Old Wives Tales

 An acorn at the window will keep lightning out
 

Amber beads, worn as a necklace, can protect against illness or cure colds.

 Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

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 swarm of bees settling on a roof is an omen that the house will burn down.

The sound of bells drives away demons because they're afraid of the loud noise.

When a bell rings, an angel has received his wings.

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.

Monday's child is fair of face;
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe;
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving;
Saturday's child works hard for a living.
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
is fair and wise, good and gay.

If you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake with the first puff you will get your wish.

To protect yourself from witches, wear a blue bead.

Touch blue
And your wish
Will come true.

Before slicing a new loaf of bread, make the sign of the cross on it.

A loaf of bread should never be turned upside down after a slice has been cut from it.

If you say good-bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see each other again.

Do not lean a broom against a bed. The evil spirits in the broom will cast a spell on the bed.

If you sweep trash out the door after dark, it will bring a stranger to visit.

If someone is sweeping the floor and sweeps over your feet, you'll never get married.

Never take a broom along when you move. Throw it out and buy a new one.

To prevent an unwelcome guest from returning, sweep out the room they stayed in immediately after they leave.

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

Three butterflies together mean good luck.

If a candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits are nearby.

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

Cows lifting their tails is a sure sign that rain is coming.

If a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it walks away, it takes the good luck with it.

Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" of the child.

A cat onboard a ship is considered to bring luck.

If your cheeks suddenly feel on fire, someone is talking about you.

If you get a shiver up your spine it means that someone is walking over your grave.

It's very lucky to meet a chimney sweep by chance. Make a wish when sighting one, and the wish will come true.

It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match.

Evil spirits can't harm you when you stand inside a circle.

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

It's good luck to find a four-leaf clover. Clover protects human beings and animals from the spell of magicians and the wiles of fairies, and brings good luck to those who keep it in the house.

It's bad luck to pick up a coin if it's tails side up. Good luck comes if it's heads up.

To drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming disappointment.

Don't step on a crack you'll brake your mother's back.

A cricket in the house brings good luck.

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

Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen.

It's bad luck to leave a house through a different door than the one used to come into it.

If you dream of death it's a sign of a birth, if you dream of birth, it's a sign of death.
Dream of running: a sign of a big change in your life.
Dreams at night are a devil's delight
Dreams in the morning, heed the angels' warning.

If your right ear itches, someone is speaking well of you.
If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you.
Left for love and right for spite:
Left or right, good at night.

For good luck throughout the year, wear new clothes on Easter.

Pictures of an elephant bring luck, but only if they face a door.

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

To cure a sty, stand at a crossroads and recite
Sty, sty, leave my eye
Take the next one coming by.

If an eyelash falls out, put it on the back of the hand, make a wish and throw it over your shoulder.
If it flies off the hand the wish will be granted.

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

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.

It brings bad luck for a flag to touch the ground.

First Flower of Spring:
Monday means good fortune,
Tuesday means greatest attempts will be successful,
Wednesday means marriage,
Thursday means warning of small profits,
Friday means wealth,
Saturday means misfortune,
Sunday means excellent luck for weeks.

If the bottom of your right foot itches, you are going to take a trip.

To drop a fork means a man is coming to visit.

A bed changed on Friday will bring bad dreams.

Any ship that sails on Friday will have bad luck.

You should never start a trip on Friday or you will meet misfortune.

Never start to sew anything on Friday unless you can finish it the same day.

A frog brings good luck to the house it enters.

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

A child born on Good Friday and baptized on Easter Sunday has a gift of healing, and if its a boy, he should go into the ministry.

Cut your hair on Good Friday to prevent headaches in the year to come.

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

Shed no blood on Good Friday, work no wood, hammer no nail.

If the palm of your right hand itches it means you will soon be getting money.
If the palm of your left hand itches it means you will soon be paying out money.

A horseshoe hung above the doorway will bring good luck to a home, the shoes must turned upward or your luck will run out.

A horseshoe hung in the bedroom will keep nightmares away.

If your nose itches you will soon be kissed by a fool.
If your nose itches someone coming with a hole in their britches.
If your nose itches
Your mouth is in danger.
You'll kiss a fool,
And meet a stranger.
Rub an itch to wood
It will come to good.

A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.

A knife placed under the bed during childbirth will ease the pain of labor.

If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a penny or your friendship will soon be broken.

It is bad luck to close a pocket knife unless you were the one who opened it.

Knife falls, gentleman calls;
Fork falls, lady calls;
Spoon falls, baby calls.

It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.

If a young girl catches a ladybug and then releases it, the direction in which it flies away will be the direction from which her future husband will come.

It is bad luck to kill a ladybug.

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home.
Your house is on fire,
Your children all roam.

If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of autumn you will not catch a cold all winter.

Lettuce is believed to have magical and healing properties, including the power to arouse love and counteract the effects of wine.

Lettuce promotes child bearing if eaten by young women, and certain types of salad can bring on labor in pregnant women.

To dream of a lizard is a sign that you have a secret enemy.

It's bad luck to let milk boil over.

To break a mirror means 7 years bad luck.

It is unlucky to see your face in a mirror by candlelight.

A mirror should be covered during a thunderstorm because it attracts lightning.

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

Mistletoe in the house protects it from thunder and lightning.

It also cures many diseases, is an antidote to poison and brings good luck and fertility.

A girl standing under a mistletoe cannot refuse to be kissed by anyone who claims the privilege.

An onion cut in half and placed under the bed of a sick person will draw off fever and poisons.

A wish will come true if you make it while burning onions.

Unless you were born in October, it's unlucky to wear opals.

It is bad luck to see an owl in the sunlight.

If you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will remember the answers.

If you spill pepper you will have a serious argument with your best friend.

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

A rabbit's foot will bring luck and protect the owner from evil spirits if carried in the pocket.

A rainbow in the Eastern sky,
The morrow will be fine and dry.
A rainbow in the West that gleams,
Rain tomorrow falls in streams.

A red ribbon should be placed on a child who has been sick to keep the illness from returning.

A wish made upon seeing the first robin in spring will come true - but only if you complete the wish before the robin flies away.

If you leave a rocking chair rocking when empty, it invites evil spirits to come into your house to sit in the rocking chair.

Bad luck will follow the spilling of salt unless a pinch is thrown over the left shoulder into the face of the devil waiting there.

Put salt on the doorstep of a new house and no evil can enter.

Salty soup is a sign that the cook is in love.

If you drop scissors, it means your lover is being unfaithful to you.

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

Do not place shoes upon a table, for this will bring bad luck for the day, cause trouble with your mate and you might even lose your job as a result.

It's bad luck to leave shoes upside down.

Place a hand in front of your mouth when sneezing.
Your soul may escape otherwise.
The devil can enter your body when you sneeze.
Having someone say, "God bless you," drives the devil away

If you sneeze on a Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow.
Sneeze on a Sunday, and the devil will have domination over you all week.

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

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

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

All wishes on shooting stars come true.

Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.

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

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

If you bite your tongue while eating, it is because you have recently told a lie.

It's bad luck to open an umbrella inside the house, especially if you put it over your head.

If a woman sees a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it means she will marry a sailor.
If she sees a sparrow, she will marry a poor man and be very happy.
If she sees a goldfinch, she will marry a millionaire.

A bride's veil protects her from evil spirits who are jealous of happy people.

A watermelon will grow in your stomach if you swallow a watermelon seed.

Red sky at night, sailors delight, red sky at morning, sailors take warning.
Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.

Rain on the green grass, rain on the hillside. But not on me.

Knock three times on wood after mentioning good fortune so evil spirits won't ruin it.

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

If you make a wish while throwing a coin into a well or fountain, the wish will come true.