To ask what superstitions/wives tales do you follow or believe?

[Peanutbutterjelly1]

Mines magpies, 3 drains, no washing on new years day and having a peice of mistletoe hanging all year.

Ohh yes magpies - I also don’t salute them (never heard of that til a mumsnet thread recently either) but definitely hate seeing single ones, and spend ages looking for a second if I do.

If you can't have anything with an owl in the house, how do you watch Harry Potter?

What’s the passing on the stairs thing?

Three drains here too, still won't, though I'm more concerned these days that I'll go through them

Salt

Magpies

White rabbits

I feel awkward crossing on the stairs but would be impossible to avoid at work (teacher, busy school, loads ofIDs, multiple staircases)

My dandelion one was if you pick it YOU'LL piss your pants...no ghosts involved.

TBF I DID pick them anyway....now my pelvic floor is shot...coincidence?

New shoes on the table!

Some of these are hilarious. Might start making some up...

Never wash up if it's a full moon
Only drink wine on a day with a Y in the name
If you buy a pack of three cream cakes and there is no one to share them, you have to have all three...

White rabbits here too. Also, cow-weather forecasts.

Its unlucky to kill a spider indoors.
Don't cross on the stairs.
IDK why though. Some older members of my family were in service so god knows how they got any work done faffing about on the stairs

I don't kill spiders.

CatAnnoyance "rabbits" only brings good luck if there's an "r" in the month. It's bad luck is you say it on 1st May, June, July or August.

There are two that bug me and they both concern money. One is connected to Feng Shui: a broom kept indoors "sweeps away the rice " in Chinese culture, I once read, thus causing financial loss, so my broom is always out of the back door. Every time DH has left it inside we have promptly been faced with a major disaster like a huge garage or vet bill!!
The other is my bank cards all have to face the right way in my purse. If I put one in upside down it also brings financial trouble. Maybe it means I am going through a scatty period so things are more likely to happen... who knows! 🤤
I also must throw a tiny pinch of salt over my shoulder if I spill salt. No idea why, was brought up to do so !😂

Touch wood. Which sounds vaguely rude out of context.

@Geepee71 - I do the eggshell thing too. I was always told it was because witches used them as boats to sail out to sea & sink ships. More on it here

The salt over your left shoulder thingy is because the devil/demons lurked on your left side. If you spilt salt (expensive & fairly vital) they would see your wrongdoing. Pick up a pinch of the spilt salt and chuck it over your shoulder - it'd go in their eyes & they wouldn't be able to see your 'sin'

Out of curiosity I started this because of the mistletoe thing and I'm wondering if anyone else does the same?

When I was a smoker I would never take third light from a match, even now I don't use the same light for more than two candles.

This is from the First World War isn’t it? Apparently lighting 3 cigarettes was enough time for the enemy to sight you and the last one to light their cig was most likely to get shot. Or so I thought I’d read somewhere

Out of curiosity I started this because of the mistletoe thing and I'm wondering if anyone else does the same?

Yes!

New shoes on the table
Speak to the magpie
Don't cross on the stairs

What's the not splitting a pole with someone you are walking with thing?

I always have to say good morning to a lone
magpie too.

What's the not splitting a pole with someone you are walking with thing?

One either side, something comes between you.

Magpies.

Always crush eggshells otherwise a witch will go to sea in it and sink ships.

I'm not superstitious at all, but DH absolutely freaks out if I out a new pair of shoes on the table because according to MIL it means someone will die.

I'm saying nothing .....

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Definitely wrong! Last time I went out with a 'bird' of the female variety holding hands it cost me £56 drinks and a chinese meal!

However, when I went to for a walk in my local forest earlier today, the gamekeeper had strung two pheasants up on a post next to a hawthorn bush. He said I could have them for £10 as long as I din't tell the lord of the manor and of course I said No.

I saved £36 by my reckoning.

I do most of the above... although I had to walk on three drains today, I was holding hands with both kids so if I'd taken a big stride to avoid the third drain I'd have pulled them both over!

Also since OH's Grandmother told me about it a few years ago- after Big Ben strikes midnight for a new year, I open the back door to let the old year out and open the front door to let the new year in.

I had a pheasant worth £56 and I sold it for a loss.
I bought it for £1 and sold it back as a horse for £8
I immediately bought it back for £11.
After taking into account my cost of sales, for what sum did I not buy it for.

Never cross on the stairs, never walk under a ladder, never open an umbrella indoors, never do washing on new years day and I always count magpies to see how my day will go.