Most absurd superstitious you’ve heard

[SunshineSetty]

And... do you believe in any?

I find shoes on the table an odd one. I don’t believe it but it makes me uncomfortable nonetheless I wonder where they come from

My Nan (born 1914) once told me that one of her school friends died because she washed her hair whilst on her period She always told me never to do it.

Just to add, I’ve always wondered what the real cause of death was. It was obviously all hushed up.

Someone said my horseshoe in the garden was the wrong way up and it was leaking luck 🤔

@SunshineSetty

And... do you believe in any?

I find shoes on the table an odd one. I don’t believe it but it makes me uncomfortable nonetheless I wonder where they come from

Shoes on tables is perfectly sensible if you think about it.

In ye olden times when you were walking through piles of shit (animal and human) and then eating off ‘trenchers’ which are pieces of bread that you are at the end, there’s a risk for cross contamination.

Hence don’t put your germ ridden shoes where you eat!

I was told if you put new shoes on a table someone would be leaving soon in a box.

Part of me goes but I still won't put new shoes on a table!

That it's bad luck to cut your nails on a Sunday - came from MIL after it had come up in conversation that I had done so.

The classic umbrella one, I got one for my birthday when I was young and opened it up in the house, Dad told me that we'd had enough bad luck and didn't need anymore (in all fairness, he had been out of work for months, DGF had died, and we were selling the house, but it put a huge burden of responsibility on my shoulders as I was only 7 and was terrified something awful was going to happen!)

To never cross on the stairs.

You make your own luck in this life.

If you give someone a purse or wallet or handbag as a gift you have to put a penny in it so they'll never be broke.

I did my dissertation on anxiety and superstition!

If there is one thing to be said in favour of growing up in an evangelical church, it is that these types of things were forbidden. Every time I see one of these threads I feel myself drawn to read it just to hear about all the superstitions that I had never previously heard of. I find it really interesting.

But on the plus side, having never heard of most of them before, I have lived my life in blissful ignorance and have not inadvertently come to any harm because of it.

We do the magpie one but dont turn around or anything like that. Just seen by one, seen by two, bring good luck to me and you etc.

Growing up we were taught never walk under a ladder, the black cats one but cant remember if meant to be good or bad luck, don't put shoes on a table, dont open an umbrella in the house (which I did), dont cross on stairs.

We were also told 7 years bad luck to smash a mirror and I remember having a breakdown about it when I was about 12 because I had smashed a few by then but the final one I smashed brought me up to the grand age of 40 something and I was so upset saying my whole life is going to be unlucky.
Low and behold, it has often felt that way.

@GingerPCatt we were told it had to be a silver coin. And also to place a silver coin in a newborn baby's hand to bring him/her prosperity.

Another one I've thought of is a dark haired man must be first across the door on new year, dont know what that was about.

Greeting single magpies, I don't believe I'll get bad luck if I don't but I've said hello for my whole life so still do it out of habit now.

My Mum believes it's bad luck to open umbrellas indoors...unless it's been raining and you're opening it to drip dry over the bath, that's perfectly acceptable

My mother gets herself into a flap about this nonsense. She was horrified when I was doing my washing on New Year's Day (it was the only day I had off work that week, yet she didn't offer to do my laundry for me so I could avoid this 'bad luck'). So I asked her if we got to select the person we'd wash away, because I had a list!

Not walking under ladders while someone's up them is quite sensible, unless you have to walk in a busy road to avoid it.

My grandmother told me that if I had my hair cut during my period I'd bleed to death 😂

If you saw a funeral cortege passing, you'd take hold of your collar with one hand. Obviously meant as some sort of sign of respect?

That you shouldn't wash your hair on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday as it's bad luck for your brothers

Also, I keep getting told by elders in the family to tie black string around the foot or wrist of a baby to protect from jealousy/evil eye and bad luck

Go out the door you came in or you'll get red headed twins. According to my grandma. This was her only superstition but she held firm to it, even when she was long past child-bearing age. Would have been a miracle if she'd had twins of any hair colour

'Being Careful' ie the withdrawal method was a safe and effective form of contraception as said by an ex-boyfriend. Just after I had been dissing people for not using condoms and yet expecting to remain disease free and unplanned pregnancy free.

Turned out that was what he had used. It didn't last long after that.

No, I am not at all superstitious. My mother was and it used to infuriate me: don't put that umbrella up (needs drying), sit down and count to ten (forgot something and had to come back home), flinging salt over the shoulder....none of it makes sense.
I don't walk under ladders if someone is in them, in case they drop something on me.
My MIL is also superstitious, but laughs about it.

"Growing up we were taught never walk under a ladder,"

Yep and I still endanger my life by sometimes walking in the road when there is a ladder I want to avoid. It's something to do with breaking the trinity.
The number 13 - I'm not keen on a group being 13.

Cup of water under the bed stops bad dreams.

Eating cheese before bed gives you nightmares

When I was living among people of another (Mediterranean) culture, baby’s face had to be covered if taking it out after dark, though can’t remember whether that was because of night air being ‘dangerous’ or evil spirits. Maybe both.

Plus, the baby should have both an ‘eye’ thing (to ward off evil spirits) plus a crucifix pinned to its clothing at all times - covering both bases, so to speak.

More of an old wives’ tale, but was startled in the 60s when my German exchange girl’s mother insisted that washing your hair during your period was dangerous and was thus forbidden. I still vividly recall the younger sister practically having a tantrum at the dinner table because of this.
But I’ve since heard of U.K. mothers saying the same thing. My DM was evidently relatively enlightened.

Treading on 3 drain covers in a row (as in with no pavement in between) is bad luck. 2 in a row is conversely good luck! Bizarre.

As kids, we used to say " Touch your knee, touch your nose, never go in one of those! " if a hearse or ambulance drove by, and do the actions. Looking back I wonder if it was a strange form of the Sign of the Cross.