Irish Superstitions

Because you never know …

All my life, my mom has been mentioning little superstitions to me. When I was a teenager, I’d just roll my eyes. I wanted so much to ignore these ludicrous cosmic warnings; but inevitably, a little voice inside me would whisper, “You’d better do as she told you … just in case.” And little by little, I’ve picked up the habit of believing. I’m no expert on Irish superstition, but in honor of my Irish heritage, it felt right to pass along the leprechaun laws that I’ve inherited from generations of Irish relatives.

Animal Superstitions
“When a black cat crosses your path, spit through a triangle.” This is a pretty typical superstition about black cats—the only difference being that my Irish relatives came up with a protective antidote. To make a triangle on-the-go, I use my thumbs and pointer fingers and spit through them. This wards off the hex. It also works when I can’t avoid walking under a ladder.

Pole Superstitions
“If you go around the wrong side of a pole, you’ll be disappointed.” This can be a bit of a pain in the neck because this situation presents itself quite frequently. What this means is that if you’re walking with a friend, and you come upon anything pole-like (a telephone pole, flag pole, tree) then you must both go around the pole on the same side or one of you will be disappointed. If there are more than two people, then majority rules. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve retraced my steps to go back on the other side of a pole. It’s insanity; but you never know …

Cutlery Superstitions
“Handing someone a knife is bad luck.” We’re not talking about safety here, we’re talking about luck—a far more valuable commodity among the Irish than life itself. I don’t care how careful you’re going to be. Place the knife down on the table instead, and then someone else can pick it up. This particular superstition really slowed down my bridal shower. I had a million Crate & Barrel boxes to open, and we were using a knife to cut the tape. I insisted that my patient bridesmaid, Stephanie, had to place the darn knife down in front of me each time. I was not taking any chances, especially not at my bridal shower. “If a knife falls, it means a man is coming.” This has actually proven true a few times. “If it’s a spoon, a woman is coming. If it’s a fork that falls, it could be either a man or a woman.”