RHYS BOWEN: Friday 13th, in October, month that is scary enough to start with. Dare I go out today? Certainly not order anything online. But wait–am I really superstitious? I come from a family of superstitious women. I was raised by my grandmother and great aunts. (my mother was always a career woman, teacher then principal). My great aunt Sarah Ann had a saying for everything: if you dropped a knife it would be a gentleman visitor, a fork was a lady and a spoon… that was disappointment. You sneezed: once a wish, twice a kiss, three times comes a letter.
I see now in their small, quiet lives, women living at home, a visitor or a letter was a big event.
These women always said RABBITS when they woke up on the first day of the month to ensure luck for the month. I confess that I’ve done that all my life too. I wake up, turn over… wait… it’s the first of October. RABBITS! I don’t think any great disaster befalls if I don’t say it.
Other superstitions? I don’t think I have any worries about walking under a ladder, spilling salt and throwing it over my shoulder, stepping on cracks on the sidewalk, but Friday 13th is a big one.
(And I have to add here that I’m writing this at the auto dealership in the waiting area and a man behind me just asked “What kind of poison are you using?” And the writer’s mind is instantly alert. )
So Reds: are you superstitious? Will you be extra cautious today? Have you inherited any family superstitions?
LUCY BURDETTE: OMG Rhys, was he saying that to you because he knew you’re a mystery writer? If not, that’s very spooky!
No real superstitions here. Except…if saying something not exactly true, I cross fingers behind my back. Black cats get a bad rap, but I won’t walk under a ladder. That’s more for fear something will be dropped on me! I had a friend during my internship who always said Rabbit, Rabbit, so I got into that habit too. We wondered if it shouldn’t be Tibbar, Tibbar on April Fool’s day??
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You DO go to interesting places, Rhys!
Let’s see. My stepfather was hilarious about this. He insisted superstitions were silly, but he absolutely would not put a hat on a bed. When I questioned that, he said it’s not superstition, it’s just something that one doesn’t do.
Sure.
I think black cats are good luck. I’m fine with 13. (But it does cross my mind.) There's no reason to walk under a ladder, see step-father above. If I find a penny face up, I definitely pick it up. If face down, I leave it, rationalizing that the next person might actually need the penny.
Yes, I saw rabbit rabbit, as soon as I remember.
HALLIE EPHRON: Rabbit Rabbit??? How did I miss that.
I do “knock on wood” whenever I find myself declaring some good fortune I’ve had. Because the evil eye could be listening. Or watching, I suppose. My mother had all sorts of superstitions. Spill salt?? No idea what that portended. Drop a fork or a knife? As I recall that meant a gentleman is coming. It all had meaning.
My daughter has two spectacular black cats (Pluto and Squidie) And they have been nothing but a sheer delight.
JENN McKINLAY: Black cat owner here. Patsy and Loretta, although Loretta passed last year and Patsy (19) appears to be headed that way. I am not superstitious at all. Although, I do remember walking home from school as a kid and someone told me if I stepped on a crack it would break my mother’s back. I was very careful after that but left the fear behind in childhood.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I've had some lovely black cats, too, and think they are very unfairly maligned. Like Lucy, I don't generally walk under ladders, but only because I don't want things falling on my head. I never learned to say Rabbit Rabbit on the first of the month–I'd never even heard that one before Facebook! No one in my family threw salt, or had a saying for dropped knives and forks. I do remember as a very small child worrying about stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk, but I got over it. I do "knock wood" but I don't actually believe it brings good luck.
Not worried about Friday the 13th, either–where did that one come from?--but still not watching any scary movies.
(Rhys--I think it's early Christianity. Friday when Jesus was crucified and 13 unlucky because 12 Apostles plus Jesus and one of them was a bad lot!)
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Well, I hope there’s nothing to the superstition, because I’m flying today! I’ll let you know if any out of the ordinary disasters befall me - which leads to another superstition embedded in our language: dis-aster comes from dis astro, literally an evil star, a bad omen.
My own superstitions? I try not to walk widdershins (counterclockwise) and like the rest of you I always knock on wood. I always say, “God bless you!” to a sneezer because I read a folktale as a child in Germany that if someone sneezes three times and no one blesses them, the Devil will come and steal away their soul! Not that I believe it… but I do <i>remember</i> it.
I’m also the proud owner of a lovely black cat, Neko. The only bad luck she comes with is a sensitive stomach, which leads to a superstition I created: watch where you’re walking in your house, or you might step in cat barf.
RHYS: I admit I will drive a little more carefully today, check the stove to make sure I haven't left anything cooking and watch my step.
So who else is superstitious? What strange superstitions do you have?
I'm not particularly concerned about it being Friday the thirteenth; like most of you, I don't walk under ladders and have heard the children's "step on a crack" rhyme. I admit to knocking on wood, loving black cats, and saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes [although I never heard that folktale, Julia]. Nor have I ever heard about "Rabbit Rabbit" or that one about pennies, Hank . . . we'd always been told that found on the ground money was an angel kiss: if it is face up, it is meant for you; if it is face down, it is meant for someone else and you are supposed to give it away . . . .
ReplyDeleteNow you've heard it, you won't forget it, Joan!
DeleteI'd never heard that one about found money and the "angel's kiss," Joan. But it's very sweet! - Melanie
DeleteLike JULIA, I’m also flying tonight to Vancouver BC (from Ottawa), so I was not worried about the date when I booked my flight!
ReplyDeleteI also never heard of saying "Rabbit Rabbit" on the first of the month until my FB friends were posting about it.
But I did believe the rhyme "Step on a crack, break your mother's back!" when I was a kid, and did my best to avoid walking on sidewalk cracks. Oh, I would never deliberately walk under a ladder.
Safe travels Grace and Julia. Enjoy your trips.
DeleteThanks, JUDY! Eating amazing food, attending the Vancouver Literary Festival & other mystery-fiction events, and plenty of cycling, hiking and walking are in my plans for the next 10 days.
DeleteHave a wonderful time, Grace
DeleteHave a great time, Grace! We reached DC with no problems - but I'm glad we took one of the earliest flights to avoid delays, etc.
DeleteWe were coming home from a family trip at Disney World and getting on the plane. We were seated in Row 16 just getting started to get settled when this young woman comes up to me and asks if we could trade seats with them. They were in Row 13 and one of their friends was freaking out because of it. I said sure, they were so grateful.
ReplyDeleteI have a black cat that we named Barnabas and he is now 14. I had a tuxedo cat that had passed away from cancer earlier in the year. Then one Sunday morning I received an email from the North Shore Animal Shelter in Salem, MA stating that they had an abundance of black cats. I told my husband about it and that I was ready now to adopt another cat. They had all the black cats in a separate play room. I just took a seat and watched them and this cat that they called Kitty 2 sat in the chair next to me. I was petting him and he seemed very sweet. After a few minutes when he left my side to climb, I left the room and told my husband that a cat found me. It's been 10 years now and he is a good boy. We celebrate his birthday on the first day of August as it was not known and that's the day we adopted him.
My black cat is the sweetest and most affectionate one I've had in 30-plus years of cat hosting, Queen.
DeleteI heard all the sayings when I was a kid, and as kids do, mostly ignored them. As pointed out, I don't walk under ladders for safety reasons. And breaking a mirror should be avoided because who wants to clean up glass or look in a mirror that's in pieces.
ReplyDeleteAs for Friday the 13th, my dad always said it was a GOOD luck day because he was born on one. But my beloved old mare, Jenny, died on a Friday the 13th, so that balances it out.
Safe travels, Julia!
Thanks, Annette! So far, so good.
DeleteSo many superstitions are passed on to us when we are young. Although we may not understand the origins, we may automatically perform the "counterspell" like throwing salt over our shoulders, avoiding the crack in the sidewalk, saying, "Bless you, " crossing our fingers or knocking on wood. Here's one, lift up your feet when you ride over railroad tracks or your boyfriend will break up with you. Darn if I don't still do it automatically if I am aware of the tracks!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother used to get really upset about a hat on the bed, Hank. If one lands on a bed in my house, I snatch it off and have no idea why but think of Gramma every time. It can be a bit comical.
As for Friday the 13th, sometimes I don't even know that it has come or gone. Meh.
I’d forgotten my kids used to do that for some reason-/ making a wish or similar!
DeleteKnock wood definitively - I think that has morphed in society from a superstition into just feeling … polite? Trying not to be braggy?
ReplyDeleteYesterday there was spilled salt and I found myself thinking about whether I could throw it over my shoulder into the sink without making a mess. When walking on a sidewalk with someone, if we split around a lamppost I will say “bread and butter” in my head - habit from childhood rather than a true superstition.
I learned about “Rabbit, rabbit” from Trixie Belden but never got into that habit.
The number 13 has never troubled me - I think it’s silly my building skips it (since that doesn’t stop it from existing).
Yes, many high-rise building skip the 13th floor! But most airplanes still have a row 13 of seats to choose from.
DeleteI still have trouble stepping on a crack ("break your mother's back") or a line ("break your mother's spine"), even though my mom died eleven years ago. I remember a superstition about it being bad luck to look in a cracked mirror. What about "See a penny, pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck. See a penny, let it lay, bad luck will follow you all the day"? I stopped picking up coins on the street during pandemic lockdown and haven't resumed.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same as the Reds with ladders, and also learned about Rabbit Rabbit on Facebook. I love black cats. And the number 13 is lucky in Brazil!
Oh, and safe travels to Julia and Grace!
DeleteJapanese culture has superstitions in connection with death. You always leave your chopsticks laid neatly on the top of a bowl of food, not stuck into it, because that's how food is left for a dead person. And there are two ways to say the number four, and you must avoid one because it also means death (I might have fractured this a bit, and now I can't remember if it's yon or shi you have to avoid saying).
DeleteYes, in Japanese, the word four and death are both pronounced as shi. The kanji (written characters) are different, though. They have the same superstition in China with the word "si".
Delete? Cracked mirror and seven years bad luck ? Diana
DeleteThat's it, Biblio!
DeleteFYI, Canada goes rid of penny coins several years ago, so no good or bad luck can be found.
DeleteTo all air travelers today: Blue skies and strong tailwinds. We love black cats on Nome St. At one point, we had 4. Our most recent boy died on Charles III coronation. I believe he is keeping Charles throne warm in heaven. // As far as childhood superstitions, I had so many. Especially 'step on a crack etc.' Being a kid, when mad at mom, I would walk home jumping on every crack. Then mom did break her back... it took years to let go of that erroneous cause and effect.
ReplyDeleteOh Coralee what a unfortunate coincidence.
DeleteThat would make such a good story! Poor you. I can imagine how you felt
DeleteI've never heard of saying Rabbit on the first day of the month for luck, so I had to look it up:
ReplyDelete"Rabbits have been associated with luck for two millennia. Some believe that saying Rabbit, Rabbit on the first of the month will be a harbinger of good fortune. But, if one forgets to say it on the first, saying it backwards,Tibbar Tibbar, at your first opportunity will re-set one's luck."
I love superstitions because they tell us so much about culture. The hat, shoes, outside clothes on the bed thing comes from when people generally passed away at home and were 'laid out' by family members for a visitation, wake, etc. You would only be wearing something like a hat or shoes on the bed after you died, so to put anything like that on the bed was to invite death into the home. My Italian teacher explained that one to me. Italy has lots of fascinating ones that don't always translate here.
ReplyDeleteMy mother is not overly superstitious, but she inherited a lot of folk sayings from her German immigrant farmer grandparents and I''ve absorbed them by osmosis. Yup, I've heard the one about utensils. One of my favorites was "if your nose itches, a fool will kiss you." Or "if you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive." (we'd always just gently pick them up with something and carry them out of the house.) If you killed a spider, you'd make it rain. Which I guess could be good in a drought!
The only thing I tend to be truly superstitious is about is the weather. I have this idea that if I complain it's too hot, it will get cold suddenly. If I complain about it being chilly, we'll have a heat wave, etc. Maybe it's just b/c I don't like to complain about what I can't change and it's way to train myself out of it.
Oh and the knock on wood thing is to chase the fairies away so they don't hear you/bother you. In folklore, a lot of the fairies are *not* sweet Disney creatures and if they hear your plans, wishes, etc, they may set about ruining them. In some other cultures, instead of 'knock on wood' it's 'touch iron.' Fairies also hate iron. 🤷🏻♀️
DeleteI’d forgotten hat on the bed. That was certainly part of my family’s sayings
DeleteThe death associations are fascinating! I had no idea.
DeleteI have no problem with Friday the 13th. One of the most important people in my life was born on a Friday the 13th. The one cat I've had was all black and I loved her, despite her occasional bitey-ness. I had never heard of Rabbit, Rabbit before FB, I remember having a rabbit's foot keychain as a child, and that was supposed to be good luck. Rhys, my Yorkshire Auntie told us a slightly longer version of your sneezing rhyme: One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a letter, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. At the time I didn't think anyone except my dad could sneeze seven times in a row.
ReplyDeleteI nearly always sneeze three times in a row. With my allergies if that was true I'd be awash in letters!
DeleteI do too, Karen!
DeleteI usually sneeze twice in a row, so I am getting a lot of joy!
DeleteI’ve heard the one for sorrow rhyme but didn’t realize it came from
DeleteSneezes
Rhys: "And I have to add here that I’m writing this at the auto dealership in the waiting area and a man behind me just asked 'What kind of poison are you using?' And the writer’s mind is instantly alert."
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Rhys! Was he talking to someone on the phone? Maybe asking about weed poison? Hopefully. :)
I tried to listen in but he was walking around on his phone. I think it was insects!
DeleteNo triskaidekaphobia in my family: my mother, born in 1930 at three pounds, the surviving twin, is still rocking at nearly 94, and she was born on Friday the 13th. Of course, it wasn't so lucky for her twin, but still.
ReplyDeleteI knock wood, out of habit, but I can't think of any other "good luck" things I do. My neighbor, though, will never leave a house or other building any way but how she entered. She is also in her 90s, and French Canadian. I don't know if that is cultural, but I'd never heard of that particular superstition before.
Rhys, more details on the poison comment, please!
A friend wrote this on Facebook today:
DeleteWhat is more scary than Friday the 13th?
No Speaker of the House
No Army Chief
No Chief of Naval Ops
No Head of the Air Force
No Ambassador to Israel, Lebanon, Oman, Kuwait
No Commander of the Fifth Fleet
No one in 300 military leadership positions
No State Dept Coordinator for Counterterrorism
No USCENTCOM Deputy Commander
No Defense Attache to Israel
Karen, we don't need any superstitions. Reality is scary enough.
DeleteSo try true, Karen!
DeletePriblem is on social media, they are blaming the incorrect political party for the chaos.
DeleteI agree.
DeleteI have two kids born on Friday the thirteenth, so nix that one. However, I don’t put new shoes on the table, and always think one death, two more will come – and wait until they do. I also never go back to get something after I leave home – my mother always said that and I was terrified when I forgot my watch and went back to get it just before a final exam – I was sure I would fail!
ReplyDeleteThe nuts are whacko locally today, Friday the 13th--keeping kids home from school, etc. I don't think it has anything to do with superstition though. The world is crazypants crazy right now. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteAs for superstitions, or sayings, my mom always said if your nose itched, it meant someone was coming by. If your ear burned, it meant someone was talking about you. We did knock wood, I still do. And bless you if you sneeze.
Mothers and itches theme: my mother ( and hers) said that if your palm itches, in church, you’re going to get money. I always wondered if that meant you could take money out of the offering basket?? Elisabeth
DeleteMy mother used to throw spilled salt over her left shoulder, and I certainly wouldn't walk under a ladder (dangerous). I don't fear Friday the 13th, and I have a lovely black tuxedo cat. But I once was checking out at See's Candies, and the total was $6.66. I always think of the Mark of the Beast when I see 666, so I bought something additional so the total would be different! Silly? Yes, I laughed about that, but I thought it couldn't hurt! Hmmm . . . when could you ever buy something that cheap at See's--that's the mystery! Oh, and I only heard of Rabbit, Rabbit a few years ago from Facebook, like Grace.
ReplyDeleteSee’s Candies at Almaden Plaza?
DeleteProbably the one at Valley Fair in Santa Clara. Now I've moved north from the Bay Area, and my closest See's is in Folsom. I always have a box of their candy and try to eat only one piece per day.
DeleteMargie, thanks for reminding me. I remember I have this superstition about the number 666 AND 13.
DeleteYears before the pandemic, I recall buying lunch at a takeaway and the bill was $13 so I added $20 (paying for the person behind me in line). For some reason, I thought of 33 as a lucky number, though.
Diana
Just woke up and cannot think of superstitions. However, I remember saying "knock on wood" the other day.
ReplyDeleteToday is Friday the 13th and I think of that Halloween film, though I have never watched that movie. Walking on the street, I do try to avoid cracks for safety reasons, especially since that time when I fell down and bruised my leg.
Regarding black cats, I read about how black cats sometimes are mistreated around Halloween and we have to take care to keep them safe. Great post today!
Diana
Who was it who said: I'm not SUPERstitious, but I'm KINDAstitious...
ReplyDeleteMom always said if your palm itched, you were going to get money. My palm has itched but don't remember getting any money.
ReplyDeleteDeanna Dale my mom always said that too.
DeleteAnd (see above) my mom qualified the itchy palm with “in church”. Elisabeth
DeleteMy mom said if your palm itched, you were going to “come into money”.
DeleteWhat fun! My mother was a superstition maven. Palm itches-come into money, nose itches- have a fight or kiss a fool, shoes on a table-very bad luck, drop a knife-male company, drop a fork-female company. She had more, but these are the only ones that come to mind. As for me, Friday the 13th has been a very lucky day - and I love black cats. Don't have any now, but have been the proud owner of two.
ReplyDeleteThis made me remember my mother saying we'd told a lie if we said our tongues were sore.
DeleteI think of them as “just superstitions”’ so don’t really take them seriously. My dad was very superstitious about the number 13. As the story goes he nearly died when they tried to take his tonsils out at age 13 on a Friday the 13th. The nearly died part is for sure true. The Mayo Clinic buildings do not have floor 13 in the elevators. My son’s birthday does sometimes fall on a Friday the 13th but he was born on a Saturday. It is also sometimes on Mother’s Day which is nice. The worst for him growing up was when it coincided with his sister’s dance recital. Now that is bad luck!
ReplyDeleteMy mother had a lot of problems with her back so I certainly avoided stepping on cracks at all costs. I actually said while on a walk shortly after she died, “I guess I can step on the cracks now.” That was 5 years ago. I still don’t really do it as it is an old habit ingrained in me.
I don’t walk under ladders, a broken mirror is 7 years bad luck, so handle those carefully. Your nose itches because someone is talking about you. I don’t like black cats, but then I am not a cat person to begin with. It makes me a little nervous to open an umbrella in the house even just to let it dry. Raise your feet when traveling over a bridge and hold your breath when you pass a cemetery. My husband was the first person I ever encountered who did the rabbit thing on the first of the month, only for some reason he says “White rabbit”.
Gosh, once I started thinking about it so many came to mind! But they’re “just superstitions”.😉
"Just superstitions," I agree, Brenda - but I also studiously avoided stepping on cracks until after my mother died....
DeleteNo superstitions here. My parents were not superstitious, and just laughed about people who were. The first time I heard about Rabbit Rabbit was when I was a freshman in college. Someone in our dorm brought it up, and we all had a good laugh about it!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
I think this whole blog may just send me down a rabbit hole as now I am wondering what the origins of these superstitions are. For example, could the hat on the bed thing have had something to do with the spread of lice?
ReplyDeleteNo superstitions that I take seriously, but I knock on wood, avoid walking under ladders, and note when a Friday the 13th rolls around. The “rabbit rabbit” WAY PREDATES the internet. I first heard of it from my aunt when I was about 8 (1954ish). Then in my early 20s discovered E.B. White wrote more than Charlotte’s Web and devoured his collected essays from the New Yorker and other publications. It was among those that I read on the last night of the month on getting into bed say “ rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” to bid farewell and on the first morning of the new month say “bunny, bunny, bunny” to greet the new month. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteI'm not really superstitous but I do think it's not the best idea to walk under a ladder given gravity, etc. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteSome superstitions are really more like common sense, aren't they, April!
DeleteMy superstitions come from working in the theater…. Never quote the Scottish play (I don’t even like writing or saying the title…Macbeth) & if someone does they must go outside immediately turn around 3 times and spit on the ground (though I don’t participate in the last part). Never wish someone luck, rather say “Break a leg”or if they are a dancer, ‘merde’, and never ever whistle in the theater. That some from the days when most stagehand were retired sailors who used certain whistles to signal when to bring scenery in or out and one could get clobbered by a set piece by mistake.
ReplyDeleteThere are some superstitions that are actually just smart things. Like walking under a ladder.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, my mom was the one who taught me about stepping on a crack. I became OCD about doing that for years.
I say I'm not superstitious, but there are things like that which had crept into my life. And I know this Friday the 13th isn't going to be a great day. It's Friday, but it's not pay day. ;)
In Scotland, seeing a black cat means you'll have wealth. Having had several black cats, it doesn't seem to apply if they are yours!
ReplyDeleteI adopted the Scottish superstition about having a "first footer." On New Years Day (or the first day you have guests) the first person through the door should be a tall, handsome, dark-haired man. I have several male friends who fulfill at least two requirements, so I'm usually good!
ReplyDeleteMy mom taught me superstitions, in the same way she taught me manners or anything else - as a matter of course. At least I accepted them when young without question. I do remember as a young adult coming home from shoe shopping and setting the box on the table so I could show her my cute new shoes. She immediately told me to take them off the table. She was seated at the table so it seemed like a logical place to put them and I explained that I would move them as soon as I had shown them to her. Again, in an urgent tone, she told me to take them off the table. I complied and later told my sister, “I think Mom’s losing it” and explained what had happened. She said it was just one of Mom’s superstitions. I never knew the explanation for that one until reading this blog.
ReplyDeleteMy mom did the spilled salt routine and many others mentioned here (though not “rabbit, rabbit” - that must not come from German superstitions which is where my mom got most of hers, I believe). She did have one she taught me that no one’s mentioned: “Friday night’s dream on Saturday told will always come true, no matter how old.” To this day, I try never to discuss a bad dream on Saturday. Now if it was a good dream, go for it! (One other dream superstition is that you must eat something before telling your dream or it will come true. The older I get, my dreams are weird so I make sure to eat a piece of fruit or something before regaling my husband with the details.) — Pat S
I’m not really superstitious. We do say Bless you in my family but that’s more manners than superstition. Friday the 13th is a good day for us. My mom was born on a Friday the 13th and my grandmother felt it was her lucky day after 4 boys.
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm so late commenting--Peter and I on the road, and I'm only now sitting down at the computer. Such fun reading about all the superstitions. When I was a child, my mother encouraged my sister and me to make wishes all the time: on first stars, turned-up hems, wishbones from a baked chicken, eyelashes that fell out (you had to make a wish and then blow the eyelash off your fingertip into the air), dandelion fluff, and on many more things. We always had fun making wishes, but I don't remember ever believing, even as a small child, that my wish would come true. For whatever reason, I just didn't grow up superstitious.
ReplyDelete