Monday's Child is one of many fortune-telling
songs, popular as nursery rhymes for children.
It is supposed to tell a child's character
or future based on the day they were born.
As with all nursery rhymes, there are many
versions.
Do you believe in the existence of ghosts?
Do you think their is a particular day of
any given year when interation with the
dead is more then possible? Or is it all
superstition?
The sixth day of the week and the number
13 both have foreboding reputations said
to date from ancient times, and their inevitable
conjunction from one to three times a year
portends more misfortune than some credulous
minds can bear. Some researchers say it
may be the most widespread believed superstition
in the United States.
Some people won't go to work on Friday
the 13th; some won't eat in restaurants;
many wouldn't think of setting a wedding
on the date. Others believe this is when
the world of ghosts coincides with ours
and the not so dearly departed try to find
ways to make us join them or try to communicate
with us.
Sometimes many believe the traditional
dream world of the dead is closer to us
on a particular chosen day of the year.
It is considered a respected day when the
veil between the two worlds are at it's
thinnest and the dead can communicate and
touch us from the other side. Often it is
considered the anniversary of the day a
close loved one died or on their birthday,
burial anniversary or a special chosen day
that was most sacred or respected to them
whilst alive. Often the day a great tragedy
occurred and many souls were taken at once
at a specific location. See: The
Most Haunted Scariest Places On Earth, Haunted
Ground Zero as some professional ghost hunters
refer to these places.
Friday The 13th means many different things
to different people. Lucky or un-lucky it
makes a strong trend turn and run to it's
weakest point. Julius Caeser was warned
about the Ides of March that was his unlucky
day. In the Roman calendar, the Ides of
March was a term used to denote 15 March.
In general, the Ides fell on the 15th day
of the months of March, May, July, or October,
or the 13th day of any other month.
Vincenzo Camuccini, Mort
de César, 1798.
Seance's in the late 1800's were often
held on Friday or Saturday nights this they
said was because it was a time when evil
and spirits could roam the earth freely.
Ancestor Veneration in Poland November 1
(All Saints Day) is the day when families
go to the cemeteries and light candles for
their dead relatives.
Ancestor worshiping (or ancestoral worship)
is a religious practice based on the belief
that deceased family members have a continued
existence, take an interest in the affairs
of the world, and possess the ability to
influence the fortune of the living. All
cultures attach ritual significance to the
passing of loved ones, but this is not equivalent
to ancestor worship. The goal of ancestor
worship is to ensure the ancestors' continued
well-being and positive disposition towards
the living and sometimes to ask for special
favors or assistance. The social or nonreligious
function of ancestor worship is to cultivate
kinship values like filial piety, family
loyalty, and continuity of the family lineage.
While far from universal, ancestor worship
or ancestor veneration occurs in societies
with every degree of social, political,
and technological complexity, and it remains
an important component of various religious
practices in modern times.
There are many people who experience strange
and unusual encounters with things that
can only be described as ghosts. And it
happens everyday of the week. though some
just keep it to themselves for fear of ridicule
or personal beliefs.
Stigmatized Haunted Days:
Walpurgis
Night
The Bram Stoker short
story "Dracula's Guest" takes
place on Walpurgisnacht: "Walpurgis
Night was when, according to the belief
of millions of people, the devil was abroad
-- when the graves were opened and the
dead came forth and walked. When all evil
things of earth and air and water held
revel.". Walpurgis Night (or Walpurgisnacht
in Germany) is a holiday celebrated on
April 30 or May 1, in large parts of central
and Northern Europe. Interesting note:
Halloween (which falls six months to the
day either before or after Walpurgis Night)
Russian legend tells
of a witches' sabbath taking place on
St. John's Night (June 23-24) on the Lysa
Hora (Bald Mountain), near Kiev or Brocken
in Germany. On Walpurgis Night, Walpurgisnacht
(or Hexennacht, meaning witches´
night), the night from April 30 to May
1, is the night when allegedly the witches
hold a large celebration on the Blocksberg
and await the arrival of Spring.
Beltane or Bealtaine
is an ancient Gaelic holiday celebrated
around May 1. Historically, this festival
was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and
the Isle of Man. There were similar festivals
held at the same time in the other Celtic
countries of Wales, Brittany and Cornwall.
The festival survives in folkloric practices
in the Celtic Nations and the diaspora,
and has experienced a degree of revival
in recent decades.
On St. Mark's Eve, 24
April, it was the custom in the villages
of England, from the 17th century to the
late 19th century, to sit in the church
porch between the hours of 11.00 p.m.
and 1.00 a.m. for three successive years.
On the third such sitting, the ghosts
of those to die during the year would
be witnessed passing into the church.
This practice took place throughout England,
but was most prevalent in northern and
western counties. Some accounts of the
custom state that the watchers must be
fasting, or must circle the church before
taking up position. The ghosts of those
who were to die soon would be the first
observed, while those who would almost
see out the year would not be witnessed
until almost 1.00 a.m. Other variations
of the superstition say that the watchers
would see headless or rotting corpses,
or coffins approaching.
DAYS OF THE DEAD
In Haiti, New Orleans and Miami voodoo
traditions mix with Roman Catholic Day of
the Dead observances, as, for example, loud
drums and music are played at all-night
celebrations at cemeteries to waken Baron
Samedi, the god of the dead, and his mischievous
family of offspring, the Gede, (Spirits
or real Ghosts) do so possess the living
and communicate through them.
Many Professional researchers and ghost
hunters have now set their eye on investigating
these haunted holidays first hand in 2007-
2008. The paranormal community has often
overlooked Voodoo rituals in thir investigations
of real ghosts in the past. Sci-Fi Investigates
in 2006 went to New Orleans and opened the
doors for others to see a world where spirits
and ghosts commonly interact daily.
NEW
ORLEANS DAY OF THE DEAD READ MORE ABOUT
IT HERE!
The Day of the Dead (Día
de los Muertos, Día de los Difuntos
or Día de Muertos in Spanish) is
a holiday celebrated in many parts of the
world, typically on November 1 (All Saints'
Day) and November 2 (All Souls' Day).
The Brazilian public holiday
of "Finados" (Day of the Dead)
is celebrated on November 2. Similar to
other Day of the Dead celebrations, people
go to cemeteries and churches, with flowers,
candles, and prayer. The celebration is
intended to be positive, to celebrate those
who are deceased.
In many African cultures,
visits to the graves of ancestors, the leaving
of food and gifts, and the asking of protection,
are important parts of traditional rituals,
such as rituals just before the beginning
of hunting season.
In Prague, Czech Republic,
for example, local citizens celebrate the
Day of the Dead with masks, candles and
sugar skulls.
In the Philippines, it is
called Araw ng mga Patay (Day of the Dead),
Undas or Todos Los Santos (since this holiday
is celebrated on November 1, All Saints
Day, designated by the Roman Catholic Church),
and has more of a "family reunion"
atmosphere. It is said to be an "opportunity
to be with" the departed and is done
in a somewhat solemn way. Tombs are cleaned
or repainted, candles are lit, and flowers
are offered. Since it is supposed to be
about spending time with dead relatives,
families usually camp in cemeteries, and
sometimes spend a night or two near their
relatives' tombs. Card games, eating, drinking,
singing and dancing are common activities
in the cemetery, probably to alleviate boredom.
It is considered a very important holiday
by many Filipinos (after Christmas and Holy
Week), and additional days are normally
given as special nonworking holidays (but
only November 1 is a regular holiday).
In Portugal and Spain, oferendas
(offerings) are made on this day. In Spain,
the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally
performed. In Spain, Portugal, Italy and
France, people bring flowers to the graves
of dead relatives. In Poland, Slovakia,
Lithuania, Croatia, Austria and Germany,
the tradition is to light candles and visit
the graves of deceased relatives.In Tyrol,
cakes are left for them on the table and
the room kept warm for their comfort. In
Brittany, people flock to the cemeteries
at nightfall to kneel, bareheaded, at the
graves of their loved ones, and to anoint
the hollow of the tombstone with holy water
or to pour libations of milk on it. At bedtime,
the supper is left on the table for the
souls
The Qingming Festival is a
traditional Chinese festival usually occurring
around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar.
Along with Double Ninth Festival on the
ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese
calendar, it is a time to tend to the graves
of departed ones. In addition, in the Chinese
tradition, the seventh month in the Chinese
calendar is called the Ghost Month , in
which ghosts and spirits come out from the
underworld to visit earth.
The holiday is also known
by a number of other names in the English
language:
All Souls Day (not to be confused with
the Roman Catholic holiday, All Souls Day,
of the same name)
Clear Brightness Festival
Festival for Tending Graves
Grave Sweeping Day
Memorial Day
Tomb Sweeping Day
Spring Remembrance
Tomb Sweeping Day and Clear Brightness Festival
are the most common English translations
of Qingming Festival. Tomb Sweeping Day
is used in several English language newspapers
published in the Republic of China.
For the Chinese, it is a day to remember
and honor one's ancestors. Young and old
pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs
and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, (joss)
paper accessories, and/or libation to the
ancestors. The rites are very important
to most Chinese and especially farmers.
Some people carry willow branches with them
on Qingming, or put willow branches on their
gates and/or front doors. They think that
willow branches help ward off the evil ghosts
that wander on Qingming. Also on Qingming,
people go on family outings, start the spring
plowing, sing, dance, and Qingming is a
time where young couples start courting.
Another popular thing to do is fly kites
(in shapes of animals, or characters from
Chinese opera).
The April Fifth Movement and the Tiananmen
Incident were major events on Qingming that
took place in the history of the People's
Republic of China. When Premier Zhou Enlai
died in 1976, thousands visited him during
the festival to pay respect. In the Republic
of China, April 4th coincides with the passing
of Chiang Kai-shek and the date is designated
as a national holiday.
The Bon Festival is a Japanese
Buddhist holiday to honor the departed spirits
of one's ancestors. This Buddhist festival
has evolved into a family reunion holiday
during which people from the big cities
return to their home towns and visit and
clean their ancestors' graves. Traditionally
including a dance festival, it has existed
in Japan for more than 500 years.
Double Ninth Festival, the
other day to visit and clean up the cemeteries
in Hong Kong observed on the ninth day of
the ninth month in the Chinese calendar
(October 30 in 2006), is a traditional Chinese
holiday, mentioned in writing since before
the East Han period. Double Ninth may have
started out as a day to drive away danger,
but like the Chinese New Year, over time
it became a day of celebration. In contemporary
times it is an occasion for hiking and chrysanthemum
appreciation.
In Korea, Chuseok is a major
traditional holiday, also called Hankawi.
People go where the spirits of one's ancestors
are enshrined, and perform ancestral worship
rituals early in the morning; they visit
the tombs of immediate ancestors to trim
plants and clean the area around the tomb,
and offer food, drink, and crops to their
ancestors.
In Mexico, where the holiday has perhaps
its highest prominence, the holiday has
ancient Aztec and Mesoamerican roots, and
is a national holiday. The Day of the Dead
is also celebrated to a lesser extent in
other Latin American countries; for example,
it is a public holiday in Brazil, where
many Brazilians celebrate it by visiting
cemeteries and churches. The holiday is
also observed in the Philippines. Observance
of the holiday has spread to Mexican-American
communities in the United States, where
in some locations, the traditions are being
extended. Similarly-themed celebrations
also appear in some Asian and African cultures.
Though the subject matter may be considered
morbid from the perspective of some other
cultures, celebrants typically approach
the Day of the Dead joyfully, and though
it occurs at the same time as Halloween,
All Saints' Day and All Souls Day, the traditional
mood is much brighter with emphasis on celebrating
and honoring the lives of the deceased,
and celebrating the continuation of life;
the belief is not that death is the end,
but rather the beginning of a new stage
in life.
The Qingming Festival, or Ching Ming Festival
as called in Hong Kong, Clear and Bright
Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival
on the 104th day after the winter solstice
(or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox),
usually occurring around April 5 of the
Gregorian calendar (see Chinese calendar).
Every leap year, Qing Ming is on April 4.
Astronomically, it is also a solar term
(See Qingming). In solar terms, the Qingming
festival is on the 1st day of the 5th solar
term, which is also named Qingming. Its
name denotes a time for people to go outside
and enjoy the greenery of springtimeTàqing,
"treading on the greenery", and
also to tend to the graves of departed ones.
It is an official public holiday in the
Republic of China, as well as in Hong Kong
and Macau though not in mainland China.
St. John's Night
St. John's Night (June
23-24) on the Lysa Hora (Bald Mountain),
near Kiev or Brocken in Germany is where
witches and the dead and infernal spirits
are said to gather... Midsummer refers
to the period of time centered upon the
summer solstice and the religious celebrations
that accompany it. Midsummer-related holidays,
traditions and celebrations, many of which
are non-Christian in origin (apart from
the designation "St John's Day"),
are particularly important in Denmark,
Finland and Sweden, but found also in
other parts of Germanic Europe and elsewhere.
St. John's Eve, is the eve of celebration
before the Feast Day of St John the Baptist.
The Gospel of Luke states that John was
born about six months before Jesus, therefore
the feast of John the Baptist falls on
June 24, six months before Christmas.
This feast day is one of the very few
saint's days to mark the anniversary of
the birth, rather than the death, of its
namesake. Historically, this date has
been venerated in the practice of Voodoo.
The famous Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau
was said to have held ceremonies involving
Voodoo ritual on the Bayou St. John in
New Orleans, commemorating St. John's
Eve. Modern day practioners of Voodoo
have kept the tradition alive.
The Feast of St John coincides with the
summer solstice in the northern hemisphere,
which can technically occur anywhere between
June 20 - 26th. The Christian holy day
is fixed at June 24th but, in the old
way, festivities are celebrated the night
before, on St. John's Eve.
Solstitial celebrations
still center upon 24 June, which is no
longer the longest day of the year. The
difference between the Julian calendar
year (365.2500 days) and the tropical
year (365.2422 days) moved the day associated
with the actual astronomical solstice
forward approximately three days every
four centuries until Pope Gregory XIII
changed the calendar bringing the solstice
to around 21 June. In the Gregorian calendar,
the solstice moves around a bit but in
the long term it moves only about one
day in 3000 years.
Mid-Summer has been
Christianized as the feast of Saint John
the Baptist: notably, unlike all other
saints' days, this feast is celebrated
on his birthday and not on the day of
his martyrdom, which is separately observed
as the "Decollation of John the Baptist"
on 29 August. That more conventional day
of Saint John the Baptist is not marked
by Christian churches with the emphasis
one might otherwise expect of such an
important saint.
As for his solsticial birthday, the Roman
Catholic Church celebrates the Nativity
of John the Baptist (June 24) as a Solemnity,
which is the highest degree a liturgical
feast can have. It is even one of the
few saint's feasts that is celebrated
even when it falls on a Sunday; typically
the feast of a saint is superseded when
it falls on a Sunday. There is hardly
any way that the feast of St John the
Baptist could be given more emphasis in
the liturgical calendar.
The celebration of Midsummer's Eve was
from ancient times linked to the summer
solstice. People believed that mid-summer
plants had miraculous and healing powers
and they therefore picked them on this
night. Bonfires were lit to protect against
evil spirits which were believed to roam
freely when the sun was turning southwards
again. In later years, witches were also
thought to be on their way to meetings
with other evil powers.
In Sweden Mid-summer celebration originates
from the time before Christianity; it
was celebrated as a sacrifice time in
the sign of the fertility.
The solstice itself has remained a special
moment of the annual cycle of the year
since Neolithic times. The concentration
of the observance is not on the day as
we reckon it, commencing at midnight or
at dawn, but the pre-Christian beginning
of the day, which falls on the previous
eve. In Sweden and Finland, Midsummer's
Eve is considered the greatest festival
of the year, comparable only with Walpurgis
Night, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve.
In New Orleans since
the time of Marie Laveau a large ritual
has taken place on the shores of Bayou
St. John. In current times a large several
tiered altar is set up against the railing
on one side of the old foot bridge that
has for years crossed the Bayou in front
of Cabrini High School. The altar is decorated
with candles, flowers, incense, food offerings
and other items; a worn and obviously
much-loved statue of Marie Laveau stands
proudly on the highest tier. By the end
of the ceremony, the statue will be almost
entirely obscured by offerings too numerous
to name, placed there by devotees of Voodoo
and of the woman who made this island
religion – and her hometown of New
Orleans – famous for generations.
Today, these devotees
keep the religion alive by following in
the footsteps and instructions of another
powerful and charismatic Manbo, Sallie
Ann Glassman. Sallie Ann is the founder
of La Source Ancienne Ounfo, a private
Vodou society that has served the Lwa
(the voodoo spirits) and the New Orleans
community for over 25 years. Mambo Sallie
Ann and the Ounfo practice a unique and
vibrant form of Vodou based upon the traditional
Haitian beliefs but filled with, as Sallie
Ann has said, “ongoing inspiration
and innovation.” Sallie Ann and
her extended vodoun family are at the
heart of the genuine practice of Real
Voodoo so often sought but seldom found
by visitors to New Orleans.
“The
more people that participate the more
of an experience we have…the more
spiritual it gets, the more energy we
have here with us.”
-- Manbo
Sallie Ann Glassman
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/voodoo/marielaveauritual/
Litha is one of the
eight solar holidays or sabbats observed
by Wiccans, though the New Forest traditions
(those referred to as British Traditional
Wicca) tend to use the traditional name
Midsummer. It is celebrated on the Summer
Solstice, or close to it. The holiday
is considered the turning point at which
summer reaches its height and the sun
shines longest. Among the Wiccan sabbats,
Midsummer is preceded by Beltane, and
followed by Lughnasadh or Lammas.
Ghosts
and Halloween
The Devil's night may also have ties to
the German "Hexennacht," or Witches
Night (also known as Freinacht). Hexennacht
is celebrated on the night of April 30th
into the morning of May 1.
Halloween or Hallowe'en is a tradition celebrated
on the night of October 31, most notably
by children dressing in costumes and going
door-to-door collecting sweets, fruit, and
other gifts. This is called trick-or-treating.
Some other traditional activities include
costume parties, watching horror films,
going to "haunted" houses, and
traditional autumn activities such as hayrides,
some of these even "haunted".
Halloween originated under a different
name ("Samhain") as a Pagan festival
among the Celts of Ireland and Great Britain
with mainly Irish and Scots and other immigrants
transporting versions of the tradition to
North America in the nineteenth century.
Many other Western countries have embraced
Halloween as a part of American pop culture
in the late twentieth century.
Halloween is celebrated in most parts of
the Western world, most commonly in the
United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland,
the United Kingdom, Peru, and with increasing
popularity in Australia and New Zealand.
In recent years, Halloween has also been
celebrated in parts of Western Europe.
The term Halloween, and its older rendering
Hallowe'en, is shortened from All-hallow-even,
as it is the evening of/before "All
Hallows' Day" Halloween did not become
a holiday in America until the 19th century,
where lingering Puritan tradition meant
even Christmas was scarcely observed before
the 1800s. North American almanacs of the
late 18th and early 19th centuries make
no mention of Halloween in their lists of
holidays.
Friday
the 13th
In some cultures, Friday
is considered unlucky, especially regarding
Friday the 13th. This is particularly so
in maritime circles; perhaps the most enduring
sailing superstition is that it is unlucky
to begin a voyage on a Friday. In one story
a Royal Navy ship (HMS Friday) was laid
down on a Friday, launched on a Friday,
captained by a Captain Friday, and was never
heard of again. As told by comedian Dave
Allen on the BBC in the 1970s, however,
this superstition is not universal, notably
in Scottish Gaelic culture:
"Though Friday has
always been held an unlucky day in many
Christian countries, still in the Hebrides
it is supposed that it is a lucky day for
sowing the seed. Good Friday in particular
is a favourite day for potato planting—even
strict Roman Catholics make a point of planting
a bucketful on that day. Probably the idea
is that as the Resurrection followed the
Crucifixion, and Burial so too in the case
of the seed, and after death will come life."
(Reference: Dwelly’s [Scottish] Gaelic
Dictionary (1911): Di-haoine)
The use of the Gregorian calendar and its
leap year system, results in a small statistical
anomaly, that the 13th of any month is slightly
more likely to fall on a Friday than any
of the other seven days.
Chronomancy
is divination of the best time to do something,
determination of lucky and unlucky days,
especially popular in ancient China.
Chronomancy stems from
the word chronos (meaning time), and it
is generally a fictional and sensational
school of magic. Although the school is
based on quantum physics and certain scientific
theories, there is no concrete evidence
of the perfected use of time manipulation.
The most historically known human that has
been believed to possess the powers of chronomancy
is Saint Germaine, a philosopher, alchemist,
and spiritualist. He has been believed to
transcend time by reincarnation and eternal
youth.
Just Silly
Superstitions?
Before the 19th century,
though the number 13 was considered unlucky,
and Friday was considered unlucky, there
was no link between them. The first documented
mention of a "Friday the 13th"
is generally listed as occurring in the
early 1900s.
The name Friday comes
from the Old English frigedæg, meaning
the day of Frige the Anglo-Saxon form of
Frigg, the Germanic goddess of beauty. In
most Germanic languages it is named after
Freyja—such as Freitag in Modern German,
vrijdag in Dutch, fredag in Swedish, Norwegian,
and Danish—but Freyja and Frigg are
frequently identified with each other. The
word for Friday in most Romance languages
is derived from the name of Venus such as
vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian,
viernes in Spanish, and vineri in Romanian.
In Hindi, Friday is Shukravar, named for
Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet
Venus. Russian uses an ordinal number for
this day of the week-- piatnítsa,
meaning "fifth." Similarly, the
Portuguese is sexta-feira.
In Japan, Friday is Kin-Youbi:
"Gold Day" or "money day",
and in many Asian cultures, as in The US,
paydays are on Fridays.
After the United States
acquired Alaska from Russia in 1867, Friday
October 6 was immediately followed by Friday
October 18, adjusting to the adoption of
the 1582 Gregorian calendar changes by the
British colonies in 1752, and the shifting
of the International Date Line. Prior to
that change, Alaska began Russia's day,
with the date line following the partially-defined
border between Russian Alaska and British
North America, including the colony of British
Columbia.
The Jewish Sabbath begins
at sunset on Friday and lasts until sunset
on Saturday.
In Christianity Good Friday
is the Friday before Easter. It commemorates
the crucifixion of Jesus.
Some Catholics and Prayer
Book Anglicans will refrain from eating
the meat of warm blooded animals on Fridays,
and will often choose fish instead.
Quakers traditionally
refer to Friday as "Sixth Day"
eschewing the pagan origins of the name.
In Slavic countries, it is called "Fifth
Day" (Polish piatek, Russian piatnitsa)
In Islam, Friday is the
day of public worship in mosques (see Friday
prayers). In some Islamic countries, the
week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday,
just as the Jewish and Christian week. In
most other Islamic countries, such as Saudi
Arabia and Iraq, the week begins on Saturday
and ends on Friday.
In most countries with
a five-day work week, Friday is the last
workday before the weekend and is, therefore,
viewed as a cause for celebration or relief.
In some offices, employees are allowed to
wear less formal attire on Fridays, known
as Casual Friday or Dress-Down Friday.
In the Spanish-speaking
world, it is Tuesday the 13th (as well as
Tuesdays in general) that brings bad luck;
a proverb runs En martes, ni te cases ni
te embarques, ni de tu familia te apartes.
(on Tuesday, neither get married nor start
a journey, or separate yourself from your
family).
However, documentation
aside, many popular stories exist about
the origin of the concept:
The Last Supper, with
stories that Judas was the thirteenth guest,
and that the Crucifixion of Jesus occurred
on Good Friday.
That the biblical Eve offered the fruit
to Adam on a Friday, and that the slaying
of Abel happened on a Friday (though the
Bible does not identify the days of the
week when these events occurred). Many believe
that Satan and the horde ofdevil's or fallen
angels fell from grace on Friday.
That it started on Friday, October 13, 1307,
the date that many Knights Templar were
simultaneously arrested in France, by agents
of King Philip IV.
However, historically, there is no true
date that the Friday the 13th superstition
can be linked to.
In the case of Greece,
Tuesday, April 13, 1204 was the date that
Constantinople was sacked by the crusaders
of the fourth crusade. The first ever fall
of the richest then Christian city, and
the looting that followed, allegedly gave
Tuesday 13 its bad meaning. Ironically enough,
Constantinople fell for the second time
in its history on Tuesday, May 29, 1453,
to the Ottoman Turks, a date that puts an
end to the Byzantine empire, and to Greek
sovereignty for several centuries, and therefore
reinforcing Tuesday as an unlucky day in
the Greek world.
Bad Luck
There are many things to avoid on Friday
The 13th
The number 13 (many buildings
were built without a designated 13th floor
when numbering their floors for this reason,
skipping from the 12th floor to the 14th
floor)
The number 4 (in China, the word's pronunciation
in Mandarin and Cantonese is similar to
"si", which means death. A similar
belief is present in Japan and Korea.)
A black cat crossing one's path (the opposite
belief prevails in Great Britain and parts
of Ireland)
Stepping on a crack (doing so would cause
your mother's back to break; rhymed as "step
on a crack, break your mother's back")
Stepping on a line in pavement or floor
cover (similar to above, rhymed as "step
on a line, you'll break your spine")
Breaking a mirror (seven years of bad luck)
Spilling over salt (dates to when salt was
more precious than gold, if one spilt some
it was believed to mean that a demon was
trying to steal one's salt, but by appeasing
it with a little salt over the left shoulder,
the demon would leave)
Putting a hat on a bed
Opening an umbrella indoors
Killing a ladybug/ladybird
Killing a spider in one's home
Walking underneath a ladder (when being
hanged, the condemned man would often be
made to pass underneath a ladder before
climbing it and onto the gallows)
Replying "thank you" to someone
wishing good luck
Picking up a penny face-down (can be avoided
by giving the penny away)
Putting shoes on a table. In the UK, this
is considered to bring extremely bad luck,
traditionally the death of a person in the
house. This is sometimes specified to only
be unlucky when new shoes are put on a table
In the British Navy it was traditionally
considered unlucky to have a woman on board
ship, although this may be a more practical
matter. Having a naked woman on a ship was
considered good luck, however.
Among sailors it is considered unlucky to
kill a porpoise or an albatross (see The
Rime of the Ancient Mariner where the title
character is cursed for killing this bird)
Among sailors it is considered bad luck
to have anything blue aboard
It is also considered very bad luck to launch
a ship on a Friday
When launching a ship by breaking a bottle
on its hull, a failure of the bottle to
break is considered bad luck.
Saying "good luck", especially
to an actor going onstage (the preferred
expression is: Break a leg)
In theaters, "Macbeth" must not
be uttered by anyone unless it is necessary
to the show. For example, if the company
is performing Shakespeare's Macbeth, one
says "the Scottish Play" and refers
to the characters as "Mackers"
and "Lady Makers"
Sinistrality (being left-handed)
Seeing one magpie
A bird flies into one's window (a person
in the family will die today, or has died
last night). In some variants, it is believed
to only be bad luck if the bird dies.
Using a Ouija board; it is believed by some
to attract bad spirits
In Japan and China putting chopsticks upright
in rice is considered very bad luck (since
it resembles the incense used in offerings
to the dead)
In some areas it is believed to be bad luck
to kill a mockingbird; this becomes a part
(albeit not a large part) of the story To
Kill a Mockingbird, as well as inspiring
the title.
Cutting your nails at night
Turning a horse shoe upside down is said
in Britain to drain the good luck from it
and bring about bad luck: in Italy, horse
shoes are turned upside down explicitly
to contain the good luck they bring
Avoiding eye contact when toasting with
another person
Shaking your leg while sitting
Saying 'rabbit' on the Isle of Portland
Saying "Bloody Mary" (you will
supposedly see the queen, Bloody Mary, covered
in blood
In Russia if you sit on a table top, one
of your relatives will die
Paraskevidekatriaphobia
As the word itself suggests, superstitions
concerning Friday the 13th combine two distinct
bad-luck assocaitions - fear of the number
13 (Triskaidekaphobia), and the day Friday.
The combination of these two elements creates
the hybrid monster of extreme unluckiness
that is 'Friday the 13th'.
Mardi
Gras Day
If you just happen to
be in New Orleans on a this day you could
find a special gate that lets you communicate
with the dead directly. The Well Known Secret
New Orleans' Voodoo Cemetery Gates Of Guinee,
The Portal To The Afterworld. Many say it's
strongest time to be found is on Mardi Gras
Day. The gate they day comes open to this
world two times a year. Mardi Gras and Halloween,
The Crossed roads play an important part
of Hoodoo at Mardi Gras. They are said that
this is where the spirits gather to watch
the living. Many locals place their own
statues of Ellegua on street corners on
Lundi Gras and of course Mardi Gras Day
so they can see the people go by and gain
great strength from the energy and excitement
that is in the air. Remember New Orleans
Mardi Gras Parades do cross many great historical
haunted crossroads in the city where spirits
are said to dwell. With over 30 Cemeteries
nearby the party seems to be going on in
both worlds.
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/voodoo/mardigras/
Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)
is the high point of Carnival followed by
the quiet of Ash Wednesday. It is good to
remember that Carnival literally means "Farewell
to Flesh" (Carnis= LATIN: "flesh"
and vale= LATIN: "farewell").
And isn't that what we do when we die?
Carnival is a celebration
of great excess. It is a time when the flesh
and all of the material pleasures that it
apprehends are set ablaze in the passion
of the moment. The fat, so to speak, is
in the fire and one is left with the ashes
on Wednesday. Because of this that is why
many believe the dead draw so close so near.
Reaching out from the grave for the reaping
of life. And as they say, "Only in
New Orleans".
New Orleans
Mardi Gras Voodoo Hoodoo
Ghede' is a very wise
man for his knowledge is an accumulation
of the knowledge of all the deceased. He
stands on the center of all the roads that
lead to Guinee, the afterworld. To find
these mysterious gates in the city of New
Orleans might take a little detective work.
Some Locals say if their open when you find
them... beware! If you then enter you will
never return to the real world.
The exact location of
the haunted cemetery gates isn't really
ever told to outsiders of the Secret Societies.
New Orleans Tour Guides and Haunted Cemetery
or ghost tours will skirt around the issue,
or just look at you like they don't know
what your talking about, so never mention
it (seriously). They say just to talk about
the accursed cemetery gates spells doom
to those that ask or search for it or speak
of it openly to anyone. Those who know feel
it is inviting them , "The Ghede"
to take you away. Only someone pure of heart
with only one burning question to be answered
by the dead is ever told the whole truth.
A unnamed New Orleans Voodoo priestess says
quite bluntly, search and you shall find
them rusted shut, or worse they will certainly
find you and be wide and opened.
To find these gates, they
say is to find the way to communicate openly
with the dead. And not just the spirits
of those that have died in New Orleans.
Local Voodoo followers of Marie Laveaus'
Secret Society profess that anyone can come
to these gates of Guinee if you can find
them.
Speak the name of the
deceased you wish to speak to aloud five
times through the bars, and they will come
and speak to you from the other side. One
real warning though, if the rusted shut
heavy gate opens do not enter. For you will
be one of the living trapped in the world
of the dead forever. If you arrive and the
Guinee gates are open turn and walk away
crossing yourself three times as fast as
you can and don't look back. www.hauntedamericatours.com/HOLIDAYS/HALLOWEEN/dayofthedead/neworleans
Many Voodoo Holidays are
associated with spirits and communication
with them openly. See: VOODOO
HOLIDAY HOODOO http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/voodoo/voodoohollidays/
Bewitched
Days
The Wheel of the Year
is a Wiccan metaphor and calendar for the
cycle of the seasons. It consists of eight
festivals, spaced at approximately even
intervals throughout the year. These festivals
are often referred to as Sabbats (Sabbaths).
See: WITCHCRAFT
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/occult/WITCHCRAFT/
In Wicca and Wiccan-influenced
forms of Neopaganism, natural processes
are seen as following a continuous cycle.
The passing of time is also seen as cyclical,
and is represented by a circle or wheel.
The progression of birth, life, decline
and death, as experienced in human lives,
is echoed in the progression of the seasons.
Wiccans also see this cycle as
