Cool Superstitions and Folk Beliefs from Your Neck of the Woods

[Lhorgrim]

If someone hands you a folding knife, you should hand it back to them in the same way when you are finished with it (if it was open when you got it, you should leave it open when you return it.) To give it back other than the way you recieved it is bad luck.

 

[Khayman]

Don't point at islands --- bad luck.

My Cree friends use their lips to point at things, which becomes doubly weird when you pick up the habit.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Tree frogs call rain!


see some from: http://www.blackmask.com/cgi-bin/newlinks/page.cgi?g=Folklore/index.html&d=1

 

[Jesus_marley]

It's bad luck to set a rocking chair to rocking when it's empty.

 

[Ferret]

Whenever you see magpies salute them.

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

When I lived in Hawaii, I learned that geckos are good luck. Like most superstitions, this one makes sense: geckos eat cockroaches, and in Hawaii, they have those big, nasty, American Cockroaches.

In theater, I learned to avoid mentioning, quoting, or becoming otherwise involved in William Shakespeare's cursed play, also known as the Scottish Play.
*some other theater superstitions include a prohibition on whistling in a theater unless it is scripted, the mad, endless protocols on what to wear and how often to wash it, and a variety of backstage beliefs. I could do a thesis on theater superstitions.

I've never lived in Africa, but I understand that that is where the whole not opening an umbrella indoors thing comes from. Umbrellas are more often used as parasols in some parts of Africa, and some indigineous, sun-worshipping religions regard opening an umbrella indoors as a mockery of the sun god.

I have only one superstition to relate from the region in which I now live, but I must refrain from doing so, both to respect this community's limits on appropriate topics of discourse and, more importantly, to avoid offending those readers who subscribe to this particular superstition.

 

[loki44]

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.

That's just plain silly, everyone knows that stump water taken under a full moon will cure warts!

When walking with another peron never split a pole. Something bad will happen to one of you.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

I have only one superstition to relate from the region in which I now live, but I must refrain from doing so, both to respect this community's limits on appropriate topics of discourse and, more importantly, to avoid offending those readers who subscribe to this particular superstition.

Of course this just makes me want to hear it even more!!!!!!

 

[Gez]

Another about cats: cats can call rain by brushing their forepaws behind their ears.

 

[Psionicist]

You can handle alcohol better if your third toe (where the big toe is the first) is longer than your second.




Made you look!