Other superstitutions

Superstitions



Even those who say they are not superstitious tend not to walk under a ladder,

or throw spilt salt over their left shoulder, superstitions have been the stuff

of legends for centuries. What do you think if a black cat crosses your path? I

think "I love black cats", you may think, its bad luck. The power of

superstitions lies in your belief system look below to see what you do and don't

believe in.

GOOD LUCK

a.. A horseshoe hung above a door brings good luck

b.. It is good luck to eat black eyed peas on New Year

c.. If a frog enters your home is a sign a great luck

d.. If a spider spins its web in the morning it's a sign of good luck

e.. Its good luck to plant green beans on Good Friday

f.. A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck

g.. Carrying an acorn in your pocket will give you good luck

h.. If the first butterfly you see in the year is white you will have good

luck all year.

i.. Never mention you have good luck without knocking on wood

j.. Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck

k.. When playing cards which ever seat faces the door will have the best luck,

the most unlucky seat is the one which back faces the fireplace

l.. A rabbit's foot brings good luck

m.. Goldfish in the pond bring good luck

n.. A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck

o.. Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck

BAD LUCK

a.. It is bad luck to close a knife someone has opened

b.. Killing a cricket is bad luck

c.. It is bad luck for a pregnant woman to go to a funeral.

d.. If you see a single magpie it's a sign of bad luck

e.. The American two dollar bill brings bad luck, gamblers should avoid using

this note.

f.. Breaking a mirror will give you bad luck.

g.. To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck

h.. Placing a hat on a bed will give you bad luck

i.. Placing keys on a table will bring you bad luck.

j.. Leaving a building from a door different to the one you entered will bring

bad luck

k.. You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have

bad luck

l.. If a shark follows you in a ship, it is a sign of bad luck

m.. Wild birds that enter your house are a sign of bad luck.

n.. It is bad luck to give a partner a watch as a gift before getting married,

as it's a sign that your time together is running out.

o.. It is bad luck to walk under a ladder

p.. It is unlucky to sit crossed legs while playing cards

q.. It is unlucky to wash a baby's head for the first 12 months

r.. If you drop a comb while combing your hair bad luck will follow

s.. It is bad luck to milk a cow that is being sent to the markets

t.. It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunset

u.. Its bad luck to change a horse's name

v.. If you start to go someone where but have to go back for something you

will have bad luck.

w.. Turning a loaf of bread upside down after someone has taken a slice from

it is bad luck

x.. It is bad luck to take a broom with you when you move, you should throw it

out

y.. You will have bad luck if you start a trip on a Friday

z.. Its bad luck to light more than two cigarettes with the same match

aa.. Finding a four leaf clover means great luck, but if you lose it you lose

the luck

ab.. It is unlucky to open an umbrella inside a house

ac.. You must wear new clothes on Easter or you will have bad luck

ad.. It is unlucky to cut your nails on Friday and Saturday

ae.. You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise

circle

af.. To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that

person bad luck

FRIENDS AND LOVERS

a.. If your nose inches a friend will soon appear

b.. If your ears burn than someone is talking about you

c.. If a husband sees his wife in the wedding dress before the wedding they

will have an unpleasant marriage

d.. If you sweep underneath a person they will never get married.

e.. You must give a coin to whoever gives you a knife as a gift or the

friendship will soon end

f.. Never give a neighbor a knife for a gift, or you will soon become enemy

g.. On the honeymoon whoever goes to sleep first will be the first to die

h.. If you drop a fork a man will soon visit you

i.. If you drop a spoon a women will soon visit you.

j.. If a groom drops the wedding ring the marriage is doomed.

k.. If you say bye to a friend while standing on a bridge you will never see

them again

l.. If your cheeks are burning, someone is saying nice things about you.

m.. If you spill pepper you will have an argument with a friend

n.. Dropping scissors warns that your lover is unfaithful

SIGNS

a.. If you drop a piece of jewellery, which ever direction it is pointing

someone will approach from

b.. Spitting salt may cause an argument later in the day.

c.. The ancient roman army believed seeing ants fight is a sign that the enemy

is near.

d.. If a baby is born with teeth it will be a selfish child

e.. If a baby is born under the waning moon the next child will be born the

opposite sex of this child.

f.. Having empty pockets on New Year's means you will have a poor year.

g.. If your hands itch you will soon receive money

h.. If two deaths occur in your town a third death will follow.

i.. A ringing bell means an angel got his wings

j.. If the bottom of your feet itches, you will make a trip

k.. A bird in the house is a sign of death

l.. If you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween don't look behind, as it's

the dead following you and you could soon join the dead.

m.. If all the food is eaten from a table it will be a clear day tomorrow.

n.. If two forks are placed in front of you at a dinner but no knife you will

soon be invited to a wedding

o.. If leaves on a tree turn upwards a storm is coming

p.. If a candle flame turns blue there is a spirit in the room

q.. If chimney smoke goes to the ground bad weather is coming

r.. A person born on Halloween will have the ability of communicating with the

dead.

s.. A ring round the moon means rain will come in three days

t.. A bat flying in your house is a sign of death

u.. If a person experiences great honor, their hair turns white.

v.. Planting seeds on February 14 will make good crop

w.. If you catch a leaf on the first day of autumn you will have good health

all winter

x.. To dream of lizards mean you have a secret enemy

y.. If you dream of running you will have great changes in your life

z.. If a bee flys into your home you will have a visitor soon, if you kill the

bee the visitor will be angry

aa.. Seeing a single crow is unlucky, seeing two crows is lucky, three is good

health, four is wealth, five crows means sickness and 6 means death.

　

General Superstitions

a.. Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires

b.. A potato in your pocket helps cure arthritis

c.. If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first

breath you will get your wish

d.. If a pregnant mother doesn't eat fish when craving it, the baby will be

born with a fish shaped head

e.. Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve

f.. If a pregnant woman gives birth wearing high heels the baby will be born

crossed eyed

g.. At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold

h.. Eating fish makes you smart

i.. Toads cause warts

j.. Throwing salt behind you three times will help reduce labour pains

k.. To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something

new, something borrowed, something blue

l.. The term "god bless you" that is said when a person sneezes originated

from the great plague of Europe where people began sneezing before they died,

the pope then passed a law that they must be blessed.

m.. If you cut your hair on Good Friday you won't have headaches for a year

n.. It wards off evil tie a handkerchief into a knot

o.. You must never say thank you if someone gives you a plant as a gift or it

will die

p.. The first snow from March can be used to help skin problems

q.. Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle

r.. A cat will try to take the breath from a baby

s.. Hanging a horseshoe in your bedroom will stop bad dreams

t.. Sprinkling salt in the doorway of a house prevent evil from entering

Chinese superstitions

a.. When having a baby using glue while pregnant will cause a difficult child

birth

b.. If you hit an animal while pregnant the child will look and act like the

animal that was hit

c.. Praising a new born child will invite evil spirits into your life

d.. If a baby has thick ears it will be very prosperous

e.. It is lucky for a bride to wear red, white or yellow but unlucky to wear

black blue or gray

f.. Couple with the same sir name cannot be married as they belong to the same

ancestry

g.. A boy rolling over the bed of a newly wedded couple will ensure good luck

and a baby boy

h.. It is bad luck to marry someone who is 3 or 6 years older or younger than

you

i.. Its bad luck to have two doors that face each other

j.. It is lucky to have an even number of stairs in a staircase

k.. It is bad luck to have two room doors face each other.

l.. It is bad luck to have a door that directly faces a road.

m.. Its bad luck to have a house that faces north

n.. The master's bedroom should be above the garage

o.. The dining room should not be under a second floor toilet

p.. A poorly made funeral will bring misfortune

q.. The statues of deities at a funeral should be covered in red cloth

r.. It is bad luck to have a mirror or see a mirror at a funeral

s.. After a funeral do not go straight home as the ghost of the dead will

follow you

t.. It is bad luck to clip toenails at night

u.. If a man's ears burn between 11pm and 1pm there will be harmony between

him and his lover

v.. Hitting someone with a broom will bring great misfortune to that person

w.. Growing a moustache is bad luck

x.. Your ears will be cropped off if you point at the moon

　

JAPANESE SUPERSTITIONS

a.. The number four is considered unlucky as it's pronounced the same as the

word death, many hotels and offices will skip the number 4 completely

b.. During funerals chop-sticks are placed into rice then placed onto the

alter, so in general sticking your crop sticks into your food especially rice is

considered bad luck.

c.. You will be visited by a snake if you whistle at night

d.. You will be cured of the flu once you give someone else your flu

e.. If you hiccup 100 times in a row you will die

f.. If you clip your nails at night you may die an early death

g.. You must hide your thumb if you see a funeral car or a family member will

die

h.. Girls born in the year of Hinoe Uma (Fire Horse) will be evil, (last once

1966, next is in 2026)

i.. You will turn into a cow if you lay down after you eat

j.. Seeing a spider in the morning is good luck and seeing one at night is bad

luck

k.. You must hide your belly button if you hear thunder or the thunder god

will eat it

l.. It is unlucky not to wear shoes in the morning

m.. Bad luck to sleep with your head facing north

n.. You'll stop growing if you wear a basket on your head.

o.. If you wish on a shooting star three times you will get your wish

p.. You must finish your bowl of rice or you will go blind

q.. If you leave a fan on all night death will follow

r.. If you swim during August the dead will take you with them

s.. Keeping snake skin in your wallet will bring fortune

t.. Cleaning the toilet while pregnant will give you a beautiful baby

Valentine's Day Superstitions

a.. Seeing a squirrel on Valentine's Day means you will marry a gold digger

b.. If you find a glove on Valentine's Day for future lover will have the

other glove

c.. The first person's name you hear on Valentine's Day is the name of the

person you will marry

d.. If you see a robin on Valentine's Day you will marry a police man

e.. You can see how many children someone will have by them cutting an apple

in half on Valentine's Day, the amount of seeds found inside indicates how many

children

f.. Seeing a flock of doves of Valentine's Day means you will have a happy

marriage

g.. To be woken by a kiss on Valentine's Day means good luck

Cats

a.. A Japanese myth is when a cat dies it becomes a super spirit. According to

Buddhism, the body of a cat is the temporary resting place of the soul of very

spiritual people

a.. Some believe that cats can astral travel at any time. They also believe

that if a cat adopts you, it will stay with you forever, even after death.

b.. King Osorkon, of the twenty-second dynasty, placed a white cat in the

center of a magnificent temple and ritually endowed it with supreme power.

c.. It will rain if a cat washes its ears.

d.. If a cat washes its face and paws in the parlor, a visitor will soon

arrive.

e.. Seeing a black cat behind you is a bad omen

f.. Cats can predict earthquakes.

g.. If a cat sleeps with all paws under, rain is coming

h.. If a cat sneezes once rain is coming

i.. If a cat sneezes twice you will catch a cold

j.. A cat sneezing is a good omen for anyone that hears it.

k.. If you find a white hair on a black omen you will have good luck

l.. A bride will have a great married life if a black cat sneezes on her

wedding day

m.. A black cat crosses your path under the moonlight means death is coming

n.. If you kick a cat you will have leg problems

o.. If you drown a cat you will drown

p.. To kill a cat brings seventeen years bad luck

q.. Dreaming of a white cat is good luck.

r.. If you dream of a black and white cat you will have luck with children or

it means a baby is coming

s.. To dream of a cat with no tail means you have lost your independence

t.. It is bad luck to cross a stream while carrying a cat

u.. It is bad luck to see a white cat at night

v.. If a black cat walks towards you it means good luck, if it walks away from

you you will lose luck

w.. To dream you are scratched by a cat means sickness and trouble

x.. Dream of a ginger cat and you will be lucky in money and business.

y.. Dream of a tabby and you will have luck with your home.

z.. Dream of a multicolored cat and you will have luck making friends.

aa.. A kitten born in may will be a witch's cat

ab.. Some black cats are witches in disguise

ac.. To keep a cat off your car, place a hat on the roof

ad.. When moving to a new home, always put the cat through the window instead

of the door, so that it will not leave.

ae.. Sailors believed that if a cat licked its fur against the grain it meant

a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed, rain was on the way; and if it was

frisky, the wind would soon blow.

af.. If you are a farmer and kill a cat all your cattle with mysteriously die

ag.. In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would always kiss

the family cat to bring good luck.

ah.. In Transylvania, if a cat jumps over a corpse, the corpse will become a

vampire.

ai.. The folklore that a cat has 9 lives possibly came about because #9 is the

"trinity of trinities" and was considered lucky.

Dogs

a.. A common belief is that dogs are colour blind, this is not true dogs can

see in colour but can't tell the difference between yellow, green or red, they

can distinguish between shades of blue and gray. In fact they can tell the

difference between shades of blue, violet and gray better than people.

b.. If a dog licks the face of a new born baby, the baby will be a fast healer

c.. A dog howling at night may be a sign or death of illness

d.. Dogs can see ghosts, spirits, deities, and faeries and if the dog barks it

may be alerting you to a spirit

e.. In some parts of the world, a black dog is considered unlucky.

f.. A dog eating grass is a sign of rain to come.

g.. If a strange dog comes to your house means a new friendship.

h.. Meeting a spotted or black and white dog on the way to a business

appointment is believed to be lucky.

i.. Greeks thought dogs could foresee evil.

j.. Three white dogs together are a sign of good luck.

k.. If a dog eats grass it means rain is coming

l.. Dogs that howl on Christmas Eve will go mad before the end of the year.

m.. Playing cards with a dog in room causes disputes.