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Get Lucky! Good Luck Superstitions and Old Wives' Tales

Bring luck into your home. rusty horse shoe and four leaf clover
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

There are many superstitions for “good luck” around the home. Many of these would be called “Old Wives’ tales.” Let’s have fun exploring these age-old sayings.

Even though most of us say we are not superstitious, we avoid walking under ladders and practicing other superstitious behavior! Is it just tradition, or is there something to some of these old wives’ tales?

Here are 11 sayings for good luck in your home that come from The Old Farmer’s Almanac folklore archives:

  1. Scatter Solomon’s seal on the floor to banish serpents and venomous creatures from the room.
     
  2. To protect your house from lightning, gather hazel tree branches on Palm Sunday and keep them in the water.
     
  3. Add caraway seeds to chicken feed to keep poultry from wandering. Feed the seeds to homing pigeons to help them find their way back.
     
  4. Stuff fennel in your keyhole or hang it over your door to protect against evil spirits. (Of course, we now know fennel has many natural remedy benefits to help keep us healthy!)
     
  5. Never carry a hoe into the house. If you do so by mistake, carry it out again, walking backward to avoid bad luck.
     
  6. Never walk under a ladder, which is Satan’s territory. If you must do it, cross your fingers or make the sign of the fig (closed fist, with thumb between index and middle fingers).
     
  7. If you give a steel blade to a friend, make the recipient pay you a penny to avoid cutting the friendship.
     
  8. Never give a knife as a housewarming present, or your new neighbor will become an enemy.
     
  9. Never pound a nail after sundown; you will wake the tree gods.
     
  10. Nail an evergreen branch to new rafters to bring good luck. An empty hornet’s nest, hung high, also will bring good luck to a house of any age.
     
  11. When you move to a new house, always enter first with a loaf of bread and a new broom. Never bring an old broom into the house.
a loaf of bread and a knife


Enjoy folklore? Read all about herbs and folklore—and their many uses around the home!

What do you think about these superstitions? How superstitious are you?

Home and Health

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the digital home of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She leads digital editorial strategy and publishing across a wide range of Almanac sub...

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Richnjudi</span> Thu, 02/10/2011 - 14:57
The best and quickest way is to place it on a hot BBQ grill or open camp fire and burn it off. It will come out as clean as a pin. Then re-season and start cooking. I put mine in the brush pile when burning limbs etc. You can't get it to hot but let it cool slowly. I put a piece of wire on mine to pull it out of the fire. Good luck.
<span>Yoyo1198</span> Tue, 12/07/2010 - 06:00
Some people recommend using a mild white vinegar-water solution (one part vinegar, five parts water) and to soak the piece for several hours. "The problem will be a change in the patina of the piece, and only cooking over time will restore the dark, rich color," Nance said. "Cast iron is hard to restore after you use vinegar." Another method is to spray the grease with household ammonia and place the pan in a zipper-style bag for several days. This might loosen the buildup enough for you to wash it off. A self-cleaning oven might do the trick, but you'll have a house full of smoke. Dealers use electrolysis to break down the buildup with a mild electric charge. Once the buildup is removed, the next step is cleaning and restoring. Wash the stripped cast iron in hot sudsy water with a scrubber or steel-wool soap pads. Continue to wash until the soap runs clear, with no discoloration from carbon or rust. Dry thoroughly and place in a 180-degree oven for a few minutes to remove all moisture. Buff the implement using a drill and a very fine wire brush to remove any residue that's left; then rewash the item in hot sudsy water and dry immediately. "Do not ever let cast iron dry in a drain rack," Nance cautions. Place in the oven at 180 to 200 degrees, and when the cast iron is at 180 degrees, spray it with oil or wipe with cooking oil. Return to the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Wipe off the excess oil while it is still warm. Then make some corn bread. Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/01/27/1128133/cast-iron-cookware-worth-more.html#ixzz17Pvxqs4k Also check out: http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2010/11/fixing-that-treasured-cast-iron-pan-a-tip.html and this: http://www.learnandlivewell.com/blog-post/2010/03/26/how-to-remove-cast-iron-buildup/ Vinegar is used at times to clean and scrub cast iron. But remember that vinegar will make the pan/pot turn copper/orange colored and it will take numerous uses and cleanings before it returns to its original color. Bonnie N.
<span>Casagraves</span> Mon, 08/30/2010 - 08:22
The way you "season" a new cast iron pan, can also be used to get build-up off. Take a linen towel, add a few tablespoons of salt, and twist it into a ball. Lightly moisten the ball, and rub the built-up area. You can adjust how much salt to use, and how moist the ball should be. I hope this helps you... :)
<span>Ladonna Sanders</span> Sat, 03/06/2010 - 23:48
Here are some things my mother used to tell us kids.Give someone a penny for every wart they have and they will go away. Bury your baby's navel cord in the garden and you will always have plenty to eat. Make a necklace out of a dime and some yarn and let your baby wear it and your baby will not have teething problems. My Mother in law said when a baby is born to get a fresh egg and write the baby's name and birthday on it and put it up somewhere and the baby will not have teething problems. There are a lot more,I forgot most of them.
<span>Dandeliun248</span> Mon, 07/23/2012 - 19:42
Place the egg in the top drawer in bedroom
<span>Pat Hinegardner</span> Tue, 03/02/2010 - 20:27
I have new iron frying pans , how do I season them?
<span>Casagraves</span> Mon, 08/30/2010 - 08:29
Take a linen towel, add a few tablespoons of salt, and twist it into a ball. Lightly moisten the ball, and rub the inside completely. You can adjust how much salt to use, and how moist the ball should be. After this, some folks would lightly coat the pan with olive oil, and put it in a hot oven for 30-45 min. After taking it out, wiping the inside, of the pan, and letting it sit. Repeat the process a couple more times. And you pan will be seasoned, and semi non-stick. Hope this helps.. :)
<span>Victoria Cross</span> Sun, 07/18/2010 - 15:58
Rub the inside with peanut oil and place in a 400 degree oven for one hour. Don't use veggie or olive oil b/c they will smoke. Re-season the pans whenever things are sticking or if you use steel wool on them. Hope this helps!
<span>Ladonna Sanders</span> Sat, 03/06/2010 - 23:51
with a piece of bacon fat or fatback.rub it on good and heat your pans in the oven for about an hour.Rub it only on the inside of pans. Hope this helps.