Luck comes in many different ways. There’s dumb luck, good luck, a lucky break or a stroke of luck. There are also lucky charms and amulets, such as a 4-leaf clover, a horseshoe, the number seven, lucky pennies or a rabbit’s foot. Carrying around a rabbit's foot in your pocket may be considered lucky, but think about it... how lucky was it for the rabbit? 🤔
Luck can also be bad. Take for
example, the overabundance of superstitions that exist. There’s Friday the 13th,
walking under ladders, tipping a salt shaker over, breaking a mirror, failing
to respond to a chain letter, opening an umbrella while indoors or hanging a
horseshoe with ends pointing down… just to name a few.
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| Cornicello |
Obviously before the prayer... a diagnosis must be made as to whether or not the person has been cursed with the malocchio. A friend may make this diagnosis by dropping three drops of olive oil into a bowl of water. If the oil forms an eye shape, the evil eye is present. As the drops separate, those in attendance make the sign of the cross and recite the words of the prayer. Those individuals participating in the ritual then make the sign of the cross on the afflicted person's hands and repeat the prayer three more times.
The Italian culture is rich in superstitions, both good and evil. While I have heard of quite a few of them, I am unaware of anyone in my family seriously practicing, following or believing in any of them. Well, maybe one or two. Anyway, here is the 'short list' of some of these time-honored classic Italian superstitions...
- The number 17 is considered unlucky in Italy. Some of the hotels do not have a 17th floor or a room 17. The Italian airline carrier, Alitalia, does not have a seat 17 and Renault sold its "R17" model in Italy as "R177.” The Roman numeral for 17 is XVII. By rearranging the letters, the Latin word, VIXI is formed, which means “I have lived,” a symbol that’s placed on ancient tombstones and associated with death.
- When it comes to toasting, there are several things that can cause you to have bad luck. For example, never toast with a glass full of water and don’t cross arms with the person next to you when you clink wine glasses.Toasting someone with water is like wishing them death by drowning and possibly will incur the wrath of the Gods. As for crossing arms...who knows?
- Laying your hat on a bed. According to tradition, when priests visited the dying to give them their last rites, they would remove their hat and put it on the bed. At best, putting a hat on a bed is said to invite mischievous bad luck or foretell an argument; at worst, it’s a premonition of injury or death for the owner of the hat.
- When you sit down to a meal in Italy, if there are 13 people around the table, it’s unlucky. This refers to the fact there were 13 people at the Last Supper, 12 apostles and Jesus. It’s said that Judas — the apostle that betrayed Jesus — was the 13th man to take his place at the table. Ironically, the number 13 is considered lucky when it comes to gambling and is also associated with the Goddess of Fertility and the lunar cycles. It is believed the number brings prosperity and abundant life.
- If you’ve managed to avoid sitting down at a table of 13 people and you are single, you’re still not necessarily safe. You’ll need to avoid sitting at the corner of a table because it means you will not marry.
- Whatever you do, don’t spill any olive oil or salt. It’s considered bad luck. This superstition may have its roots in times when both items were expensive and considered luxuries.The idea that spilling them would bring bad luck may have made people just a bit more careful when handling them.
- Singles also need to be careful when anyone starts cleaning the house. If someone brushes your feet by accident with a broom, you will not get married – so perhaps that’s a good excuse to put your feet up… or get rid of your broom.
- In some countries, people touch or knock on wood to avoid tempting fate. In Italy, the practice of tocca ferro, or touch iron, serves the same purpose.
- If you want to ward off bad luck then you can make le corna, or the sign of the horns. To make the sign, extend your index and little fingers while holding down your middle and ring fingers with your thumb, and point your hand downwards. Be careful to point downwards because if you make the sign holding your hand upwards it signifies that someone is a cuckold, i.e., the husband of an adulterous wife. You could give offence unwittingly.
- Wonder why there are no air conditioners in Italy? Italians believe that these evil contraptions blow dangerously cold air in your face, leading to “colpo d’ari” meaning a “blow or punch of air.” I have no idea why that would be considered bad luck unless, you ended up with a black eye. 😕
- In some
places, if a black cat crosses your path it’s considered a sign of good
luck. Not so in Italy, where black cats are thought to be a sign of bad
luck. If a cat is crossing the street, don’t be the first one to cross its path. It’s believed that these beautiful felines are a symbol of witchcraft and the devil.
- It’s common for people moving into a new home...especially newlyweds...to rid evil spirits and bless their home by performing certain rituals, such as sprinkling salt in the corners of all the rooms. It also helps to prevent ants, but I digress.
- Every culture has its own set of New Year’s traditions. According to Italian traditions, it’s customary to eat lentils after the clock strikes 12:00. Also, don’t forget to wear red undergarments, as this too will bring you luck in the coming year. Never heard about the red undergarments, but hey...whatever works.😲
- Never cross objects in the shape of a cross–for example, your fork and knife–as this is considered to be an insult to the religious symbol of the cross and will bring you bad luck.
- According to Italian traditions, a loaf of bread must always be placed facing up. This superstition is based on the belief that bread is considered a symbol of life, therefore, its bad luck to turn the bread up-side-down or stick a knife into it.
- When you’re feeling under the weather, chances are you want to take a nice hot bath to soothe your pain. According to Italian traditions, however, taking a bath when you’re sick will only make you sicker as will going outside with wet hair. Now this one I remember, particularly the part about going outside with wet hair, especially in cold weather.
Also...
- You must diligently sweep out the corners of a new house to get rid of the evil spirits that had taken up residence with the previous owner. You’ve got your own problems, right? Why would you want to inherit someone else’s, too? But I really question this particular superstition. Nonné are known to be obsessive about cleaning. This ritual seems to have been invented to justify an epidemic of hygiene neurosis among Italian grandmothers.
- You should always cover up all the mirrors in your house after someone dies. Why? Who the hell knows…?
Never
share your dreams with an Italian...
- Dream interpretation opens up another dark avenue of superstition, and Italians are creative masters when it comes to inventing a semi-plausible fiction to explain your dreams. They’ll always come up with something sinister and disquieting about your unconscious mind, which inevitably becomes a self-fulfilling curse. Better to keep it to yourself.
- BUT…according to some Italians, if you dream of the number 29 (considered lucky), you simply must go play the lottery right away.
- If you want to sell your house, bury a statue of St. Joseph in the front yard. Upside down, of course.
- For a newlywed couple, the two mothers should make the bed the first time that the young spouses sleep together. Some coins should be thrown between the sheets to bring good fortune. And all birth control devices should be confiscated or at least tampered with. (This last part is not really superstition; it’s just being sneaky and manipulative.)
- Speaking of beds, never use three people to make a double bed because serious harm or even death will come to the youngest of the trio. We've already covered putting a hat on the bed of a sick person, but did you know it's also bad luck to put a hanger on the bed of a healthy person? Again, to do so would be to invite the grim reaper.
- Itchy palms are a sign that one will soon come into money. I know from personal experience that this one is not true. 😢
- If you drop a spoon or a fork, unexpected company will soon pay a visit. This could be a good omen or a bad omen, depending upon who stops by. 😟😞ðŸ˜
- Killing a spider is bad luck. It's definitely bad luck for the spider. Spiders are an important factor in our ecosystem and technically, they keep bad bugs at bay. Even so, that doesn't mean that you want them roaming around your house. So, if you must kill a spider be sure to apologize to the poor little fella first, this is said to reduce the amount of bad luck you might bring about.
- Never start a journey or get married on a Friday or a Tuesday. The day of the week on which the wedding is performed makes a difference according to Italian superstition. Looking at the days of the week from their Latin-language roots, and the Roman gods they were named after, the day of the week may forecast good or bad tidings for the future of a marriage falling on that day. Neither on Friday nor on Tuesday can you get married or leave on a trip or start a new job. It roughly translates to – anything you start on those days will go unfinished – not the best tidings for a hopefully lifelong marriage...great vacation or a new career opportunity! In fact, Tuesday derives from Mars, the ancient Roman god of war and destruction. Friday derives from Venus, the goddess of femininity, also widely believed to be seductively deceitful.
I wish you much luck and happiness in your life and to those you love!
https://dreamdiscoveritalia.com/2016/04/15/italian-101-how-to-say-good-luck-in-italian/
https://takelessons.com/blog/italian-traditions-z09
https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/top-13-italian-superstitions
https://rickzullo.com/italian-superstitions/
http://www.comoinstyle.com/magazine/behind-italian-wedding-superstitions-customs/
Loved this blog! I was raised with a neurotically superstitious mother. When I left home I did everything I could to fight against continuing them. I am probably one of the least superstitious people around.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Valerie! My family really wasn't very superstitious, though I do remember hearing about one or two of these growing up. Keeps life interesting.
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