Old Wives Tales

[Phalon]

My Dad was in the Navy during the Korean War and growing up we often heard "red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky in the morning, sailors' take warning" saying. Everytime I see the sky streaked red in the morning or evening, I still think of Dad.

It's not wives tale, but here's another of his sayings that all of us kids still say every time any of us drive past a cemetary: "People are just dyin' to get in there." Corny joke, but I think it's funny how more than thirty years later my brothers and I still say this, so much so that our kids now say the same....just how old wives tales get passed from generation to generation.

There is an old wives tale I recently heard involving passing a cemetary. It's believed that you should hold your breath when you drive past a cemetery or you’ll breathe in the spirit of someone who died and was buried there recently. My boss told me her daughter-in-law believes this....and they live about 200 yards from a cemetary out on a country road. My boss's son, with his wife in the car, will drive past the cemetary extremely slow, so that she'll turn nearly blue in the face from holding her breath for so long.

[Mini Mia]

My dad has said that on occasion, Phalon. He'd also often say: "Do you know how many dead people there are in there?" And my sister and I would try and guess, and dad would say: "All of 'em."

[Gabrielle On Nutbread]

LOL! The "People are dying to get in there!" one... I thought it was just a family thing! Though it was only ever said when we came across a graveyard with a fence around it.
Completely off-topic, but I never understood graveyards. Mourning only lasts one generation, so why make gravemarkers that last ten thousand years...?? That's just my thoughts, though, and I tend to overthink things.

'Nother old wives tale for ya:
"If your right ear itches, it means someone is saying something good about you. If the left one itches, they are saying something bad."

Mom told me this one all the time, whenever my left ear itched... which was a lot when I was little!

[EllieNeo]

i remember her saying that to you a lot. guess now i know why.

here's another old wives tale for you guys.
"quit crossing your eyes, they'll stick that way!"

[Gabrielle On Nutbread]

LOL, Ellie. I think you crossed your eyes just cuz it freaked mom out!

Here's one I learned about after watching Night at the Museum 2:

"If you brush your hair 100 times a day, it will grow faster."

[vox]

BOLL! love that one Gabrielle! My dear Old Nan used to make me brush my hair for 100 strokes at the back. and 100 strokes at each side before I went to bed, when I used to stay with her, she said it would make my hair soft and shiny! it was certainly shiny cos it caused all the natural oils to come out! But bless her! she used to love brushing my hair too! Memories I will always treasure!

[Seeker]

My Grandmother is superstitious, so there was a lot of:

Never watch Christmas movies on July or you'll bring back luck come the next year.

If you spill salt, throw it over your shoulder.

Break a mirror its seven years bad luck.

Never look a raven in the eyes. It will fly off with your soul.

Stuff like that. I don't believe it but what can you do? You love family for who they are despite their little quirks.

[Gabrielle On Nutbread]

Wow, that's a lot of them, Seeker. I've heard most of them, but I'd never heard the Christmas movies one.

Walking under a ladder is bad luck!

LOL. Only, not.

[EllieNeo]

"people say bless you when you sneeze so your soul won't escape."

[Awesome Aphrodite]

here is one that my dad told me the other day:

if you catch a falling leaf on the first day of fall, you will not get sick that whole winter.

[Phalon]

It’s bad luck to step into your left boot first.

That's an old cowboy superstition, but I wonder if it applies to boots other than cowboy boots. Wouldn't want any skiing, shoveling, snowman building, or go-going accidents....cuz those boots were made for walking, not tripping.

[Gabrielle On Nutbread]

Feb 2, 2010 5:40:00 GMT -6 Phalon said:

It’s bad luck to step into your left boot first.

That's an old cowboy superstition, but I wonder if it applies to boots other than cowboy boots. Wouldn't want any skiing, shoveling, snowman building, or go-going accidents....cuz those boots were made for walking, not tripping.

Does that count with shoes....? I always put my left shoe on first... and I always have! Hadn't ever heard this one.

[EllieNeo]

gah, really?! i always put my left sock/shoe/boot/...whatever on first, too. i never heard this one either.

got an email from my best friend's son (he calls me "auntie ellie," even though i'm not related), who had found a toad in his yard. he was asking me if toads can give you warts, because his mom told him yeah. i had forgotten about the old wives tale about toads giving you warts, and this reminded me of it. it's completely bogus, btw. toads don't have warts, the bumps they have are naturally occurring bumps, meaning toads cannot give you warts. i'm betting though that the old wives tale started to keep little kids from collecting toads.

[vox]

BOLL! that brought a smile to my face Ellie!

Way long ago when I was a little girl, I used to get the occasional wart on my fingers. I had one once when staying with my Nan. She made me rub half a green bean (string bean) on the wart and bury it in her garden. She said it would make the wart drop off, and do you know what? it did! At least that's what I remember. Maybe there is some truth in that old wives tale!

[Phalon]

I missed this one:

If you catch a falling leaf on the first day of fall, you will not get sick that whole winter.

There's also a variation of that for Halloween: If you catch a falling leaf before it hits the ground on Halloween night, you and your family will have a year of good luck.

had one once when staying with my Nan. She made me rub half a green bean (string bean) on the wart and bury it in her garden. She said it would make the wart drop off, and do you know what? it did! At least that's what I remember. Maybe there is some truth in that old wives tale!

There's a variation of this one too, Vox. Your Nan told you to do it the nice way. The other variation is actually a curse of sorts - rub a bean on a wart, place the bean in a box or bag and throw it away - if someone finds it, they'll get the warts and you'll be cured.

Here's one BP thought would work....and it did the first day she tried it this week; her luck ran out the second time around though.

If you wish for a snow day off from school, flush three ice cubes down the toilet, wear your pajamas to bed inside-out, and put a spoon under your pillow.

<shrugs> Who knows where she heard it, but LX knew the ritual too.

[Gabrielle On Nutbread]

Here is one that my brother told me today while we were hanging out. He didn't tell me where he'd heard it though.

If a woman sleeps with a piece of wedding cake under her pillow she will dream of who she will marry.

My question was, of course, how would someone get ahold of a piece of wedding cake? Other than attending a wedding I mean.

[Mini Mia]

Never sweep under a single person's feet or this person will never get married.

---

Actually. This is true in my case. I've not yet married.

[stepper]

Nov 3, 2010 18:22:49 GMT -6 Mini Mia said:

Never sweep under a single person's feet or this person will never get married.

---

Actually. This is true in my case. I've not yet married.

That could be taken as bragging.

[Mini Mia]

It _could_ be. Cause, I'd rather be single than be married to Mr. Wrong. And the older I get the more determined I am to not settle. Life's too short to share tight quarters with an @sshole. And one in this household is plenty!

[stepper]

But having a spouse gives you someone to blame when things go wrong.

[Mini Mia]

And that's why I'm so dang picky ... cause the person who's always wrong ain't gonna be me.