Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-12
SUPERSTITION IN RoUMANIA.


sure PersOnal SaIety-Oiu Deiiet-
Countless are the superstitions which gov
ern the daily life Of the Roumanian, and the
observances which are required to insure his
safety in the midst of the mysterious dan
gers which surround him. Neither on We'd
nesday nor Friday should he take bread or
use needle or scissors, nor should bargain
be concluded on those days. On Tuesday no
spinning should be done, and there is even
danger in washing the hands or combing the
hair. May the spirit Of Tuesday evening
carry you OFT" is equivalent to saying May
the devil take your Neither should any
one make the mistake of supposiag that OF
the comparatively lucky days of Monday,
Thursday and Saturday he may safely do as
be 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. It is true
that Thu sday is lucky day for marriages,
but it is most inauspicious for field labor
The exact hour of noon is always dan
gerous moment, and so is midnight; it is
safer TO be in the house at these times. The
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 appropri-
ate the treasures thus revealed, for on that
night they cannot be taken without sin. A
whirlwind shows that the devil is dancing
with witch, and whoever comes near the
circle may be swept Off to hell. One should
neither point at the rainbow nor at an ap-
preaching storm, and ''if a house struck by
| lightning begins to burn, it is not allowed to
| put out the flames, because God has lit the
| fire, and it wero presumptuous for man to
dare meddls with his work" Whoever turns
| three somersaults the first time he hears tbs
thunder will be free from pains in the back
for the following year, 1t is lucky to meet a
gypsy the first thing in the morning, and 1t
| is also lucky to meet woman with lugful
of water, 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 brimming pitcher as she
passes, with pleased consciousness of bring
| ing good luck, while the girl whose pitcher is
empty viii sink past sharnefacelly, as
though she had crime TO conceal
1t was an old Roumanian belief that in the
building of large edIice it wss absolutely
essential that living human being should
be built into the walls to give them stability
There can be no doubt that this barbarou:
custom was often observed, and the remnant
of it is seen in the practice which still pre-
walls of walling into any large building tht
shadow of living man. The shadow O
some person, who must be unconscious of th'
spell to he cast upon him, is measuredwith I
cord or strips Of reed, and the measure is in
TERED within the wall The victim is sure u
1 J.,-e A *
passer near some building in proceess Of elrc
| ton NAV even now hear warning cry frCn
the bystanders: "Reware lest they take th.
shadow" 1t is not long since there were pro
fessional shadow traders, whose business
was 10 supply architects with tho necessar.
victims The Land Beyond the Forest