Unusual family superstitions

By Jo (editor) / / Blog / 4 Comments
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As a child my grandmother would not pass a pure white horse without licking her shoe (well, not actually licking her shoe with her tongue but licking her finger and touching her shoe). This she did whether walking, riding a bike or in a car – and she assured us this would bring us good luck, as long as you didn’t look back at the horse, as this would break the good luck.

It is many years since my grandmother died but I still feel an urge as I pass a white horse and occasionally I catch my husband discreetly licking his finger and touching his shoe as he drives along the motorway.

Do you salute magpies, say ‘white rabbits’ before anything else on the 1 March or throw spilt salt over your left shoulder? Are you unable to cross a family member on the stairs, or ‘tempt fate’ without touching wood?

We would love to hear about unusual family superstitions you still uphold. We’d particularly like to hear about the really quirky ones or the ones that make you feel connected to your relatives. We’ll share a collection of the most unusual family superstitions in issue one of the magazine, on sale 1 May.

Please email us or comment below to share you tales of nostalgic family superstitions. Thank you!