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

if i see a lone magpie i blink, meaning i have therefore seen two magpies and will thus be filled with joy.

i dunno, my nan was a bit bonkers.

and if i buy new shoes now i deliberately put them on the table to remotely piss my mother off.

In Scotland they don't like blonde people being first over a threshold at Hogmanay, I was rugby tackled to the floor in a bid to prevent my first entry to a house.

Few here which have been mentioned,
Silver coin for newborn.
Never walk under a ladder.
Dark haired man should be 1st through the door at New Year. And should being something as a gift, usually drink/cake.
No shoes on the table.
Never cross knives.
Touch wood.
"Touch your nose, touch your toes.." if you see an ambulance.
Bless yourself when you see a hearse.
Two drains good luck but don't step on 3.
Don't split at a lamppost when walking with someone, if you do you both must say "bread &butter " or "fish n chips" etc. To cancel out the bad luck.
Don't brush too closely near someone's feet.(when cleaning).
Don't watch/ read anything bad etc. Whilst pregnant.
Always put your right shoe/sock on first.

I'm sure there are many more but wow just reading them through and wondering where they all began.. lol

Oh and the magpie one, I remember if only seeing one and by myself I would join my thumb and index finger in a circle, til someone could "break my sorrow " ..

Pretty much all the ones mentioned here although there’s a rhyme with the magpies, one for sorrow two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, 7 for a secret never to be told.
Whatever the hell that all means.
Also if you have an itchy nose you’re going to row with someone
If your left ear is red and itchy your lover is talking about you, right ear it’s your mother.
Always bless yourself if you see an ambulance or pass and accident (I’m not religious)
And there’s one about not handing a pin/needle to someone, you stick in in a piece of cloth or their clothing to give it to them. But I can remember the consequences for not doing this. My family on my mums side are all quite mad!

Yes to most if those too @frolicinameadow
You've just reminded me of a couple more..
Itchy palm, right hand means you'll have money come to you, left the opposite. Oh and no scratching mind!
Itchy feet means you'll walk a new path.
If you bang your elbow you shouldn't rub it, as that's bad luck .

My gran would throw salt over her shoulder if she spilt any.
She would say a pinch and a punch for the first of the month.
Open the front door and the back door at new year to let good luck come through the house.

Trying being Irish with all these superstitions!
Shoes on the table
Bird in the house
Single magpie
The black cat
Blessing yourself at the hearse

The list goes on!

My mum and gran always threw a pinch of spilled salt over their left shoulder. Gran said that was going in the devil's eye, but if you threw it over your right shoulder, it was going in God's eye!!

My ex's family would never pass salt directly to someone at the table. They would put it down and the other one would pick it up.

I don't think that is for superstitious reasons. It is generally considered to be one of those 'good table manners' things.

Ooh I do a lot of these because it's f my nan

The salt of the left shoulder to ward off spirits

Absolutely no shoes on the table Ever!!

@Gwenhwyfar

"It was something about if you were bleeding ‘down there’ and you washed your hair which usually involved putting your head upside down over a bucket/bath, blood would rush to your head but there as there wasn’t as much blood (due to your period) you would faint/pass out."

Ah! There are still some people in the yoga world who say you shouldn't do upside down poses when you have your period for similar reasons.

Does blood pressure change with the cycle?

Touching wood (not a euphemism )

I live in the South of England & my local friends are all very superstitious.

However my mum is a very practical Northerner & brought me up to think superstitions are nonsense. I'm not religious or spiritual.
I would never tell my friends I think they're being daft though as I don't want to upset them.

My local friends and English colleagues are funny about magpies, spilling salt, white feathers & robins.
They all believe in the spirit world as well as in Church of England.

My Muslim & Buddhist friends don't have those kind of superstitions.

But my Catholic friends tend to come from either Poland or the Philippines where they also have local superstitions.

For example Filipinos believe each street has a ghost called the White Lady, and they are scared of black cats crossing their path.

"Does blood pressure change with the cycle?"

No idea.

When I was a student nurse many moons ago I was told that red and white flowers together in a vase meant a death in the ward

My DGM was the same about red and white being on anything together - apparently it represents blood and bandages. As far as I know, she never went to Japan!

They all believe in the spirit world as well as in Church of England.

To be fair, I believe in the Church of England too. I'm not a member at all, but I have no doubt about its existence