Superstitious...Not me Touch Wood
 Jun 15th, 2002
Advantages:
Could be lucky
Disadvantages:
might not be
Recommendable:
Yes
  Dalesman
About me:
I am so busy at the moment, been travelling a lot (Europe, South Africa & Canada), I simply dont hav...
Member since:15.08.2000
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Review rated by 32 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
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I am definitely NOT Superstitious, I am going to finish this op without any harm coming to me (touch wood !), Oh my black cat has just walked in fornt of me so that means I will be OK for the day, and I see next door are out already washing the car, Hmm I bet it will rain later !!...Oh I am so pleased I am not a believer....but what about you...how many of this lot do you remember?, I havd a problem writing about 10 superstitions...take your pick out if this little lot..theres more than ten, so pick your own ones.....and thanks for stopping by to have a look...
Weddings Perhaps one of the most practiced yet least appreciated of Western superstition is at weddings where traditional forms are followed without realising their significance. The bride's veil is to protect her from evil spirits who are jealous of happiness. Similarly, the bridesmaids are there as decoys to distract the bad spirits. The bride is carried over the threshold to stop her from tripping which is considered bad luck and therefore a bad start to the marriage. Rice, thrown after the ceremony, has always been a symbol of fertility to encourage procreation. And wedding rings are gold and plain, a symbol of eternity, and are worn on the left 'ring finger' because it was believed that a vein runs from that finger to the heart.
- Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day
- A rabbit's foot brings good luck
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away
- To find a four-leaf clover is to find good luck
- If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck
- If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck
- To break a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck
- To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck
Ladders Pragmatists would say that you don't walk under ladders in case they fall on you. One belief is that the ladder forms a triangle with the floor and the ground and, depending on who you speak to, this either represents a holy symbol from Egyptian times or the holy trinity from Christianity. Either way, walking through that triangle, violates it and brings bad luck.
- To find a horseshoe brings good luck
- Step on a crack, break your mother's back
- You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle
- Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires
- Our fate is written in the stars
- At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold
- Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck
- Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck
- If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get whatever you wish for
* To have a wish come true using a wishbone, two people make a wish, then take hold of each end of the bone and pull it until it separates. The person with the longer end gets his or her wish
Friday the 13th
There are many different theories about the origin of 13 being considered an unlucky number. Tracing the superstitions back, the earliest theories claim that in ancient religion, Valhalla, the home of the Gods, had twelve guests at a feast and a thirteenth, the God of Deceit, turned up uninvited. Others believe that the 13 started with witches' covens having 12 members, making 13 when the devil appeared at satanic ceremonies, although this may have been an attempt by the church to discredit witches as, prior to Christianity, 13 was considered a sacred number, representing the 13 moons of the year. For Christians, 13 was the number at the Last Supper when Judas betrayed Jesus. It is also claimed that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah's flood started on a Friday and Christ was crucified on a Friday so it is likely these days and numbers combined were given the sigil of bad luck. - An itchy palm means money will come your way
- A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck
- A cat has nine lives
- Eating fish makes you smart
- Toads cause warts
- A cricket in the house brings good luck
- Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true
- It is bad luck to sing at the table
- It is bad luck to sleep on a table
- After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty
- A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck
- A bird that comes in your window brings bad luck
- To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck
- Goldfish in the pond bring good luck
- Goldfish in the house bring bad luck
- For good luck, wear new clothes on Easter
- An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house
- If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip
- When a dog howls, death is near
- It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom
- A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown
- To find a penny heads up, brings good luck
- To cure a sty, rub it with a gold wedding band
- Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve
- A drowned woman floats face up, a drowned man floats face down
- A person cannot drown before going under three times
- To drop a fork means a woman will visit
- To drop a knife means a man will visit
- To drop a spoon means a child will visit
- To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming
- If you shiver, someone is casting a shadow on your grave
Animals Many people believe that a rabbit's foot is a lucky charm but this began with the belief that witches turned themselves into hares to escape capture so carrying a hare's foot (rabbit's foot) would protect you from them. This practice flourished in medieval times!
In Egyptian times, black cats were revered and one of their goddesses even took the form of a cat. In post Christian times, the black cat is considered evil for its association with witches. Ironically, a black cat walking towards you is considered lucky while one walking away is said to be stealing your luck. - To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
- The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye
- Washing a car will bring rain
- You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck
- Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle
- A cat will try to take the breath from a baby
- Warm hands, cold heart
- Cold hands, warm heart
- It is unlucky to rock an empty rocking chair
- To kill an albatross is to cause bad luck to the ship and all upon it
- Wearing an opal when it is not your birthstone is bad luck
- Smell dandelions, wet the bed
- To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck
- A forked branch, held with a fork in each hand, will dip and point when it passes over water
Well do you believe in that lot, theres a lot of foundation to these common supertitions, I hope you have enjoyed remembering that little lot.... Thanks for reading & Rating....
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03.10.2007 20:58
So many superstitions - so much to remember. Maureen x x
22.11.2002 00:53
Magpies and black cats always confuse me and always will. Should I pass infront, behind, or what? I don't know. Never will. Don't have a problem with ladders and Friday 13th seems to pop up with increasing regularity. Or is it just me? All the best! Take care! Andrew.
03.08.2002 21:52
I'm not very superstitious though I tend to walk around ladders.....dunno maybe I am! Interesting read! :-)