** Old Superstitions **

Luck Superstitions

Good Luck: Fingers Crossed - By making the sign of the Christian faith with our fingers, evil spirits would be prevented from destroying our chances of good fortune.


Good Luck: Knock on Wood - It was believed that good spirits lived in trees, and that by knocking on anything made from wood, we could call upon these spirits for protection against misfortune.


Good Luck: Saying God Bless You When Somebody Sneezes. When the great plague swept Europe., sufferers began sneezing violently which was a sign of death. The Pope therefore passed a law requiring people to bless the sneezer. At the same time, it was expected that anybody sneezing would cover their mouth with a cloth or their hand. This was obviously to stop the spreading of the disease, but many believed that it was to keep the soul intact. Sneezing 'into the air' would allow the soul to escape and death would be imminent. Up until this time, the opposite was true. Those who sneezed were congratulated, as it was believed that a violent sneeze would expel evil from their bodies.


Good Luck: A robin flying into the house


Good Luck: Sneezing 3 times before breakfast


Good Luck: Meeting 3 sheep


Good Luck: Looking at the new moon over your right shoulder


Good Luck: A 4-leaf clover


Good Luck: Spilling wine while proposing a toast


Good Luck: Putting a dress on inside out


Good Luck: 9 peas in a pea pod


Good Luck: Hearing crickets singing


Good Luck: Picking up a pin Dropping a glove


Good Luck: A horseshoe Peacock feathers


Good Luck: Cutting your hair during a storm


Good Luck: Sleeping facing south


Good Luck: White heather


Good Luck: Picking up a pencil in the street


Good Luck: Breaking clear and uncolored glass


Good Luck: Walking in the rain


Good Luck: Sleeping on un-ironed sheets


Good Luck: Avoiding cracks in the sidewalk


Good Luck: An itch on the top of your head


Good Luck: Scissors hanging an a hook


Good Luck: A ladybug on you


Good Luck: Carrying an acorn on your person will ensure good luck & longevity!


Good Luck: To find a four-leaf clover means immense good luck, so keep it safe, if you lose it


Good Luck: To pick up a piece of coal that has fallen in your path.


Good Luck : To have one's garments caught up by a bush or briar when out walking is a promise of good luck, involving monetary gain.


Good Luck: New enterprises will be fortunate if begun at the time of the new moon.


Good Luck: If by chance you meet the same person twice when you are out on business. It is even luckier if you encounter him once when you are setting out and again when you are returning.


Good Luck: Dolphins swimming nearby a ship


Good Luck: A naked woman on board a boat is said to calm the seas.


Good Luck: Golfers can have a successful day on the course if they start their round with odd numbered clubs and don't use balls with numbers higher than 4


Good Luck: To set out for golfing on a rainy day


See a penny, pick it up; all day long you will have good luck.

Bad Luck: Friday the Thirteenth - The Scandinavian's believed that the number 13 was unlucky due to the mythological 12 demigods being joined by a 13th, an evil one, who brought misfortune upon humans. It was also said that Christ was crucified on Friday and the number of guests at the party of the Last Supper was 13, with the 13th guest being Judas, the traitor.


Bad Luck: Walking under a ladder - A leaning ladder forms a triangle with the wall and ground. Triangles represent the Holy Trinity, and violating the Trinity by breaking it (walking through it) would put you in league with the devil himself.


Bad Luck: Black Cats - In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians, wanting to rid society of all traces of other religions, convinced the ignorant that black cats were demons in disguise and should thus be destroyed. In the process, they also destroyed the kindly ladies who cared for the cats, believing them to be witches. Being demons, a black cat crossing your path would create a barrier of evil, cutting you off from God and blocking the entrance to heaven.


Bad Luck: Spilling Salt - Salt used to be an expensive commodity used mainly for medicinal purposes. For this reason, spillage was to be avoided at all costs. The idea that it is unlucky to do so probably stems from the belief that Judas spilt salt during the last supper. Throwing spilt salt over the left shoulder is linked to its medicinal use. If it could not be administered, the next best thing was to throw it into the eye of the evil spirits that brought sickness upon us. These spirits were thought to lurk behind your shoulder, waiting for an opportunity to strike.


Bad Luck: A bat flying into the house


Bad Luck: An owl hooting 3 times


Bad Luck: 3 butterflies together


Bad Luck: Looking at the new moon over your left shoulder


Bad Luck: A 5-leaf clover


Bad Luck: Breaking a glass while proposing a toast


Bad Luck: Putting a shirt on inside out


Bad Luck: Red and white flowers together


Bad Luck: Hearing a rooster crow at night


Bad Luck: Cutting your nails on a Friday


Bad Luck: Putting a hat on a bed


Bad Luck: Getting out of bed left foot first


Bad Luck: Violets blooming out of season


Bad Luck: A picture falling


Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror


Bad Luck: Singing before breakfast


Bad Luck: Opening an umbrella indoors


Bad Luck: Giving away a wedding present


Bad Luck: Stepping on cracks in the sidewalk


Bad Luck: An itch inside your nose


Bad Luck: Crossed knives


Bad Luck: seeing an owl during daylight


Bad Luck: If a dog suddenly barks for no apparent reason in a house that has a sick person then


Bad Luck: You must wear new clothes at Easter or you will have bad luck


Bad Luck: There will be an argument if knifes are crossed at a table. Also, if a lover gives you a


Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror means 7 years of bad luck, unless you take the pieces outside & bury them in moonlight. Also, an undisturbed mirror in a house suddenly fall & smashes then it means that there will soon be a death.


Bad Luck: Unless you were born in October, the wearing of an Opal will be ill-fated


Bad Luck: If pepper is spilt, then you will have a serious argument with a friend.


Bad Luck: Sparrows are said to carry the souls of the deceased to the after-life. To kill one means that you will be cursed.


Bad Luck: It is extremely unlucky to open an umbrella inside a house.


Bad Luck: If a groom drops the ring during the ceremony then the marriage is doomed to failure.


Bad Luck: Breaking a plate, especially if it had not already been cracked.


Bad Luck: To see the new moon for the first time through glass. Upon seeing the new moon you should turn whatever silver you have in your pockets or handbag, and thus ensure prosperity for a month.


Bad Luck: To upset pepper


Bad Luck: The blossom must never be cut from the tree and brought into the house before May 1, or ill fortune will attend you.


Bad Luck: Never mend a garment while you are wearing it, or misfortune will follow.


Bad Luck: Breaking a mirror portends seven years of bad luck. It is also extremely unlucky to receive a mirror as a present


Bad Luck: To make a present of a knife or any other sharp instrument unless you receive something in exchange.


Bad Luck: Walking under a ladder, unless you cross their fingers while doing so.


Bad Luck: It brings ill fortune if a lease or any contract is signed in the months of April, July, or November.


Bad Luck: To spill ink threatens worry, annoyance, and the failure of a project that is on foot.


Bad Luck: Crossing two table-knives by accident portends bad luck.


Bad Luck: To give a pair of gloves to a friend unless you receive something in exchange.


Bad Luck: To encounter a gravedigger coming towards you. Usually this means there will be a severe illness.


Bad Luck: For those who completely rake out a fire before retiring. A few embers should always be left.


Bad Luck: To break a glass bottle portends misfortune


Bad Luck: If you fasten a button into the wrong buttonhole


Bad Luck: if a candle falls over


Bad Luck: For a golfer to borrow your partners umbrella


Bad Luck: Throwing stones into the sea cause bad luck


Bad Luck: Starting a cruise on a Friday


Bad Luck: Stepping on board a ship with your left foot


Bad Luck: To open an umbrella in the house


Bad Luck: It is unlucky to sit on a table unless one foot is touching the ground


Bad Luck: If a person stumbles when leaving his house at the beginning of a journey, or trips or stumbles more than once during the course of the journey, it is advisable to postpone it.


Bad Luck: To pass anyone on the staircase.


Bad Luck: New shoes should never be left on a table


Bad Luck: To put on the left shoe before the right, and it is worse still to put the right shoe on the left foot, or vice versa.


Bad Luck: Spilling salt. If both salt and pepper are spilt at the same time, the force of this ill omen is doubled.

Subcategory: Dogs


A dog eating grass - rain


Meeting a dog - good luck (especially Dalmatians)


A greyhound with a white spot on its forehead - good fortune


Being followed by a strange dog - bad luck (especially black dogs)


The spectral black dog (barguest) - a harbinger of death


A dog howling for no reason - unseen spirits


A dog howling three times - A death has occurred


At one time a dog that had bitten someone was immediately destroyed to protect the person from rabies (even if the dog was healthy)


Subcategory: Horses


Horse brasses were used to protect horses from witches


White horses - ill fortune


Inhaling a horses breath - cure for whooping cough


Eating a hair from a horse's forelock - cure for worms


Horses standing with their backs to a hedge - rain


Changing a horse's name - very bad luck


Subcategory: Albatross


An albatross flying around a ship in mid ocean - bad weather


Thought to be the spirit of dead mariners and so bringing bad luck to those who killed them


Subcategory: Adder


To see an adder - general bad luck


To kill an adder - general good luck


A live adder on the doorstep - a death in the household


Subcategory: Ant


Believed to be the final earthly incarnation of fairies


Believed to be the souls of children who had died unbaptised


Believed to be the transmuted souls of the Druids who refused to accept Christianity


Subcategory: Badger


Carrying a badgers tooth - Good luck (especially for gamblers)


Subcategory: Bats


In a church during a wedding ceremony - bad omen


In the house - either a death or a sign that the humans will soon be leaving


Flying close to a person - that person will be betrayed


Flying vertically upwards then dropping back to earth - 'The Witches Hour Has Come'


Flying early in the evening - good weather


Chinese belief - Bats are a symbol of long life and happiness


Subcategory: Bear


Believed to gain sustenance from sucking on their own paws.


Ghost bears are believed to reside at Worcester Cathedral and The Tower of London in England


Naming a bear - provokes attack


Subcategory: Bees


If a bee enters your home, it's a sign that you will soon have a visitor. If you kill the bee, you will have bad luck, or the visitor will be unpleasant.


A bee landing on someone's hand is believed to foretell money to come, while if the bee settles on someone's head it means that person will rise to greatness.


Bees were once considered to deliberately sting those who swore in front of them, and also to attack an adulterer or unchaste person.


It was once held to be a sure sign that a girl was a virgin if she could walk through a swarm of bees without being stung.


An old country tradition states that bees should not be purchased for money, as bought bees will never prosper.


Bee-stings were once thought to prevent rheumatism, and in some places a bee-sting was also thought to cure it.

Subcategory: Beetle


Ancient Egyptian belief - Scarab revered as a symbol of the Sun God Ra


Walking over a person's shoe - an omen of death


Crawling out of a discarded shoe - ill omen


Devil's coach horse beetle raising it's tail - a curse


African belief - throwing beetles into a lake produces rain


A dead beetle tied around the neck - cure for whooping cough


Subcategory: Birds


A bird that flies into a house, foretells an important message.


The white bird foretells death.


A bird call from the north means tragedy; from the south is good for crops; from the west is good luck; from the east, good love.


If a bird poops on your car, it is good luck.


If bird droppings land on your head it is good luck.


Subcategory: Blackbird


Ancient British Belief - A messenger of the dead


Two blackbirds sitting together - good omen


Subcategory: Boar


A manifestation of the Devil


Norse belief - A traditional food of the Gods


Subcategory: Bull


Bull's testes - aphrodisiac


To hide in a bull's pen - immunity from lightning


Subcategory: Butterfly


If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year


Represents the souls of unbaptised children


Inside the house - good luck


First butterfly of the season (white) - good omen


First butterfly of the season (brown) - misfortune


To see three butterflies together - bad omen


To see a butterfly at night - approaching death


Scottish belief - red butterflies are manifestations of witches


Subcategory: Calf


If the first calf born during the winter is white, the winter will be a bad one.


To stroke a calf on the back - bad luck to both the person and the animal


Twin calves - bad luck


Giving mistletoe as a gift to the first calf of the year - good luck to the herd


Subcategory: Cat


A kitten born in May - a witches cat


A black cat crossing your path - good luck (A white cat in USA, Spain and Belgium)


A black cat seen from behind - a bad omen


Stray tortoise shell cat - bad omen


Cats bought with money will never be good mousers


Cat sneezing once - rain


Cat sneezing three times - the family will catch a cold


USA belief - A cat washing on the doorstep - the clergy will visit


Killing a cat - sacrificing your soul to the Devil


Kicking a cat - Rheumatism


A cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it. - Italian superstition


It is bad luck to see a white cat at night


Dreaming of white cat means good luck


When you see a one-eyed cat, spit on your thumb, stamp it in the palm of your hand, and make a wish. The wish will come true.


If a cat washes behind its ears, it will rain. - English superstition


A cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means cold weather ahead. - English superstition


English schoolchildren believe seeing a white cat on the way to school is sure to bring trouble. To avert bad luck, they must either spit, or turn around completely and make the sign of the cross.


A black cat crossing one's path by moonlight means death in an epidemic. - Irish superstition


A strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity. - Scottish superstition


It is bad luck to cross a stream carrying a cat. - French superstition


A cat on top of a tombstone meant certainly that the soul of the departed buried was possessed by the devil. Two cats seen fighting near a dying person, or on the grave shortly after a funeral, are really the Devil and an Angel fighting for possession of


To see a white cat on the road is lucky.


To kill a cat brings seventeen years of bad luck. - Irish superstition


If cats desert a house, illness will always reign there. - English superstition


In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell foretells death by accident.


In the Netherlands, cats were not allowed in rooms where private family discussions were going on. The Dutch believed that cats would definitely spread gossips around the town.


When moving to a new home, always put the cat through the window instead of the door, so that it will not leave.


In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would always kiss the family cat.


When the pupil of a cat's eye broadens, there will be rain. - Welsh superstition


In 16th century Italy, it was believed that if a black cat lay on the bed of a sick man, he would die. But there's also a belief that a cat will not remain in the house where someone is about to die. Therefore, if the family cat refuses to stay indoors,


Subcategory: Cattle


Cattle were highly regarded by the Celts, and nn some areas it is thought that cattle should be informed of any deaths in their owners' household, or the cows, sensing that something was wrong, would sicken and probably die.


In mediaeval times it was thought that cattle would kneel at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve; and some people thought they were even able to speak that night, although it was considered dangerous for any human to hear their speech as misfortune w


Subcategory: Cockerel


White cockerel - good luck


Black cockerel - evil spirits


A cockerel standing in a doorway - a visitor


It is believed that the cockerels will all crow on final day to awaken the dead


Subcategory: Cows


If a plow kills a daddy long legs the cows will go dry


If you see nine cows in a shed with a gray bull next to the door, and all of them lie on the same side, you are in luck, because you will be granted one wish.


A cow lowing after midnight - approaching death


To milk a cow being sent to market - bad luck


Sprinkling the cowshed floor with primroses - a guard against witches


Cows lying down in a field - rain

Subcategory: Cricket


A cricket is a lucky house spirit that takes it's luck away when it leaves.


A cricket can tell of oncoming rain, death, and x-lovers.


Subcategory: Crow


One's bad, Two's luck, Three's health, Four's wealth, Five's sickness, Six is death.


A messenger of the gods


A familiar of the traditional witch


Harbingers of death and disaster


Subcategory: Cuckoo


First sound of a cuckoo in spring coming from the right - good luck


First sound of a cuckoo in spring coming from the left - bad luck


Hearing the first cuckoo on the 28th of April - Excellent luck


Hearing the first cuckoo on the 6th of April or after midsummer - bad luck


Your condition on hearing the first cuckoo will remain all year

Subcategory: Dolphins


Dolphins are believed to transport the souls of the dead to the afterlife


Dolphins playing in fine weather or close to the shore - Wind


Subcategory: Donkey


Placing three hairs from a donkey's shoulders in a muslin bag worn around the neck - cure for whooping cough or measles


Sitting backwards on a donkey - cure for snakebites and toothache


A pregnant woman seeing a donkey - the child will grow wise and well behaved


Subcategory: Dove


Miners seeing a dove - bad omen


A dove circling above - an omen of death


Killing a dove - misfortune

Subcategory: Dragonfly


Catching a dragonfly - marriage within the year


Subcategory: Duck


Laying dark brown eggs - bad omen


Flapping its wings while swimming - rain


Subcategory: Eagle


Strength, divinity and immortality


Christian belief - symbol of resurrection


Several eagles flying together - peace


Eagles sitting motionless - an enemy approaching


Eagle egg eaten by two people - protection against witchcraft


Hearing the cry of an eagle - omen of death


Subcategory: Elephants


In Siam, white elephants were rare and not made to work for their upkeep, so a White Elephant is an item that is a non profit expense. Considering the value of space in our homes, items kept as memorabilia could be considered White Elephants.

Subcategory: Ferret


Drinking milk from a bowl from which a ferret has drunk - cure for whooping cough


Subcategory: Fish


Throw back the first fish you catch then you'll be lucky the whole day fishing.


It's bad luck to get married when the fish aren't biting, according to the custom of some fisherfolk.


A fish should always be eaten from the head toward the tail.


Dream of fish: someone you know is pregnant.


If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day.


It's bad luck to say the word "pig" while fishing at sea.


Burning fish bones - unlucky


Subcategory: Flea


Suddenly leaving a body who was infested - death of the host


Flea bite on the hand - a kiss or good news


Person leaping over the midsummer bonfire - riddance of fleas


Subcategory: Fox


Seeing a lone fox - good luck


Seeing several foxes together - bad luck

Subcategory: Frogs


Frogs, like toads, were once thought to have peculiar properties, and were frequently used in healing charms, and in others of a slightly less innocent nature.


The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck prevented epilepsy and other fits.


Frogs were used in love-magic. In one story, a girl, whose lover was untrue stuck pins all over a living frog and then buried it. The young man suffered extreme pains and eventually returned to her. She dug up the frog and removed the pins, after which t


A frog brings good luck to the house it enters.


Believed to be the souls of dead children


Shiny skinned - fine weather


Dull skinned - rain


Frogspawn at the edge of a pond - storms


Touching a frog - infertility


Killing a frog - bad luck


Subcategory: Gnat


When allowed into a sick room - removal of ailments


Flying close to the ground - rain


Flying high - good weather


Subcategory: Goat


Associated with Pan (or the devil in some religions)


Meeting a goat when on an important journey - good luck


Meeting a black goat on a bridle path - treasure hidden nearby

Subcategory: Goose


Goose eaten on Michelmas day - good luck


Brown tinted meat - mild winter


White meat - harsh winter


Geese leaving a farm - omen of a fire


A goose laying two eggs - bad omen


Subcategory: Guinea Fowl


Generally good luck


Brings sunshine


Subcategory: Hares


Good Luck.


A guise of a witch


Crossing your path - omen of disaster


Dreaming of hares - bad omen or death


Seeing a brown hare - good luck


Carrying a hare's foot - good luck


Killing a hare - bad luck


Rubbing hare's blood into the skin - cure for freckles

Subcategory: Hedgehog


Another witches guise


Killing a hedgehog - protection against bad luck


Entering the house - very bad omen


Subcategory: Hens


A hen which crows is considered to be unlucky, as is a hen with tail-feathers like those of a rooster.


Hens which roost in the morning are said to be foretelling a death, usually that of the farmer or someone in his household.


A hen which enters the house is an omen that a visitor will arrive, and this is also the case if a rooster crows near the door or comes inside.


Subcategory: Heron


Seeing a heron near the house - bad luck


Killing a heron - extremely bad luck


Subcategory: Jackdaw


A jackdaw settling on the house - an omen of death


In some cultures, a jackdaw on the roof - a new arrival


Seeing one jackdaw - bad omen

A circular ring made from an iron horseshoe nail gives the same protection against evil as the horseshoe itself.


The horseshoe or crescent moon shape was seen as a sign of good fortune and fertility.


Witches fear horses, so they are also turned away by a door with a horseshoe mounted on it. The horseshoe must be hung with the points up to keep the luck from spilling out.


Subcategory: Jaybirds


Jaybirds go down to the devil's house on Fridays to tell all the bad things that have happened during the week. Jaybirds who remain on Friday are checking up on what people are doing.


Subcategory: Kingfisher


Greek legend


Christian Legend


Seeing a kingfisher - good luck


Wearing kingfisher feathers - promotes the beauty of a woman by magic

Subcategory: Ladybird (Ladybug)


Landing on you - very good luck


Landing on your hand - Good weather


Number of spots - number of happy months ahead


Direction after it leaves your person - the direction from which your future love will come


Subcategory: Lamb


First lamb of spring (black) - good omen


First lambs of spring (twin white) - excellent fortune


Subcategory: Lapwing (Pewit)


The call of the lapwing - 'bewitched bewitched'


Seeing a lapwing - bad omen


Subcategory: Lark


Eating three larks' eggs - improvement of voice


Disturbing a lark's peace or nest - curse


Pointing at a lark - a whitlow will appear on the finger

Subcategory: Magpie


Seeing a single magpie - bad luck


A single magpie circling the house - portent of death


Greeting a magpie is said to remove the bad omens it brings


A single magpie on a roof - the building will never fall down


Chattering in a tree near a house - arrival of a stranger


Chinese belief - a magpie is good luck and shouls never be killed


Subcategory: Martin


Nesting in a house - good luck to the household


Harming a Martin or its eggs - dire misfortune


Subcategory: Mole


Sudden arrival of molehills in a garden - someone will leave, or death


More molehills than usual - bad weather


Subcategory: Mosquito


Same omens as the gnat (When allowed into a sick room - removal of ailments, Flying close to the ground - rain, Flying high - good weather)

Subcategory: Moth


A big black moth in the house means a deceased one is just visiting reincarnated through that moth.


In the house - arrival of an important letter


Subcategory: Mouse


If somebody throws away a dead mouse, the wind will soon start to blow from that direction.


Subcategory: Muskrat


Building it's home clear of the water - heavy rains


Constructing the home with thin walls - mild winter


Subcategory: Nightingale


Heard singing before the cuckoo - Success in love

Subcategory: Owl


The ancient Greeks revered owls and believed them sacred to Athena. Affiliated with the goddess of wisdom and learning, the owl was considered wise and kind.


hearing the hoot of an owl is now associated with bad luck. To counter evil owl power put irons in your fire. Or throw salt, hot peppers or vinegar into the fire, the owl will get a sore tongue, hoot no more, and no one close to you will be in trouble.


When you hear an owl, to prevent bad luck, take off your clothes, turn them inside out and put them back on.


Any man who eats roasted owl will be obedient and a slave to his wife.


Looking into an owl's nest - sadness for life


Heard hooting by a pregnant woman - baby is a girl


If an owl lands on the roof of your house, it is an omen of death. Constant hooting near your house also foretells death.


If an owl hoots at the moment of childbirth, the child will have an unhappy life.


The Irish believe that if an owl flies into a house it must be killed immediately. If it escapes, it will take the luck of the house with it.


If an owl nests in an abandoned house, then the dwelling must be haunted. An owl is the only creature that can abide a ghost.


By eating salted owl, a person can be cured of gout.


If an owl hoots during a burial service, the deceased is bound to rise from the grave and haunt the living.


An owl living in the attic of a house will cause a pregnant woman to miscarry.


Subcategory: Oyster


Oysters should only be eaten in months with an R in them


Aphrodisiac properties (dating back to Roman times)


Carrying an oyster shell - good luck


Subcategory: Peacocks


A peacock feather has an evil eye at the end. Argus, the Greek legend, says a hundred eyed monster was turned into a peacock with all it's eyes in it's tail.


Revered by Hindus as sacred


Greek mythology - tail consists of the eyes of the giant 'Argus'


Peacock feathers indoors - bad luck


Hearing a peacock cry - storms approaching

To get rid of warts involves rubbing a peeled apple and giving it to a pig.


Crossing your path - unlucky


Running with straw in its mouth - storms approaching


Driving pigs indoors On Beltane morning - good omen


Subcategory: Porpoise


Harbinger of good luck


Seen swimming north - fine weather


Seen swimming south - bad weather


Subcategory: Rabbits


Passing in front of you - good luck


Passing behind you - bad luck


Running down a street - a house will catch fire


Keeping a rabbit's foot - good luck


Because of the rabbit's ability to reproduce, the rabbit's foot became a symbol of fertility.


Rabbits were linked with darkness, witches and the devil because they live underground.


By owning a rabbit's foot as a talisman, you would have vital connections with many powerful forces.


A left rabbit hind foot, carried in the left pocket after having been removed from a rabbit that was killed during a full moon by a cross-eyed person is truly lucky. The foot is considered a powerful charm against evil because the rabbit's strong hind le


Actors may keep a rabbit's foot in their makeup cases for good luck, and will have misfortune if they lose it.


In Wales an old belief is that a new-born child rubbed all over with a rabbit's foot will be lucky for life.


Subcategory: Rat


Most relate to the rat's association with death


It is believed that rats can predict death


Rats leaving a ship - the ship will sink


Rats seen boarding a ship - lucky


A rat leaving a house - A death is imminent


A sudden arrival of rats in a house - the occupants will move soon, or (in Scotland) an occupant will come into money


An increase in numbers - an omen of war

To kill a raven is to harm the spirit of King Arthur who visits the world in the form of a raven.


Seen near a sick person - no recovery


Welsh belief - A raven on a chimney is good luck to those within


Ravens leaving The Tower of London - The United Kingdom will fall


Flying towards the sun - fine weather


Subcategory: Robins


A wish made on the first robin of spring will be granted.


A robin entering the house was a sign of a death in the family.


Killing a robin - extremely bad luck


Causing a robin injury - a similar injury to the perpetrator


Entering a house or church - omen of death


Subcategory: Roosters


Roosters have long been connected with the sun, as they crow to herald its arrival at dawn, and are considered watchful protectors of humankind.


When a cock crows at midnight a spirit is passing


In England it is a death omen if a rooster crows three times between sunset and midnight. Crowing at other times is often a warning against misfortune.


If a cock crows while perched on a gate, or at nightfall, the next day will be rainy.


A white rooster is considered very lucky, and should not be killed as it protects the farm on which it lives


Black roosters are a bad omen, often associated with sacrifice.


Subcategory: Seagulls


Three seagulls flying together, directly overhead, are a warning of death soon to come.


Killing a seagull - bad luck


Seen far inland - bad weather

A shepherd counting his flock - bad luck


Sitting still on the grass - fine weather


Walking about and bleating - bad weather


Subcategory: Snake


Hanging a snake skin from the rafters - protection from fire


Crossing your path - unlucky


Carrying a snake skin - protection against illness


Carrying a snake's tooth - protection against fever and luck in gambling


Wearing an emerald - protection against snake bites


Subcategory: Sparrows


Sparrows carry the souls of the dead, it's unlucky to kill one.


Believed to embody the souls of the dead


Killing a sparrow - the tree it lived in will die


Hearing a sparrow call – rain

Subcategory: Spiders


It is unlucky to kill spiders because a spider spun a web over baby Jesus to hide him from Herod.


A spider with syrup cures fever.


Seeing a spider run down a web in the afternoon means you'll take a trip.


You'll meet a new friend if you run into a web.


A spider is a repellent against plague when worn around the neck in a walnut shell.


Killing a spider - very bad luck


Seen running over clothes - a new set of clothes


Finding a spider in the morning - Sorrow


Finding a spider at midday - Anxiety


Finding a spider in the evening - Loss


Killing a spider - Bad Luck


A spider spinning in the morning - Good Luck


A spider climbing its thread - Good News


A spider dropping on its thread - Good Luck


Finding a spider on your body - Good Fortune


Seeing a spider cross a wall - Good Luck


A spider's web on a doorway - A Visitor


A spider on your clothes – Money


Arcane is said to be the missing 13th sign of the zodiac based on 13 lunar months. Arcane is associated with psychic abilities, weaving and women.


Subcategory: Sow Bugs


A Texas superstition says that a bag filled with 13 sow bugs tied around a child's neck will cure the child from the thrash, or sores in the mouth.


Subcategory: Storks


Storks deliver babies.


Storks were sacred to Venus in Roman mythology.


If a stork builds a nest on your roof, you have received a blessing and a promise of never ending love from Venus. Aristotle made killing a stork a crime, and Romans passed a stork law, saying that children must care for their elderly parents.


Killing a stork - bad luck


Building a nest on the roof - good omen


Seeing two storks - omen of pregnancy


Subcategory: Swallow


Herald of the summer


Killing a swallow - bad luck


Nesting on the roof - protection especially against lightning and fire


Storms will accompany the arrival and departure of swallows

Subcategory: Swans


A swan's feather, sewed into the husband's pillow, will ensure fidelity.


Subcategory: Toad


If you eat a live toad first thing in the morning nothing worse will happen to you all day.


Crossing the path of a bride on the way to the church - prosperous and happy union


Seeing a toad - end of drought or good fortune


Thought to be the familiars of witches


Killing a toad - rainstorms


Carrying a dried toad - protection against plague


Handling toads - causes warts


Subcategory: Tortoise


Killing a tortoise - bad luck


Wearing a tortoiseshell bracelet - protection against evil


Subcategory: Wasp


Killing the first wasp of the season - good luck


Subcategory: Vulture


Seeing a vulture - omen of death


Subcategory: Weasel


Seeing a weasel - bad luck


Keeping money in a weasel skin purse - financial security

Subcategory: Wolf


During the middle ages, wolves were ascribed magical powers and wolf parts became an important part of many early pharmacies. Powered wolf liver was used to ease birth pains. A wolf's right paw, tied around ones throat, was believed to ease the swelling


It was widely believed that a horse that stepped in a wolf print would be crippled


The gaze of a wolf was once thought to cause blindness


The breath of the wolf could cook meat.


It was believed that Wolves sharpened their teeth before hunting


Dead wolves were buried at a village entrance to keep out other wolves (some farmers continue to shoot predators and hang them on fence posts to repel other predators.)


Travelers were warned about perils of walking through lonely stretches of woods, and stone shelters were built to protect them from attacks. Our modern word "loophole" is derived from the European term "loup hole," or wolf hole, a spy hole in shelters


Seeing a wolf - dumbness


Subcategory: Wren


Harming a wren - broken bone

Empty pockets or empty cupboards on New Years Eve portend a year of poverty


If the first person to cross the threshold of a house after midnight on New Years is a dark-haird man and he carries a shovel full of coal, then a year of good luck will follow.


Its bad luck to let a fire go out on New Year's Eve.


You could ensure yourself good fortune by draining the last dregs from a bottle of drink on New Years!


The Weather: If the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine and calamities. If the wind blows from the west, the year will witness plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very important person. If there's no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year may be expected by all.


Loud Noise: Make as much noise as possible at midnight to scare away evil spirits.


Letting the Old Year Out: At midnight, all the doors of a house must be opened to let the old year escape unimpeded. He must leave before the New Year can come in, says popular wisdom, so doors are flung open to assist him in finding his way out.


To dance in the open air, especially round a tree, on New Year's Day is declared to ensure luck in love and prosperity and freedom from ill health during the coming twelve months.


Children born on New Year's Day bring great fortune and prosperity to all the household.


On New Year's Day if, on rising, a girl should look out of her bedroom window and see a man passing by, she may reckon to be married before the year is finished.


Clocks should be wound up immediately the New Year begins in order to endow the house with good fortune, while all daily cleaning and dusting should be completed early in the day of December 31 in order to avoid the danger of sweeping good luck from the house.


Breakage: Avoid breaking things on that first day lest wreckage be part of your year. Also, avoid crying on the first day of the year lest that activity set the tone for the next twelve months


Money: Do not pay back loans or lend money or other precious items on New Year's Day. To do so is to guarantee you'll be paying out all year.


New Clothes: Wear something new on January 1 to increase the likelihood of your receiving more new garments during the year to follow.


Work: Make sure to do -- and be successful at -- something related to your work on the first day of the year, even if you don't go near your place of employment that day. Limit your activity to a token amount, though, because to engage in a serious work project on that day is very unlucky.


Black-Eyes Peas: A tradition common to the Southern part of the United States says that the eating of black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will attract both general good luck and money in particular to the one doing the dining


A person who lives alone might place a lucky item or two in a basket that has a string tied to it, and then place the basket just outside the front door before midnight. After midnight, the lone celebrant hauls in his catch, being careful to bring the item across the doorjamb by pulling the string rather than by reaching out to retrieve it and thus breaking the plane of the threshold.


Nothing Goes Out: Nothing -- absolutely nothing, not even garbage -- is to leave the house on the first day of the year. If you have presents to deliver on New Year's Day, leave them in the car overnight. Don't so much as shake out a rug or take the empties to the recycle bin. Some people soften this rule by saying it's okay to remove things from the home on New Year's Day, provided that something else has been brought in first.


Just as the clock strikes twelve the head of the house should open the door in order to allow the Old Year to pass out and the New Year to come in.


Kissing at midnight: To ensure that those affections and ties will continue throughout the next twelve months. To not do this would be to set the stage for a year of coldness.


Stocking Up: The New Year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest that be the way of things for the year. Larders must be topped up and plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the place to guarantee a prosperous year.


Paying Off Bills: The new year should not be begun with the household in debt, so checks should be written and mailed off prior to January 1st. Likewise, personal debts should be settled before the New Year arrives.


First Footing: The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household.


First Footing: The first footer should knock and be let in rather than just using a key. After greeting those in the house and dropping off whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should make his way through the house and leave by a different door than the one through which he entered. No one should leave the premises before the first footer arrives -- the first traffic across the threshold must be headed in rather than striking out.


First footers must not be cross-eyed or have flat feet or eyebrows that meet in the middle


Squint-eyed, flat-footed, or red-haired men bring bad luck If they are first-footers, and so does a woman. But a man with a high instep, or one who comes on a horse, is considered particularly lucky

All locks in a house are unlocked at birthing to ensure an easy delivery.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Scatter Solomon's seal on the floor to banish serpents and venomous creatures from the room.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: To protect your house from lightning, gather hazel tree branches on Palm Sunday and keep them in water.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Add caraway seeds to chicken feed to keep poultry from wandering. Feed the seeds to homing pigeons to help them find their way back.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Stuff fennel in your keyhole or hang it over your door to protect against witches.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Never carry a hoe into the house. If you do so by mistake, carry it out again, walking backward to avoid bad luck.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Never walk under a ladder, which is Satan's territory. If you must do it, cross your fingers or make the sign of the fig (closed fist, with thumb between index and middle fingers).
Moving into a new home Superstitions: If you give a steel blade to a friend, make the recipient pay you a penny to avoid cutting the friendship.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Never give a knife as a housewarming present, or your new neighbor will become an enemy.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Never pound a nail after sundown, or you will wake the tree gods.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: Nail an evergreen branch to new rafters to bring good luck. An empty hornets' nest, hung high, also will bring good luck to any age house.
Moving into a new home Superstitions: When you move to a new house, always enter first with a loaf of bread and a new broom. Never bring an old broom into the house.
Halloween Superstitions: You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits
Animal Superstitions: Cat: In the early 16th century, a visitor to an English home would always kiss the family cat.
Animal Superstitions: Muskrat: Building it's home clear of the water - heavy rains
Animal Superstitions: Muskrat: Constructing the home with thin walls - mild winter
Christmas Superstitions: The doors of a home used to be flung open at midnight on Christmas Eve to let out any trapped evil spirits.
Christmas Superstitions: Stockings are hung by the chimney at Christmas, in remembrance of the largesse of St. Nicholas. Out of compassion he was said to have tossed three coins down the chimney of the home of three poor sisters. Each coin fell neatly into stockings left drying by the hearth. We therefore leave our stocking out in hopes that a similar bit of good fortune will befall us.
Greek Superstitions: Cactus - No Greek home would be complete with out at least one cactus positioned somewhere near the front entrance. In a big ‘Feta’ can or garden pot, a cactus with its thorny spikes, takes it place proudly warding off the evil eye from the property.
Greek Superstitions: Greeks believe that in order for a cutting to root, it has to be stolen. You have to nonchalantly cut off a piece of the desired plant and take it home without telling the owner. According to superstition, it will root easily.
Greek Superstitions: It is customary to sprinkle salt in a new home before you occupy it, as the salt will drive any evil out and away from you and your family.
Greek Superstitions: Salt is be used to get rid of an unwanted human presence. If you have an unwanted guest in your home and you want them to leave. All you have to do is sprinkle salt behind them. The powers of the salt will chase him out.
New Years Superstitions: Nothing Goes Out: Nothing -- absolutely nothing, not even garbage -- is to leave the house on the first day of the year. If you have presents to deliver on New Year's Day, leave them in the car overnight. Don't so much as shake out a rug or take the empties to the recycle bin. Some people soften this rule by saying it's okay to remove things from the home on New Year's Day, provided that something else has been brought in first.
New Years Superstitions: First Footing: The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household.
Wedding Superstitions: The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall. This is origin of the custom of carrying the bride over the threshold.


All Categories:

If you don't cover your bald head it will start raining


If you shave your head on a Saturday, you will be in perpetual debt


You shouldn't wash your hair the day before an exam.


Hair at no age must be cut at the waning of the moon, which would prevent it growing luxuriantly.


Hair cut off should always be burned; it unlucky to throw shorn hair away; otherwise, birds might make a nest of your hair, weaving tightly, so that you would have difficulty rising on your last day.


Choosing to cut your hair (or nails) on a particular day means the following: Cut them on Monday, you cut them for health; cut them on Tuesday, you cut them for wealth; cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for news; cut them on Thursday, a new pair of shoes; cut them on Friday, you cut them for sorrow; cut them on Saturday, see your true love tomorrow; cut them on Sunday, the devil will be with you all the week

A bird in the house is a sign of a death.


If a robin flies into a room through a window, death will shortly follow.


Light candles on the night after November 1. One for each deceased relative should be placed in the window in the room where death occurred.


You must hold your breath while going past a cemetery or you will breathe in the spirit of someone who has recently died.


If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes, there will be a death in the family.


You will have bad luck if you do not stop the clock in the room where someone dies.


If a woman is buried in black, she will return to haunt the family.


If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him.


Mirrors in a house with a corpse should be covered or the person who sees himself will die next.


Dogs howling in the dark of night, Howl for death before daylight.


If you dream of death it's a sign of a birth, if you dream of birth, it's a sign of death.


If you touch a loved one who has died, you won't have dreams about them


A person who dies on Good Friday will go right to heaven.


A person who dies at midnight on Christmas Eve will go straight to heaven because the gates of heaven are open at that time.


All windows should be opened at the moment of death so that the soul can leave.


The soul of a dying person can't escape the body and go to heaven if any locks are locked in the house.


If the left eye twitches there will soon be a death in the family.


If a dead person's eyes are left open, he'll find someone to take with him.


Funerals on Friday portend another death in the family during the year.


It's bad luck to count the cars in a funeral cortege.


It's bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on.


Thunder following a funeral means that the dead person's soul has reached heaven.


Nothing new should be worn to a funeral, especially new shoes.


Pointing at a funeral procession will cause you to die within the month.


Pregnant women should not attend funerals.


If the person buried lived a good life, flowers will grow on the grave.


If the person was evil, weeds will grow.


If a mirror in the house falls and breaks by itself, someone in the house will die soon.


A white moth inside the house or trying to enter the house means death.


If 3 people are photographed together, the one in the middle will die first.


If 13 people sit down at a table to eat, one of them will die before the year is over.


Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.

Bridal Shower - The first gift the bride opens should be the first gift she uses. Everything the bride says as she opens her gifts will be repeated on her wedding night. Somone should be assigned to write down these comments during the shower.

The person who gives the third gift to be opened at a bridal shower will soon have a baby.

Save the ribbons from the bridal shower gifts to make a mock bouquet to be used at the wedding rehearsal.

Certain days of the week are better than others for a wedding: Monday for health, Tuesday for wealth, Wednesday best of all, Thursday for losses, Friday for crosses, Saturday for no luck at all.

Certain months are better than others for a wedding: Married when the year is new, he'll be loving, kind & true, When February birds do mate, You wed nor dread your fate. If you wed when March winds blow, joy and sorrow both you'll know. Marry in April when you can, Joy for Maiden & for Man. Marry in the month of May, and you'll surely rue the day. Marry when June roses grow, over land and sea you'll go. Those who in July do wed, must labor for their daily bred. Whoever wed in August be, many a change is sure to see. Marry in September's shrine, your living will be rich and fine. If in October you do marry, love will come but riches tarry. If you wed in bleak November, only joys will come, remember. When December snows fall fast, marry and true love will last.

A Lucky Bride: Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue, And a lucky sixpence In her shoe.

Married in White, you have chosen right. Married in Grey, you will go far away, Married in Black, you will wish yourself back, Married in Red, you will wish yourself dead, Married in Green, ashamed to be seen, Married in Blue, you will always be true, Married in Pearl, you will live in a whirl, Married in Yellow, ashamed of your fellow, Married in Brown, you will live in the town, Married in Pink, you spirit will sink.

Good omens on your wedding day: Seeing a rainbow , having the sunshine, meeting a black cat, meeting a chimney sweep,

Bad omens on your wedding day: a pig, hare, or lizard running across the road, seeing an open grave, meeting a nun or a monk foretell barrenness.

If the groom drops the wedding band during the ceremony, the marriage is doomed.

The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall. This is origin of the custom of carrying the bride over the threshold.

The spouse who goes to sleep first on the wedding day will be the first to die.

If a single woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband.

Take a pea-pod which has 9 peas and suspend it over the doorway using a white thread. If the next person who enters by the same door is not a member of the family and is a bachelor or spinster, then your wedding will take place in not more than a year's time.

The Cuckoo.-When you hear a cuckoo for the first time in the year, quote aloud: Cuckoo, Cuckoo, answer me true This question that I'm asking you; I beg that truly you'll tell me In how many years I'll married be. The number of times which the cuckoo replies is declared to represent the number of years that will elapse before you marry.

Take a photograph of the one you love and hold before it a ring on the end of a thread. Be careful to keep your hand still. If the ring moves in a circle, you win marry the person in the picture soon and will lead a life of bliss; if the ring moves to and fro, it is unlikely you will marry him. Should the ring not move at all, you are likely to remain single.

On the Eve of St. Agnes (on the night before January 21) take a row of pins and pull them out, one after the other. Then stick a pin in your sleeve and you will dream of the one you will marry.

If you find a four-leaf clover, put it in your right shoe and the next bachelor you meet will become your husband.

The New Moon.-This ceremony must be practiced on the first night of the new moon. Open wide the windows of your bedroom and sit down on the windowsill, gazing with unblinking eyes at the moon, and at the same time repeating softly and slowly the following incantation: “All hail, Selene, all hail to thee! I prithee, good moon, reveal to me this night to whom I'll wedded be.” During the night you will dream of your future husband.

Wedding-cake.-Take a small piece of wedding-cake, pass it three times through a wedding-ring and then lay the cake under your pillow. In your dreams that night your future husband will appear to you. Place a small piece of wedding-cake under your pillow and put a borrowed wedding ring on the third finger of your left hand. Before you retire to bed arrange the shoes, which you have worn that day in the shape of a T. Then, it is said, your future husband will appear to you in your dreams.

If a woman should eat a salted herring just before she goes to bed, her future husband will appear to her in a dream, carrying a cup of water with which to quench her thirst.

June is the best month to get married. Romans believed that Juno, their goddess of woman, blessed marriages that took place in her month.

In the olden days, when a wife was considered a possession, a wedding ring was a sign that the woman had been purchased by the groom.

Marry on the upswing of the clock, basically on the half-hour, like 2:30 instead of 2, or 3, because that way the hands of the clock are on their way up, not down

According to an oldwives' tale only the wicked can grow it.


It is very unlucky to give parsley.


Parsley plants must not be given.


Parsley should not be transplanted; it means a death in the family or bad luck.


If a stranger plants parsley in a garden, great trouble will befall the owner.


Where parsley grows in the garden, the missus is the master.


Where the mistress is the master, the parsley grows the faster.


Parsley flourishes best either when sown by the housewife rather than by her husband, or in gardens of homes where she is master.


If a young woman sows parsley-seed she will have a child.


Parsley is believed to prevent a pregnancy, and is sometimes eaten as a salad by young married women who do not desire to have a family.


If you want to bring on your period put a sprig of parsley inside your vagina for 12 hours - your period should start 24 hours later.


In the 1600's and 1700's in England, children were told that little girls came from the parsley bed.

If you hear foot steps behind you on this night, don't look back. It may be the dead following you. Turning back could mean that you will soon join the dead.

Girls who carry a lamp to a spring of water on this night can see their future husband in the reflection.

Girls who carry a broken egg in a glass to a spring of water (during the day) can not only see their future husband by mixing some of the spring water into the glass, but she can also see a glimpse of her future children.

An old tradition was that girls should go into a field and there scatter the seed of hemp. While they did so they chanted “Hempseed I sow thee Come after me and show me”. Upon suddenly turning round, it was declared that each girl would see a vision of the man who would be her husband.

Bobbing for Apples - Each member of the party is given an apple, from which a small piece has been cut, and into which a fortune written on a slip of paper has been inserted. The apples are thrown into a large tub of water and the company invited to duck their heads and retrieve an apple with their mouths. Upon doing so they draw out the slip of paper and read their fortune.

To find out of your lover is true. select one of the letters which you have received from your sweetheart, especially one which contains a particularly passionate and important declaration; lay it wide open upon a table and then fold it nine times. Pin the folds together, place the letter in your left-hand glove, and slip it under your pillow. If on that night you dream of silver, gems, glass, castles or clear water, your lover is true and his declarations are genuine; if you dream of linen, storms, fire, wood, flowers, or he is saluting you, he is false and has been deceiving you.

Mashed potatoes offer a method of divining who will be the first to wed. Into the heap of mashed potatoes a ring, a three penny-bit, a button, a heart-shaped charm, a shell and a key are inserted. Then all the lights in the room are turned out, and each guest, armed with a spoon or fork, endeavors to find the hidden charms. The one who finds the ring win marry first; the three penny-bit signifies wealth; the button, bachelorhood or spinsterhood; the heart, passionate love; the shell, long journeys; the key, great success and power.

The old Celtic custom was to light great bonfires on Halloween, and after these had burned out to make a circle of the ashes of each fire. Within this circle, and near the circumference, each member of the various families that had helped to make a fire would place a pebble. If, on the next day, any stone was out of its place, or had been damaged, it was held to be an indication that the one to whom the stone belonged would die within twelve months.

Halloween derives its name from the fact that in the Christian calendar it occurs the day before 'All Saints' or All Hallows' Day. It was the last night of the old year according to the ancient calendar of the Celts. On that night it was said that the witches, hobgoblins, warlocks, and other evil spirits walked abroad and devoted themselves to wicked revels. But the good fairies, too, according to some folklore, made their appearance at this time, but only from the hour of dusk until midnight.

If a bat flies into a house it is a sign that ghosts are about and maybe the ghost let the bat in

If bats come out early and fly around playfully, then it is a sign of good weather to come.

If a bat flies around a house 3 times, it is a death omen.

Peel an apple from top to bottom. The person with the longest unbroken peel would be assured the longest life. If you threw the apple peel over your shoulder, the initial it forms upon landing is the initial of your future mate.

When bobbing for apples, it is believed that the first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry.

If you go to a crossroads at Halloween and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months.

A person born on Halloween can see and talk to spirits

To prevent ghosts coming into the house at Halloween, bury animal bones or a picture of an animal near the doorway.

If a girl puts a sprig of rosemary herb and a silver sixpence under her pillow on Halloween night, she will see her future husband in a dream.

In Britain, people believed that the Devil was a nut-gatherer. At Halloween, nuts were used as magic charms.

Many people used to believe that owls swooped down to to eat the souls of the dying. If they heard an owl hooting, they would become frightened. A common remedy was thought to be, turning your pockets inside out and you would be safe

Some believe if you catch a snail on Halloween night and lock it into a flat dish, in the morning you will see the first letter of your sweetheart written in the snail's slime

You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits

Knocking on wood keeps bad luck away

If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you

If you ring a bell on Halloween, it will scare evil spirits away

In North America, it's bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In Britain and Ireland, it's the opposite.

If a candle flame suddenly turns blue, there's a ghost nearby