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Personal Superstitions

Don't try it with whitetail deer. The ones I tried it with chuffed and stomped and generally seemed pissed.
 
Jepra Peld said:
I have a few. Some are fairly common, saluting magpies and white horses, not turning over the calendar until the correct month, saying "white rabbits" on the first of the month. I've also picked up the Manx superstition of not saying "rat".

A couple of others are probably unique to me. I won't wear blue underwear, I'm convinced it's unlucky. I try to avoid blue clothes as much as I can but have now started to wear blue with a pattern but never plain blue. I also won't wear new clothes if I suspect I'm going t have a difficult day at work. I like to break them in first.

I pinch myself when I see a green car, you're supposed to pinch someone else but I'm always on my own. This last one was told to be a friend who grew up in what was East Germany but I'm not sure if it was an East German superstition or just one of hers.

Also, if I see a dead bird on the way to somewhere I know I'm going to have a really bad day.
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Sorry for quoting myself but I got a notification that this had been liked, and weirdly I did see a dead bird on the way to work today.
 
When I was growing up if salt was spilled on the table, every had to throw salt over their shoulder.

But the worst one of all was if a hat was put on a bed, “ God forbid “, someone was going to die.

If you walked under a ladder, injury to your body was almost certain.
 
I've just caught myself out in a very specific personal superstition.

Used to have a job where it was convenient to throw a cloth over one's shoulder to free up both hands.
I did that this morning and was filled with sudden dread. What the actual? :omg:

I suddenly remembered that some years ago at work I did that and then leaned forward, and my back somehow twisted. I was in agony and had to practically crawl out of the place to get home.

Seems unlikely, but since then I had indeed avoided the tea towel on the shoulder.

Until now. o_O
 
To have luck and money in the coming year, one must eat cabbage and black-eye peas on New Year”s day.

People who study history believe this tradition came from the Southern States during the American Civil War.

The Northern States believed black-eye peas were not “ high class “ and before the war sent all their black-eye peas to the South.

So in order for me to win the lottery in the future, on New Year’s Day I will eat my black-eye peas and cabbage.
 
charliebrown said:
To have luck and money in the coming year, one must eat cabbage and black-eye peas on New Year”s day.

People who study history believe this tradition came from the Southern States during the American Civil War.

The Northern States believed black-eye peas were not “ high class “ and before the war sent all their black-eye peas to the South.

So in order for me to win the lottery in the future, on New Year’s Day I will eat my black-eye peas and cabbage.
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By coincidence, just at the moment l’m reading Berry Benson’s Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter.

ln Chapter 3, Benson mentions that a winter staple for the Confederates was “Hoppin’ John”, which was rice and cowpeas (AKA black-eye peas) boiled together.

lt almost sounds as if it might be appetising. lf one added bacon. (But then, few things aren’t improved by the addition of bacon…)

maximus otter

PS: lt’s an excellent book; highly recommended.

m.o.
 
Maximus Otter and EnolaGaia you are right.

Traditional some form of pork is added to the “ Hoppin John “.

My wife tries to cut back on the fat and salt.

I hope this does not cut back on the “ good luck “.
 
charliebrown said:
To have luck and money in the coming year, one must eat cabbage and black-eye peas on New Year”s day.
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As a Southerner, we do this every New Year's Day - but I've not heard of having cabbage with this meal. We've always had turnip greens (not a fan).
 
I never heard of the superstition that if you put a piece of a wedding cake underneath your pillow while you sleep, you will dream about your future husband.

Well, my wife’s mom secretly did that to my wife when she was young and my wife said she dreamed about Elvis Presley.

My take on this is that it may have worked.

Elvis and I are both from Tennessee.
 
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escargot said:
I've just caught myself out in a very specific personal superstition.

Used to have a job where it was convenient to throw a cloth over one's shoulder to free up both hands.
I did that this morning and was filled with sudden dread. What the actual? :omg:

I suddenly remembered that some years ago at work I did that and then leaned forward, and my back somehow twisted. I was in agony and had to practically crawl out of the place to get home.

Seems unlikely, but since then I had indeed avoided the tea towel on the shoulder.

Until now. o_O
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Putting some laundry away the other week, I didn't have enough hands so threw a pair of boxer shorts over my shoulder.
Half an hour later I was on here and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I jumped a few feet in the air- the boxers were still there.

I have to put my left shoe/sock and left arm into a jumper/shirt/coat before my right.
 
charliebrown said:
I never heard of the superstition that if you put a piece of a wedding cake underneath your pillow while you sleep, you will dream about your future husband.

Well, my wife’s mom secretly did that to my wife when she was young and my wife said she dreamed about Elvis Presley.

My take on this is that it may have worked.

Elvis and I are both from Tennessee.
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Admit it - you are Elvis!
 
'Let the gods decide.'
Found myself saying that recently to Techy. We were trying to make that onerous decision about whether to purchase a supermarket Meal Deal and have a leisurely picnic or rush to the pub for lunchtime service.

If the supermarket sarnies were unsuitable we'd have to crack on and hit the pub before 2pm.

Saying 'Let the gods decide' was a way for me to get out of going over all this again. :chuckle:
 
I am not if this is a personal one or not, but have always had the superstition that it is bad luck to rip up/destroy photographs of living people. I mentioned to my mum when I last visited her and she had never heard of it.
 
Jepra Peld said:
I am not if this is a personal one or not, but have always had the superstition that it is bad luck to rip up/destroy photographs of living people. I mentioned to my mum when I last visited her and she had never heard of it.
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Not one I've heard of either
 
Has it been mentioned that if a pregnant woman is frightened by an animal - for instance, a dog - that the child will have a birthmark in the shape of that animal?
 
"Maternal impressions" that is called. Not limited to birthmarks though.
 
gordonrutter said:
Not one I've heard of either
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Thanks. I wonder where I have got it from then? I remember a friend telling me she ripped up a picture of Bucks Fizz not long before they had that coach crash, but I had the superstition before that.
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
Has it been mentioned that if a pregnant woman is frightened by an animal - for instance, a dog - that the child will have a birthmark in the shape of that animal?
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Funny you should say that. After delivering me and cleaning me up the midwife commented on the frog shaped birthmark I had on my side. In actual fact Mum had been startled by a frog jumping out when she was picking some vegetables during the pregnancy and had been aware of the superstition. It was long since faded and in any case by the time I became aware of it it required a bit of creative looking to see it as a frog. :)
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
Has it been mentioned that if a pregnant woman is frightened by an animal - for instance, a dog - that the child will have a birthmark in the shape of that animal?
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This goes back a long way! It features in that wonderful collection of piffle fraudulently attributed to Aristotle and claimed to be his Masterpiece! It was printed in clandestine print shops and some may have read it for stimulation, though I gather it was slipped into a bride's trusseau, to prepare her for the bedroom side of matrimonial bliss. It is full of nightmares, such as kids with wings and strange markings, helpfully illustrated!

I found my mother's copy. I hope she had more recent and accurate sources of advice.

But, who am I to say! I turned out purple! Damn that beetroot she craved! :doh:
 
JamesWhitehead said:
This goes back a long way! It features in that wonderful collection of piffle fraudulently attributed to Aristotle and claimed to be his Masterpiece! It was printed in clandestine print shops and some may have read it for stimulation, though I gather it was slipped into a bride's trusseau, to prepare her for the bedroom side of matrimonial bliss. It is full of nightmares, such as kids with wings and strange markings, helpfully illustrated!

I found my mother's copy. I hope she had more recent and accurate sources of advice.

But, who am I to say! I turned out purple! Damn that beetroot she craved! :doh:
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'Piffle'! LOL
 
JamesWhitehead said:
…piffle fraudulently attributed to Aristotle…
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You just reminded me that, when l first walked the beat in Bigtown in 1975, there was a local…eccentric…who used to frequent the town centre, talking random b******s to himself. Every once in a while he had to be arrested under the Mental Health Act. Because of his quasi-intellectual ravings, he was jokingly nicknamed “ ‘Arry Stottle”.

maximus otter
 
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Jepra Peld said:
I am not if this is a personal one or not, but have always had the superstition that it is bad luck to rip up/destroy photographs of living people. I mentioned to my mum when I last visited her and she had never heard of it.
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I don't know if it only applies to Bedouins, but they don't like having their photograph taken.
Something to do with stealing their soul iirc.
 
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