Flashback Friday #62

Superstitions

Greeting my friends and welcome back for another glance to the past. I was going to write this post last week, but since it was Friday the 13th, I decided to wait a week, because it is bad luck to write about superstitions on a Friday the 13th (or so I've heard).

My Mom was (and still is) very superstitious. Her family has roots in the Pennsylvania Dutch, and many of the sayings and beliefs she has have been passed down to her. She explained the reasoning to some of them, other I still wonder about. Here are some of them:

If you find a penny on the ground, check if it's heads. If it is heads, it's lucky. If it's tails, you must either give it away, or put it in your left shoe for the day. I tried the shoe thing once. After that, I always gave them away because I hate having something in my shoe other than my foot.

If you give someone a purse or a wallet for a gift, always put some money in it first (even if it only a penny). Money will never stick to an empty wallet or purse.

See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck.

See a pin and leave it lay, bad luck for you the rest of the day.

If a bird flies into the house, someone you know will die shortly.

If you drop a knife on the floor, look at the direction it is pointing. You will have company from that direction soon.

Don't open an umbrella in the house.

Breaking a mirror is seven years bad luck, unless you gather all the pieces and bury them at night.

If a pregnant lady sees a disfigured or broken doll or figurine, it may cause a birth defect in their unborn child. (Real story- I was getting some stuff out of our attic and handing it down to Mom. In the box, was a barbie-type doll that had been in a cake. it fell out of the box and Mom let out a gasp, and said "It's a good thing I'm not pregnant". A mouse had chewed on the face of the doll.)

Horoscopes are real. Pay close attention to them.

Everyone had to pat the head of her stuffed animal before she goes to bingo for good luck.

If two people are walking together, and an immovable object comes between them, one person must either retrace his/her steps and go the same way as the other person OR one person must say something that goes together (like "bread & butter"). That way nothing will come between you.

Don't drink milk while having fish for dinner. The milk will sour in your stomach.

She could never get into the Christmas mood until she first saw Santa in person.

How about you, are the any superstitious or old wives tales that you believe?