It has been my observation over the years that most people take so much for granted they often overlook the qualities that make this place special.
I am talking about Maritime folklore, a category that embodies everything from traditions, superstitions, old wives’ tales and, yes, even ghost stories.
As regular readers will know, collecting and sharing these oral traditions is a passion of mine that has led to several books and many other opportunities. While doing this research, I’ve learned the South Shore is a rich melting pot of history that reaches back many centuries and boasts a diverse cultural mix and this realization has truly been an inspiration.
In the spirit of the holiday season and with a desire to keep the material of the lighter persuasion during this time of year, this week I thought it would be fun to share some of the Christmas superstitions I’ve collected over the years. But remember, these traditions go back many generations so today they may seem arcane and antiquated.
Here are just a few from my collection:
Eating an apple at midnight on Christmas Eve ensures that you will have good health throughout the following year.
• It is considered very lucky to be born on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
• It is considered good luck to keep a fire burning in your house during the 12 days of Christmas.
• A loaf of bread left on the table after Christmas Eve dinner will ensure a steady supply of bread for the next year.
• If your Christmas tree falls over it means someone you know will soon die.
• If you plan to give a piece of clothing as a Christmas gift you should not wash it before gifting it as that washes away the good luck.
• Placing holly around your house at Christmas is said to bring you good luck.
• Placing holly around your house will also keep the witches away during the Christmas season.
• Having difficulty lighting a fire on Christmas day is a sign that you will have bad luck for the remainder of the year.
• Opening the doors on your house at midnight on Christmas Eve will allow the evil spirits to escape.
• Keeping a candle lit throughout Christmas Eve will bring good luck to your household.
• But, if that candle goes out during the night, it’s a sign of bad luck.
• It is bad luck to sing Christmas carols at any other time of the year. December 1 is considered the appropriate start the music.
• If a dog howls on Christmas Eve it is a sign of bad luck.
• It is considered bad luck if the first visitor to your house on Christmas day is a woman.
• The Christmas dinner table was always set for an even number of guests as odd numbers were said to bring bad luck even if it meant leaving one place unused.
• To protect your house from burglars or intruders, tie a piece of string to the table legs where you eat your Christmas dinner.
• Placing a bowl of garlic under your table for your Christmas dinner will bring you strength and protect your family throughout the coming year.
• Place fish scales under your Christmas dinner plates for good luck.
• The traditional Christmas dinner consisted of 12 courses for the 12 disciples.
• It is bad luck to consume alcohol on Christmas Eve.
• Diners must wait at the table until everyone completes their Christmas dinner or bad luck will befall the household.
• Placing a pot of honey in the centre of the Christmas dinner table is said to ward off evil spirits.
• The gender of the first person to your house on Christmas Eve was said to predict the sex of the child of any pregnant women in the household.
• At one time, unmarried girls would steal sprigs of mistletoe from church decorations at Christmas time and hide them under their pillows because they believed it would cause them to dream of their future husbands.
• Burning old mistletoe was said to predict marriage prospects of an unmarried girl. Steady flames were said to ensure a happy married life while the sputtering flames predicted a rocky union.
• It is bad luck to go fishing on Christmas day.
• Never wash clothes on Christmas day because it is bad luck and it will cause a boat somewhere to sink.
• Weather conditions at the Christmas season can tell us a great deal. For instance, a blowing wind on Christmas day brings good luck with it.
• If there is snow on the ground on Christmas Eve, it is said to bring you good luck.
• In modern times, we use Canada Post to get our letters to Santa but in earlier times, it was a tradition to burn the Christmas letters on the fire so that they would be magically transported by the wind to the North Pole.
• Placing acorns on your Christmas tree will bring you good luck.
• Hanging a wreath on your door at Christmas is a sign of welcome to all those who will enter.
• Placing lit candles in your windows on Christmas Eve will help guide lost loved ones back to your home.
So, that was fun. I hope you found these old traditions as interesting as I do. As you can see, contrary to popular belief, Halloween isn’t the only time of year where superstitions can influence your actions and thinking. If you know of any beliefs and traditions that I may have missed, please feel free to share. I would love to hear from you.
Santa Clause may visit your home on Christmas Eve, but your choice of which superstitions to follow may determine if your holiday will be merry and bright or dark and sad, and that’s the view from here.
Vernon Oickle writes The View From Here column, which appears weekly in the South Shore Breaker. He can be reached at [email protected].
