“My aunt got a black bird stuck in her house. It was black with an orange beak is this a death omen.”
June
Many people believed that because birds could fly so high, they regularly flew in and out of heaven and were therefore closely connected to god. This belief formed the basis of literally hundreds of bird-related superstitions in the UK, some of which are still followed even today.
A wild bird entering a house was a death omen to many people:
“If a bird flies into your house, a death will follow within three days”
Some sources specifically mention birds in the chimney – again as a death omen.
A robin in the house is particularly unlucky
Find out more about the Superstitions of Britain
Do you have a favourite superstition you would like to share with us? Please leave a comment below.
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It is said to be bad luck luck to drop salt because it used to be very expensive and used for medical reasons.
ReplyDeleteTo counteract this bad luck you must through it over your left shoulder into the eyes of the demons, who were ment to lerk behind your shoulder!!!
Hello everyone.I’m new.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know how the habit of
‘Buttering the Cats Paws’originated
It is supposed to be done on moving into a new house.Cheers.
Buttering a cats feet is often spoken about but not atually carried out.
ReplyDelete“To prevent a cat leaving a new house, butter her paws; she will not attempt to run away after that, say the wise.”
The idea behind it, is that the cat will lick off the butter (along with the scent of the old house) and pick up the scent of the new house
Hi I’m new ,does anybody know which way a horseshoe is meant to be abve your door ? In different places it’s different.Also, why is walking under a ladder unlucky?….
ReplyDeleteThe horseshoe is considered very lucky and used to be hung in many homes to protect and attract good fortune for the family residing inside.
ReplyDeleteAs with many superstitions, there are contradictions to be found with the beliefs associated with the horseshoe. For instance, many believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out.
Others believe that no matter which way you hang the horseshoe, good luck will come. According to this superstition, the ends-pointing-down display simply means that the good luck is able to flow out and surround the home. If the horseshoe is hung over a doorway, ends up will catch good luck and ends down will let the good luck spill over the door and stop evil from entering.
Hi
ReplyDeleteThe idea of buttering a cat’s paws when you have moved to a new house is supposed to stop the cat getting lost. You would spread butter on all the cat’s paws and it would be so busy licking it off and cleaning itself that it would not wander off and try to find it’s way back to the old house which sometimes could be hundreds of miles away.
my grandma is italian and she gave me a charm that was an upsidedown horseshoe with the number 13 in it.she said it was good luck in italy but i was wondering where the meaning came from???
ReplyDeletethe meaning of buttering a cats paw is to keep the cat from turing ”evil” from trying to adapt to a new lifestyle and very well protects her form the devil and all other demons and spirits around.
ReplyDeletethanks
Well, there are many sparrows in my house and when I leave a window open, they will come in and still there is no death! So I confirm this is really false it is just a superstition.
ReplyDeleteIf you say Macbeth in any theater, even your school's, your supposed to be kicked out of the room and you have to spin around three times, spit over your shoulder and swear all the while to counter the dreaded curse.
ReplyDeleteOne of my cast mates had to do this while we were practising
It's the most fun superstition ever 🙂
Is any one on here actuall from scotland or what?
ReplyDeletesusy said
ReplyDeletei m new i have a kitten and i never buttered her paws but she ran away and came back so i think it a superstision
I am superstitious and will not walk underneath a ladder or cross some one on the stairs. I also touch wood and whistle for good luck does any one have any others?
ReplyDeleteSome superstitious are the same as well in Indonesia, like:
ReplyDelete– it's unlucky to walk/stand under ladder
– it's not 'good' for bride to meet groom before marriage.
– breaking a mirror is 'bad luck'
I don't take superstitious seriously hence believing it. Although for some villagers here, superstitious is a part of life traditions specially for pregnant women there will be many 'superstition rules' for her to obey (?). I saw it when my sister got pregnant and my Mother always reminded her what's don't in term of superstitious. Like: do not tie or cut something in earlier pregnancy. Do not talk bad/gossip about someone's figure, or your baby will be like the one the parents talk about, etc. After all being a parents is a big responsibilities 😉 Then when a baby is bornt, a small mirror usually put above her head to prevent 'bad things' from approaching her. In real life, despite sense of myth, I think some superstitious is like old advices for us to be more careful in life.
That is the fact I believe 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
i am so glad to read all this stuff about robins in the house because last night i had my baby playing in her playpen then when i went in to pick her up i saw a bird, i dont like birds up close to me so my heart jumped and i picked up my baby and ran upstairs to tell my mum and sister.
ReplyDeletei had forgotten to close the door downstairs so we all hid in my room and called my cosin to come and get it out of the house.
when i got the corage to go and investige we found out it was a robin and it had flown into my mums room.
so i closed the door and my cosin managed to let it free out the window, my mum is frightened it was an omen that she was going to die, but after reading different things i found out…
in italy its good luck
in england bad luck
can mean death
also means there is an important message to be given
from cat xxx
i come from england and when you spill salt its bad luck and you have to toss some over your shoulder to keep away the bad spirits and we dont ever open an umberella indoors because it gives you bad luck same with walking under a ladder
ReplyDeletei dont know why but when your just young your parents tell you these things because their parents told them, it becomes a habbit more than a ritual lol
from cat
I once went to Cornwall and we stayed in an upside-down house for a while. There were loads of vases of peacock feathers and nothing bad happened to us. I don't really believe in most superstitions as I have opened an umberella indoors before and nothing bad has happened. I don't think I'm superstsious enough. Maybe its not superstitions, just paranoid people…
ReplyDeleteIn the Chinese tradition, you should never allow your chopsticks to stand vertically in a bowl (such as stucking them on rice), as if you do so, the chopsticks look like incenses in a burner. It would imply that it is an offering to someone who has passed away. Janet Williams
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is "seeing" an imaginary blackbird flying around in our living room, our dog is also seeing it. What does this mean?? Can anyone help?
ReplyDelete