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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: LBobble on Monday 07 January 08 14:40 GMT (UK)
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Has anyone else came across superstitions connected to the fishing industry and where they came from.
Examples I've come across:-
Inshore fishermen do not fish on Fridays.
West coast of Scotland fishermen do not sail on Sundays.
The mention of the word "pig" in parts of North Northumberland,
is regarded as bad luck, as is "rabbits".
To meet a clergyman before sailing, in parts of Northumberland,
can be sufficient to cancel the trip on that day.
Women on board a fishing boat is a big no, no. Think this only applies to older generation fishermen.
There are numerous others.
Bob
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My Norfolk seafaring family have told me about:
Not sailing on a Sunday
No women on a ship ::)
As for rabbits being bad luck - I was always told the the very first thing you should say on the first of the month is "White Rabbits", then you will have good luck all that month. When I was a kid, Dad would come into my room on the 1st of the month and wake me up with the words "White rabbits!" ;D (Another Norfolk tradition ?)
meles
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My family would never dream of turning the mattress over when the menfolk were at sea :o
Cheers
Tony
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Oh - that takes me back!
Indeed - to do so would turn over the boat. :o
meles
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It's unlucky to cut your nails on a ship !
and unlucky to pass on a ladder ..... my Uncle would NEVER pass on the stairs !!
and ..... the caul of the head of a new-born child is protection against drowning and will bring the owner good luck ::)
Annie :)
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Hi Meles,
Heaven forbid no, the boat would turn over as you say. In my case it comes from a family of seafarers, lighthouse keepers, lightboat men and lifeboat men from Wexford, Ireland. Even today I can't do it unless I check none of my family are on a ferry somewhere.
And hi Annie, I will never pass on the stairs either. The Greeks (I think) believed their Gods used staircases to visit earth and hence their fear of passing.
Both totally irrational, but compelling.
I have something in my Irish folklore books about caul, mermaids and seamen and drowning, must look it up when I get a chance.
Fingers crossed
Tony
Oops ;D
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My sister was born with a caul and a sailor offered Mum 5 Pounds for it.
Mum wouldn't part with though :D
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Many other superstitions abound and affect daily life aboard ship. It is bad luck to leave any port on a Friday.
It has long been a mariner`s superstition that clergy are bad luck aboard a ship.
Not only is the word pig taboo, but swine, rabbits/hares, and red-haired people (especially women) are considered to be such bad luck that the sailors and fishermen would go home rather that sail after meeting one.
Strange that most superstitions revolve around sailors and
fishermen
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Eilleen
There are some superstitions that focus on good luck. The albatross, a nomadic bird that covers great distances over the ocean, is considered a sign of good luck to the sailor. When a sailor dies, it is said that the albatross carries the soul of the sailor. An albatross following a sailing vessel gives it protection, as if sailors from the past are watching over the ship and crew. For this reason, it is considered bad luck to kill or injure an albatross.
Bob
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Some theatrical ones:
On opening night never say good luck - instead say "Break a leg"
Never say the name of a certain Shakespearian play (OK – I’ll whisper the name: “Macbeth”) anywhere within a theatre – even if that’s the current play.
Whistling backstage is taboo. If you whistle in the dressing room before the show you have to step into the corridor, turn round three times, then you can re-enter the room.
A bad dress rehearsal indicates a good opening night (although many actors would disagree!).
Never speak the play’s last line in rehearsal.
Mirrors on stage are considered back luck. However, this is now probably “laid to rest” as the musical “A Chorus Line” features a huge mirror at the back of the stage – the show ran on Broadway for over 6,000 performances on Broadway.
Don’t have real flowers on stage (they’d probably wilt under the heat of the lights).
Never allow peacocks feathers onstage – the “eye” in these feathers becomes the “evil eye”.
If you drop a comb in the dressing room – you must not pick it up, someone else has to.
To see a black cat backstage is considered good luck.
Not a superstition – but – the expression “To be in the limelight” originates from the theatre. Sir Humphrey Davey discovered that heating calcium oxide (“lime”) to a great heat provided a bright, white light. This then became used in theatres to illuminate the actors (prior to that they used candles) – so they were “in the limelight”.
See: http://www.h-a-t-s.org.uk/superstitions.htm
John :D
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The cat one reminds me - a black cat crossing one's path is good luck... if you're English. If you're American, it's bad luck!
meles
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My lovely Newfies have all kinds of superstitions !! ( As they are such Heinz 57 varieties most of this stuff is from the Old Country !! :) )
Fishermen's superstitions in boat building are interesting. It was deemed necessary to have witch hazel in some part of the new craft, she was first turned with the sun, and it was lucky to have an old sail on her at the launching.
Good Luck
Seeing the new moon first over the left shoulder, picking up a horseshoe on the road, picking a four leaf clover, seeing two black crows flying overhead, putting on a garment inside out by mistake, picking up a coin, picking up a pin or a white button, a rooster crowing on the doorstep, to see a baby smiling in its sleep, to dream of one's father, a bee coming into the room.
Bad Luck
Breaking a mirror, having thirteen persons at table, coiling a rope against the sun, walking under a ladder, purchasing a broom in May, meeting a red haired woman, looking over another's shoulder into a mirror, coming in by one door and going out by another, meeting a cross-eyed person, to have a black cat cross your path, to spill salt, to cross knives on a table, to leave a knife turned blade upwards, to have a lone black crow fly over your head, to be called back just as you have begun a journey, to whistle on the water, to drop the ring at a marriage ceremony.
Death Tokens
A dog moaning near a house, a dog burying some object near one's home, a bird coming into a room, a clock which had been stopped for years suddenly striking the hours, a window blind falling without any apparent cause, a wall picture suddenly falling. When "rigor mortis" does not appear in a corpse it means that another member of the family will soon die. To dream of a wedding is a sign of a funeral. The banshee, a weird crying at night, is said to precede the death of certain persons of Irish descent in Newfoundland.
Tokens Good
A cat washing her face, sparks from a wood stove flying to the floor, a knife or fork falling, were regarded as tokens of a visit by a stranger. The first member of the assembled company at which the cat glared would be the first to die. Ringing in the ears betokened news, the right ear for good and the left for ill. To say things backwards betokened the sight of a long absent friend. It was considered taboo to step over a child, as this would stop the growth of the youngster. If a person had a cold spasm, it was said that someone was walking over the grave of the individual. It was considered very unlucky to incur the wrath of a widow, as her curse was sure to bring evil. An odd method of bringing ill fortune to an enemy was to throw the dust of one's shoes over the left shoulder in that person's direction. If things went badly on Monday, it was a sure sign of a bad week.
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A Hull woman would not wave goodbye to her man, as a "wave" might wash him away, and likewise she would not wash clothes while he was gone.
The colour green was so unlucky the Hull city council still doesn't use it.
Lots and lots of stuff here:
http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/cetag/5bseadal.htm
Cheers,
China
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Meles
Thanks for explaining the black cat
I was always so convinced a black cat crossing your path was good luck but so many people tell me it is bad luck. I'll go with the English theory from now on.
Sadly - I do not know any seafaring sayings although my ancestors were mariners.
But my mother in law told me a few years ago it was bad luck to wash clothes on New Year's Day as you would wash someone out of the family - I wish she hadn't told me - I daren't wash a sock on NY's Day now!
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'See a pin, pick it up
Then all day you'll have good luck'
Whether this was because pins were such an essential article (pin-money, etc.) I don't know, but to this day I can't help picking up a pin that falls on the floor, and throwing pins away is next to impossible.
We always say "White Rabbits" on the first of the month and it was common here when I was a child (in Northamptonshire)
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"White Rabbits" also said in my West London/Middlesex family.
My ex-stepmother-in-law would never picked up a knife if she dropped it; I never knew why!
Nanny Jan
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"White Rabbits".... for some curious reason, our family only says it on the first of March :-\
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'Cause of the March Hare?
I had heard about saying "White Rabbit, White Rabbit, White Rabbit" on the first of the month, even growing up in Montreal as I did, but I have no idea where it came from. To this day I think of it if I'm conscious enough in the morning to perceive it's a new month, but it's kind of silly and I don't bother anymore...
Cheers,
C
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The "see a pin..." goes on see a pin and let it lie then good luck away will fly
aloose pin could give some one a nasty surprise ...ouch
Trees
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For me it was "See a penny, pick it up..."
It's only because of such a time-honoured and wise admonition that I'd ever stoop to snatching up loose change whenever I spot it ;D ;D ;D
C
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My Mom would go spare if you put an umbrella up inside the house....I have no idea why....does anybody know?
Goodness....she was so superstitious......I don't know how she managed!
Re: Black cats.......growing up in England, I always believed that black cats are good luck.....in fact when I got married to the first Mr Indi in England...my sister was out early in the morning looking for a black cat to cross my path on my wedding day.......the best of luck.
But then I came to America and discovered that black cats are bad luck....how sad! :'(
Indi.....who doesn't have a superstitious bone in her body....mirrors broken here..no prob
;D ;D ;D
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Right! no umbrellas up indoors and no shoes on the table ;D
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Right! no umbrellas up indoors and no shoes on the table ;D
Oh darn...I always keep my shoes on the table.....
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Indi...Miss NON Superstition of the World
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When we were kids and if we came back to the house because we forgot something - my Mum wouldn't let us leave the house again without sitting down first .... because it was unlucky !
which was a pain in the tush if you were in the middle of a game or something or had to catch the bus !! :P :P :P
Oh ! and don't look at a full moon through a window !! :P
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[quote ] and don't look at a full moon through a window !! :P
What?........I would never dream of such a thing!
;D ;D ;D
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Just rattle all your money Girl and it will double - only thing is ... by the time the full moon comes around I'm broke !! ::) ::) ::) ::)
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Another very common one.... if you spill salt.....
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I have to tell you this one:
I participated in a wedding many moons ago...I was just a guest but was ferrying lots of people in my car, in my floor-length formal gown ;D
As we all drove out in convoy from the bride's place, the bride noticed they had forgotten the ribbons for the car antennas. But her mother said it was bad luck to return to the house for them.
So we left them. Nobody wanted bad luck!
Well..........
The garage door came down on the groom's car as he left his own garage, damaging it.
The church got the decorations all wrong.
The hotel where the reception was held gave their room to somebody else.
Someone misplaced the keys to the car that had the bride's luggage locked in it.
The airline gave them seats five rows apart on their honeymoon flight.
The honeymoon hotel lost their reservation.
The bride lost her wedding ring in the surf.
Three months later...the bride was living in a bedsit as a divorce proceeded. She showed me bedbug bites on her hips.
From that time on, if I forget something at the house....I go back for it.
Cheers,
China
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hi there,
just a couple I have heard
never throw the crust of the bread out, as you are throwing money away. (crust - earning a crust, therefore throwing money away.
never sweep dirt out the door from inside, sweeping away your good luck.
legs
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There are many superstitions connected with mining some similar to those already mentioned on ships for example As a young NCB Scientific technician we wanted to go underground to see the areas we were working with and to understand the meaning of the wording on the forms so it was arranged for three of us girls to visit a mine one Saturday morning well it nearly caused a riot if not a strike NO WOMAN was to descend that mine EVER just look back at history all those women and children dragging drams!! any way our visit was rearranged and we went safely down a mine in the next valley instead no incidents at all BUT there was a roof fall a few days later in the original destination the face had to be sealed for months spooky that
Trees
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Trees
Very spooky
Was the mine in Wales ?
I know it is a strong tradition there about women - but not so sure if it goes into England ?
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Yes good old No 2 area
Trees
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.... just reading through this thread as we were discussing superstition this morning ...
Husband mentioned he'd done his nails and of course ::) I said 'Oh no! it's Sunday' and he reckoned he'd never heard anyone else but me ever mention it ( quite a lot over the years ;) ) and wondered where I'd got it from ... so thanks to google ...
Cut them on Monday, you cut them for health;
Cut them on Tuesday, you cut them for wealth;
Cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for news;
Cut them on Thursday, a new pair of shoes;
Cut them on Friday, you cut them for woe;
Cut them on Saturday, a journey to go;
Cut them on Sunday, you cut them for evil,
For all the next week you'll be ruled by the devil..
:-\ so now I'll be wondering about Friday ... ;D ;D
... but it was quite interesting reading some of the beliefs of the past ... one snippet ... Like many superstitious people, Picasso kept all hair and nail clippings dated and in a safe place for fear they should fall into the hands of a witch or warlock!
I'm not really superstitious at all, just thinking of how these things are passed down through families ... Friday 13 came and went last week as usual with me being aware of the date but that is all ...
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My sister was born with a caul and a sailor offered Mum 5 Pounds for it.
Mum wouldn't part with though :D
yes my late mother in law had one from one of her 4 boys births. can't remember which one now but my husband was the only one who went fishing and became a skipper later a Master with merchant navy as well.
But I know fishermen though there were very luck and help get them a good catch and they would pay a lot of money for one
i may self won't pick up a glove if I drop it as it believed to me unlucky . but the person who picks it up is said to get a nice suprise.
there also the saying find a pin and pick it up and then all day you will have good luck
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Never accept a gift that cuts so if given a sewing kit or manicure set you must pay the Donner a penny or the chord of friendship will be cut.
Similarly never give a wallet or purse with out a coin inside or it will always remain a poverty purse
Mum said you should never greet a new born while wearing green why but she kept the pram hood up in the street in case a green clad person made eye contact with the wee one
She would never put new shoes (even in the box) on a table as that was also very bad Does anyone know why? most of these has a base somewhere but these just seem random
Trees
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Whistling backstage is taboo.
I heard on tv the other day that this goes back to the early days when scenery especially those that were lowered signals that it was time to move them was given by a whistle - Hence if you whisled backstage then something may drop onto you from above. ???
Jean
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Further to Whistling backstage: Source Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatrical_superstitions#Whistling
“Related to a similar rule for sailing ships, it is considered bad luck for an actor to whistle on or off stage. As original stage crews were hired from ships in port (theatrical rigging has its origins in sailing rigging), sailors, and by extension theatrical riggers, used coded whistles to communicate scene changes. Actors who whistled could confuse them into changing the set or scenery, though in today's theatres, the stage crew normally uses an intercom or cue light system.”
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there also the saying find a pin and pick it up and then all day you will have good luck
I think its find a penny and pick it up and then all day you wil have good luck.
marcie
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spill salt throw salt over your left shoulder why?
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OH says that it was something to do with the devil supposed to sit on your left shoulder whilst Christ sits on your right.
marcie