Romanian Superstitions November 11, 2009

Superstitions reveal a lot about a people, at the same time showing their fears and hopes.

Here are a few Romanian superstitions:

- Spilling salt means bad luck, having a quarrel. In order to avoid the bad luck or to prevent quarrel, one has to throw but a pinch of salt that was spilled over the shoulder;

- It is not good to whistle inside a house, because you will lose your money;

- One should never hand over a wedding ring directly to some else because that brings bad luck for the marriage. At first, one should put the ring at the table so the other person can pick it up;

- It is not good to give something to a person while standing on the threshold;

- One must not put bread upside down. This will bring bad luck;

- If you travel you should not turn half way even when you forget something. This will bring bad luck. In case you want to, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and make a little grimace;

- Bouquets must have an odd number of flowers. Thus, never give 4, 6, 8 flowers to a person. Explanation: bouquets with even numbers are for funeral ceremonies or cemeteries;

- When a person praises a child, like “What a nice child”, the child should be wearing something red. This can prevent the child from bad curses. In case the child did not wear anything red, a person who has experience has to remove the curse and will be asked to speak some formulas to remove the bad spell. This is also why in Romania horses that pull carts carry red threads;

- When your nose is itchy, you will have a party or festivity, an occasion to drink. Or you will receive some news;

- One must avoid meeting a person who carries an empty bucket, basket, or can. If you meet someone with a full basket, that means good luck;

- It is not good to whistle inside a house, because you will lose your money.

Liliana&the kids