Us Irish are a really superstitious race. I have a feeling that most Old Wives’ Tales originate in this fair land of greenness. You have your black cats, walking under ladders, throwing salt over your left shoulder (I really don’t understand this one at all), umbrellas open inside, saluting to magpies, mirrors breaking and so on. The list is quite endless. And every person you come across has something different. Or at least a variation on one you already know.
Well what better day to discuss some of the hilarious, strange and lesser-known superstitions than Friday the 13th? And they’re in alphabetical order because we don’t want to tempt fate.
Ambulances
Let’s face it, ambulances are almost never a good sign. It generally means something bad has happened. That’s not superstition, that’s just plain ol’ fact. But there are many superstitions regarding ambulances. The weirdest one has to be “if you see an ambulance, it’s very unlucky unless you hold your breath until you see a black or brown dog.” I’m sorry, what?
Birthday Cake
“If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake, you will get your wish.” – This nearly killed my poor granny on her 85th. Doesn’t seem all that lucky to me.
Bridges
“If you say goodbye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.” – Could make sense. If you consider that either or both of you could be devoured by the damned human-eating, bridge-dwelling trolls.
Clocks
“Turning the hands of a clock backwards is bad luck.”
“If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.” – It’s always death, isn’t it? Don’t have sex because you will get pregnant and DIE! Damn superstitions are so morbid.
Cigarettes
“It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.” – This makes sense because, well, if you’re smoking them so fast you have time to do this, you’re probably going to die.
Cutlery
“To drop a fork means a woman will visit. To drop a knife means a man will visit. To drop a spoon means a child will visit.” – What if you drop the whole cutlery drawer? You’re pretty much f*cked then. Who’s got enough tea to give to that many people, anyway?
Eyes
“If your left eye twitches, there will soon be a death in the family.” – Again with the dying?
“To cure a sty, stand a crossroads and recite, ‘Sty, sty, leave my eye. Take the next one coming by.'” – Hmm.
“To cure a sty, rub it with a wedding band.” – WTF?
Fishing
“It’s bad luck to say the word ‘pig’ while fishing at sea.” Maybe this is why Jaws happened?
Friday
Of course, you’ve got your Friday the 13th but you’ve also got these:
“Any ship that sails on Friday will have bad luck.” – The Titanic set sail on a Wednesday and sank on a Monday. Just sayin…
“You should never start a trip on Friday or you will meet misfortune.”
“Never start to make a garment on Friday unless you can finish it the same day.”
“A bed changed on Friday will bring bad dreams.” – FRIDAY IS BED CHANGE DAY! THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!
Knives
“A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.” – Because he or she will kill you.
“A knife placed under the bed during childbirth will ease the pain of labour.” – Because when it’s really sore, she can just stab you. And that’ll help everything. Stabby, stabby.
Mirrors
“If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.” – I’m really tired of these “someone will die soon” ones. Literally everything means someone will die. And what if you live alone, huh? Better get rid of those cats soon. Start with the black one.
“A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.” – This is because the lighting sees itself and is like “hawt DAMN I look good.”
Rabbits (well, their feet)
“A rabbit’s foot will bring luck and protect the owner from evil spirits if carried in the pocket.” – Not so lucky for the rabbits whose feet have to be cut off. Ever think of that? No, because you’re selfish.
Scissors
“If you drop scissors, it means your lover is being unfaithful to you.” – If you drop it on their foot repeatedly, I’m sure they’d confess to it to make you stop.
Stevie Wonder
He wrote a song about them.
Swans
“A swan’s feather, sewn into the husband’s pillow, will ensure fidelity.” – No it won’t. Because Swans are evil b*stards!
X, the letter
“The number of Xs in the palm of your right hand is the number of children you will have.” – I counted. I have 13. I don’t want 13 children. How do I stop this?
Yawning
“Cover your mouth when you yawn or your soul will escape.” – It’s also just, y’know, good manners.
So there you have it. Some weird, wacky and wonderful superstitions. Some of these are so bizarre that I wonder how people who live by them actually survive in life. What kind of superstitions do you live by? Let us know!
