Superstitions

[angieh]

Definitely heard about telling the bees about a death - I also heard that if you have a wake, then you should take a piece of cake to the hives.

Also heard about the 3 cigarette and the explanation as above. My dad was in WW2 and I suspect that the consequences of that 3rd light was the same.

[angieh]

What about getting a sweep to come to your wedding with a bag of soot? Where does that come from? I would suspect it has something to do with being fortunate enough to be able to afford coal during your married life - ie not having to be cold.

[MrsH]

I've often wondered why a sweep was thought to be lucky, I like your explanation angie.

When I was little, we always avoided stepping onto cracks in the pavement, or any slab with a crack in it, don't know why though.

Another one of MIL's was seeing knives lying crossed on the table, meant there was a quarrel brewing!

[angieh]

Originally Posted by MrsH

I've often wondered why a sweep was thought to be lucky, I like your explanation angie.

When I was little, we always avoided stepping onto cracks in the pavement, or any slab with a crack in it, don't know why though.

Another one of MIL's was seeing knives lying crossed on the table, meant there was a quarrel brewing!

I think AA Milne is to blame for this one - there's a poem about being eaten by a bear at the corner if you step on a crack in the pavement. He may of course have got it from his own childhood! I'll see if I can find the poem - I still have my Christopher Robin books!!!

[MrsH]

AA Milne eh? well, thanks to him I never got eaten by a bear, so I'm grateful to him!

My mother had a few superstitions about silver coins. You had to put a silver coin in a new baby's hand and if the baby grasped it tight, it would be a lucky sign. She would also slip a silver coin into the pocket of new clothes to bring luck. I never actually saw her do this so I grew up believing in the clothes fairy as well as the tooth fairy!

[PoshPuss]

There are lots of superstitions around my place of work. As student nurses we were told never to put white and red flowers together in a vase; means blood and bandages we were told. Sometimes when we made beds, the sheets would come back from laundry with 'diamonds' in the folds, we were told not to put these on the beds, as diamonds mean death! When putting the pillow cases on the opening had to face away fromthe ward door. This is because in the Crimean war, sand and dust blew in and soiled them ?!

Since becoming a midwife there's the superstition of the caul; membranes over the baby's face as it's born. If the caul is kept, the child, it is said, will never drown at sea.

[Mags]

Originally Posted by PoshPuss

There are lots of superstitions around my place of work. As student nurses we were told never to put white and red flowers together in a vase; means blood and bandages we were told. Sometimes when we made beds, the sheets would come back from laundry with 'diamonds' in the folds, we were told not to put these on the beds, as diamonds mean death! When putting the pillow cases on the opening had to face away fromthe ward door. This is because in the Crimean war, sand and dust blew in and soiled them ?!

Since becoming a midwife there's the superstition of the caul; membranes over the baby's face as it's born. If the caul is kept, the child, it is said, will never drown at sea.

That takes me back to when my twins were born prematurely, PP....... someone brought me in some red and white carnations and one of the other mums on the ward begged me not to put the flowers in the same vase, saying it was very unlucky. I had never heard of that before so I asked one of the nurses and she confirmed it, took them away and mixed them in separately with other flowers. My twins were in the Special Care baby unit and my son was touch and go. Luckily he pulled through and I am so grateful to that mum who told me about the flowers......we still exchange Christmas cards even now!

[dandysmom]

Originally Posted by MrsH

I've often wondered why a sweep was thought to be lucky, I like your explanation angie.

When I was little, we always avoided stepping onto cracks in the pavement, or any slab with a crack in it, don't know why though.

Another one of MIL's was seeing knives lying crossed on the table, meant there was a quarrel brewing!

We have the saying here in the States: Step on a crack, break your mother's back", gruesome thought, but as a child I was careful to avoid them....

[Steph]

I`m not in the slightest bit superstitious,touch wood and assuming it`s not Friday the 13th.

Three matches?-My maternal grandfather was lucky-he got a `blighty one` on the Somme

Boy-one light he sees you,two lights he takes aim-and three -bang your head is blown off

[Kazz]

Never ever put red and white flowers in the same vase.................blood and bandages....very very bad luck.