Mumsnet Talk

I was told once that if you do washing on a certain day / days of the year it brings bad luck. (think it may have been New years day).

Has anyone else heard anything like this OR do you think it is not true?

If yes which days of the year?

I am personally a bit sceptical but interested to hear from other people.

Yes the day you do your washing will decree what your year will be like

I've heard that one too. Can't remember what day you'r not supposed to wash on, but tbh, if it doesn't fit in with my weekly schedule, then tough! The only bad luck that will defall me, will be that I don't have any clean undies!

Don't cut your toenails on a Friday

<completely irrelevant answer>

Glad someone has heard of it too.

I didn't want to sound like I was bonkers! (crazy).

X posts DingDong

You don't do the washing though, the machine does it <taps side of nose>

You don't do your washing on New Years Day in case a member of your family dies in the coming year!

Up here there's often an idea that you need to have everything clean and tidy for the New Year, so all washing done and the house all spick and span in advance of New Year. I dn't know about doing the washing on New Year's Day being considered bad luck, but if you'd done it all when you should then you wouldn't have to IYSWIM?

Vague memories of my Mum having strange superstitions.

But yes what cybbo said

Not quite what you're asking, BlackCat <waves> but there is a rhyme, a bit like 'Monday's child is fair of face':

They that wash on Monday have all the week to dry
They that wash on Tuesday are not so much awry
They that wash on Wednesday are not so much to blame
They that wash on Thursday wash for very shame
They that wash on Friday wash in sorry need
They that wash on Saturday are lazy folk indeed.

I guess that comes from the days when you washed on Monday and then you had all the week to dry your 'Sunday best' before you next needed to wear it.

My Grandma (midlands) used to say that you shouldn't do washing on New Year's Day. I think it was to do with washing out all the good luck for the year.
I've also heard about cleaning the house for the New Year (friends are from Scotland).

In my family (catholic) if you do washing on Good Friday someone will die - something to do with Jesus having his feet washed before he was put on the cross. I am not catholic at all now but some habits die hard - have never washed clothes on Good Friday!

I agree, I think it's Good Friday too.

Slightly OT WRT religion, I used to have a cleaning job for a Jewish lady. My day's work fell on the Day of Atonement one year, she told me this so I said would there be any problem with me working. She said no so I started, but she sent me home with full pay after 10 minutes because she couldn't bear the thought of her neighbours (very Orthodox area) seeing me working.

My mum says this! You can't do washing on New years day or it washes the good luck out the year.... It drives me mad, as it always seems to be the day I want to do washing, and whilst I know its utter tosh, I can't help but feel funny about it!

No washing on the day visitors leave here. Or sweeping - which my mum updated to hoovering
Apparently bad things will happen to them on the road.

Hi BlackCat strangely enough, I am with MumInScotland - the superstition I know is to have the house clean for Hogmanay (in which case you wouldn't be doing it on New Years Day).

My dmum also says you should have all your debts paid by Hogmanay - so you don't enter the new year with debts. I presume that was before the day of big debts, credit cards etc, but she still follows it. Not a bad idea to start fresh if you can.

We also have lots of traditions about who should come in the house first at Hogmanay and how they should never be empty handed etc but I can't remember them all.

I know that dh is always sent first as he is dark <and handsome in my opinion at least> whereas the rest of the family is blonde or grey and he has to have a lump of coal in his hand

www.snopes.com/holidays/newyears/beliefs.asp
It's all here. Who to let in the house, what to do, eat, wear. Scary stuff

omg at that link!

That is a scary link hyacinth but does mention a lot of the traditions my dmum upholds. She is not generally superstitious but likes the traditions of Hogmanay.

BlackCat it mentions the laundry thing. We had better get flying so we don't have to do any on Sunday

Bloody hell, that link is scary..... I think Im going to fail on every single superstition.

Anyone know a tall dark handsome man I can borrow.... for first-footing purposes... honest

Like I said, we make do with dh who is dark and handsome. I don't think 5'8 counts as tall or even the 5'10 he claims to be. And sorry, but we need him for our own purposes

<Waves to roastparsnips.

That link is scary but it does say about the laundry I had heard of. I think I will make an effort to get some done before Sunday.

Thanks for all your replies.
and thanks for the link.

Wash your clothes on New Years Day, wash a well-loved soul away.

I don't put any washing on on NYD because I am hungover/lazy/want to chill out. But that's the superstition I was told by my NI granny.

Every year I have a conversation that goes like this:

Nan: it's nye, don't do any washing tomorrow!
Me: that's just crap, what about new year's day on other calendars, want me to find them out for you too?
Nan: please don't, it'll wash one out of the family and I don't want to be next!
Me: ok nan, I won't
Nan:promise me!
Me: I promise sigh

I never dare in case someone does die, she'd think it was me lol.