Cool Superstitions and Folk Beliefs from Your Neck of the Woods

[DungeonmasterCal]

The recent sayings from your necks of the woods thread started me thinking. I grew up (and live) in the southern United States, and we have a lot of folkways here that still linger on. My dad was born in 1907, and was 56 when I was born in 1963. Consequently, I grew up around his brothers and sisters, and cousins who were also much older than I. I heard all sorts of folk wisdom and tales growing up, as well as witness to practices such as water-witching and such. Here are a few that spring to mind.

If a snapping turtle bites you, it won't let go until it hears thunder.

If a snake dies on its back, it will rain the next day.

If you see a lot of tortoises on the road, rain is coming.

Never eat fish and drink milk in the same meal, because it's poisonous. My dad believed this, and would NEVER mix the two at dinner.

What about you? Anything you remember from where you live?

 

[Jerome Steelsides]

When a snake dies, you have to cut off its head and smash it, or it'll come back to life.

 

[DerianCypher]

Very Hot and Very humid weather means an earthquake is coming. (I live in socal where it rarely gets humid )

 

[Gez]

Salt on a bird's tail prevents it to fly.


A cat sleeping on you when you're ailing speeds up your recovery.

 

[WayneLigon]

A cat sleeping on you when you're ailing speeds up your recovery.

That's just what they want you to think!
Everyone knows a cat will suck a baby's breath out and kill it. (My Mom was told this when she was a little girl).

 

[Mallus]

That a Philadelphia team will win a national championship?

(I kid, I kid)

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Here's one I got from my mom [that she told me]:
Step on a crack, break your mama's back.

She learned this one as a kid.

 

[der_kluge]

Stepping on a crack and breaking your Mom's back is pretty common. Larsen even wrote a Far Side about that one.

My grandma was really superstitious.

The way to treat a wart is to rub it with a new potato (I don't know what that is, btw), wrap it in a kitchen washcloth, and bury it under your front porch.

She would never accept salt handed to her at the dinner table. You had to set it down first before she would take it. If anyone took salt from someone's hand and it didn't touch the table, she would have to throw some salt over her shoulder to ward away the evil spirits.

 

[Kanegrundar]

My area has a lot of the ones listed above. There is the old "don't let a black cat cross your path" and breaking a mirror leads to seven years back luck. Beyond that, most of my supertitions came out of nowhere when I was playing baseball. I would place a new batting glove in a bible overnight before I ever wore it in game. I had a specific routine while at the plate before I stepped into the batter's box. (Tap both cleets, swing the bat behind my back, and then kiss it. Then, and only then, would I step into the batter's box.) Finally, I always wore a rally cap when we were nearing the end of the game and were losing.

Kane

 

[fett527]

Cows lying in the field means rain.