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If someone admires your baby and says that
it's beautiful you must spit or the baby will
become sick or get a rash on its face. Her
parents and her husband's parents both truly
believed this. Her husband's parents used to
wipe the baby's face three times with a wash
cloth to prevent a rash if anyone admired the
baby.

Submitter comment: Mrs. Wojtan doesn't believe this herself anymore,
but says many people in Kansas used to when she
was growing up.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: 686 Thirds / Thrice / Three / Triple
Favorites
BELIEF -- Curse
BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness
SPEECH -- Gesture

Date learned: 00001920S

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If you accidentally put your clothes on backwards
you should wear them that way for the whole day.
If you change them you will have bad luck for
that day.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Bad luck

Date learned: 00001920S

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Never count the number of cars in a funeral
procession. It is very bad luck.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial
BELIEF -- Number Counting beliefs

Date learned: 00001920S

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On Christmas Eve day, it is good luck if the
first person to enter your house is a man and
bad luck if it is a woman.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

James Callow Keyword(s): FIRST FOOTING ; SEXISM

Subject headings: 686 Properties attributed to specific numbers or numerals individually.
CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- December 24 Christmas Eve
BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank
BELIEF -- Good luck
BELIEF -- Bad luck

Date learned: 00001920S

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When there is a death in the family you should
cover all the mirrors.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Death Funeral Burial

Date learned: 00001920S

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When you clear the table you should never put
the crumbs on the floor so that you won't go
hungry. You should never sweep the dirt and
crumbs from the floor directly out the door;
you should always use a dustpan.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Keyword(s): BELIEF ; CUSTOM ; Domesticity ; Housekeeping ; SUPERSTITION

James Callow Keyword(s): DIRECTION ; POSITION

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Measure of time Eating For menu, see N222.

Date learned: 00001920S

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If a religious picture or article falls off the
wall and breaks as it hits the floor it is a bad
omen. Someone that is close to you, family or a
friend, will probably die.

Submitter comment: Mrs. Wojtan believes that this is true because it
is a sign to prepare you for someone's death.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: Observation
BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial
BELIEF -- Bad luck

Date learned: 00001920S

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If someone offers to finish sweeping the floor
for you after you have already started, you
must not let them, but do it yourself.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal
BELIEF -- Measure of time Working

Date learned: 00001920S

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You should never give anyone a religious gift.
It is a sign of bad luck. A friend had died
and left her relative a beautiful rosary that
had come from a monastery. The relative thought
that this was a sign of bad luck so she tried to
give it to another woman. She didn't want it
either because she was afraid that something
would happen to her. She was forced to keep it
and she said she didn't think anything came from
it but she still refuses to give any religious
gifts to anyone.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: Favorites
BELIEF -- Street Trip Relations between relatives, friends, host and guest Social class Rank
BELIEF -- Bad luck

Date learned: 00001920S

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When you dream of fish it signifies money. If the
water that the fish is in is clean then it is a
good omen; however, if the water is muddy it is a
bad omen.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: BELIEF -- Fish
BELIEF -- Dreams

Date learned: 00001920S

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If someone is sick and you hear an owl hooting,
it is a bad omen, the person will die soon.
This signifies the sound of death.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: Observation
BELIEF -- Bird
BELIEF -- Death Funeral Burial

Date learned: 00001920S

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A pregnant woman should never look at a fire
burning.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Birth
BELIEF -- Fire
BELIEF -- Birth

Date learned: 00001940S

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If you find a string on your clothes it means
you will receive a letter soon.

Where learned: KANSAS ; Manhattan

Subject headings: Observation

Date learned: 00001920S

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A LEGEND

IT WAS SAID THAT AT MIDNIGHT ON NEW YEAR'S EVE,
THE COWS ARE ON THEIR KNEES AND THE CHICKENS HANG
FROM THE ROOST BY THEIR CLAWS.

Submitter comment: MRS. REAVES TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A LEGEND WHICH HER
GRANDMOTHER TOLD HER WHEN SHE WAS A GIRL IN FORT
SMITH, ARKANSAS.

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ; Arkansas ; FORT SMITH

Subject headings: CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- December 31 New Year's Eve
BELIEF -- Animal

Date learned: 08-13-1968

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When two people start to say something at the same time, the first one to say, "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 - you owe me a Coke" is entitled to a Coke at the expense of the other person.

 

Where learned: KANSAS ; WICHITA

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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