- WondrousSerendipity:
- Ireland isn't as superstitious as it was, and I'm not personally superstitious myself. But there are couple of things I've heard from my mother who is like, seriously superstious. We have the usual, don't walk under ladders, spill salt or break a mirror stuff but here are a couple more. Not sure if they're country specific, but here we go;
* If you are buying someone a purse or a bag as a gift, always put a 'luck penny' in it before you give it to them.
*A robin flying into your house through an open door or window is bad luck
* A bird flying into a window signals an impending death
*When leaving a house, always leave by the door you came in
* An itchy nose means you are looking for conflict
*A burning ear means someone is talking abut you
*When the catch of your necklace moves to the front of your neck, someone is thinking about you.
*Never step on a grave
*To cure a stye in your eye, have your mother bless it with her wedding ring.
*Black cats are unlucky
*If a broom suddenly falls over expect visitors
*Never marry or move house on a Satuday, the marriage or the move will be short lived and unhappy.
There are also a huge number of superstitions about faeries and banshees still. Here faeries aren't little Tinkerbell-esque things, they're like full on evil/scary/crazy. Here are just a few;
* Cutting down a hawthorn tree or a 'faery tree' is serious bad luck and according to the stories can cause; illness, thorns in your bed, crop failure or death.
*Never ever ever step inside a 'faery ring'. Ever. Seriously, I've had my grandmother pull me away from them a thousand times. Apparently stepping inside a ring can cause entrapment or madness.
*Never call a faery a faery out loud, call them them the 'good people' or 'daoine mhaith' to prevent angering them.
*Turning children's clothes/ socks inside out when they go to sleep stops faeries taking them and replacing them with changlings. However when my mother was growing up, they were never allowed to wear socks in bed incase the faeries took them, so I guess they are a couple of versions of that superstition.
*Banshees' cries are only heard by people with O in front of their surnames, e.g. O'Neill, banshees are seen by people with Mc in their surnames e.g. McBride. There are a few variations of this belief, some people say that only old families, like the O'Neills for example, can hear or see a banshee. Hearing or seeing a banshee signals the death of a loved one.
My Grandmother's mother was from Ireland and the one about the penny was kept through the generations. Even at work I'll put a penny in all the purses
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Passing a white horse is good luck and may mean that you will find something on the way home
There's a poem that goes with it:
"[Lucky], [lucky], [white] [horse], [ding] [ding] [ding].
[On my] [way] [home] [I'll] [find] [some][thing]."
You should tap the middle finger of your right hand against the center of your left palm in time with the beat.
This was taught to me by my grandma and I have no idea on where it came from.
There are no thirteenth floors in the United States or thirteenth gates at many airports as well as no thirteenth aisles in arplanes. Never give your child a name with thirteen letters.
When you find a penny on the ground:
If it's heads up, it's lucky and should be picked up.
If it's tails up, it should be left on the ground, otherwise it is bad luck.
The whole "Knock on wood" bit.
Dream catchers catch bad dreams and when the sun shines through the window, the bad dreams are burned up.
Never walk over someones grave or jump over their headstone.
If you say "Bloody Mary" into a mirror inside of a dark room, she will kill you and anyone with you.
Hold your breath passing a graveyard.
My mom considers Friday the 13th very lucky
Beginner's luck.
Carrying a rabbit's foot is good luck (although kind of gross.)
Three 6's are bad
If you break a wishbone with someone, whoever has the largest piece gets to make a wish.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Toads give you warts, lol.
If a bride wears something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, the marriage will be a happy one.
A cat takes a baby's breath away.
Never rock an empty rocking chair
Washing a car will bring rain.
If a black cat crosses your path, spit at them through a triangle.
My mom, grandma, neighbors, and just any other people say this. 
