Broken Mirror Superstition
Mirror Omen According to one of the best-known mirror superstitions, breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. Historical records show that mirror breakage…
Death & Funerals
Death & Funerals Folk Beliefs
Death & Funerals gathers beliefs, customs, and omens explicitly tied to death, funerals, mourning, and signs traditionally interpreted as foretelling death.
10 documented beliefs · 1 country
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Death-Watch Ticking Superstition
Household Omen A faint, repeated ticking heard from old wood was once interpreted as a warning that someone in the household might soon die. The…
Stopped Clock Superstition
Household Omen In recorded folklore, a clock that stops unexpectedly can be interpreted as an omen of death, especially when its hands appear to preserve…
Creaking Coffin Superstition
A coffin that creaked in a carpenter’s shop was once recorded as an omen that another coffin order would soon arrive. The surviving record is…
Coffin Shape in a Candle Superstition
The superstition known as a coffin in a candle treats an unusual formation on a burning candle as an omen of death. A late nineteenth-century…
Cracked Bread Loaf Superstition
Bread Omen In several documented folk traditions, a loaf that cracked or split while baking was read as an omen of death. Depending on the…
Unexplained Bell-Ringing Superstition
Death Omen In recorded folk belief, a bell heard ringing without an identifiable cause could be interpreted as a warning of an approaching death. The…
Hoe Through the House Superstition
Household Folk Belief The hoe-through-the-house superstition warns against carrying a hoe inside or through a home. In its simplest recorded form, the act brings bad…
Indoor Umbrella Superstition
Household Luck Belief Opening an umbrella inside a house is traditionally treated as an unlucky act. Older folklore records sometimes give the rule a narrower…
Baby and Mirror Superstition
Infancy Folklore The baby and mirror superstition warns against letting an infant see its reflection too early. The forbidden period is not fixed: some versions…