Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
Polish grandparents are THE WORST for this. Here's a few they told me off the top of my head:
1. The drunks around town kidnap children and keep them in their basement so stay away from them.
2. If you play with fire you will pee your pants.
3. Going outside with your hair wet will make you sick (people still believe this)
4. Dreaming about teeth means someone in your life is going to die.
5. Probably the most common one that any eastern european person can relate to: YOU CANNOT have two windows open in separate rooms as it creates a cross breeze and that cross breeze is guaranteed to get you sick. This is another one that people actually believe there.
|
I was always told that bad kids grew up to become gypsies and it was a big threat when I was bad that I would be sold to the gypsies.
As far as superstitions go, my dad seriously believed that if you left a knife on the table or counter top, you were inviting danger to come from the direction it was pointing. I would get in trouble if I ever left a knife out. To this day, I still wash knives and put them away right after using them. It drives me bonkers seeing people leave them out when I am at other people's houses. I usually go put them in the sink at least.
Oh, and he also really believed that you should knock on wood. The theory was that the wood contained vengeful spirits that were out to ruin you and prevent good things from happening to you, and when you knocked on it, the spirits would not hear you or forget what you just said. So of course, I believed it. It's a cultural hangover from the old pagan religions I believe.