Placing objects on the table
Perhaps because the table is symbolic of the church’s altar within the household, there are many taboos about objects being placed on the table. A more practical reason could be simply connected with issues of hygiene and protection from germs, an interpretation that would also explain why these superstitions can only be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. It was then, in fact, that even ordinary people were becoming aware of the existence of germs and their dangerous workings within the household. Placing one’s shoes on the table is considered very unlucky. Babies, bellows, umbrellas and lanterns are also forbidden items. There is also a superstition associated with sitting on the table: if you do so you will never get married. If a guest folds his napkin at the end of a meal this is supposed to be a sign that they will never return to that household, so take note of this at your next dinner party and, if you’re keen to hold on to your friends, just don’t provide napkins.
Opening an umbrella indoors
The belief that opening an umbrella indoors brings bad luck is widespread to this day. Its origins cannot be traced back much earlier than the late nineteenth century, since umbrellas have only been in common use in Europe since the beginning of that century. The superstition has nevertheless undergone some transformation. In earlier versions it was thought to be an omen of death. The most likely explanation for the superstition is connected to the taboo concerning gestures and actions meant for one environment being made in another, so that actions meant for the outdoors must not be performed indoors.
Getting up ‘on the wrong side of the bed’
Implying that somebody is in a bad mood or generally unfortunate, this phrase has its roots in popular superstition. The ‘right’ side of the bed was normally thought to be the opposite side from the one the bed was entered into the night before. This idea that things should be done in opposites is true of many other superstitions, as for example in the importance attributed to transporting a corpse out of the house feet first – the opposite to one’s position at the time of birth. These gestures were thought to ‘open’ and ‘close’ an event properly, so to get off on the same side of the bed as one entered into it would be to expose oneself to evil spirits for not having given proper closure to the ritual of sleep. In later years it became common always to consider the right as the correct side to get out of bed from, since it represented the side of good, the left being traditionally associated with the Devil (see the entry on left and right hands on page 90). In these times of singledom and limited living space in cities, many of us have our beds up against the walls, so there is a good chance that many always get up on the wrong side of the bed!
Turning a calendar page before the new month has started
It is considered very bad luck to turn the page in a calendar before the arrival of the month depicted on the page. This superstition appears to be fairly recent, dating back no later than the early twentieth century when mass-produced paper calendars became widespread. The reason for the superstition, however, is based in the ancient fear of tempting fate. In this case the temptation would come from assuming that one will be alive and well in the future, something only God (or the gods) was to decide.
Dropping silverware
To drop silverware on the floor was thought to be a sign that a visit was imminent. This superstition dates back to the early nineteenth century and its origins are unclear. If one dropped a knife then the visitor would be a man; if one dropped a fork the visitor would be a woman; and if one dropped a spoon it would be a child. Sometimes to drop a spoon would therefore also be a sign of an imminent pregnancy. The reasons for the different genders being associated with the silverware illustrate the gender stereotypes that often characterise popular superstitions, the knife being a more aggressive implement than a fork. Spoons were often smaller in size than knives and forks and that was probably the reason they were thought to refer to children. When they were connected to pregnancy this may have been due to their rounded shape, not unlike a woman’s in the later months of the pregnancy.
Hanging seaweed on the mantelpiece
In the past it was thought that hanging seaweed above the mantelpiece would protect the house from fires. This belief can only be seen to date back to the middle of the nineteenth century. Its origins can probably be explained by the simple association of seaweed with water and to the idea that, since water is fire’s natural opposite, seaweed would be a good talisman against fire.
Making sure there is always something in the oven
An old Jewish superstition says that leaving an oven empty will cause the family to go hungry in the future. To prevent such a misfortune from befalling a household, however, it is enough to leave a baking sheet or a pan in the oven as a precaution. This superstition may be linked to very ancient rituals in which food was always left for household gods in order to ensure their protection of the family. In Rome, household gods had altars of their own and were given small portions of food to appease them.
CHAPTER FIVE: CLOTHES AND APPAREL
CLOTHES AND APPAREL
Buttons
It is thought that doing up the buttons of one’s shirt incorrectly is a clear sign of bad luck. The recommended cure is quite simple though: to take off the garment and start again! To find a button in the street is supposed to be a good omen, foretelling the beginning of a new friendship, and buttons with four holes in them are considered particularly lucky. It is also considered good luck to give buttons as a gift. These traditions only date back to the nineteenth century, though in the late seventeenth century diviners used buttons to predict the future, asking them questions and picking up a handful at random. Whether they picked up an even or odd number would determine whether the answer was a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Buttons have thus been attributed magic properties for longer than the superstitions surrounding found buttons have been around. The tradition of using buttons for divination has remained in certain children’s rhymes sung when counting buttons: ‘This year, next year, now, never’ and ‘Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief’. When children recited these rhymes counting buttons, the word the last button was counted on would stand for a person’s destiny or the destiny of their future husband. The rhyme ‘This year, next year, now, never’ was usually thought to answer the question of whether and when a person would marry.
Shoes
Perhaps because shoes were extremely expensive items in the past, or because they were made to suit their owners (and could thus seem to be extensions of their bodies), there are many superstitions associated with them. It is considered bad luck accidentally to put shoes on the wrong feet. This superstition dates back to Roman times when the Emperor Augustus only narrowly escaped an assassination attempt after putting his sandals on backwards. If shoelaces continuously come untied it is supposed to be a sign of good news coming your way, perhaps in the form of a letter. It is bad luck to place shoes on a table (see the entry concerning objects on the table on page 38), and shoes placed on a bed are supposed to be omens of an imminent death in the family. In the past people used to say that, if you didn’t give a new pair of shoes to a poor man in your lifetime, then you would go barefoot in the afterlife. The origins of this superstition can be guessed to