forum Celtic/Scottish Lore
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@RedTheLoveless

Superstitions! I'd really like to know if there are any specific superstitions that exist within the culture/lore and why, please.

@ElderGod-Winter-The-Renegade-Legionnaire book

That's a great way to start! Alright here we go!

  1. Giving something sharp to a friend can ‘cut’ your friendship. For example a knife. You hand someone a knife, it could ruin the friendship. There is a way around it though! The person you handed the sharp object to, can give you a coin, and fix the friendship. So basically a sharp object can ruin a friendship, but a coin, (a circle) can fix it. Hence circle of friends, or a symbol of something that never ends.
  2. You kill a robin, you will have lifelong bad luck
  3. A single Maggie will bring sorrow, unless you salute it, and a duo of magpies bring happiness.
  4. If you find a Ha’penny (or half penny, Ireland's 2 cent coin no longer in circulation) you'll have good luck!
  5. Don't disturb a fairy/faerie fort (especially at the start of May when the fairies are at their worst) It runs the risk of untold perils and bad luck. Tricky faeries.
  6. An itchy nose means someone wants to fight you and it means the fight is coming soon.
  7. If a candle doesn't burn in your window throughout Christmastime you will have bad luck for the next year
  8. If the palm of your left hand is itchy, money is coming to you.
  9. If the palm of your right hand is itchy, money is going to leave you.
  10. If you knock over your chair while standing up, it means you're going to have bad luck.
  11. Break a mirror, 7 years of bad luck. ( Hey! I've heard that one before! No duh, it was stolen from the Irish)
  12. If a bird poops on you, it's good luck!
  13. When baking soda bread, put a cross on the top of the bread to allow the devil to come out of the bread. (This one is rather stupid, but no one risks it) unless you want to be possessed by a demon.

@ElderGod-Winter-The-Renegade-Legionnaire book

There's more and some of these I've never heard of. These are from an Irish website! I actually know the couple who wrote the article, and I know the school from where the answers came! Here they are!

The following list is an extensive collection of "Lucky and Unlucky Signs" supplied by students at the Listowel National School. This is the most recent list sooooooo…..

  1. If a person comes in one door, they should go out the same door again, otherwise, they say, they take away the luck with them if they go out the other door.

  2. If you are going to the fair and the first person you see is a red-haired woman you should turn back else you'll have bad luck for that day.

  3. If you find a four-leaved shamrock you will be lucky.

  4. If you hear ringing in your right ear they say that the souls in Purgatory are calling for your prayers.

  5. If you spill salt on the table you will have a fight.

  6. When the sparks fly out of the fire, it is a sign that you will get money.

  7. When a donkey brays, it is a sign that a tinker is dead.

  8. If your right ear is hot, it is a sign that someone will scold you.

  9. If you see a tea-leaf floating on top of your tea, it is a sign that you will get a letter.

  10. If you find a horseshoe, spit on it and throw it over your head and you will have good luck.

  11. If you pick a flower on May Eve it is said that the fairies will come and take you away with them.

  12. If scissors fall on the floor you will get a disappointment.

  13. If you walk over a person on the floor that person will grow no more.

  14. If a person spits out when walking under a ladder, he will have good luck.

  15. If there are two lights burning in the same room for two nights in succession someone will die in that house.

  16. If your tooth falls out and if you put it on your window-sill at night and if it is gone in the morning you will have good luck.

  17. If you see a white horse in the morning you will have good luck.

  18. If you drop a fork you will have company.

  19. A whistling woman or a crowing hen, there is neither luck nor grave in the house they are in.

  20. If you count the cars at a funeral, bad luck will befall you.

  21. If you burn a pack of playing cards, bad luck will befall you.

  22. It is unlucky to cut hay in the same year where cattle graze.

  23. If a wedding party meets a funeral after a marriage ceremony they will have bad luck.

  24. It is unlucky to say “God bless a dog or a cat.”

  25. In a family where the grandfather is called John, where the father is called John and if a male child is born he should not be called John because he will be unlucky.
    (It's only the name John. I don't know why, it just is.)

  26. When a cricket whistles on the hob it is a sign of great misfortune.

  27. When a robin is near your back door it is considered a good omen.

  28. If you get the wishbone on a chicken, catch one end of it and tell somebody else to catch the other end and whoever gets the right side after pulling it apart may wish for whatever they like.

  29. It is said that if you hurt a leprechaun the devil will tie you with chains and curse you.

  30. When you see a white horse, spit and close your eyes and you will have good luck, but be sure to rub out the spit afterwards. (Another horse one… What are the odds?)

  31. If you pick the flower on a white thorn bush and carry them home you will die.

  32. If you meet a funeral you should walk three steps with it. If you do not you will have ill luck.

  33. If you find a hairpin keep it and you will get money.

  34. If you see a black cat you will be lucky. (Quite the cliche, if you ask me)

  35. If you put your socks on inside-out you will be lucky.

  36. If you pick bluebells on May Eve you will have bad luck during Mat.

  37. If you have a habit of spilling milk you will marry a drunkard.

  38. If a man is going to the fair and if his wife throws an old shoe after him it is a sign he will have good luck.

  39. If a sod or turf falls out of the fire it is a sign that someone is coming to the house.

  40. When you see a new moon you should bless yourself or bad luck will befall you.

  41. If you kill a golden wren in a laurel bush you will have good luck.
    This should be enough for ya!

@RedTheLoveless

.13. When baking soda bread, put a cross on the top of the bread to allow the devil to come out of the bread. (This one is rather stupid, but no one risks it) unless you want to be possessed by a demon.

Understandably so! I wouldn't want to risk my bread being possessed either, no matter how stupid it may seem xD
This brings the "get that bread" saying to a whole other level

@ElderGod-Winter-The-Renegade-Legionnaire book

.13. When baking soda bread, put a cross on the top of the bread to allow the devil to come out of the bread. (This one is rather stupid, but no one risks it) unless you want to be possessed by a demon.

Understandably so! I wouldn't want to risk my bread being possessed either, no matter how stupid it may seem xD
This brings the "get that bread" saying to a whole other level

Yeah 😂

@RedTheLoveless

.2. If you are going to the fair and the first person you see is a red-haired woman you should turn back else you'll have bad luck for that day.

This one is oddly specific. I can't help but wonder where this came from

@berlioz

Ayy, we do the wish bone thing every time we have turkey (28). My parents and grandparents are obsessed and weirdly respectful with tea (9). When I was little I didn't like tea, and once my grandma asked if I wanted milk with my cup. I said no, and that I didn't like tea, and everyone in the house came out to the kitchen to basically scold me and say "You're Irish, of course you like tea! Here, try it with honey" and "Every Scotsman drinks tea! Are you kidding me?" And "You'll come around eventually, it's in your blood." They spent quite some time trying to find a tea, milk, and sweetener combination that'd I'd like. They were right though, I eventually did come around and now drink tea all the time.

@ElderGod-Winter-The-Renegade-Legionnaire book

Okay weddings. Here we go.

  1. Some brides of Irish ancestry have their dresses specially made, or they embellish a ready-made dress with Celtic symbols like knots, crosses, or shamrocks in white embroidery. Another beautiful touch is to add Irish lace. You might also see an Irish lace headpiece or a veil with Irish lace accents. In cold weather, brides may want to wear a classic bridal cloak in wool or a combination of light-weight wool and Irish linen.
  2. Traditionally, the groom wears an Irish kilt tartan that represents the counties and districts of Ireland, while Scottish kilts differ in that they represent their clan in their tartan design and color. There is also an Irish national tartan, made famous as a response to the Anglicization of the Emerald Ise by the British. Traditional Irish weddings have a full formal kilt outfit for the groom. He will likely wear a Brian Boru jacket (named for the Irish warrior king), a white tux shirt with bow tie, knee socks with ribbons to match the color of his tartan, a Sporran with shamrock detailing and Ghillie Brogue shoes. It is far more prevalent and popular in America for the groom to wear an Irish kilt than in Ireland. Many pipers and Irish musicians wear kilts, as do Irish dancers.
    3.While people typically think of green as the color associated with Ireland, it was not the official color of the country until the 19th century. When King Henry VIII left the Catholic Church to form his Church of England, he named Ireland an independent protestant kingdom and granted them the right to have their own coat of arms and flag: a gold Celtic harp on a blue background. For hundreds of years, Ireland's flag was blue. Blue was also considered lucky for brides, as it was the color of fidelity and symbolized the bride’s commitment to her husband. Don't be surprised if the wedding has blue elements along with, or instead of, the many shades of green.
  3. At the wedding, every wish for the couple is for a long and beautiful life together blessed with good fortune. You may see lucky shamrocks and tiny horseshoes in the bride’s bouquet or as part of tablescapes, favors and even on the cake. Irish brides once carried a real horseshoe down the aisle, open side up, so the luck would never run out. For more good fortune, an old superstition dictates that the bride must walk down the aisle with a sixpence coin in her right shoe.
  4. While the Scottish favor the Highland Bagpipes, the Irish play the sweeter and smaller Irish Uilleann Pipes. These smaller pipes are used inside the church, as bagpipes are very loud. Dressed in kilts and full regalia, they cut a dashing figure at an Irish wedding. The piper may play before the ceremony as guests arrive, and also to announce the bride’s arrival to the church just before they lead the processional down the aisle. It is also customary to have the piper lead the couple out together down the aisle during their recessional. Another option is to have a harpist play the Celtic harp, renowned for its lyrical tone and the sound of the haunting Irish music written for it. As the national symbol of Ireland, the Celtic harp is included on everything from Irish government documents to labels on Guinness bottles.
  5. Handfasting, a popular symbol of unity at many weddings, is an ancient Celtic tradition that dates back 2,000 years. The ceremony was an engagement or commitment ritual allowing the couple to live together for a year and a day to see if they were compatible; if they were not, they could merely separate. Today instead of lighting a unity candle or perhaps in place of vows, many opt to have a handfasting. The officiant places a ribbon or cording around the bride and groom's hands while saying vows of promise and commitment that they agree to aloud. All four hands are bound together: or the more popular way is to tie only the bride and groom's right hands together.
  6. Wedding rings with clasped hands on them trace back to ancient Roman times. The Irish Claddagh ring first appeared in the 1700s in Galway and features two hands around a heart with a crown over the heart. There is a silent message sent out to those in the know about how the Claggagh is worn. The Claddagh as an engagement ring is placed on the left hand with the bottom of the heart pointing away from the wrist. Given during the ceremony, the rings will be placed on the left-hand ring finger with the point of the heart facing inward towards the heart of the recipient. A beautiful touch is to have the inside of the rings engraved with a Gaelic sentiment.
  7. Ringing a bell is thought to ward off evil spirits. Another belief is that bells chase the discord away in a marriage, which is why the church bells may ring after a wedding, or tiny bells might be given to guests to ring as the couple makes their way down the aisle as a married couple. Presenting a bell to the newlyweds is also a traditional wedding gift. You may even see the Bells of Ireland flowers included in the bride's bouquet because, in the language of flowers, they represent luck.
    9.Many Irish brides still carry a white Irish linen handkerchief. It’s an old tradition and a lovely way to incorporate the Irish culture into bridal attire. Embroidered with shamrocks, it's also a lucky talisman. In Ireland, the hanky is later sewn into a bonnet as part of the first-born child's christening outfit.
  8. An Irish wedding reception isn't a real celebration without Irish dancers. Irish dancing schools love to perform with an Uilleann pipe player or an Irish band; and they are an integral part of an Irish wedding celebration.
    11.The reception is supposed to have Irish beverages. Meade (or mead) is made from honey and is the oldest drink in Ireland. In medieval times the bride and groom would toast each other with special goblets full of mead and carry on with this for a month or one moon cycle; hence the origin of the term "honeymoon." Irish mist liqueur, Irish whiskey, cream liqueur, cider, and beer are popular choices as well.
  9. An Irish reception will also have many rounds of toasts and blessings beginning with family members, the wedding party and friends all before the traditional toasts.
    Hope this helps!

@ElderGod-Winter-The-Renegade-Legionnaire book

.2. If you are going to the fair and the first person you see is a red-haired woman you should turn back else you'll have bad luck for that day.

This one is oddly specific. I can't help but wonder where this came from

Yes it is! I just think someone was having a bad day 😂

@berlioz

Thanks so much! Those wedding traditions sound fun. My parents use the Claddagh as their wedding ring, and I once saw a friend with it on in the "single and ready to mingle" position. He was really excited I recognized it, and we told tales of our Celtic-American households lol.