Appalachian Superstitions

These are found here

**Signs, Superstitions, Omens, and Beliefs**

* A chicken laying an uneven number of eggs is an omen of danger.
* A rabbit crossing your path before sunrise will bring unhappiness.
* Always go out the same door you came in.
* Bad fortune is soon to follow when a broom falls no reason.
* A black cat crossing your path means bad luck [stop and go another way].
* Carry a four-leaf clover to ward off bad luck.
* A chin dimple is a sign of bad character. Dimples are made by the devil’s shoe.
* Cows laying down means it is going to rain.
* Deaths come in threes.
* Don’t let anyone sweep under your feet.
* Don’t wash clothes on Sunday.
* Draw an X in the air three times to void bad luck from a black cat crossing in front of you.
* Dreaming of bees is a sign of good fortune.
* Dropping a knife means a man is coming to visit.
* Dropping your fork, it means a woman is coming to visit.
* Seeing a white horse means good luck.
* A foot itching is a sign that you are about to embark on a long journey.
* For good luck, eat black eyed peas with greens and pork on New Year’s Day.
* Gifts of knives to newlyweds will cut their love!
* A girl should hold their feet up when crossing a railroad track or they will lose her boyfriend.
* Hang a horseshoe upside down to keep good luck from running out.
* Hang a mirror by the door to protect against evil.
* A hard to light candle is a sign of coming rain.
* Hearing a screech owl at dusk means someone will die.
* Hold your breath passing a cemetery or you could inhale a dead soul.
* If a man wipes his hands on a girl’s apron, he will fall in love with her.
* If a pregnant woman sees a dead person, her baby will have a birth mark.
* If dough cracks while being shaped, a funeral will follow.
* If your nose is itching, company is coming.
* It is bad luck to walk under a ladder.
* It is seven years of back luck to close a knife you didn’t open.
* It’s bad luck to step on a grave.
* An itching ear is a sign that someone is talking about you.
* Its bad luck to spill salt unless your throw a pinch over your left shoulder.
* Keep a lucky rabbit’s foot in your pocket to ease aches and pains, and for good luck.
* Keep a penny in your washer.
* Knock on wood to continue good fortune.
* Leave one apple on the tree to keep the devil away.
* Leaving a rocking chair rocking invites spirits.
* Leaving diapers on the clothesline during a full moon will attract evil forces.
* Never cut your baby’s hair before their first birthday.
* Never give knives as a gift.
* Never repay salt that you have borrowed.
* Open the window when someone dies and cover mirrors so their soul can leave.
* Plant your crops under the full moon.
* Pour a drop of strong drink on the ground for sprits [ghosts] passed.
* Put a 2-edged axe in a stump facing a storm to have it go around you.
* Rub a chicken over your baby to keep if from getting chicken pox.
* Sleeping on New Year’s Day will lead to an unhappy year.
* Speaking a dead person’s name in your dream is an omen of a death.
* Spit on a new baby to bring it good luck.
* Stepping on an ant’s nest will cause rain that day.
* Stopped the clocks when there is a death, to prevent another one.
* Washing clothes on New Year’s Day will cause a death in the family.
* Wear a buckeye in your bra to ward off rheumatism.
* When walking together, both must walk on the same side of a post, or it will break your friendship.
* Women should not do any canning or gardening during her period.
* Your baby has to fall off the bed before their first birthday.