Comments on: Burning Question: Very Superstitious?

By: Chaz

Chaz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:13:19 +0000

A few here: Bury a boot sole down under the chimney, no mirrors where people sleep, and no hats on the bed.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:30:52 +0000

I’m coming way late to the discussion, but I had to add my tidbit because I can’t believe no one else has mentioned it yet. In old Irish tradition it is bad luck to have images of birds in your home, like pictures of birds, wallpaper with birds, pillows with a bird print…anything. I have no idea what the reason is, but I’ve heard about it my entire life.

My mother once had a decorator who insisted that she put up this wallpaper with birds printed all over it. My mom always had a bad feeling about it, but tried to get over it because it really was a neat print. Within a few months Hurricane Charley unexpectedly drove right through our backyard and trashed our house (blew out the walls on either side of the house, garage door ended up a twisted piece of metal, trees crushed the roof, etc). During the year and a half it took to put the house back together, my mom ripped that wallpaper right out. Trust me, no one in our family will ever include a bird print in their home again!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:15:02 +0000

Oh, except for what Sonja said above. My father always told us not to sleep with our feet to the door because that’s how they carry the dead out. I guess that might give me pause if I were to redecorate my bedroom, but only because my dad said it.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:11:15 +0000

I’m coming into this discussion late because I got DENTAL SURGERY on Friday the 13th! That’s about how superstitious I am – not at all! I also have two black cats that cross my path daily. I like to think that they make me doubly lucky (because I love them). My family’s superstitions are mostly about not saying bad things because they might come true. For example, my boyfriend joked about the brakes on the car failing, and I shushed him. You never know what’s listening. But in terms of decorating, I usually don’t think about that sort of thing.

By: sonja

sonja — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:12:56 +0000

No mirrors or flowers in the bedroom. I am always conscious of not allowing my feet to face the bedroom door, its supposed to be a death position.

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:34:32 +0000

We keep a black fortune cat in every room. According to legend, it is supposed to protect against evil spirits. We figure it couldn’t hurt!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:28:51 +0000

I love the one about the Domovoi. That would be a really good incentive for me to keep things fixed and full of life!

By: Elisa

Elisa — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:24:56 +0000

Amanda – that superstition about sleeping with your head to the north is bad luck is from China and some other asian countries. They bury bodies in coffins with their head facing north, so they usually sleep (when alive) with their heads facing south. Interesting and a bit creepy!

By: angela

angela — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:06:13 +0000

The first apartment I moved into was this great 1930′s pre-war apartment. In Houston this is considered VERY old. When I moved in the landlord had not done great job of cleaning and odds and ends belong to the previous owners were sprinkled around the place. As I was throwing stuff out I noticed something hanging over the front door, bur my friend stopped me from taking it down. She told me that the large blue and white glass bead was a Greek Gods eye that warded off evil spirits. I didn’t really think I was supersticious, but I was pretty sure that it “belonged” there so it stayed all four years I rented the place. The funny thing is, another friend went into that apartment a few years later visiting a friend of a friend and realized it was mine when she saw the glass bead still hanging over the doorway.

By: YoungHouseLove

YoungHouseLove — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:47:20 +0000

Hey Dasha,

That’s so interesting! I bet the Domovoi would love all the ceramic animals in our house!

xo,
s