Customs

Blessed Candles were once tied onto the tail of milch cows on Hallow Eve.  People firmly believed that evil spirits were abroad and they had to protect their most prized animal.
 

It was unlucky to first meet a red-haired woman when going to the fair.  Should there be one such in the company/family, another would walk in front and wish ‘Good Luck!’ to all he met.
 
When a rainbow forms, someone within its arc will die before the year is out.  On the other hand there’s a pot of gold waiting at the end of the rainbow for anybody who can find it.
 
You know never to kill a spider and to avoid disturbing his web, but do you know why?  Well, I’ll tell you.
 
A large spider once spun his web over the entrance to a cave where the Holy Family took refuge from Herod’s soldiers.  The soldiers saw the web and deduced that no one was inside otherwise they’d have had to break the web.  So they went on.  So now you know.
 
You must have heard that a pig dying slowly at a slaughter-house denotes that one of the helpers present has a weak heart.
 
A mare in foal or a cow in calf should not be allowed to see a pig killed otherwise they will abort their own young.
 
You’ve heard that an ass bends on its forelegs on Christmas Eve.  Now you know that’s in memory of that first ass that paid homage at the birth of the Saviour.
 
May flowers tossed on a roof denotes a Christian house.  This sign was used in Palestine to denote a Christian house to the Holy Family.
 
A Saturday’s flit is a short sit.  And it’s unlucky to take a cat with a flitting.
 
If you say aloud that you mean to catch rats or mice in traps, they’ll not touch the traps.
 
If some one sneezes, you must immediately say, ‘God bless you!’
 
No beggar should be turned empty-handed from the door.
 
It’s unwise not to sell a beast to a gypsy caller for ‘they’ll take the good of it anyway.’
 
A bush that suddenly withers is an omen of death.  So is a cat howling in the night.  So is a ‘miss’ in a potato or corn field (a patch where no seed has grown).

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