The Sunday Morning Irish
My Ma and her Irish superstitions~
My Ma and her Irish superstitions~
All my life, my Ma 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.My mother grew up in a land that's renowned for its belief in superstitions, and while Ireland has become a very modern country, it's safe to say that many of her inhabitants, as well those of Irish descent living elsewhere, still throw spilled salt over their right shoulder or worry about seven years bad luck if they break a mirror. 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. No doubt, you can add a dozen more to your own personal list, but I'm going to relate some odd ones you may never have heard of before.
Did you know, for example, that you can tame a young wild horse by whispering the Creed into his left ear on Wednesday and into his right ear on Friday? The procedure was repeated until the animal was calmed.
If a bird flew into the house, it was a portent of death. A purse made from a weasel would never be empty. It was unlucky to knit at night until you were certain the sheep were asleep. It was fortunate to hear a cuckoo call - but only if it was on your right side. If a child was born before noon, he or she would not be able to see spirits or the good people - but if born at night, the child would have the gift. By the way, it's considered very risky to refer to the good people as fairies, wee folk or little people.
From the country folk come a wealth of beliefs related to physical ailments. For example, a stocking filled with hot potatoes and applied to the throat cured tonsillitis. Shaving on Sunday encouraged toothache - but carrying a haddock's jawbone helped prevent it. Boiled daisies were said to relieve sore eyes, milk in which kelp had been boiled could cure boils, and unsalted butter rubbed on a stitch in the side could make it go away. As for warts, my mother firmly believed they could be cured by rubbing them with a fresh-cut potato and burying the potato in the garden. As I recall, I don't remember my siblings or I suffering from this particular affliction, so I can't attest to the efficacy of this cure.
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.
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 …
"Pinch, punch, first day of the month, white rabbit!" This was a verse my mother taught us and I have no idea what it means. But my family and I certainly had fun putting the words into action at the beginning of every month. My mother also carried a rabbit's foot for good luck. However, in the old days, it wouldn't have been a rabbit at all. Hares are featured in numerous folktales and my very devout Catholic mother would have been dismayed to learn that the hare - and subsequently, the rabbit - is an ancient pagan symbol. When Christianity came to Ireland, the symbol of the hare was used deliberately to transfer old pagan religion into a Christian context - especially at Easter time. As harbingers of spring, hares were held in high esteem. Over time, the Easter hare became the Easter rabbit or bunny - far less threatening to Christian Ireland than the ancient pagan symbol.
When it’s raining and the sun breaks through, my mother always said, “The devil is beating his wife.” I really don’t understand how that would impact the weather, but now I say it each time, too. Yes, I’ve received some strange looks from strangers.
The next one I am about to share was one my mother never spoke of at least not in my presence .(Perhaps because I am redhead.)
Redheads are thought to be harbingers of ill luck. The superstition was said to have stemmed from the legend about a goddess named Macha, who is often associated with horses and races. Her husband, Cruinniuc, often bragged about her running speed. When the king of Ulster heard this, he dared Machato race with his fastest horses. Even though Macha was then pregnant, if she failed to win, her husband would be executed. Despite her pleas for mercy, she was forced to run. Macha finished in first place, but exhausted, she underwent premature delivery in the field and bore twin sons. She then cursed the Irish men and their descendants, that they would experience pains as excruciating as those during labor. In the famous battle of Ulster, her curse spared her twins and 17-year-old Irish legendary warrior Cúchulainn. Consequently, the young hero was able to win the war without soldiers backing him up. Macha, who just happened to be red-haired, has been greatly feared ever since.
In general, red-headed people are often said to be of fiery temperament. Meeting a red-haired woman is also believed to bring bad luck. Other current superstitions related to red hair are that a man bumping into a female redhead on his way to work will procrastinate and go back home, and a male or female redhead in a red coat is a bad luck omen.
So there’s a taste of some Irish superstition. This is actually the first time I have written them down~ hopefully there’s no superstition about that. (I’d think twice about rolling your eyes, because you never know. )Whether you believe in any of these old superstitions or not, there's no doubt that there's total truth in the old saying that if you're Irish, you're lucky enough.
