoon line.
• We cross our fingers for luck because the space between the two entwined fingers is the perfect place to hold a wish.
• McBeth is a jinxed play. The actor who was to play the lead in the first ever production was found dead the night of the opening. It is said that he haunts the productions of the play.

- Crystal Camp

I've been searching for an old wives tale about a red bird flying into the window of your home. I have had a brilliant red cardinal repeatedly trying to get into the same two windows of my house for the past three days,and it doesn't look like he's going to give up anytime soon. Everyone I've talked to about this says my household is going to come into an over abundance of GOOD LUCK !! I was wondering if there is any truth to this or is the bird probably trying to find a spring time nesting place? - Steve Votaw

I have heard about the superstition of saying God Bless You after one sneezes to congratulate them for getting rid of all evil spirits. Well, my science teacher, Ms. Blyth, told my class that every time you sneeze, your body stops, just for that split second, but sneezing is the closest thing that happens to you to dying, besides actually dying. So, we say God Bless You, so God will bless you, because you just almost died. - Stephanie Wood

Before anyone reads this outloud, never say "MacBeth" in a theatre or terrible things will happen. Macbeth was a play written by William Shakespeare to entertain the king. William wanted to make the play more interesting so he added in one scene an ancient curse ritual with witches and all, and when the play went public the witches were not happy. They put a curse on the play. If MacBeth is EVER uttered in a play (discluding forced saying in play roles), terrible things will happen. In one case, My english teacher's friend had screamed out Macbeth thinking nothing would ever happen....the next day he was 30 minutes late to class. He walked in and sat down. He was as pale as a ghost. Out of no where, he started to vomit blood. The blood was squirting 2 feet in front of him. He fell on the ground and had a seizure. He never had any medical problems or sickness that week and after this happened. If u want to find out more goto this direct link to the story. Never ever utter a word of MacBeth............Chris Tomiko

Deep water sailors who manned the wonderful tall sailing ships of 17th and 18th centuries were a very superstitious lot. They had hundreds of quaint practices and sayings -

• For instance a voyage across a sea must never begin on a Friday.
• Red sky at Dawning Sailor take warning !
  Red Sky at night is a sailors delight !
• When setting forth on a voyage if you toast the event with a bit of grog you must save the last bit to throw over the side to king Neptune for good luck.
• Voyages of exploration or whaling must never allow women on board. In almost all countries it is bad luck to sail with a woman on board.
• It is bad luck to whistle on a sailing ship.

Sea Monster, Guardian of Neptune's Domain

It's also known that a sneeze can trigger a fatal heart rhythm. (ventricular fibrillation) So you're blessed before you die kinda thing. - Larry Laird

This one I believe very much, because it actually happened. It is probably the only superstitious thing that I believe in. You should never seat 13 people at a table. It is said that if there are 13 people at a table for a meal, then in one year, one of the people at the table will die. At Chrismas time 1981 my family had dinner and had 13 people seated at the table. September 11, 1982 my father died. It may just be a coincedence, but I have made sure that I have not sat at a table with 13 people. - Nicole

Does anyone the the origin of the superstition about crossing a railroad while lifting up your feet and touching a screw???? - Anonymous

If a broom falls it means a spirit is present in the house - Kittiepurrrfect@aol.com

I saw on practical magic a black dog following the guy who was under a curse. My aunt said that when a black dog follows you it means that you are under a curse. - Peter Land

Friday 13th is Tuesday 13th in Spain - Just to notice that in Spain a bad luck day is Tuesday 13th and it makes reference to the last supper, when Jesus was arrested and the meeting of 13 people in the last supper. Also to remark that in Spain it is considered bad luck to go to the sea on a ship or have a wedding in Tuesday. - Francisco Rodriguez

The superstition of knocking on wood was derived from touching the wood of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, and walking under a ladder should be avoided because the triangle represented the Holy Trinity. - Ged Clapson

The superstition for ladders came from the early Egyptian times when a King or Queen would die or pass on, there would be a ladder left for there soul to climb up to heaven or where ever they believed that they would be going to in the after life. And in conclusion it was believed that whom so ever walked under the ladder would cross or damage the ability for the person that passed on to be trapped here on earth. - Sam

I've been told never to step in a Dust Devil ( when two winds come together and spin dust and trash in its cone ). In fact; I've been pushed out of them by a friend who thinks it to be very terrible luck. There may be a reason it's named a Dust Devil.

As for the Unlucky thirteen, I've heard a few reasons. First the 13 on the Disciples and Jesus. The other pertains to Old american tradition; In the founding of the country, there was little medicine and doctors, so a lot of things were deadly. And in the average two story home on Colonial times, there were 13 steps ( shorter leg length made for shorter steps). If one was to fall from the 7th step, they'd be fumbled but okay. If one fell from the 13th step, chances are they'd die, not just from the fall, but lack of treatment. - Kelli Doyle

My father salutes to magpies. When I quizzed him he revealed that he does it because his mother did before him. He thinks that it is something to do with bad luck. Perhaps someone might be able to shed some light? - Victoria & Roddy Willis

• Never cook with a knife, it causes a cut in a friendship.
• Don't clean anyone's shoe, as s/he will end up kicking you (methaphorically).
• Don't buy shoes for anyone, as they will use them to walk out of your life.
• Never step on a person's shadow, as you are stepping on her/his spirit.
• Never sweep out your house after it gets dark, as you will be sweeping away your wealth.

- Ircouple@aol.com

My step daughter's mother and mother in law believe that if a menstrating woman is in the house where tomatoes are being canned, the tomatoes will go bad. I think this was made up by women who just didn't feel like canning about one week a month but thought they had to offer some excuse to the rest of the world. - Kate Millspaugh

• If you have 13 people at a table to eat, the first person who gets up will die.
• If you see a crow hold your breath cause it could be carrying a soul back to the living or to the land of the dead.
• The church has admitted that Christ was not born in December. They chose to celebrate his birth close to the Wiccan holiday of Yule (winter solstice) and the idea of presents is also a Wiccan tradition. The tradition of Easter eggs is also a wiccan custom. Most decorations and times of Christian holidays go along with Wiccan holidays and decoration traditions. They did this so that those who converted to Catholic faith would not feel strange to the new religion.
• The devil is a pagan god who is depicted as half man and half goat. Those who were trying to convert pagans to Christianity chose this god as the devil with the knowledge that most pagan religions accent the positive and to put a negative spin on one that they worshiped would give them a push towards converting.
• The superstition of leaving a broom in a old home is also from Wiccan tradition. Wiccans use brooms to cleanse any area of there dwelling as well as the area (even outside). The belief is that the broom will sweep all the evil and negativity away. You must buy a new broom every year for the negative energy does get trapped in the broom.
• As far as pentacles vs. pentagram, it doesn't matter if one point or two points are up. A pentagram is a five pointed star and a pentacle is a pentagram with a circle around it. Each point symbolizes the five elements: earth, air, fire, water and life, as well as the five stages of life: birth, childhood, the teen years, adult hood and death. The circle symbolizes your soul cycle, Wiccans believe in rebirth of the soul.

- Any questions? drop an email to Debre Rothfeld

My mother-in-law would not leave a house from any other door but the one in which she had entered. She was born in Italy. I am of Italian origin, and although I have heard many this one was new to me. Does anyone know it's origin? - Anita

My Grandmother (who was born in 1894) had a little saying for 'if your nose was itching' which went with some of the other superstitions I have heard about. It meant you would receive an unexpected visitor. It went like this "My nose itches, my nose itches, sombody's comin with a hole in their britches." I always just thought it was funny!

Also another superstition I just recently heard when my husband started working as Fleet Manager at a car dealership. The sales associates will throw change out into the parking lot for luck. It is supposed to bring customers into the lot to buy. Usually it is just pennies, but when the month gets really slow, they throw out quarters as well. So you are not supposed to pick up the change in a car lot. - jeffrey@gvtc.com

Hi ... I submit the following mainly out of morbid boredom ... I personally believe its bad luck to be superstitious ::: smiles :::

Regarding Friday the 13th: I saw a post on your superstitions page that linked this with DeMolay and the Knights Templar .. I've read this also (Holy Blood, Holy Grail; Baigent, Lee & Lincoln) but the post was inaccurate ... according to Lincoln et al, the date was significant because of the arrest of DeMolay and the majority of the rest of the Knights Templar in France, October 13, 1307, not the execution of DeMolay which happened later (in March of 1314 according to the same source). Since the arrests took place at dawn, this might also explain the part about staying in bed ... though if I personally had reason to fear arrest, in bed would be the last place to stay. The dates are confirmed in other histories of the Knights Templar which I'm unable to cite but are authentic.

Another post I saw called the Christian cross an instrument of "torture execution and oppression". This is not strictly accurate except in the reference to execution. Lincoln et al give an acount of the usual form of crucifixion as practiced by the Romans in the same source mentioned above (Holy Blood, Holy Grail p. 353) This account agrees with others that I've encountered as well, and the authors of the cited reference give references to support their description.. - Adam Weishaupt

We drive from Wisconsin to Ohio a lot to visit my grandfather who lives in Cleveland. Everytime we do, we always lift our feet up when we go over the border of states, because if you don't, you "trip" over the border, and you'll have bad luck while in that state. This is only for when you're driving, not flying because obviously you have no way of knowing! - Amy Lanza

Bacon (According to The Dictionary of Superstitions by David Pickering) - In some parts of Europe and the USA, bacon is credited with certain healing powers, but only if it has been stolen rather then acquired legitimately. Such purloined bacon is particularly valued for its effectiveness against WARTS, which will disappear when rubbed with a rasher or two, and is also considered of use in treating a fever and constipation. In Devon it is said that if cooking bacon curls up in the pan, a new lover is about to arrive. - Robyn Gardner

Here a few superstitions I remember from growing up in West Virginia:

1. Never pick a dogwood branch in bloom and bring it in the house. Someone close will die before dark.
2. A loud ticking from a clock means that a death is coming in the house soon.
3. If a single pigeon sits on your roof someone close is going to die soon.
4. Never take flowers from a grave or you will be the next to be in a grave.
5. Always close all windows at night because breathing the night air can kill you.
6. If a bat gets in your hair you are possessed by the Devil.
7. If a woman's menstrual cycle begins while she is seated in a church the next child she has will be born dead.
8. A red bird or a cardinal in your windowsill is the spirit of a recently deceased relative or friend.

- David F. Parsons

Under Your Title "Muslim Superstitions":
Stated superstion numbered: 1, 3, 5,& 6 are totally FALSE. Being a Muslim myself, I can say that I had never heard of such, nor have I read of such in the Hadith. Islam condemns superstion belief, but does have meaningful practices in which there are nobel principles.
Statement point number 4 is not a superstion, but a historical truth which is also noted in the Holy Qur'an (Muslim Holy Book).

- Gr8lawyer@aol.com

I once heard that when you cross a railroad track you need to touch a screw so you won't get pregnant....my choir teacher in high school told us that while on a trip, but she was already pregnant. - Manda Spacek

I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THEATRES FOR AWHILE and, there is a superstition around Macbeth. Don't say the name onstage or someone gets hurt. Shakespeare stole the "bubble, bubble, toil and trouble" line from an actual witch, because he wanted something authentic. The witch saw his play with other witches and had to answer for Shakespeares dishonesty. Because she didn't want to curse Shakespeare, who was a friend of hers, she cursed his play. Therefore the lead actor died the first night. - Davey Blackmon

The real reason for people saying 'god bless you' when you sneeze is that back in ancient times there was a fatal disease directly connected to sneezing (if you had the disease you would sneeze, or so they thought) and when someone would sneeze the people near them were sure they had the fatal disease and would die very soon so the people would say 'god bless you' in hopes for them to go to heaven when they died...i dont know the source, but it is for real. - nick, IL

- Catherine A.C.

Why people say "God bless you" is that when you sneeze, your soul is trying to escape and people around you, or even yourself, have to say "God bless you" to keep your soul back in your body. I don't know where this originated from but ever since I heard it I always believed it. - Chandler

My mom always told me that if a bird enters your home then death will follow. Years ago this proved true but just a week ago, mysteriously, a black bird was found alive in our washing machine. He flew out the house and then 2 or 3 days later my uncle's great grandmother died at 102yrs old!!!! That was so creepy but so true. - Rasheda

I am responding to the "knock on the bed headboard". My late husband's Grandmother told him that it was a sign that someone else in the family would die before, right around, or after midnite of that nite. Thinking back, my own Gram told me the same thing. I never realized whether it was fact,fiction, or superstion. - Biggram34

- Rachel

I'm writing to tell u about an old superstition of putting new shoes on the table. My grandmother told me of this when I was about 10, after my mum bought me a pair of new shoes. I came home, took them out of the box, and put them on the table to show her. At seeing me do this she said, "Take them off the table, it's bad luck!" I did so but I did'nt understand the fuss. Later that day I was out with my friends on our bikes (I had completely forgotten my grans words!) and I clipped my foot on a low fence post. The pain was excruciating, and on going to the hospital, I discovered I broke my foot... so much for my new shoes!
Does anyone know the origins of this superstition? Also, why is it bad luck if you see a solitery magpie and you do not acknowledge it with a salute, greeting or tip of the hat? Please send me an e-mail if you can help, to: - loopee_moo@hotmail.com Thanks

I have no source to give, just things I remember from my small Italian town.

• You clink two glasses of alcohol to scare the demon out of the alcohol.
• If an owl is staring at your house, someone there will die.
• 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 your nose itches someone will punch you, and if your palm itches you will receive money.

- Phyllis Cortina

I've heard that another reason to saying 'Bless You' after someone sneezes. It started in the middle ages during the plague. One of the first signs of someone who had the plague was sneezing so people started saying 'Bless You' to give them the blessing of God and Jesus in the hope that they wouldn't get the Plague! - Stacey- Australia

Dear Sir,
I was looking for some superstitions for our school magazine. I found alot of superstitions from your web site. But later I saw a text in your web site which you called superstitions. I am a muslim. They are not superstitions. They are fact. We believe them that they are miracle of Prophet Mohammed. Please correct false information.

Muslim Superstitions (?):

• If a fly falls on your food , take it and immerse it once more because according to prophet Mohammed, the fly carries the medicine on one wing to counter the disease it carries on the other wing!
• When you enter the toilet room , use your left leg first while entering and when you come out use the right leg to step out according to Hadith of prophet Mohammed who instucted muslims to do so.
• When prophet Mohammed migrated to Madina city after being persecuted in Mecca by his relatives, his supporters in Madina competed to alot a land to build his house on it and since all were keen to have him as a neighbour. Not to offend them he gave the choice to his camel which made a tour in Madina with prophet sitting on its back before selecting the location, so all accepted the choice of the camel.
• When prophet Mohammed was hiding in Hira cave of Mecca being afraid of Meccans, a spider came and built its web. On seeing the web, the infidels of mecca, who were chasing him, didn't enter because they assumed it as an abandoned cave.
• On the night of his flight from Mecca, prophet Mohammed recited some verses and passed by Meccan infidels but they couldn't see him.
• In Mirag night the God sent to prophet Mohammed an animal that resembles both donkey and horse (hybrid)..he rode that and travelled over a night to Jerusalem , from where he ascended to sky, met the god and came back to his house in Mecca before morning (one thound kilometers approx.)

- Ahmet Akif TOPAL

My Mother always told me to eat fish on New Year's Day. It came from her superstion that eating chicken or related products will have you scratching away all year for your food. Eating beef will give you a year filled with beef's. But eating fish will give you a year in which you just swim along happily with no major problems.. cute eh? - Sandy & Lorraine Thomson

I heard that when someone sneezes they lose a bit of their soul so when another person says "Bless You" it helps the bit of soul find their way back into the person - Beth

Would anyone happen to know (or be able to find out) what the wives' tale is about itchy wrists? - Cassandra Allison

Did you know that hockey players don't shave thier legs during the hockey season. The players are so superstitious that they won't pass the puck to the hockey players that has the less hair on their legs!- Sebastien Chouinard

What is the reason why we say break a leg for good luck? - Sxsoutherngrl16@aol.com

On your superstition website someone has mailed you to say that we say God Bless You when we sneeze for what I believe is an incorrect reason. Saying "God Bless You" shortened now to "bless you" came about during the time of the bubonic plague. One of the first symptoms of the pneumonic and bubonic plagues "the black death" was sneezing so people blessed them in the hope that it would prevent them from getting the disease. The prevalence and mortality seen with the Black Death has had many other lasting effects in England, Europe and parts of the Eastern world along the trade routes that the disease spread along. One of the most prominent of these is in the form of a children's nursery rhyme.
"Ring a ring of roses, a pocketful of poses, atishoo atishoo, we all fall down." - Melanie Wilberforce

One I have been looking for is whether there is any superstition connected to an itchy left ring finger. There isn't a ring on it, at least not yet, nor a rash or bug-bite - just a fairly persistant itch where a ring would be. Any thoughts? - Susana Kelly

I remember hearing about a Wiccan superstition involving a red ring around the moon, called blood on the moon. I don't really know that much else about it but am curious to the significance of the superstition and why it originated. - Teri

A few Superstitions from the island of Malta:
The Maltese are highly religious and superstitious. It's a paradox, I know, but that is the way it is. For years the church has tried to stop superstitions by saying that who believes in them doesn't believe in God. But how could the people stop believing? After all it was the church who tortured and killed people who had black cats!

1. The groom should never see the bride the eve of their wedding or their marriage will fail
2. If a pregnant woman wishes for something (usually food) and can't have it she should touch her bottom so that when the child is born the "wish" (sort of birth mark)will be on his bottom and not evident
3. If two persons or more say the same thing at the same time they should rub their nose so that they will get married or so that they will have luck and in the case of girls if they don't do so they become nuns
4. One should always carry something made of wood so that when he mentions something he doesn't want to happen he touches the wood
5. If you break a mirror you have seven years of bad luck
6. Never open an umbrella indoors
7. Some umbrellas might be considered back luck indoors, but our patio umbrellas are always great for when you're outside! We also carry this sunbrella to keep the sun out of your eyes too.
8. Don't pass under a ladder
9. Number 13 is bad luck (I don't believe in this one! I was born on the 13th and mum says that I was her blessing. She had been waiting for me for 13 years!)
10. So is Friday the 13 (Neither do I believe in this. Usually I have good luck on this day!)
11. Wear the Our Lady of the Miracles Medal as it protects your harm from both physical and emotional harm
12. Never cross your eyes or the wind, sometimes they even say that an angel will pass and you will remain like that forever
13. When it rains and the sun shines just the same it is said that a Turk has been born. I believe this comes from the fact that Malta had been ill treated by the Turks that the Maltese used to nurture hatred towards them
14. A woman should never give her man a handkerchief as that means sorrow and tears. I don't believe in this one as mum's first present for dad was a silk handkerchief and they've been happily married for over 30 years and they have more years to come!
15. A bull's horn or a bull's skull should be placed on a door to ward off evil spirit. Sometimes a horseshoe is used.

By the way; that of the "Red sky at night, A sailor's delight, Red in the morning, Sailors take warning." I don't consider it a superstition, it is more like a fact. My grandfather was a fisherman and he used to say it and so does my mum. Nowadays all my family lives by it. Also connected with fishermen and weather it is said that if there is a very small cloud over the sea one should hurry back home as it means rain or even a storm! My mum says that if the moon has a bright halo around it, it means that the next day the wind will be strong. - Maria Schembri from Malta

My mother has a saying that goes "If you are ever in an accident, you should definately be wearing clean underwear." Well, I never understood that saying for two reasons: one, who anticipates having a car crash? and, two, if you are in a car crash, what are the odds they are gonna stay clean? - Logan

David Ommanney is mistaken when he says that the New Testament states that there was no room in the inn because of a Hebrew festival. He then extrapolates, "So Christmas has nothing to do with Christianity." The New Testament does say that there was no room in the inn, but it also says in Luke chapter 2 that emperor Augustus decreed that a census be taken. Everyone traveled to their hometowns to be counted. This is the real reason there was no room in t he inn. Like many on your site have implied, poor research=poor conclusions. - Dale Taylor

Recently someone was telling me that everything he has, with a cord, ends up with three equally separated knots in it; phone cords, extension cords, cell phone charger cord, etc. No matter what, they always end up with three equidistant knots in them. I told him it was an old [probably middle ages] superstition about possession. I have three Aunts who are Catholic Nuns from the Old country [France] and two uncles who were priests and my grandfather was the deacon in the church until his death. I think all of the stories about ghosts and demons and the like were more to do with assimilation to the East here in America as they all lived in homes that were in Maryland and very very old and all had ghosts and spirits. Unlike their American counterparts, my family members seem to embrace the spirits of the dead and thought them more mischievous than evil. - markbaa@aol.com

This is in response to that posted by Matt Hackell. Warlock has two possible origins. The first is indeed Oathbreaker or Traitor and can be seen in the Old English waer-loga. The second is varolokkr from Old Norse (remember that the Saxons very much influenced English) which means someone who calls to the spirits. Lock is now modern Swedish for a song of luring or attracting. .See Warlock

Next, "Witch" has been around quite a bit longer than Wicca, I can assure you. It was Gerald Gardner who founded Wicca in the first half of the 20th century. If you would like, check out his book "Witchcraft Today". Granted, he makes many claims that it's an old lineage, but there is no evidence to support his claims and a good witch doesn't need to have some fake ancient lineage if he's really worth anything. ^_^

They weren't Wiccan Sabbats, but old pagan holidays that were supplanted by many of the Christian holidays. You'll find that most polytheistic and/or pagan religions had holidays on or about the same days, simply because they were important in the solar and lunar calendars... Not to mention the constellations! I doubt that the inverted pentagram really is originally a satanic symbol. The upright was used, at one time, by early Christians to represent the wounds of Christ, so this may be where that comes from, but I believe a more accurate explanation is this: The points represent the five elements--earth, air, fire, water, and spirit (or ether, if you prefer). With one point up, it is spirit above the material... Representative of a more ascetic, mystical lifestyle. With two points up, the material is above the spirit, representative of a hedonistic, materialistic lifestyle. Like the cross, this symbol had been used pre-Christianity, but unlike the cross, it was abandoned. That information is from myself. It's an oral tradition. Just doing my part to dispel the myths that surround Wicca, witchcraft, and paganism.

On another note, I heard that when one sneezes you say bless you because the soul flies out momentarily (there is a long connection in many religions--reread Genesis for example--of the soul with breath) and you are susceptible to possesion by demons, or a demon might steal your soul, not that your soul would just escape. And if sneezing is associated with sickness, as I believe we can prove, and demon possession was often thought of as the cause of sickness, this explanation makes sense.
Another one is to wash your face in the dew on the morning of the first of May, and you will either
a) see faeries or
b) see your future spouse.
Another is to not say faeries as I just did, but to say the Good People, so they won't come and give you mischief and grief.
Of course, there's always, sneeze three times and you get to make a wish. And make a wish on any stray eyelash before blowing it away. Tashi delek! - Dawa Lhamo

Do you know of the snake/turtle superstition? My Vietnamease mother has passed this down to me years ago and somehow I have always known it to be true. In the snake tradition, if one sees a snake slithering across the road, it usually denotes that a wish or plans the person have will proceed smoothly. However, if the person sees a turtle crossing the road, then the person's plans will be delayed. There were several instances in my life where I have seen this happen. Once in the summer of 1979 when I saw this snake while going down a temple in Vietname. A month later, we left by boat for the US. - Aichi

Have you heard about the old Slavonic superstition that whistling inside the house is bad, because you run the risk of loosing all your money? I read this one on a Russian site. In Dutch we have a proverb that says: "He can whistle after his money", meaning you are not getting your due share. What the link between whistling and risking your mone really is, and where it stems from...? Can anyone come up with a good suggestion? - Daam Hoogendijk

The reason actors wish each other to "break a leg" is so the opposite will happen. Wishing an actor "good luck" will bring bad luck to the performance and the actor it was wished to. Hence the term "break a leg."

As for the superstition M*c B*th...it is true. Saying the name of the play near or on a stage will bring the play and the actors bad luck. That is why actors call the play "The scottish play" or "MB"...the only time you are able to say the title of the play is during the actual performance. Also the "double double" line is said to bring evil spirits to haunt the stage. That is why if someone accidently says either of these "evil words" they are to go out into the hall turn around three times, spit and say the first curse word they can think of (loudly), then knock and wait to be left in.

A couple years ago we were doing a play and one of the actors was on stage practicing her scence by herself...she thought it would be funny to scream MB as many times as she wanted to and see if anything would happen. Nothing happened until the encore presentation of our play, the lights and sound kept going off and on and one of the actors ended up breaking his arm.

The next Semester we decided to do MB for our One act play...Several people ended up failing, and everything was going wrong so we ended up changing our play two weeks before performace and it magically changed...we ended up advancing when we thought we wouldn't.

All this information is from various books and websites i came across a couple years ago when we were researching "The scottish play". - Kathy Gerding

When you're talking about the dead and someone sneezes; why does the person who sneezed pull on his/her right ear? I have seen many people do this. - Rose

HELP I was making eggs this morning, and when I cracked open the second egg it had blood in it. I thought that there was a superstition to go with that but I can't find it. Can you help? - Kelly

I have heard that the number 13 is unlucky due to an ancient mathematician... I believe that is was a Greek mathematician. He determined that 12 was the perfect number in all respects, as a result the number 13 was the worst number in the world, noting that it came after 12 and so disrupted the happy perfectness. I'm not exactly sure of the source, but I think I read it in my math book. - Rivo Make

I was looking for some superstition on, "Seeing a crow fall out of a tree". It didn't try to fly or hop away, just sat there, and when I went back 5 minutes later it was gone. Every morning I see a lot of crows. I have had 27 crows in my yard one morning. What does that mean???
Also to add to the "MacBeth" thing, I don't believe THAT one because MY last name IS MacDuff and my daughter gets the MacBeth thing and called MacBeth at school ALL the time and nothing comes of it...
If anyone has any thing on "the crow falling out of the tree (on a Monday morning and it was overcast and raining, Sept.8th, 2003, I was also alone on the street.), please e-mail me. - Danielle

What does it mean when a person who, serving two people a glass of wine and crosses their hands holding the glasses, then gives them to us whilst hands are still crossed? - Retail Sales - Now Furniture

Just to add to what Danielle said about M** Be**...this is a THEATRE superstition...due to haunt the theater not other people...and if someone says it on or near a stage it haunts the person who said it and the play...only actors in the play though if that makes sense. And about the crows...certain amount mean certain things...dunno what 27 mean though. - Kathy Gerding

I'm 63 now....my grandmother told me as a child, if I were to drop a comb, before I picked it up, step on it and say "bread and butter" exactly three times! I have no recollection why...do you? To this day, I still will do it. - Priscilla G Paine

I do believe in Friday 13 to be bad luck. My dad died on November 13, 1992 on a Friday so I will never doubt this again. - Shelia Taylor

Where did the superstition "knock on wood" start? - JIM & Robin Hampton

This is a discovery I made in relationship to the number thirteen. I discovered that a perfect calendar, a perfect pyramid, and a deck of cards, all hold the exact same mathematical properties using only seven numbers, the number of divine completion. 4, 7, 13, 28, 52, 91, 364.

52 weeks times 7 days is 364 not 365, and a quarter, 4 seasons times 91 days is 364 not 365 and a quarter, and 13 months time 28 days is also 364, not 365 and a quarter, thus creating the perfect calendar.

Now if you add the number 1 thru 7 you get 28, same amount of days in a month. Take the numbers 1 thru 13 and add them together, you get 91, the same amount of days in a season. A pyramid has four sides, so multiply 7 times 4 is 28, 13 times 4 is 52, and 91 times 4 is 364. thus creating a perfect pyramid.

If you look at the perfect calendar with 13 months, every second Friday of every month is Friday the 13th, so our natural receptors go off when it does occur. We dont know why so we relate it to superstition.

Yes, JC and 12 disciples, thirteen men, founded the christian religion. Tthere are thirteen stripes the U.S flag, representing our thirteen original colonies. So thirteen is a very significant in our daily system and no one knows why it was removed. And that's probably why people regard it as unlucky, but is it really? - Ulmec@aol.com

Does anyone know anything about the ears burning meaning someone is talking about you.......Please e-mail me - Shaleen Diaz

My own family had some superstitions when I was a kid back in the 70's:

• Never open an umbrella in the house, it brings bad luck.
• If your right hand itches it means you will meet someone new.
• If your left hand itches, it means you will be getting money
• If your feet itch it means that you will be walking on new grounds (OR that you need to bathe!!!)

When I married my husband, his family introduced me to superstitions I'd never heard before:

• Marry on the upswing of the clock, basically on the half-hour, like 2:30 instead of 2, or 3, because that way the hands of the clock are on their way up, not down.
• Never take home flowers from a grave in the cemetary, or someone will die.
• 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.
• On New Year's you must bring something into the house that has never been in before (A new grocery item will do)
• When you move into a new house, you must have a new broom, to sweep in the good luck

- Genelle Blackburn

Fog is bad luck - we got this information from the day that we were in the fog and as soon as the fog came over the neighborhood creepy things started to happen such as:

• The lake started to look a horror movie.
• Then while we were driving we all of a sudden couldn't see.
• We started to take pictures of the horror movie a guy pulled up and stayed at the drive way till he couldn't find or see us anymore.

- Bill Martin

I once read in a book in school that the rabbit's foot is good luck because back in the early settelments the more children you had to help you work in the fields the better. Well rabbits are very reproductive so if you had a rabbit or at least part of one it was said that your family will grow just like the rabbit's family. - LilLuLu80

I'm sitting here with my boyfriend Joe, right? And I say, "Oh god, I'm gonna sneeze!" And I sneeze, right? So he TOUCHES ME! And says, "Ask me in twenty years why I just touched you."
a) why the fuck did he touch me when I sneezed?
b) why the fuck do I have to wait twenty years to find out?
If you've ever heard of any sneeze-touching superstitions... related to curses, dog monkeys, love bonds, and/or crab fritters... ...please help me. - Jayne K. Heinz

Some fun facts about how superstitions effect our world...

• 80 percent of high rises don't have a 13th floor
• Most ariports don't have a 13th gate
• I was also told that in Italy there isn't a 13 in their national lotterty.
• Also, These men all have 13 letters in their name:
  Jack the Ripper, Albert De Salvo, Charles Manson, Osama Bin Laden, Jeffery Dahmer, Saddam Hussein, Theodore Bundy

Crazy huh? - Josie Gerrietts

I heard this from an old psychic woman: if your right hand itches, you will have to pay money for something. if your left hand itches, you will receive money. - Julie Siegfried

I read that the reason people say God Bless You! when you sneeze is because during the years of the plague if you sneezed it meant the start of you having the plague and therefore you would die.
My sister believes it is unlucky to cross on the stairs! Can anyone tell me why? - Alan Kyle

Someone I know just made this one up...and it only applies to people who go to school and sit in a circle table instead of normal desks: If the chair you sat in is put on the table first (even if u didn't put it up) you will have bad luck...or just a crappy day. - Stephanie

The Nuns in the Catholic school I went to as a child, would smack me with a ruler across my knuckles and tell me that I was bad or evil (because I was using my left hand). I am still left handed, but I did find out, when I was still young, why... Jesus sits on the Right hand of God and the Devil sit on the Left, that is why I was considered (and called) "A Devil's Child".

My Nanna (Grandmother) taught me - a woman should NEVER touch or water plants when you are on your cycle, it will kill them or make them ill...the reason...your body secrets a chemical (imbalance) that is harmful to plants. She and I have always had very good luck with growing healthy and full plants or good abundant vegetable gardens while still following this rule, superstition, whatever. - Linda Comeau

If you are walking with someone and you "split a pole" (one walks on one side of a pole the other person on the other side of the pole) it is bad luck.

If you have left the house and had to go back inside for something forgotten, you have to take the first 3 steps in backwards, or it is back luck.

The Native Americans believe that if you morn for someone too long that person will try to come and take you to the other world with them so you will quit missing them so much.

The Cherokee will open the front door and yell, "go away, every one belongs here" when they hear a crow outside.

It is also bad luck to kill an owl and if you hear an owl for 3 nights in row someone is going to die. - Pat Perkins

Can you tell me where the superstition originated about holding on to a button when a funeral procession passes? My mother and grandmother told me this when I was a young girl. Where does it come from and why a button? Please respond to lemingmj7@aol.com

The Knights of Templar were rounded up on Friday the 13th, 1307, and the King was King Phillippe IV. Idon't know where I get this stuff - I remember the most random things. - Dee LaVigne

I recently heard a manager at an apartment complex tell me she went into a woman's apartment to clean it. She opened up the refrigerator and found a bottle with people's names inside of it.........can u tell me what this is supposed to mean?
Also at another complex she found a diaper hanging over the door with an egg inside of it.......
Last she found a dried out cabbage leaf hanging over another door with beans inside of it......
Would appreciate if you could tell me what any of this means. - Donna Brown

I was wondering whether you could tell me anything about a superstition related to putting new shoes in general on a table. Hope you can help as I am very confused due to my mother-in-law giving me a clip around the head for doing so. - John C.

Ever heard that it is bad luck to wash clothes on a Wednesday? - bwilliams@kcstar.com

My Dad had several superstitions:

• If the sun is shining and it’s raining, the devil is spanking his wife
• If you tell your dreams before breakfast they will come true
• It’s bad luck to walk with one shoe on and one shoe off
• If you have a sty in your eye it’s because you peed in the street
• To get rid of a sty do one of two: either rub the sty with a gold ring or bury a dishrag in the back yard.
• Never take your dishrag to a new home

My grandfather was from Ireland and I believe this is where he got these - Chris

I got this one from my sister.

• When you are driving and you see a car with one head light knock on the wind sheild twice and make a wish then do the sign of the cross.
• It is bad luck too light your own birthday candles.
• It is also bad luck too pass out your own cake on your birthday
• Don`t talk about the devil like you want to talk to him or he will come

don`t beleive it it is just good fun!!! - Marielena Sifuentes

What does it means when your left eye is twitching? - MSWATERFAL@aol.com

Does anyone know where the myth: "should you have a dream come true, tell to one but never two"? Thanks. - Kathy

These superstitions came from my grandmother, who came from Woodstock, KY. Her descendants come from Scotland/Ireland.

• Never rock an empty rocking chair, it brings death to the family.
• If an empty rocking chair, rocks by itself, someone in the family will die.
• One death of a family member is followed by two more deaths.
• Bad luck will befall the household or house, if a person walks in through one door, then leaves by another.
• It is evil to say, “Jinx”, when two people say the same thing at the same time.

She believed throwing salt over her left shoulder would break bad luck from befalling her and her family. She had many other superstitions, but I can’t remember them all today. There was another, something about turning clothes right side out before washing them.
She also believed in the owl, hooting nearby the house three nights in a row. This too, foretold a death. The last time she heard an owl, my father died, her sister died, and she died, all died in 3 consecutive months of each other. Go figure!
Sad thing, my grandmother lived in fear her whole life. - Cherie McNaul

Some years ago, I was standing on the sidewalk (Washington, Okla.) talking to an ole friend (Black Dutchman). While we were talking a small /young bird landed smack dab in my left shirt pocket. The bird did not struggle to escape at all. My friend's face turned extremely pale (as it is normally as dark as a Choctaw`s). I removed the bird and it flew gently away. I never found out why he was so frieghtened as he has not spoken to me since, and if he sees me coming he crosses the street . What`s the superstition? does anyone know ? I liked this person alot but do respect his fears what ever they are. - niksoble@swbell.net

If you happen to break a mirror.. You will NOT have 7 years bad luck if you LEAVE the shards of glass lie EXACTLY where they fell for 7 hours ... NOT A MOMENT MORE OR LESS!. - ravenwaver

I have a friend whose grandfather waves at EVERYBODY. He says that it's because "you never know who Jesus will come back as." He wants to ensure himself a place in Heaven! - Angela Daniel

Most of out superstitions arise due to our fears. They are the naive logic that we fix our incapacity to face the truth on, due to physical weaknesses, ignorance, or things. Any anamoly between what is reality and what we communicate as a form of language gives rise to superstitious beliefs. They are an easy way for justifying laziness and also that they broode ego, false confidence, misconceptions and a drift from the actual course of the world. Many civilizations and cults are in peril due to their firm adherence to superstitions ... they have been confused in the maze of faith and superstitions. Whereas faith is only a positive thing and is totally inborn, a superstition may be socially generated and mostly turns out to be a negative thing. At least it is probable to become a logical handicap. These are a few handicaps followed in western part of India:

1. fluttering of eyelishes - for males left one brings good luck and right ones bad and for females it is vice versa.
2. if a cat crosses your path, sit for 5 minutes and then proceed with your walk.
3. if you sneeze, it is sure to bring bad luck. Once when I was seeing off my sister-in-law in the motor, I sneezed and then they all first gave me looks and then sprinkled some water in that areas where I was standing.
4. Religion is sprinkled with millions of superstitions ... but religious ones are definitely positive as they gear you to fight with the realities of world without getting your hands dirty in the mud of material world. Showing off ostentatious beliefs often turns out to be unaffordable for many people and they are caught in a negative spiral to cure their misery by practicing the same superstitions.

I conclude, nothing in this world is real....ITS ALL INSIDE :) - Akhilesh Pandey

I was always told this as a kid and it just kinda stuck with me.

Sing at the Table
Whistle in the bed
The devil will get you before you're dead.

Source: My Mom and Dad - Heather Mellon

You know the superstition "always lift your feet when you ride over a rail road track for good luck?" Well I certainly do not beleive that because I tried that all the time when I ride over a railroad track but I never got good luck. - Tsedey Asrat

• knife on the floor, = stranger to the door...(cross your fingers when picking it back up to break the meeting)
• crossed knives = cross words
• one magpie = one for sorrow (touch black and send the sorrow back) or (seen by two good luck to me and you)
• royal mail van = touch something red to bring good fortune mail
• dont split any kind of post when with someone as it is a breaking of a freindship
• itchy hands = right to receive and left to leave (fortune and luck) rub on wood and it's sure to be good, rub on brass and it will come fast
• itchy or burning ear lobes = right for spite and left for love .... wet your thumb and forefinger and lightly pinch right ear lobe when happening and who ever is being spiteful about you will bite their tongue
• itchy nose is a sign of a row ... smack hands with someone to break the spell

I have been brought up to believe all of these and most of the ones already posted. They date back to b4 the 1900's in my family. I have been able to trace them back and God only knows how much further back they go. - SENDTRAYEMAILS@aol.com

My grandmother always told me if you washed clothes on New Year's Day, someone in your family would die before the end of the year....and she was FRANTIC about this!!! Where did this originate? She said she saw it come true once in her family (once in how many years???), but never would listen to reason that someone's life or death did not depend upon whether or not someone in the family washed clothes on a certain day. Another question I had was if this is true, do the Chinese have to avoid washing clothes on our New Year's Day as well as the Chinese New Year's Day? Who knows? - Robin Sumner

I can't remember where I read this, but a few years back I was doing on paganism.
The concept of witches riding on brooms come from them rubbing belladonna onto the end of the broom and inserting it into the vagina. This releases the belladonna into the bloodstream causing hallucinations. (A common one would be the feeling of flying.) Hence witches flying on broomsticks.
Bellodonna is a very poisonous weed, so don't try this at home it will probably kill you. - Andrew Soule

A friend of mine will not pick up a knife if she drops it and will only let someone else pick it up for her because it will cause bad luck! (more like a lazy excuse- haha!) - Pamela Lucia

In my country, we have a superstition that girls, mainly young teenagers, do. If two people are to say the same word at the same time, they should both rub their nose or neither of them will ever get married! It`s kind of just for fun, but in the same time they are afraid to take the chance and not rub their noses, just in case it is afterall true!

I think that certain supertstitions can be fun but should never be taken too seriously because it can take over one`s mind and make life unnecesserily strict. These are some quotes about superstition:

• "Superstition is senseless fear of God." (by an ancient roman lawyer, writer, scholar,orator and statesman from 100 BC called Marcus Tallium Cicero)
• "Superstition is born of ignorance and fear and thrives the most when reason is asleep."(by Zarathustra)
• "I would rather see everyone of you rank antheists than superstitious fools, for the antheist is alive and you can make something out of him." (by Swami Vivekananda)

- Pamela Lucia from Malta (Europe)

I heard that if you tell ghost stories in only a group of three that you will be cursed and that it is safer to tell stories like that in groups of four or less than three ... have you ever heard that one? - Mel Liz Dunn

My mother taught us to say “Fox and Rabbit” on the first day of a new month. When we awoke in the morning we were not to utter a word until we said “Fox and Rabbit” three times. Then something nice would happen to us. She always made sure we received some nice surprise. What is the origin of this? - Randee

The Pope started "God bless you" because he said that everyone had to bless each other because sneezing is the first sign of bubonic plague. He wanted as many people as possible to blessed so less would die. - Stefan Benda

If you go in a dark bathroom and spin around 10 times while saying "Bloody Mary" then look in the mirror and you will see her and she will haunt you. - Pam Goulah

Where did the saying "step on a crack, and you'll break your mothers back", come from? Why should you throw salt over your left shoulder if you spill it and where did this superstition come from? - Kconabeare@aol.com

I am actually just wondering if and why peacock feathers are bad luck, and what would happen to a person if they were to get one tattooed on their body. - kateandbrodie@hotmail.com

My friend Clare told me that she had a wooden salt pot in the shape and colour of a black cat. This is already spooky for 3 superstitions; 1. touch wood, 2. black cats crossing your path and 3. salt. 'GOT IT?'

Now what happend to her? was even more spooky. As she was walking to her house, the other day, her father was salting the drive with, YEAH! you guessed it, the salt pot. Clare was a NERVOUS WRECK and grabbed it out of her father's hands, the salt pot fell to the floor (it was on the path yeah? you still following!) so do you know what she did? yeah that's right dudes and dudettes, she threw it over her shoulder. Sounds like she has dodged a snowball YEAH!!!! But no, she threw it over her right shoulder and she hasn't been able to sleep since.

Any advice. Any one know what she can do to break the insomnia spell? - Lu-Lu

I live in San Antonio, Texas and we have some interesting "superstitions" related to Mexican culture. Some seem to be rooted in religion. Others I'm not sure where they come from. One involves mal ojo, or just ojo, meaning evil eye (literally bad eye) or just eye. It apparently originates from an envious or admiring look. There are all sorts of variations on how this works. For example, one day I was wearing new earrings my husband bought me and my friend admired them out loud (something like "Oh, those are pretty!") then she immediately reached forward and touched each one of them. (Interestingly enough, a few hours later one of them fell off and was temporarily lost. She blamed herself and kept saying "But I touched them. I swear I touched them." This is also done with children. When my stepson was a baby, women (mostly older women from Mexico) would come up and touch him. There was no comment made and his parents eventually just got used to it. The idea is if they saw him and admired him but didn't touch him, they might inadvertantly curse him. In the event that someone DOES admire your child and then doesn't touch him, it'll cause all sorts of problems (nothing deadly, but typical colicky baby, parents up all night worried type stuff) so in order to avoid this you get an egg (some say this has to be a fresh egg--others will use one purchased from a store) and do a special ritual with it. There are variations on the ritual. Most are based in Christianity and involve making the sign of the cross.

I've heard it several different ways such as:
1) You may the sign of the cross over the baby with the egg, then break the egg into a glass and you can see the eye in it
2) You say a prayer and then put the egg UNDER the crib, then break it into a glass in the morning.

Other variations exist, but there are so many it would be tedious to list them all here. Even young people believe it. One young father I talked to told me "My grandmother told me, and I didn't used to believe it but it's happened and my mother comes over and does the thing with the egg, and it always makes it better." Some teens joke about it, while others believe. Recently I saw a student at the high school where I teach wearing a shirt that read "I'm okay. My grandma rubbed an egg on me." I commented on the shirt and immediately commotion broke out all over the room---everyone wanted to tell about some time when it did, or did not, happen to them. And one student apologized to me when I returned from having taken a personal day. She said "I was noticing you had your nails done and I was thinking how pretty they were, but I didn't touch you, and the next day you were off sick." (I was actually out for a religious holiday, but she simply wouldn't believe it.)

Regarding some of the other practices and beliefs mentioned on the site, I'd like to add/correct the following:

Someone mentioned Jewish families having a "superstition" involving a mezuzah on the doorposts of homes. This isn't actually a superstition--and I don't mean that I believe it and therefore it's "real" or anything like that. What I mean is that there is no belief that good things will happen to those who have them or bad things will happen to those who don't. And yes, Orthodox Jews DO "kiss" it (usually touch it with the fingers, then kiss their fingers) but so do I, and I am not Orthodox. Of course, one could ask 10 rabbis and get 20 different answers, but this is my understanding of the practice: the scroll inside contains a scripture that reads (roughly translated) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Set this words I command you upon your heart..." It goes on and on--the letters on the parchment are tiny, and it's printed on both sides. But the POINT of the scripture is BASICALLY "Love God more than anything else--and oh by the way, think about it CONSTANTLY, no matter what you're doing." (It says in your home and on your way. When you lie down and when you rise up--sort of the ancient version of "only on days that end in y") Anyway, one of the things it tells you to do is to put the words on your "doorposts and gates." So we do. Why? Well, because it's a commandment is the lazy answer. but the effect is that every time you walk through a door, you see the casing. You know what's inside it, so it causes you to think about what it says. In my house I have on on the front door, one on the back door and one on the doorway to each bedroom. I've purposely made it a habit to always touch it as I go by (and THAT part obviously looks superstitious) and now that it is a habit, I always think about spiritual things when walking through a doorway. Even when going through a doorway in a non-Jewish place, I automatically notice that it's NOT there, that triggers the same thought. It's more like having a sign on your desk that says "Smile!" It's not there because you believe the sign will make you happy---but that it will remind you to try to be. - - CS in San Antonio, Texas

Touching A Dead Person: I kissed both my husbands goodbye at the funeral and I dream about one of them every night. Sometimes both. One died in 1974 the other 1996. So much for that. Held my best friends hand before they closed the coffin. Yep, dream about her too.

As fo howling dogs: Very true! My father used to throw rocks to drive one away. He was born in 1899. My husband died the day after a dog howled at the window to the room he was sleeping in. Incidently, the dog died a week later. Was just laying dead a block away!? Our dog howled the night before my across-the-street neighbor died. She died a week to the day from when her husband died!!! Strange huh? - Barbara Ann Waddell Age 66

Here are just two of the superstitions that I grew up with.

1. If your left eye jumps (like mine is doing now) that means that something or someone is going to make you mad or dissappointed.
2. If your right eye jumps then you will have a good surprise.

There isn't a particular source where these come from just old family superstitions. - Quisha Jackson

What does it mean if you hit a bird while driving home from work? I dont know if I killed it , however there was feathers flying around everywhere. it looked to me it was a pigeon. - Kevin Cregg

If a ‘news-bee’ comes and seeks you out, it is telling you of bad news coming your way. Source Millie Mae Smith, my great-grandmother. A news-bee is an unusual type of bee, rarely seen. Every time one has approached me, there has been a death in the family. - Cheryl Waldrop

For the Friday the thirteenth note: on October 13, 1307, The Templar Knights thoughout all of France and Most of Europe were rounded up and imprisoned. Seven years later, their leader was burned at the stake and that was more or less the end for the Templar Order. My sorce was a history channel special, and a few books and websites such as Holy Blood, Holy Grail and www.templarhistory.com - David Williams

If there is such thing as bad luck Friday the 13th, then it must be a lie! I was born on Friday the 13th in 1992 in November. It was almost exactly two months after my sister, who was born on September 13, 1982, Monday. And guess what? I can't wait for my 17th birthday because it going to be on Friday the 13th! Also a couple of kids at school and I can't wait for the Friday the 13th coming up in October. I love Friday the 13th and so do my friends. I also love black cats because of their association with Friday the 13th. Oh wow, a black cat crossed my path! I have bad luck now! Heck no!! When a black cat comes towards you, it brings good fortune but if it walks away, then it brings the good fortune with it. And the reasons why people may fear Friday the 13th could be Norse myth, biblical, Roman, British tradition, because the number exceeds 12 by 1 (12 is used with so many things),etc. Or they could just hate the number 13 for many, many reasons.
Supposedly Cursed,
Black Cat Lover.

My grandmother's (who was born in England) version of sneezing was:
One for a wish
Two for a kiss
Three for a letter
Four for something better

For pennies,
See a penny pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck
See a penny let it lay, bad luck you'll have for the rest of the day

When I see a penny tails up, I pick it up, turn it over and leave it for someone else to find. My grandmother also believed that pennies found were sent from Angels. My mother passed in 1997 and sends my sister and I pennies. My Dad did not believe until one day he went to get is mail and on top of it was a shiny 1997 penny. He now believes. - Pat Louden

My mother-in-law is of the Hungarian decent and she believes that if you wash your hands with silver (coins) on New Years Day that you will always have money throughout the year. She also believes that a dark haired man has to be the first one to walk into your front door on New Years Day so that you will always have good luck. - Chalkerjacks@aol.com

A different take on the "break a leg" thing:
In the overdone showiness of Renaissance decorum, even a simple bow took on a grand ~ and awkward ~ flourish (as in Shakespeare in Love.) Envision the scenario, then:
"So, Richard, how liketh the audience thy new play?"
"'Twas received with all love and admiration; had I bowed one more time, my leg would have broken!"
The sentiment, then, is not a reverse-luck talisman ~ it's a wish for rave reviews! - Murray Parks

Has anyone ever heard of this: a person who has never seen their dad, can blow into the mouth of a child with thrush and it will go away? Well, I was about 9 when a lady came to our home and asked my mom if she could borrow me for a few minutes and told her what she wanted. She knew me and that I had never seen my father, I didn't know her. I thought it was VERY strange, but mom told me to go do it, so I did. And guess what? It really worked. Strange!

Do you know what it means when the smoke of a campfire follows you no matter where you go? I remember hearing this when I was a child, but have since forgotten. Thanks - Pam

- if you just came to a cemetary and went straight home, the dead will follow you

- if you choke without seeing it coming, it means someone's thinking of you and you have to choose a number and find out the letter and whatever that letter is that person is the one that's thinking of you

- it is bad luck to sweep outside of your house during the nights

- good luck charms will go away if you sweep off the dust outside your house

- if a black cat keeps its eye on a pregnant woman everynight it means the cat wants to suck the breath of your child

- if you throw a tooth on a roof it may give you a good luck or bad luck

- if you sing while taking a shower it will start to rain (maybe)

- if you drop a knife both man and woman are coming

- if a dead person's left eye is open he'll find someone to take with him

- mirrors in the house should be covered when someone dies there or the person who sees themself in the mirror will die next

- if you take a shower during a funeral you will die

- Rhona Mae Hojas

"THREE ON A MATCH" isn't a superstition:
During WWII, when a group of soldiers clustered outside to smoke and chat, it was "courtesy" to light cigarettes in order of ascending rank.
Nnot as polite as it seems:
The first light got the face full of sulphur fumes and by the time it reached the ranking officer on the third light, it would be burning cleanly. Snipers waiting already knew they were there - talk carries easily on the night air - so they would wait for the third flare-up and then fire, assured they'd knocked off someone of value instead of a mere footslogger.
It was my grandfather, who was a sergeant in the British army, who explained it (and it also explains why he never smoked). - threenorns

Our family tradition holds that bad things always come in threes...i.e.: Our water heater went out, our refrigerator died, and our oven had to be replaced...all within the same week.

We also say "red bird, red bird, 1, 2, 3...gonna see somebody I didn't expect to see" any time a cardinal lands near by...sometimes works. - Amanda Durham

My great grandma, who was Dutch, used to say that if a bird flew into your window, to get ready for 3 deaths, because the bird represents 1 death, but that deaths, in the family, come in 3's. - R.L. Estep

I'm looking for the meaning - If you are in a room filled with people and everyone is talking and the room goes silent at the same time - Is there a superstition for this? - Dorene A. Menezes

Evidently, superstitions are different in different parts of the country. I was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, and learned at a young age that pulling a wishbone produced two happenings to come. The one who ended up with the largest piece (the hook on the top) would marry first. She was to hang that piece over the front door, and the next unmarried person to come through the door would be her spouse. The other player got her wish. Somehow, it never worked for me! - Joyce LLoyd

Once, a coworker told me that if you wash clothes on New Year's Eve, you wash someone out of your house. And if you wash clothes on New year's Day, you wash someone into your house.
• Numerous people refer to birds as messengers of upcoming deaths. Some witnessing them flying into windows the day before the death(s) and some speaking ill of or wanting to avoid birds that come too close or get inside cars or houses or buildings.
• Of course, there are also, myths about sexually experienced women being stretched and loose vaginally. Another myth is that a man can't love a woman without being the first to have intercourse with her.
• I am sure mostly everyone has heard the spinoffs of 666. Everything not contributing to Christianity and church, including esp, rock and roll, Walt Disney (am I going too far to say if you really like it?) is considered sin.

I realize I am a little off subject, but I look forward to the day when all of this is put behind us. - Lilith

I was told as a child that saying "Rabbit, Rabbit" first thing when waking up at the beginning of each month would warrant good luck and not doing so would condemn you. I was wondering if this has any sort of history behind it or if it is just an invention of my father's? - Sincerely, Savannah

just had a comment on the whole "Friday-the-thirteenth-is-bad-luck" superstion. ...My mother AND my little brother were both born on Friday the Thirteenth, and so far the only bad luck they have had is for my mom bad luck with keeping a car...and my little brother...well he doesn't have any bad luck as far as I can tell (knock on wood). I would also like to add a small note of superstition to your web page...I read in a book called "The Encyclopedia of Superstions" that if your left ear itches, then your lover is thinking about you, or someone is talking bad about you. I read also that if your right ear itches, then your mother is thinking about you , or someone is talking good about you! neat huh? - Savannaha Lovell

While doing some research about one thing, I ran across your page and just happened to read your origin of the walking under the ladder superstition. That one goes back much, much farther than Christianity - it dates to the Egyptians. The ancient Egyptians would place ladders in tombs so the dead could climb out. The belief arose therefore that the dead gathered around ladders, and that to walk under ladders would disturb the dead.

For reference, I do have a degree in archeology (and astronomy.) - Kathy

Jewish sources for superstition:

1. Why you shouldn't walk under a ladder: In the Bible, it states that there are different punishments for people who kill unintentionally than for those who kill with intent. The classic case of unintentional killing in the bible is when one heads into a forest to chop trees and the axe-blade dislodges from the handle and flies through the air and strikes someone near by, killing him. The unintentional killer must then flee to a city of refuge. (Numbers, 35:11) Well, in the Talmud (the source predates the Christian trinity concept) a similar idea is found that one who slips off a ladder and falls upon someone thus killing them is also a case of an unintentional murder and the one who fell should head to the city of refuge as well. The Talmud then continues to speak about the mysterious ways of God, and states that God arranges it that one who has killed by accident but did not know that they had killed will find himself climbing the ladder as one who intentionally killed is walking beneath, and the former will unintentionally kill the latter by falling on him. Thus, you shouldn't walk under a ladder, lest you be killed ·or hurt) by someone falling on you and thus casting suspicion that you were a murderer who should be killed.

2. Black cats being unlucky: The talmud records that the ashes of a black cat mixed with other ingredients and placed in one's eyes will enable them to see "demons". Thus - black cats became associated with demons and thought to be dangerous or have negative qualities. Thus - it's bad luck to see a black cat. Additonlly, they were purported to make pregnant women miscarry. this is actually a scientific phenomenon because there is a chemical in either the urine or the feces of black cats that is harmful to pregnant women and can indeed cause them to miscarry. (So I've been told.)

3. Spiders and the cave: this is not a Muslim source (although it may have perhaps happened to Muhamad, who knows) it is in fact a Jewish source regarding a spider spinning a web across a cave and thus saving a life. However, the person was King David - who was not then King at the time - who was being pursued by King Saul's soldiers. David's hide out was in the desert mountains of Ein Gedi. When Saul learned of this, he had the caves combed by his soldiers but they found nothing. The Jewsh Midrash - a commentary on the bible - written around the second centurey- long before Islam came on the scene - records the story that David hid in a cave and God caused a spider to spin a web across the entrance. The soldiers in searching the cave assumed that David could not have entered the cave because he would have had to break the web. Thus his life was saved. It was into that cave that Saul then later turned to "do his thing" (ie- to go to the bathroom) assuming that it was empty after being checked by his guards. David then cut a corner off of his cloak and appeared after Saul had left, proving that he bore him no ill will, since had he wished, he could have killed Saul in the cave, and not merely cut his garment. The story is recorded in Samuel I in the later chapters. I would not be surprised if the Islamic tradition copped the well-known Jewish version of the story and just made it's protaganist be Muhammad instead of David.
   On a side note about spiders being unlucky, in the jewish tradition, spiders became cursed since their webs were woven in the holy temple during its destruction and in addition to causing disgrace to the temple, it also helped spread and extend the flames to the corners of the building by way of their webs.

- Akiva Weiss

I am going to explain some superstitions that I found on this site:
• Bad luck to open umbrellas indoors
  Explanation - Someone's eye could be poked.

• Bad to spill salt
  Explanation - Salt was greatly valued a long time ago. Spilling it was bad.

• Holding breath in cemetery
  Explanation - Cemeteries reeked of rotting flesh, and I am sure no one wants to smell that.

• Bad to put shoes on bed
  Explanation - Beds are for sleeping, and you don't want to get your bed dirty.

  These are explanations of some superstitions.

- Jude P.

Do you know of a silly superstition to add to these pages?

Please E-Mail me and mention the source of your information.

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