Signs, omens and superstitions

SUPERSTITIONS OF KINGS

King Harold of England considered Saturday his lucky day.

According to Celtic chronicles, each king of Scotland had some favorite day, and was forbidden by the astrologers of his reign from doing certain things on designated days.

The kings of Ireland were not allowed to have the sun fall on their beds at Tara Castle.

The King of Munster was forbidden to have a feast at Killarney from Monday to the end of the week.

The King of Connaught believed it ill luck to wear a speckled garment or to ride a speckled horse.

The King of Ulster would not go to certain parts of his kingdom during March for fear of disaster.

October 14th was supposed to be a lucky day for the kings of England.

The sixth of April was a lucky day for Alexander the Great. On that day he conquered Darius and won a great sea battle.

The sixth of April was also lucky for Alexander’s father, Phillip of Macedon. On that day he captured Potidæa, his general overthrew the Illyrians, and his horse won at the Olympian games.

The month of January has been unlucky for kings. Charles I was beheaded that month. Napoleon III and King Victor Emmanuel of Italy died in January.

King Louis XVI of France found the 21st an important day. On April 21st, 1770, he was married, and every great event of his reign occurred on that day. On January 21st, 1793, he was beheaded.

Cromwell considered the 3rd of September as his lucky day. He gained several great victories on that date.

The Duke of Monmouth was told by a fortuneteller that if he survived St. Swithin’s Day he would be a great man. He died on that day.

Napoleon Bonaparte considered Friday his unlucky day and Monday his fortunate day.

Henry IV of France considered Friday lucky and preferred to undertake important things on that day.

The late Emperor of Austria was superstitious and attributed all his family troubles to a curse that was launched against him by a countess who believed herself injured by him.

The Hohenzollern family, of which the kaiser is the most talked-of member, have their pet superstitions, one of them being that the apparition of a woman in white betokens the death of one of the family.

CARD PLAYERS’ SUPERSTITIONS

Luck plays such an important part with gamblers and card players that it is not surprising they have a multitude of beliefs and superstitions. Where every move is connected with blind chance and skill is entirely secondary, every detail of the game is watched for some sign of import or some omen that will bring success. Here are some of the many beliefs that are current in English-speaking countries:

To play cards on a table without a cover is considered unlucky.

A green cover is the most fortunate to play on.

To lend money to an adversary with which to play is unlucky. To borrow money during a game is lucky.

In Monte Carlo and other gambling places there is a belief that after a suicide of an unlucky player, all those playing against the bank will win. When the news of a suicide becomes known, therefore, the card rooms at once fill with eager players.

If you wish a friend to win at cards, stick a pin in the lapel of his coat.

To drop a card on the floor during a game is a bad sign, and means the loss of that game.

Singing, while playing, is a sign that your side will lose.

To have another person look over your shoulder while playing, or put his foot on the rung of your chair, is a forerunner of bad luck.

To play at the same table with a cross-eyed man is a sign that you will lose.

To lose your temper or get into a passion over the game is a sign of a loss.

The four of clubs is an unlucky card to get. It is called the devil’s bedstead.

It helps your luck to keep the chips carefully stacked up before you.

Most players have their own private superstitions based on past experiences. A certain hand always foretells good luck, while the cards coming in a certain order may mean the reverse.

Winning the first game often means that you will win the third. Holding your cards in a certain way brings success.

Playing on certain days is unlucky for some, lucky for others. To play before 6 P. M. on Fridays is unlucky.

Turning one’s chair around three times is often resorted to to change one’s luck.

Playing with a fresh deck of cards is another way of forcing the goddess of fortune to be propitious.

Most players have a lucky card which they touch with the index finger before sitting down to play. This insures good fortune.

ACTORS’ SUPERSTITIONS

Actors may be counted among the most superstitious people in the world. Their success depends upon so many unforeseen contingencies, and so many elements enter into their enterprises, that they look with awe and misgiving upon every trivial incident. In different countries they have different rites and beliefs, but the following seem to be the most prevalent in English-speaking lands:

Whistling in a theatre is a sign of very bad luck, and there is no offense that is more quickly frowned upon by the manager. It was formerly difficult for a vaudeville artist who made a specialty of whistling in his act to get an engagement.

It is considered bad luck to change the costume in which an actor first made his success in a piece. In cases of a long run the garment is often worn until it becomes threadbare.

The witches’ song in Macbeth is believed to have an uncanny power for evil, and many actors cannot be induced to play in that tragedy.

To repeat the last lines of a play at rehearsals is considered an ill omen.

The pictures of an ostrich or peacock are considered unlucky.

To turn the handle of the wrong door in seeking a manager or play-broker is considered very unlucky. To ward against failure, the applicant must return home and start out afresh next day.

Yellow is an unlucky color for an actor. The color of one’s costume often creates a loss of memory while learning a part.

The looping of a drop curtain is a sure forerunner of evil.

Wigs bring luck, and many an actor wears one although his part does not call for it.

If an actor’s shoes squeak on making his entrance it is a sign that he will have the applause of the audience.

If an actor kicks off his shoes and they alight on their soles, it is a good omen; but if they fall on their sides, it is a bad sign.

Cats are considered very lucky by actors, and to have a cat run across the stage during a rehearsal is considered very lucky. It brings bad luck to kick a cat.

To have a person look over the actor’s shoulder while he is making up and looking at himself in the glass is unlucky.

To stumble over anything in making an entrance is bad, and will cause him to fail in his lines.

If his costume catches in the scenery as he enters he must go back and make a new entrance or else have bad luck during the act.

The peep-hole through which the actor looks out at the audience is usually in the centre, as either side may bring bad luck.

THEATRE SUPERSTITIONS

Managers have their pet superstitions as well as actors.

To accept a play that has not been refused by at least one manager is considered by some as a sign of failure.

If the first purchaser of seats for a performance is an old man or old woman it means that the play will have a long run. A young person means the reverse.

To receive a torn bank note for a ticket is a bad sign for the box office man, and means a loss of position. A big bill for which he must make change is a good omen.

If an usher seats a person in seat thirteen or a multiple thereof, he will have bad luck.

An usher considers it bad luck to have a lady tip him for a program, but a gentleman’s tip insures good luck.

The first tip of the season is briskly rubbed on the leg of the usher’s trousers and then kept in his pocket as a lucky piece.

To receive a smile from an actor over the footlights is a good omen.

A woman fainting in a theatre is considered a bad sign and means that the play will come to a speedy end.

A death in a playhouse during a performance is a certain hoodoo, and usually ends in an unexpected termination of the run of the play.

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS’ SUPERSTITIONS

Travelling men, whose lives are a constant struggle after orders, are apt to consider trifles as an index of coming fortune, or the reverse, and many are their peculiar beliefs.

When, on starting out, a drummer finds he has forgotten his order book, he will take no orders till it is sent after him.

A necktie worn when the first order is taken is often worn till the end of the trip, as it brings good luck. With some, the suit takes the place of the tie.

A salesman often goes into a stranger’s store and tries to sell a bill before tackling his own regular customer. He believes that if he is turned down by one, he will be sure to sell to the right man.

A flock of sheep seen on starting out is a good sign. A pig or drove of pigs is even better.

If no order has been taken for several days, the conscientious traveller will rest up for a day, take a bath and change his clothes for a change of luck.

Muttering some incantation or wish while a difficult customer is making up his mind is often resorted to.

A lucky pocket-piece twirled in the left hand is supposed to insure an order where the customer is undecided.

A horseshoe carried in the bottom of a sample trunk is supposed to insure success during the trip.

DRESSMAKERS AND SEAMSTRESSES

Seamstresses have a code of beliefs of their own, many of which are curious.

To prick a finger and draw blood while sewing a bride’s dress bodes ill for the bride’s married life. To stain the dress with blood means an early death for the wearer.

To try on a bride’s dress by the seamstress and wear it for an hour before the bride wears it betokens an engagement for the seamstress.

To lose a thimble while making a bride’s dress means exceptionally good luck for the bride.

To be employed to make a mourning outfit for a young widow betokens an early marriage for the seamstress.

To turn the material on the wrong side and sew it thus by mistake so that the dress will have to be ripped and resewn means good luck for the wearer.

To drop your scissors on the floor means a visitor who will bring welcome news. Should the scissors break, it means a keen disappointment.

To sew with the wrong colored silk or thread by mistake is a sign of bad luck for the wearer unless the work is ripped and sewn over.

To make an all white dress is always productive of luck.

A spot of dirt or oil on a new dress where it will show means disappointment for the wearer.

It was formerly considered unlucky for a bride to help sew her own wedding dress.

SAILORS’ SUPERSTITIONS

The sea is one of the greatest marvels of creation, and perhaps the most mysterious. It is full of dangers, and from time immemorial has been the subject of many superstitions. It is natural that sailors should attach a meaning to everything that promises a safe voyage.

The sea is supposed to be filled with monsters that cause no end of trouble if they are not propitiated by some rite. A fleet on the sea drives away these monsters.

A sailing vessel is supposed to sail faster when running from an enemy than otherwise.

By speaking to his sailing vessel as he would to a horse, many an old salt believes he gets greater speed.

A kingfisher hanged by a nail to the mast is used to prophesy the direction of the wind.

When a great auk, an aquatic bird, appears, sailors believe they will have a speedy voyage. If the bird settles on deck it is a good omen.

Seeing three magpies predicts a successful voyage. One magpie, however, is a sign of bad luck.

A seal is considered a lucky omen, and it is wicked to kill one.

An albatross brings good luck and creates favorable winds. To kill an albatross is an omen of very bad luck. This is portrayed in the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

A dove alighting on a ship is a sign of favorable winds.

Dolphins and porpoises playing about a ship presage a storm.

An eight-arm cuttlefish is regarded by sailors as a bad omen.

Barnacles that cling to a ship are believed to change into birds after the vessel has been on a cruise for six months.

French sailors dread the nocturnal visits of a sort of mischievous Puck or sprite who is supposed to play pranks while they sleep.

An appeal to the Virgin is supposed by Latin sailors to calm a storm at sea.

Sailing on Friday is considered bad luck. Steamers do not now fear this day as much as formerly.

When a Chinese junk is ready to go to sea, priests are invited to go on board to chant a prayer and offer a sacrifice to Tien How, the god of the sea. Gongs and drums are beaten.

A shark following a ship is looked upon as a sure sign of death of one of the passengers or crew.

When a storm arises and a vessel is in danger it is supposed that a sinful person is on board and causes the trouble. This belief grew out of the story of Jonah.

Most sailors make the sign of the cross before launching a boat in an angry sea.

Christening new ships is a relic of an ancient rite when wine was offered to Neptune as a propitiatory sacrifice to insure his favor.

The custom of blessing a ship is an old one and is supposed to keep a ship from harm.

Carrying dead bodies on shipboard is regarded with superstitious dread by sailors, and those that die during a voyage are usually buried at sea.

FISHERMEN’S SUPERSTITIONS

During oyster dredging, fishermen often keep up a monotonous chant to charm the oysters into their net. This has given rise to the following verse, reprinted from an old book on fishermen’s lore:

Norwegian fishermen perform a sort of sacred rite before going on the hunt for herring. They drink a “white lug,” a sort of toddy. They believe it insures a big catch.

In many countries fishermen are afraid to assist a drowning man for fear that the water sprite will be offended and drive the fish from the nets.

Burmese fishermen offer fruit and rice to “Nat,” the spirit of the water, otherwise he will scare away the fish.

Many fishermen believe that spitting on the bait before casting the hook will make the catch certain.

Portuguese fishermen during a storm attach an image of St. Anthony to the mast and pray to it. If that don’t help, they curse and beat the image to make it behave and do their behests.

It is considered lucky to throw the first fish caught back into the water to induce other fish to come to the hook.

TURFMEN’S SUPERSTITIONS

Men who follow the races and make their living on the turf are in the same category as card players and gamblers. Their winnings depend exclusively on chance, and it is easy to understand how they invest every occurrence with some mysterious meaning and believe that certain signs or omens will bring good or bad luck. Some of their superstitions are childish, but their belief in them often brings the desired results.

On the way to the races, if a turfman sees a name like that of the horse that is run that day, he takes it for an omen that the horse will win.

The initials of names on signboards or the headlines in the paper he is reading are all made to do service in spelling the name of the horse that is to be victorious.

To meet a funeral on the way to the track is a bad omen, although an empty hearse denotes good luck.

To dream of a horse that is entered for a race is lucky, but it will not win the first time it is run. It is sure to win the second time, however, and it is safe to bet on it then.

To meet a cross-eyed man on the way to the track is very bad, but to meet a cross-eyed woman is lucky. A cross-eyed negro foretells the best kind of luck.

To meet a black cat brings bad luck, while a white cat is excellent. To be followed by a strange dog is a good sign. To see a piebald horse means success.

To give alms to a blind beggar brings good luck and to touch the hump of a hunchback man is a sure sign of success.

When the saddle girth of a horse gets loose and the jockey is obliged to get off and tighten it, it is a sure bet that the horse will win.

Money that is won should be carried loose in the pocket, and not in a purse or wallet. It will then pave the way for more.

To find money on the track is a bad thing. It should be given away in charity.

BASEBALL SUPERSTITIONS

Baseball players have a curious code of beliefs, which differ with nearly every team. They have their mascots, that are supposed to bring them good luck, and stand in awe of the “jinx” that often defeats their best plans.

When a team runs behind in its score a change of pitcher or catcher often retrieves their chances.

It is unlucky to play with a bat that is split, even if the damage is slight. A new bat must be procured.

If on the way to the game any name is encountered that suggests the name of one of the teams, that team will be successful.

If any part of a player’s uniform is missing or torn, it means bad luck for the team.

A cross-eyed umpire is tabooed as a hoodoo.

To have a “southpaw,” or left-handed pitcher, brings good luck to the team.

It is a common belief that the team losing the first innings will win the game at the end.

WAITERS’ SUPERSTITIONS

Waiters, depending as they must upon chance tips, are very prone to be superstitious, and have developed a series of rites and ceremonies that are supposed to bring them the coveted fee.

Drawing out a chair for the customer to seat himself is sure to bring a good-sized fee. If the customer for any reason takes a different seat from that indicated it is a bad omen.

A certain arrangement of knife and fork is sure to produce a good result. The fork must lie near the plate and the knife on the outside and parallel. Any other arrangement is bad.

Opening up the napkin for the customer is a good sign.

To bring a customer a second portion of butter before he asks for it is good. If a customer sends out a dish for any reason, it means bad luck for the rest of the day.

To receive a big tip early in the day is a bad sign. All the rest of the tips are apt to be small.

To break a dish is a very bad omen. It means not only loss of wages, but the loss of tips as well.

If a waiter finds that a certain salutation results in a tip, he must use the same salutation on all clients during the day.

To wait on a hunchback customer is a sign of good luck and results in a good inflow of tips. To wait on a one-armed man is bad.