Andrews Journaling: Superstitions and myths: Part 4

It seems that most of the mountain people are superstitious in one way or another. I know at my house if someone says to pass the salt, we set the shaker down on the table. You never pass the salt hand to hand because you may have bad luck.

I remember my mother quoting this rhyme to us all the time, “If you whistle at the table and sing in the bed, the boogeyman will get you by the hair of the head.” And my Grandma Nell, who was very mischievous, used to say, “A whistling girl and a crowing hen, will always come to some bad end.” I was troubled by that when I was little because I loved to whistle.

We were always told to pick up a penny for good luck if it was on heads, but if it was on tails, leave it after turning it over for the next person. If a black cat crosses your path you must make the sign of the cross, and if your ears are burning, then someone is talking about you.

On New Year’s Day, in keeping with the tradition, we eat pork, greens and black-eyed peas, for peace, prosperity and good health in the coming year. Also, keep a flower pot full of Ivy, a fern or wind chimes on the front porch to keep away evil spirits or to ward off curses.     

If the bottoms of your feet itch, you will be walking on ground unfamiliar to you. And if the palm of your right-hand itches, you will get unexpected money, if the left palm itches, you will be paying out money. The old timers believe that people die in threes in a community, and they say to never walk under a ladder because it will bring bad luck.

Most of the superstitions were brought to America from Europe. The slogan “knock on wood,“ was for good luck. The Celtics believed that spirits (good and bad) lived in trees, so by knocking on the tree it could bring you good luck or it could protect you from something evil.

Seven years of bad luck for breaking a mirror came from the Romans, they also believed you could reverse it by burying all the broken pieces

If you spill the salt, then you must take a pinch and throw it over your left shoulder to ward off evil. I read an interesting memo about Judas Iscariot, who accidently spilled the salt at the “Last Supper,” and later he betrayed Jesus. Spilling the salt was thought to bring about something bad, as was portrayed in Leonardo DaVinci’s painting.

“Step on a crack” was European and African folklore. They believed that cracks of any kind were often seen as a portal to good or evil in the world of the supernatural, and by stepping on the cracks it could release the spirits of the underworld.

I do not think this superstition could be topped as it was gut wrenching funny. Several family members went to see our Aunt Tine Grindstaff one afternoon and Uncle Alfred was out in the field near the garden. He carried out some pepper plants and was placing the seedlings where he intended to plant them. Aunt Tine looked out the kitchen window and ran out on the back porch and hollered in her authoritarian voice , “Alfred, don’t you turn your hind-end to the sun when you plant those peppers. They will be so hot we can’t eat them.”    

Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. To talk about the Andrews Valley, call her at 361-3268 or email kandybarnard@gmail.com.