Maine Superstitions: Do You Believe?

Did your grandma ever warn you to never drop your bread with the butter side down? Have you ever whistled on a fishing boat? According to some superstitions from Maine's past these things could bring bad luck!

Here are some of the superstitions Mainers believed or still believe:

Lumbering

• Cut down a tree with an owl in it, misfortune will come to you
• Don't cut down the tree that makes your threshold
• Knocking on wood will reverse any accidental jinx
• Don't cut or use wood from a tree that was knocked over in a storm
• Never burn wood from an apple tree

Lobstering/ Fishing

• Spit on your hook for good luck
• Never name your boat after your wife
• Never talk about the good weather
• Whistling on a boat will bring strong winds

Relationships

• Eat an apple at midnight before the glass, saying,"Whoever my true love may be,
  Come and eat this apple with me" Holding the lamp in your hand. The true love will appear.
• Go upstairs backward, into a chamber backward, and into bed backward. Drink some salt and water, and if you dream of some one bringing you drink it will be your future husband.
• When the call of the first robin is heard, sit down and remove the shoe and stocking from the left foot, turn the stocking inside out, in the heel of which if a hair is found, it will be of the color of the hair of the future husband or wife.
• Make a little ladder of sticks, place it under the head at night, and you’ll dream of your future husband.
• Swallow a chicken’s heart whole, and the first man you kiss afterwards will be your future husband.

Home/ Health

• Dropping bread and butter with the butter side downs brings bad luck
• Hang a horseshoe like over your door to ward off evil spirits
• Rock an empty chair and you will have bad luck.
• It is good luck to fall up a hill.
• If you see a cat sitting with her tail to the fire, expect bad luck.
• When moving from a home always leave the old broom for good luck in the new home.
• Paint your porch blue to keep away witches.
• If you cut off a finger bury the piece cut off to remove pain.

What are some superstitions we might have missed?