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Original poster

What superstitions do you adhere to?

78 replies

FrivolousPancake · 30/12/2019 14:06

If I had read this a year ago I’d have eye rolled but I’ve had the year from hell, to the point I and those around me started wondering was I cursed or something!

So half just in good fun and half in seriousness, what superstitions do you pay heed to? Particularly as we leave one year and enter the next?

OP posts:
Fizzypoo · 30/12/2019 22:23

If I drop a knife I leave it there until someone else picks it up. I'm not sure why but my dm drilled it into me.

Magpies, salt, new shoes on a table, no washing on new years day/silver in a new purse/ 3 drains/thanks to trees and flowers.

Clawdy · 30/12/2019 22:30

When I was little, if an ambulance went by, we used to chant " Touch your knee, touch your nose, Never go in one of those !" doing the appropriate gestures.Years later, I wondered if it was a sort of version of the sign of the cross.

1969angel · 30/12/2019 22:42

only things i dont do are to walk under a ladder and if i see a magpie i just say one for gold in my head althought i know its one for sorrow

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Philosophy & religion
Mrsdoubtfireswig · 30/12/2019 22:43

Salt over left shoulder
Silver in new purse
Saluting magpies
No shoes on tables
Bird in the house or seeing a beetle (somewhere random like in the office) means death
Touch wood and if drop a knife I tap it on wood and say ‘tap on wood sure to be good’
Don’t buy gloves as presents as gloves mean leaving
Don’t buy pearls as presents as my grandma always used to say ‘pearls are for years’
I do walk over 3 grids though and always make a wish on the middle one
My dad used to make me give a penny to him if he bought something ‘sharp’ as a present like earrings or something
Open the front door to let the new year in and throw silver, coal, bread and salt over the threshold. Open the back foot to let the new year out. No washing on New Year’s Day.

An embarrassingly long list !

milliefiori · 30/12/2019 22:48

I say 'Hello Mr Magpie, where's your wife?' to solo magpies, never walk under ladders, throw salt over my left shoulder into the eye of the devil if I spill any. Sometimes touch wood.

Lunafortheloveogod · 30/12/2019 23:02

No splitting poles and no walking on drains.. not even single drains are worth the risk by the laws of my granny..

But reading this I wonder how many additional things I just do are grans superstitions that have just melted into what you do..

Like crushing egg shells, I always crush them n Chuck them in plants.. used to bury them but I’m lazy and don’t have as many dozens of potted plants. Bird ornaments are also a no no.. don’t know why..
and I’d never walk under a ladder for a health n safety perspective, uncle worked on site for years and had a very close call with a brick hitting his uncovered head (hard hats aren’t cool enough eh?) from a ladder he nipped under. But he probably nipped under 90 ladders a day unharmed until that one.

DickDewy · 30/12/2019 23:04

None. None whatsoever. Which has got to be easier than any other way.

No splitting poles - what does that even mean?

girlygirl98 · 30/12/2019 23:12

Don't cross people in the stairs
Knock on wood
Don't walk under ladders
Salt over shoulder

AuntieMarys · 30/12/2019 23:16

Absolutely none. A load of tosh

RickOShay · 30/12/2019 23:19

Never mixing red and white flowers together, was life and death apparently.
Also never to bring lilac into the house as it’s unlucky. Peacock feathers also.

Iwantacookie · 30/12/2019 23:27

@murrymonk how do you smudge ths house Confused

Lozz22 · 30/12/2019 23:45

Salute 1 Magpie

Won't walk on 3 crate drains but 2 is ok. If I do accidentally walk on 3 I literally have to walk around until I can find one with just 2 on to counteract the bad luck. We have a 3 one bang smack outside the delivery point of our local Boyes. The delivery driver was wetting himself laughing at me clinging on for dear life to the side of his truck whilst walking on the edge of the kerb just so I could avoid walking over them.

Chuck spilt or remaking salt from my hand over my right shoulder

Turn egg shells upside down and crush them

Try to avoid ladders and scaffolding if I can if not I bless myself

Don't put new shoes on the table

My Fella doesn't like me whistling once it's dark, says it calls evil spirits over

00Sassy · 31/12/2019 00:01

@Fizzypoo

There you are! Someone who gets the dropped knife superstition!
I never pick up a knife that I’ve dropped but always stop someone from picking up a knife they’ve dropped and pick it up for them.
Something fuck knows what awful will happen otherwise HmmGrin

Anthilda · 31/12/2019 00:14

No passing on stairs
Touch wood
Throwing salt over shoulder.
Scratching my right palm on the corner of something if its itchy means to receive but an itchy left palm means leave (associated with money) .
Birds on the roof/window ledge is an omen.

BillHadersNewWife · 31/12/2019 00:33

RickOShay my friend's a nurse and she was taught to split the white from the red flowers on the ward (when you could have flowers) because red and white is like "blood and bandages" Shock

BillHadersNewWife · 31/12/2019 00:38

Hawthorn blossom (also known as May blossom) smells like death

No! It doesn't...it smells like a woman's nether regions. It's known to...it does indeed have a slightly vagina-like tang.

Just Googled though and got this interesting article which says the smell is reminiscent of both sex AND death...there's a chemical in there which is present during both death AND sex!

www.irishtimes.com/news/sexy-smell-of-hawthorn-1.160794

BillHadersNewWife · 31/12/2019 00:38

My last post was quoting MitziK at the top and was directed at her. :)

MurrayTheMonk · 31/12/2019 03:39

With a smudging stick-you burn it in each of the rooms to cleanse them of bad energy.
I'm much more woo than I realised I think Grin.
(Though you can buy them off Amazon ready made so evidently so are a lot of people Smile).

FrenchFancie · 31/12/2019 06:55

Oh I have lots, all from my bloody mother!
Magpies (although I say ‘good morning mr magpie and how are you today?)
No new shoes on the table
First footing on new year
No washing on new year
Spilt salt over my left shoulder
Touching wood
Black cats are lucky (I own one so I’m surprised I’m not more lucky!)
Never giving a purse without silver money in it
Not giving knives or scissors as presents (cut the friendship / relationship)
There’s probably some more...

FrenchFancie · 31/12/2019 06:56

Oh yes, red and white flowers - ‘blood on the shroud’ apparently. Although it’s ok if you hide another colour in there somewhere

nrpmum · 31/12/2019 07:04

No new shoes on the table

Nothing else. I have a single magpie tattooed on me, but that's in memorial to my godfather.

My mother is very superstitious.

Bluerussian · 31/12/2019 07:25

Absolutely no superstitions at all, don't believe in them and think it is wrong to do so.

LemonPrism · 31/12/2019 07:33

Black rabbits, black rabbits, black rabbits before the countdown. White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits afterwards.

Have to sing old Lang syne even if you're on your own.

LemonPrism · 31/12/2019 07:34

@BiklHadersNewWife she was wise - hawthorn can make you quite unwell

LemonPrism · 31/12/2019 07:35

Also have to salute magpies