However... sometimes a girl just can't help herself.
Our new home feels so positive. It feels so full of friendship and love. And while I tried desperately not to think about it... I know there are some old wives' tales that simply need to be heeded when you move in to a new home.
As I considered this, I thought about how little I really understand about being superstitious. Sure, I know I'm not supposed to walk under a ladder. But it's not because of bad luck. It's because, when I was younger, children who walked under ladders tended to have hammers fall on their heads. It's not bad luck at all - it's simply poor timing on the part of the father who's standing on the ladder, and a lesson in Paying Attention to Surroundings on the part of the child with the gaping head wound. But the superstitions make sense.
Nonetheless, as a new homeowner, I knew there was more I needed to know.
So I turned to the companion my father always used for his home - The Old Farmers' Almanac.
When I was younger, my parents always received an Old Farmers' Almanac for Christmas. It was full of planting tips for the upcoming season, had weather information for the whole year and other tidbits that were helpful for homeowners, especially of the rural variety.
I was certain that the Almanac would know what I had to do.
It didn't disappoint.
Here, for your perusing (and future home buying experiences):
House and Home Superstitions
There are many superstitions and old wives tales' about the house and home. From our collection of folklore, here are some sayings for good luck in your home.
- Scatter Solomon's seal on the floor to banish serpents and venomous creatures from the room.
- To protect your house from lightning, gather hazel tree branches on Palm Sunday and keep them in water.
- Add caraway seeds to chicken feed to keep poultry from wandering. Feed the seeds to homing pigeons to help them find their way back.
- Stuff fennel in your keyhole or hang it over your door to protect against witches.
- Never carry a hoe into the house. If you do so by mistake, carry it out again, walking backward to avoid bad luck.
- 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).
- If you give a steel blade to a friend, make the recipient pay you a penny to avoid cutting the friendship.
- Never give a knife as a housewarming present, or your new neighbor will become an enemy.
- Never pound a nail after sundown, or you will wake the tree gods.
- Nail an evergreen branch to new rafters to bring good luck. An empty hornets' nest, hung high, also will bring good luck to a house of any age.
- 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.
I'm fortunate that, for the most part, I haven't grievously overlooked any of these. Sure... an old broom came into the kitchen. But that's as far as it got, and it was banished to the garage straightaway. And it was a camp broom, so it didn't really count anyway.
So, my dear ReaderFriends from around the Great Wide World - what are some traditions and superstitions surrounding New Homeowner-ship in your country?
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