Superstitions Online » Entries tagged with "religion"
Bread
To cut bread in an uneven manner is a sign that you have been telling lies. Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it. A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it. … Read entire article »
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Evil Days in Midieval England
For those who could read, lists of ‘evil days’ were printed in almanacs. On these days people would refrain from travelling as it was believed that those who journeyed on evil days would either never return or would become ill. There were three Mondays in the year when new ventures should never be started and these were the first Monday in April (traditionally the anniversary of Cain’s murder of Abel), the second Monday in August and the last Monday in December. These latter dates can be linked to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the birthday of Judas Iscariot. The Christian Church attempted to eradicate the idea of evil days by dedicating each day of the year to one or more saints but up until the nineteenth century superstitions regarding … Read entire article »
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Magic Words
Some believe that the word Abracadabra was once used as a protective word on amulets and charms. Early Christians believed that it had the power to ward off evil spirits. Others believe that it came from a combination of Hebrew words including ab, which means father; ben, which means son; and rauch acadosch, which means holy spirit. Others say it originated in a second century poem written by Quintus Serenus Sammonicus. Still more think is the derivative of the name of the Gnostic leader, Abraxas, which means God. What is know, however, is that during the Middle Ages, people often wore the word on parchment around their neck to assure they that didn’t contract illnesses and were not attacked by evil spirits. The word was written in its entirety on … Read entire article »
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