A swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.

“If bees stay at home, rain will soon come. If they flay away, fine will be the day.” – Folklore/Proverb

BLACK CATS

We avoid crossing paths with black cats, afraid that they might bring us bad luck. (In Turkey it’s believed that you can reverse the bad luck by holding a part of your hair when it happens.) This idea has its roots in the Middle Ages, when many people believed that witches avoided detection by turning themselves into cats.

A black cat crossing one’s path by moonlight means death in an epidemic. – Irish superstition

King Charles I of England owned a black cat, whom he valued very much. He treasured the cat so much that he had his guards watch over it 24 hours a day. As luck would have it, the day after the cat died from an illness, the king was arrested.

Some believed that black cats carried demons.

In England, it was believed that if a black cat lived in the house, the young lass would have plenty of suitors.

In Yorkshire, England, while it is lucky to own a black cat, it is extremely unlucky to come across one accidentally.

Fisherman’s wives kept black cats while their husbands went away to sea. (See Cat’s at Sea)They believed that the black cats would prevent danger from occurring to their husbands. These black cats were considered so valuable that they were often stolen.

In North America, it’s bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In Britain and Ireland, it’s the opposite.

If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.

In Ireland, having your moonlit path crossed by a black cat was thought to foretell death in an epidemic.

Back in ancient days, the Druids thought black cats were human beings. These humans in cat form were being punished for evil deeds.

To reverse the bad luck curse of a black cat crossing your path, first walk in a circle, then go backward across the spot where it happened and count to 13.

If a black cat crosses your path while your driving, turn your hat around backwards and mark an X on your windshield to prevent bad luck.

In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed. In the process, they also destroyed the kindly ladies who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches. Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.

French peasants thought that black cats could find buried treasure, if they followed a specific ritual: find an intersection where 5 roads connected, then turn the cat loose and follow him.

More Superstitions About Cats

Cats have nine lives.

If a cat follows you it means you will come into money.

A bought cat is no good for catching mice.

Some people believe that cats are able to see the human aura, the energy field that surrounds each of us.

Sacred cats kept in a sanctuary in ancient Egypt were carefully tended by priests who watched them day and night. The priests interpreted the cat’s movements – twitch of a whisker, yawn, or stretch – into a prediction of an event that would happen in the future.

When you see a one-eyed cat, spit on your thumb, stamp it in the palm of your hand, and make a wish. The wish will come true. – American superstition

In the Netherlands, cats were not allowed in rooms where private family discussions were going on. The Dutch believed that cats would definitely spread gossips around the town.

To keep a cat off your car, put a hat on your hood.

According to legend, the ‘M’ marking on the forehead of the tabby cat was created by the prophet Mahomet as he rested his hand lightly on the brow of his favorite cat.

An American superstition: When moving to a new home, put the cat in through the window, not the door, so that it will not leave.

In Egypt, it was once believed that the life-giving rays of the sun were kept in a cat’s eyes at night for safekeeping.

Cats and Luck

Dreaming of a cat is sometimes regarded as a sign of bad luck in the future.

In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would always kiss the family cat to bring good luck.

In the Dark Ages, a cat was mortared, while still alive, into the foundation of a building to ensure good luck to the inhabitants.

It is bad luck to cross a stream carrying a cat. – French superstition

Cats that have double claws are two times as lucky and they must be protected.

A cat jumping onto a table is unlucky.

Kittens born in May are bad luck.

Bad Omens and Cats:

A black cat seen from behind fortells a bad omen.

A stray tortoise shell cat fortells bad omen.

A cat that unaccountably leaves home = disaster.

It’s bad luck to hear a cat crying just before you set off on a journey.

Cats and the Sick, Dying, and Dead

If cats desert a house, illness will always reign there. – English superstition

    Cat Cures:

In ancient Japan, it was thought that somewhere on the tail of a cat there was a single hair that would restore life to a dying person.

Early American colonists believed that a broth made from boiling a black cat would cure tuberculosis, but no one wanted to risk the bad luck that would befall them if they killed the cat.

At one time, people believed that fur and blood drawn from various parts of the cat’s anatomy cured all ailments.

A common folk cure for a stye on the eyelid was to rub it with the tail of a black cat.

Ashes from the burnt head of a black cat are a remedy for eye diseases when blown into the eyes.

Cats’ blood mixed with milk can be used to treat shingles.

Gravy made with stewed black cat cures consumption.

Stroking a wart with the tail of a tortoiseshell cat cures warts, but only in the month of May.

Rubbing the tail of a black cat on the eyelid cures sties.

Cats’ blood will cure warts.

Swallowing nine hairs from the tail of a black cat alleviates whooping cough.

Holding a dried catskin over the face cures toothache.

    Cats and Death:

A sick person sees two cats fighting.

A sick person dreams of cats.

A cat leaves the house in which there is a sick person and refuses to go back.

In Transylvania, if a cat jumps over a corpse, the corpse will become a vampire.

Some people believe that cats may be able to see the spectre of death.

In 16th century Italy, people believed that if a black cat lay on the bed of a sick man, he would die. However, they also believed that a cat will not remain in the house where someone is about to die – if the family cat refused to stay indoors, this was a bad omen.

Immigrants from Scotland believed that if a cat entered a room where a dead body was in state, the next person to touch the cat would be blinded. Therefore, the cat in such situations was immediately killed.

If a funeral procession encountered a black cat, they believed another member of the family would soon die.

In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell foretells death by accident.

A cat on top of a tombstone meant certainly that the soul of the departed buried was possessed by the devil. Two cats seen fighting near a dying person, or on the grave shortly after a funeral, are really the Devil and an Angel fighting for possession of the soul.- old English superstitions

Cats Can Predict the Weather!

They predict the wind by clawing at carpets and curtains; rain is highly likely when a cat busily washes its ears.

Keeping a cat shut up in something ends bad weather.

Witches who rode on storms took the form of cats.

The dog, an attendant of the storm king Odin, was a symbol of wind. Cats came to symbolize down-pouring rain, and dogs to symbolize strong gusts of wind. This may be where the phrase “it’s raining cats and dogs” originated

If early American cats sat with their backs to the fire, the owners knew it foretold a cold snap.

A cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means bad weather is coming.

    Omens of rain:

A cat licking it’s tail.

A cat licking itself clean.

A cat washing behind it’s ears.

A cat resting with the flat part of it’s head on the ground.

A sneezing cat.

If a cat continually looks out a window on any day, rain is on the way.

When the pupil of a cat’s eye broadens, there will be rain. – Welsh superstition

    Omens of bad weather:

A restless cat

A cat putting it’s tail toward the fire

A cat sitting with it’s back toward the fire.

A Cat scratching the leg of a table means there will be a change in the weather.

Cats at Sea

Sailors used cats to predict the voyages they were about to embark upon. Loudly mewing cats meant that it would be a difficult voyage. A playful cat meant that it would be a voyage with good and gusty winds.

Throwing a cat overboard will bring a storm at sea.

If a cat meows aboard a ship it will be a difficult trip.

Sailors believed that if a cat licked its fur against the grain it meant a hailstorm was coming; if it sneezed, rain was on the way; and if it was frisky, the wind would soon blow.

It was a popular belief that cats could start storms through magic stored in their tails – so sailors always made sure that they were well-fed and contented.

Sailors believed that the worst possible cat-related act, guaranteed to raise a storm and bring bad luck of all sorts, was to throw the cat overboard.

If a cat was thrown overboard, a storm would rise and very bad luck would follow.

Fishermen’s wives kept a black cat at home to prevent disaster at sea.

If a cat ran ahead of a sailor to the pier, it was believed that would bring good luck; if the cat crossed his path, it would bring bad luck.

If a sailor was approached by the ship’s cat it meant good luck, but if the cat only came halfway, it meant bad luck would befall the sailor.

Cats in the Theatre

Having a cat about a theatre is good luck.

A cat running across a stage during a performance means bad luck will follow.

Cats Sneezing:

A cat sneezing once means there will be rain.

A cat sneezing once is good luck.

A cat sneezing three times means members of the family will develop colds.

A sneezing cat is a sign of future wealth.

A cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it. – Italian superstition

Cats Washing and Grooming:

If there is a cat washing on the doorstep, the clergy will visit – American folklore

A cat washing it’s right ear means a male stranger is coming.

A cat washing it’s left ear means a female stranger is coming.

If a cat washes its face and paws in the parlor, company’s coming.

Cats of Other Colors:

See also Cats and Dreams

A three-colored cat protects homes from fire.

Black, white and gray cats are good luck.

It’s bad luck if a stray tortoiseshell cat comes into your house.

Tortoiseshell cats were believed to be able to see into the future and could give the gift to a lucky child in the household.

In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell cat foretold death by accident.

Stroking a wart with the tail of a tortoiseshell cat cures warts, but only in the month of May.

    White Cats

It is bad luck to see a white cat at night. – American superstition

To see a white cat on the road is lucky. – American superstition

English schoolchildren believed seeing a white cat on the way to school was sure to bring trouble. To prevent the bad luck, they were to spit or turn around completely and make the sign of the cross.

It is bad luck to see a white cat at night.

Love and Cats

When a girl living in the Ozark Mountains received a proposal of marriage and was uncertain whether to accept, she folded and placed 3 hairs from a cat’s tail into a paper under her doorstep. The next morning, she would unfold the paper to see if the hairs had formed themselves into a Y or N before answering her suitor.

Early Americans believed if a cat washes her face in front of several people, the first person she looks at will be the first to get married.

A bride will have a happy married life if a black cat sneezes near her on her wedding day.

Having the family cat at your wedding is good luck.

Hurting Cats

The French believed that if a girl tread on a cat’s tail, she would not find a husband before a year is out.

If you kick a cat, you will develop rheumatism in that leg.

If you kill a cat, you are sacrificing your soul to the Devil

If you drown a cat, the devil will get you.

If you drown a cat, you will fall victim to a drowning.

If you are a farmer and kill a cat, you can expect your cattle to die mysteriously.

To end even one of a cat’s 9 lives was to risk being haunted by that particular cat for the rest of the murderer’s life.

To kill a cat brings seventeen years of bad luck -Irish superstition

Cats and Kids

If you dream of a black and white cat, you’ll have luck with children; may also mean the birth of a child.

The Pennsylvania Dutch place a cat in an empty cradle of a newlywed couple. The cat was supposed to grant their wish for children.

Norse legend tells of Freya, goddess of love and fertility, whose chariot was pulled by two black cats.

In Scandinavia, the cat stood for fertility.

The Hindu believed the cat was the symbol for childbirth.

Cats can suck away the breath of sleeping children.

Tortoiseshell cats were believed to be able to see into the future and could give the gift to a lucky child in the household.

Dreaming about Cats

Dreaming of a cat is sometimes regarded as a sign of bad luck in the future.

If you dream of a tortoiseshell cat, you will be lucky in love.

If you dream of a multicolored cat, you will have luck making friends.

If you dream of a ginger cat, you will be lucky in money and business.

To dream of a white cat means luck in creativity, spiritual matters, divination and spellcraft.

American folklore has it that dreaming of a white cat is good luck.

If you dream of a black and white cat, you’ll have luck with children; may also mean the birth of a child.

To dream of a black cat is lucky.

Seeing a black cat in your dream indicates that you are experiencing some fear in using your psychic abilities and believing in your intuition.

If you dream of a tabby, you will have luck for your home and all who live there.

A dream of two cats fighting means illness or a quarrel.

One Roman dream interpretation was that dreaming of being badly scratched by a cat foretold sickness and trouble.

To dream of a gray cat means to be guided by your dreams.

If you dream about a cat with no tail, then it means lost independence.

If you dream of an aggressive cat, it suggests that you are having problems with the feminine aspect of yourself.

If you heard the noise of alley cats in your dream, it is a warning to avoid an indiscreet acquaintance in your immediate circle.

If you hear the scream or the mewing of a cat, a false friend is trying to do you harm.

To dream of seeing a cat and snake on friendly terms signifies the beginning of an angry struggle.

Cats and Witches

Traits associated with cats include cleverness, unpredictability, healing and witchcraft, since in ancient times it was believed that witches took the form of their cats at night.

Folklore has it that if a witch becomes human, her black cat will no longer reside in her house.

It was largely in the Middle Ages that the black cat became affiliated with evil. Because cats are nocturnal and roam at night, they were believed to be supernatural servants of witches, or even witches themselves. Partly because of the cat’s sleek movements and eyes that ‘glow’ at night, they became the embodiment of darkness, mystery, and evil, possessing frightening powers. If a black cat walked into the room of an ill person, and the person later died, it was blamed on the cat’s supernatural powers. If a black cat crossed a person’s path without harming them, this indicated that the person was then protected by the devil.

Often times, a cat would find shelter with older women who were living in solitude. The cat became a source of comfort and companionship, and the old woman would curse anyone who mistreated it. If one of these tormentors became ill, the witch and her familiar were blamed.

A kitten born in May will be a witches cat.

Some believe black cats are witches in disguise.

Others believe black cats are witches familiars (beings that aid witches in performing their craft).

Three butterflies together mean good luck.

A Robin flying into the house is good luck.

Seeing a single crow is very unlucky. But 2 mean good luck! 3 means health, 4 means wealth, 5 is sickness & 6 mean death!

Many people used to believe that owls swooped down to to eat the souls of the dying. If they heard an owl hooting, they would become frightened. A common remedy was thought to be, turning your pockets inside out and you would be safe

If you open your front door and are greeted by a magpie and it looks at you. Then there is absolutely not thing you can do. This is a sure sign of death.

In Korea, if you see crows or ravens when you are leaving your house in order to go to school or to your company early in the morning, it means that you will be in trouble and have bad luck for one whole day.

Also, if you see magpies or listen to their calls when you go somewhere, especially early in the morning, you will have good luck for a day. Magpies mean really good luck in Korea.

Reference: http://www.topics-mag.com/internatl/superstitions/korea.htm

People say if someone finds a white snake, he will be lucky in life. It’s an event of good omen; it is believed that white snakes carry good luck. Actually, some people put a picture of a white snake on the wall. Reference

In Thailand, people believe that you will meet your soul mate soon if you dream that a snake is holding you tightly. Reference

Chinese are also known to regard snakes as good luck for business, which is allegedly why some Chinese keep snakes in their bodega.

• Putting a coin on a float.
• Throw back the first fish you catch then you’ll be lucky the whole day fishing.
• A fish should always be eaten from the head toward the tail.

Bad luck omens:

• Changing rods during fishing.
• A woman stepping over your fishing rod.
• Changing a previously lucky float.
• Casting bait without spitting on it.
• Asking a fisherman how many bites he has had.
• Baiting a hook using your left hand.
• Placing a net in the water before a catch has been made.
• Sitting on an upturned bucket.
• A right-handed fisherman casting over his left shoulder.
• It’s bad luck to get married when the fish aren’t biting, according to the custom of some fisherfolk.
• It’s bad luck to say the word “pig” while fishing at sea.

If you dream of fish, someone you know is pregnant.

If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day.

When Sharks are following a ship, especially three sharks, it’s a death omen.

Carp: Carrying a carp fish charm brings good luck, especially to lovers.

Cod: Carrying the dried eye of a cod will bring good luck.

Eel:

• Wearing an eelskin garter cures cramps.
• Rubbing a wart with eels’ blood makes it go away.
• A live eel in a drink cures a person from drunkenness.
• Witches and sorcerers wearing eelskin jackets protects them from bullets.
• A cooked eel will become raw if left uneaten.
• A whole eel can be used to cure deafness.
• Eel fat will render fairies visible to humans
• Eating an eel heart gives you the power of prophecy
• Eating a whole eel will strike you dumb.

Haddock:

• It’s bad luck to burn a haddock.

Herring:

• Shedding blood near where herring frequent causes the herring to desert the area.
• Laying a salted herring at your feet will relieve a sore throat.
• Suspending a herring from the ceiling on Good Friday will keep your house free from flies during the summer.

• Divination with Herrings:
  To see an image of your future spouse: Eat a whole salted herring in three mouthfulls, retire to bed without a drink and don’t say a word. That night you will dream of your future partner.
  To know if a future husband will be attractive and trustworthy:
  Throw the white membrane of a herring at a wall. If the skin sticks to the wall and is not a crooked shape, your future husband will be attractive and trustworthy. If the herring skin sticks crookedly or fails to stick, your future spouse will be undesirable.

Tench:

• Eating tench makes you strong and wise and can cure illness.
• Other freshwater fish rub themselves against tench when they are sick.

Trout:

• Putting a trout’s head into a patient’s mouth cures whooping cough.
• Drinking beer in which a trout has been drowned cures whooping cough.
• Drinking milk in which a live trout has been made to swim cures whooping cough.
]]> http://superstitionsonline.com/fish/feed/ 0 http://superstitionsonline.com/owls/ http://superstitionsonline.com/owls/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:57:19 +0000 Superstitions http://superstitionsonline.com/?p=750 To see a white owl during the day is a good omen, it means you are being watched over and guided by someone wise in the spirit world.

A typical myth is that if a white owl sits on your roof, someone within your household will be very ill, or signifies a death.

Petting an owl is absorbing mystical wisdom.

To be bitten by an owl means your children will be dumb.

(Reader Submitted by Pandora)

]]> http://superstitionsonline.com/owls/feed/ 0 http://superstitionsonline.com/bird-superstitions-crows/ http://superstitionsonline.com/bird-superstitions-crows/#comments Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:21:49 +0000 Superstitions http://superstitionsonline.com/2010/04/bird-superstitions-crows/ Seeing a single crow is very unlucky. Two crows mean good luck! Three  means health, Four means wealth, Five is sickness & Six mean death!

If you see three black crows together that means someone in your family will die. I saw three when my sister died a while back. My best friend’s father died around the same time.I’ve been seeing single black crows for some time now. I was told when this happens, I will hear of a death of someone I know. I remember this well, I was out on break at my job and a crow landed in front of my car and hawked at me. The same day, the vice president of my company died.

Submitted by,
Scott from New Bedford, MA

]]> http://superstitionsonline.com/bird-superstitions-crows/feed/ 11 http://superstitionsonline.com/valentines-day/ http://superstitionsonline.com/valentines-day/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:42:11 +0000 Superstitions http://superstitionsonline.com/?p=550 St. Valentine, as he has become known, was a Catholic priest in Rome during the times of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius, who was known in his times as “Claudius the Cruel” had decreed that men were no longer allowed to marry. It was Claudius’s belief that single, men without families were the best soldiers. Valentine found this law absurd and went against the law, marrying couples in secret. This was soon discovered by Claudius II and Valentine was taken to prison and ordered beheaded.

It is said that in his final days in prison, Valentine wrote a letter to his jail keepers daughter who had been visiting him during his imprisonment. He signed the letter, “From your Valentine”. This is what is now thought of as the first Valentine card. St. Valentine is said to have died on February 14th and this is why we celebrate the holiday on this day. Others say it was in conjunction of the belief in Roman times that birds picked their mates on February 14th. Valentines cards, as we know them today, are said to have been around since the Victorian Era. Originally they were all handmade and decorated with pictures of hearts, flowers, birds and LOTS of lace. Traditionally they were also sent anonymously, even going as far as to go to another town so that they receiver of the card would not know where it was mailed from.

Throughout time, romantics throughout the world have had different legends pop up, all basically with the same end result, discovering your future mate’s identity. In England many traditions have been practiced. Ladies were supposed to pin bay leaves to her pillow on the Eve of St. Valentine’s Day. If she did this she was believed to see her future mate in her dreams that night. Another Valentines Day tradition occurred a hundred of years ago where children would dress up as adults and go door to door singing a Valentine song to celebrate the holiday. In Wales, people carve wooden spoons and embellish them with ornate keys, key holes and hearts, this symbolically meaning, “unlock my heart”. These spoons would be given to the valentines as gifts.

There are numerous superstitions that have been passed on through generations but here are just a few:

• If a woman sees a Robyn flying over head on Valentines Day she will marry a sailor. If she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man, but be happy. If she sees a GoldFinch, she will marry a millionaire.
• The 1st name you hear or read on Valentine’s Day will be the name of your future mate.
• In Great Britain, a woman would write down the names of her sweethearts’ on pieces of paper and attach them to clay balls. She would then drop the balls into water and the first name that surfaced would be her destined future husband.

From the Middle Ages, women would write their names on pieces of paper and they would be put into a jar. If their name was drawn by an eligible man he would take her paper and pin it on his sleeve for the week and he would be her Valentine. This is where it is believed the phrase “Wearing one’s heart on his sleeve” comes from.

In England, if a young women was curious enough, and brave enough, she could summon the appearance of her future spouse by visiting a graveyard at midnight on the Eve of St. Valentines Day and singing a prescribed song while running around a church 12 times

]]> http://superstitionsonline.com/valentines-day/feed/ 0 http://superstitionsonline.com/christmas-superstitions/ http://superstitionsonline.com/christmas-superstitions/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:17:32 +0000 Superstitions http://superstitionsonline.com/?p=459

Mistletoe should never be brought into the home before New Years Eve. It’s unlucky to take down mistletoe used as a Christmas decoration. Therefore, the dead piece of twig is supposed to stay there until next Christmas when it is replaced. When the old piece was taken down, it then had to be burnt by an unmarried girl or else those who kissed beneath it would become enemies.

On Christmas morning the first person down the stairs must quickly open the front door and sweep trouble out the door.

At midnight on Christmas Eve,  all water turns to wine, cattle kneel facing toward the East, horses kneel and blow as if to warm the manger, animals can speak but it is bad for a human to hear them, and the bees hum the Hundredth Psalm.

If you can find a kneeling donkey on Christmas Eve, and make the sign of the cross on its back, you will get your heart’s desire.

The Irish believe that the gates of heaven open at midnight on Christmas Eve. Those who die at that time go straight through without having to wait in purgatory.

Hay carried around a church three times on Christmas Eve was said to ensure that cattle would fatten easier on less feed in the year to come.

The weather on each of the twelve days of Christmas signifies what the weather will be on the appropriate month of the coming year.

There is a game in Germany where they blindfold a goose. The girls make a circle around the goose and whoever it touches first will be the first to get married.

Place a branch of a cherry tree in water at the beginning of advent. It will bring luck if it flowers by Christmas.

Tie wet bands of straw around fruit trees to make them fruitful, or tie a stone to a branch on Christmas Eve.

Nothing sown on Christmas Eve will perish, even if the seed is sown in the snow.

Never launder a Christmas present before giving it to its recipient as this takes out the good luck.

To avoid toothaches and fevers in the coming year, tradition says you should bathe on Christmas Day.

Christmas Food Superstitions:


• If you carry in your pocket a scale from a fish eaten at Christmas, your purse will be full all year.
• A loaf of bread left on the table after Christmas Eve dinner will ensure no lack of bread for the next year.
• If an apple is eaten at midnight on Christmas Eve, good health will follow for a year.
• One portion of the Christmas cake must be saved for Christmas day, and one for New Year’s or bad luck will come the following year.
• Christmas cake must also not be cut before Christmas Eve.
• Stirring Christmas pudding will bring you good luck, a wish, and if you are a female a husband within the year.
• As many pies as your try at different homes will be the number of happy months to come. Cutting the pie you eat yourself however is bad luck.
• You will have as many happy months in the coming year, as the number of houses you eat mince pies in during Christmastime. It’s bad luck if you cut the pie yourself.

Christmas Birthday

• It is considered very lucky to be born on Christmas Eve or Christmas day in most countries.
• In Greece the child born on Christmas is feared to be a Kallikantzaroi or a wandering spirit.
• In Poland the child may turn out to be a werewolf.
• People born on Christmas are considered either fortunate, as they supposedly cannot be drowned or hanged, or unfortunate, because they are more likely to be able to see ghosts and spirits.
• Those who are born on Christmas Eve turn into ghosts on that day every year while they sleep. If you were born on Christmas Eve and don’t want to have this happen to you, the remedy is to count the holes in a sieve from 11 o’clock on Christmas Eve until morning.

Christmas Superstitions About Shoes:

• You should never give shoes as a Christmas gift as you are giving the recipient the means to walk away from you.
• You should burn your old shoes during the Christmas season in Greece to prevent misfortunes in the coming year.
• An English superstition says that if you don’t give a pair of shoes to a poor person at least once in your lifetime, you will enter the next world barefoot. This leads to an influx of shoes being donated to charity shops at Christmas time.
• An unmarried girl throws a shoe over her shoulder towards a door at Christmas. If it lands with the toes pointing towards the door, she will marry within the next year.
• To prevent quarrelling on Christmas day family members must place their shoes side by side Christmas Eve. It is bad luck to test this Christmas superstition!

Christmas Candles – It’s unlucky to light a Yule Candle before super on Christmas. It’s also unlucky to buy your own Yule candle or to snuff it before Christmas Eve ends, it should be left to burn itself out. If the candle is disturbed or snuffed out, back luck will befall the household. A portion of the candle should be kept to light the following years candle for good luck. A candle or lamp must be burned all night on Christmas Eve or there will be a death in the home. A steady flame is said to indicate a happy marriage and wedded bliss, a spluttering flame meant a bad tempered husband and a tempestuous relationship.

Good luck on Christmas:

• The first person to hear the rooster crow on Christmas Day is assured of good luck (and, in Ireland, is due a cup of whiskey or tea).
• wishing someone a Merry Christmas before putting on your socks and shoes,
• sneezing
• eating breakfast by candlelight,
• hearing a cricket chirp,
• kissing the oldest person in the house,
• giving coins to a beggar
• stirring the Christmas pudding.
• The first person to open the door on Christmas will have good luck.

Bad Luck on Christmas:

• Singing Christmas carols at any time other than during the festive season is unlucky.
• Wearing a new pair of shoes on Christmas day is said to bring unprecedented bad luck.
• picking up nuts or fruit from the ground
• leaving the dinner table before everyone has finished
• sending carolers away without giving them any money
• being the first one home from church
• carrying a spinning wheel from one side of the house to another
• stepping on cotton thread
• receiving a present of new shoes or tanned leather
• If you eat nuts without honey on Christmas Day, you will lose your teeth.
• On Christmas Eve it is unlucky to spin or sew, to grind grain, or to leave the dishes unwashed.
• It is bad luck to let any fire go out in your house during the Christmas season. The fire in your fireplace must continue to burn for the twelve days of Christmas.
• If you do not eat plum pudding during the season, you will have bad luck for a year.
• If you refuse mince pie at Christmas dinner, you will have bad luck for a year.

A Season of Predictions
Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green.

Whatever you dream on any of the 12 nights between Christmas and Epiphany (Jan. 6) will come to pass within the next year. The weather for the whole year is also determined during this time: as the weather is on each of these days, so will it be on the corresponding month of the following year. If you really want to know the rainfall for the next year, you can hollow out 12 onions, putting salt into each. Each onion is named after a month of the year, and there will be rain in every month where the salt in that onion is wet. And if Christmas Day falls on a Thursday, the following year will be windy.

To predict the next year’s harvest, count the stars on Christmas Eve, and there will be as many sheaves as you have counted stars. If the sun shines through the limbs of the apple trees on Christmas Day, there will be a good crop of fruit next year. But if there’s a full moon on Christmas, the following harvest will be scanty.

At Christmas women can also predict the course of their love life (not many spouse-finding superstitions work for men). Young women who go out and hit pigs with a stick at Christmas can tell the age of their husbands-to-be: if the first pig that squeals is old, that means an old husband; a squealing young pig equals a young husband. If there’s a henhouse handy, a woman can knock on its door between 11 and 12 on Christmas night. If a rooster answers her knock, she will be married, but if her knocking is followed by silence, she will never marry. Looking into a well on Christmas Eve will show the destined husband – the same can be determined by throwing a ball of yarn in the air at midnight on Christmas Eve; the arrangement of the yarn on the ground will look like the future husband’s face. If you’re unmarried and no one kisses you under the mistletoe at Christmas, you won’t marry during the following year.

The last day to indulge your Christmastime superstition is Candlemas (Feb. 2). Christmas decorations must be entirely taken down before the twelfth night after Christmas or goblins and bad luck will come. But be careful what you burn: it’s unlucky to burn Christmas greenery (except for mistletoe). Every leaf left up after Candlemas will result in either a goblin seen or a death in the house during the year.

Superstitions About Christmas Trees (from this article)
Long before anyone set up the first Christmas tree, people brought winter greenery into their homes. The superstition was that if you forgot this custom, spring might forget to return next season! Of course, that’s not the only magic of the tree: winter greenery is thought to keep away witches, spirits, and other evil forces.

People would actually decorate greenery long before Christmas superstitions came about, but they’d decorate the bushes outside their homes. Why? Because they figured those evil spirits were looking for shelter and they didn’t want them moving into their homes.

In Europe, the Christmas tree should never be brought into the house before Christmas Eve. Any trees in the house before then were thought to have evil spirits hiding in them to invade the households. The trees that were left outdoors until Christmas Eve were purified by the holy night.

There are enough Christmas superstitions about the Yule log to fill their own book — but one of the sweetest says that if you want good luck, you should cut the Yule log from this year’s tree and let it cure until next Christmas. Of course, if you let that log go out during the twelve days of Christmas you’re ruined: bad luck for the rest of the year. Keep adding wood but make sure a section of the original Yule log keeps burning. The yule log should be lit by a piece of the log used on the previous Christmas. Once that is done, no evil spirit can then enter into the house. The remains of the Yule log were also considered lucky, and would be a protection against lightning or fire.

In the Netherlands they take a fir stick and thrust it into the fire and let it burn partially. They put it under the bed. This serves as lightening protection.

The original candles were placed on trees to frighten away the devil and evil spirits long before the tree was called a “Christmas tree.” Romans started this tradition, and they took it a step further by attaching pieces of metal so the added reflections would further terrify those evil presences.

If you’ve ever seen apple decorations on a tree, you probably didn’t realize they were part of Christmas superstitions. In the eleventh century, before the official “Christmas tree” as we know it, people would decorate trees with apples on Christmas eve to encourage luck and plenty in the coming year.

A Christmas tree should never be thrown out doors or it will attract evil spirits and goblins. Christmas trees should be burned.

Failing to decorate a Christmas Tree will cause spring to never come, but bad luck and evil spirits instead.

]]> http://superstitionsonline.com/christmas-superstitions/feed/ 0