What is a superstition?
Our most common understanding is that a superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-believers as irrational, supernatural, and even ludicrous.
Some suggest it is akin to the practice of magic and/or an allegiance to notions of fate concerning the 'unknown'.
Most of us are familiar with superstitions being connected in some way to notions of luck, amulets, fortune telling, and spirits. Our attitudes about what these elements can do on our behalf to protect and/or ward off varies from culture to culture.
My maternal grandmother, an immigrant from Rhodes, would toss salt over her left shoulder to ward off evil. Elder family members would whisper mashallah' (may it be so) after a compliment to encourage the abundance of whatever was being praised (beauty, kindness, strength, wisdom, etc.).
Here are a few examples of May superstitions found in different pockets of the world:- Hares found on a May morning are supposed to be witches.
- If a hearth fire goes out in May, it’s a sign of ill luck which can be overturned by relighting the fire with lit sod blessed by a priest’s home and then sprinkling those ashes all over the house.
- Neither milk nor salt should be given away for money. If a beggar is given milk, it must be mixed with salt.
- Bathe the face in dew upon the morning grass to enhance your beauty.
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