Wichita eagle., 1888-11-16
SUPERSTITION IN RoUMANlA.
Observances which Are Reqaired to IN
sure Personal Safety-Old Beliek

Obseryances which Are Reqaired to In
sure Personal Safety-Old Beliek
Countless are the superstitions which gov
ern the daily life Of the Rouman,an, ana the
observances which are required TO insure his
safety in the midst Of the mysterious dan
gers which surround him. Neither on Wed
nesday nor Friday should be take Dread or
use needle or scissors, nor should bargain
be concluded on those days On Iuesday no
spinning should be done, and there is even
danger in washing the hands or comolng the
hair "May the spirit Of Tuesday evening
carry you OFF, is equivalent to saying May
the devil take you'll" Neither should any
one make the mistake Of supposiag that on
the comparatively lucky days OF MONDAY,
Thursday and Saturday he may safely DO as
he pleases One may attend to the house
hold wash on Thursday and spin on Satur
day, but terrible consequences would ensue
should this order be reversed. 1t Is true
that Thursday is lucky day for marriages
but it is most inauspicious for helo iacor.
The exact hour Of noon is always dam
eerous moment. and SO is midnight; 1t Is
safer to be in the house at these times. Inc
night before Easter Sunday witches and de
mons are about, and flames betray the site OF
hidden treasures. None but the most reck-
less peasant, however, would dare approprl1
ate the treasures thus revealed, for on that
night they cannot be taken without sin
wbirlwind shows that the devil Is dancing
with witch. and whoever comes near the
circle may be swept off to hell One should
neither point st the rainbow nor at an ap-
proaching storm, and ''if house struck by
lightning begins 10 burn, it is not allowed TO
mt ont the flames. because God has lit tho
fire and il were presunlptuous for man to
dare nneddle with his work" Whoever turns
three sornerssults the first time he hears the
thunder will be free from pains in the back
for the following year. 1t is lucky to meet
e-vpsy the first thing in the morning, and 1t
is also lucky to meet a woman with Jugtui
of wafer. while an empty jug or pail is un-
lucky: therefore the Roumanian maiden
meeting YOU on the way back from the well
will display her bri1nming pitcher as sne
masses with pleased consciousness Of bring
ing good luck, while the girl whose pitcher Is
empty viii slink past shamefacediy' as
though she had crime to conceal"
II was an old Rounanian belief that in the
building Of large edifce it was absolutely
essential that living human beng should
be built into the walls to give them stability
There can be no doubt that tnls oaroarous
custom was often observed, and the remnant
of it is seen in the practice which still pre-
walls of welliRg into any large building the
shadow of living man. The shadow OF
some person, who must be unconscious OF the
spell to be cast upon him, is measured with
cord or strips of reed, and the measure is in
terved within the wall The victim Is sure to
pine and die within forty days. careless
passer near some building in process OF erec-
ton may even now hear warning cry from
the bystanders: beware lest they take thy
shadow!" It is not long since there were pro-
fessional shadow traders, whose business 1t
was to supply architects with the necessary
victims. -''The Land Beyond the Forest"