New York

Entries

• #2

  Monday’s child is fair of face,
  Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
  Wednesday’s child is sour and sad,
  Thursday’s child is merry and glad,
  Friday’s child is loving and giving,
  Saturday’s child must work for a living;
  But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
  Is blithe and bonny, good and gay.

  (Some put it, Sunday’s child shall never know want.)

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #49

  To rock the cradle when the baby is not in it will kill it.

  New York.
• #50

  If the empty cradle be rocked, the baby will have the colic.

  New York and Ohio.
• #69

  “In my school-days, if a boy crossed his fingers, elbows, and legs, though the act might not be noticed by the companion accosted, no blame was attached to the falsehood.”

  New York city.
• #85

  The children used to fearfully look in the well, and on seeing the reflected face in the bottom, would cry out, “Face in the well, pull me down in the well,” and would then run away quickly.

  Bruynswick, N. Y.
• #94

  When a child loses a tooth, if the tongue is not put into the cavity a gold tooth will come in place of it.

  New York and Northern Ohio.
• #166

  When eating an apple, snap it with the fingers and name it for a person of the opposite sex. Count the fully developed seeds (all of the others are kisses), and the last one must correspond to the following formula:—

  One’s my love,
  Two’s my love,
  Three’s my heart’s desire.
  Four I’ll take and never forsake,
  Five I’ll cast in the fire.
  Six he loves,
  Seven she loves,
  Eight they both love,
  Nine he comes,
  Ten he tarries,
  Eleven he goes,
  Twelve he marries.
  Thirteen honor,
  Fourteen riches,
  All the rest are little witches.

  Some change the latter lines of this formula into

  Thirteen they quarrel,
  Fourteen they part,
  Fifteen they die with a broken heart.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #171

  Name apple-seeds and place on the lids of the closed eyes. Wink and the first to fall off shows the name of your future husband.

  Winn, Me., New York, and Pennsylvania.
• #193

  “Rich man, poor man, beggar, thief, doctor, lawyer, merchant, chief.” Said over by little girls on their back hair combs to find the occupation of their future husbands.

  New York.
• #327

  If you are a bridesmaid three times you will never stand in the middle.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #345

  Marry in Lent,
  Live to repent.

  New York.
• #347

  The wedding day is the bride’s day, and the weather foretells her married life. The following is the bridegroom’s, and his married life is shown in the same manner. The third day shows how they will live together.

  New York.
• #354

  It is unlucky to drop the ring at the marriage ceremony.

  New York.
• #355

  A bride must step over the church sill with her right foot.

  Orange Co., N. Y.
• #362

  Runaway matches will prove unlucky.

  New York.
• #364

  If your apron string becomes loosened, your true love is thinking of you.

  New York.
• #379

  If you sit on a table, you will not be married that year.

  New England, New York, and Alabama.
• #386

  Should your shoestring come unloosened,

  ’T is a sure sign and a true,
  At that very moment
  Your true love thinks of you.

  New York.
• #391

  If four persons cross hands in shaking hands on taking leave, one will marry before the year is out.

  Prince Edward Island, Eastern Massachusetts, and New York.
• #395

  Knock over your chair on rising from the table, and you won’t get married that year.

  Peabody, Mass., New York, and Talladega, Ala.
• #397

  If you have a dress with rings for a figure in it, it is a sign you will be married before it is worn out.

  New York.
• #398

  If you have hearts in a figure in a dress or in a shawl, you will be married before it is worn out.

  New York.
• #414

  Should needles break while sewing on a new garment, it is a sign that the owner will be married before it is worn out.

  New York.
• #428

  Three lamps in a row foretell a wedding in the family.

  New York.
• #437

  Throw an eyelash over your shoulder. If it falls from your finger in doing this, your wish will come true. If it remains on the finger, your wish will not come to pass.

  New York.
• #454

  If you say two sentences that rhyme, make a wish, then if you make a rhyme unintentionally and wish before you speak again, your wish will come to pass.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #476

  It is lucky to dream of pigs.

  Bruynswick, N. Y.
• #481

  To dream of a white horse three nights in succession is a sign of the death of an elderly person.

  Central New York.
• #483

  To dream of three white colts is a sign of a young person dying.

  Central New York.
• #506

  To dream of ploughed ground indicates that a grave will be dug for some member of the family before the year ends.

  Western New York.
• #567

  Sleep on a piece of wedding cake, and if you have the same dream three nights in succession, your dream will come to pass.

  New York.
• #612

  It is unlucky to travel on Friday.

  New York and Pennsylvania.
• #619

  If business is transacted on Sunday, you will lose by it on the coming week.

  New York.
• #638

  See a pin and pick it up,
  All the day you’ll have good luck;
  See a pin and let it lie,
  Come to sorrow by and by.

  New York.
• #641

  “I have known a young lady form a habit of stooping in consequence of keeping the eyes fixed on the ground, in the streets of New York city, in order not to miss the good fortune that might come of picking up a pin. The pin must be thrust into a tree or post, in order to keep the luck as long as it remains fast.”

  New York, N. Y.
• #658

  It will prove unlucky if you return for a forgotten article after you have left the house; but if you seat yourself before leaving the house again, the misfortune will be averted.

  New York.
• #674

  The opal is unlucky, unless set with diamonds.

  New York.
• #709

  The falling of a chandelier foretells a disaster in the family.

  New York.
• #724

  If the right hand itches, it is a sign you will receive money; if the left, you will spend money, because R stands for receive, and L for let go.

  New York.
• #736

  Having a piece of bread and taking another is a sign some one is coming hungry.

  Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania.
• #750

  If you go in at one door and out at another, it is a sign of company.

  New York and Ohio.
• #757

  Should you drop a knife or scissors so that they stick into the floor and stand up, it is a sign of company.

  New York.
• #764

  If you drop a knife, it is a sign a lady is coming to see you. If a fork, the visitor will be a man; if a spoon, your cousin.

  New York.
• #776

  If a tea-stem floats in the tea, it is a sign you will have a visitor. If it is hard, it is a man; if it is soft, it is a woman. If it is long, the visitor will be tall; if short, the visitor will be short.

  New York.
• #782

  The nose itching foretells company. If on the right side, it means a man; if on the left, a woman.

  Central New York.
• #783

  If your nose itches, you will see an old friend whom you have not seen for some time.

  New York and Pennsylvania.
• #801

  Red beads about the neck cure nose-bleed.

  Cazenovia, N. Y.
• #803

  A black silk cord about the neck cures croup.

  Cazenovia, N. Y.
• #821

  For rheumatism, carry a horseshoe nail in the pocket.

  Central New York.
• #825

  To keep off nightmare, put your shoes at night with the toes pointing away from the bed.

  Central New York.
• #826

  To ward off nightmare, sleep with shears under the pillow.

  Central New York.
• #875

  If one counts stars while lying on his back, he will have as many warts as he has counted stars.

  New York and Trenton, N. J.
• #897

  The first time a person has seen your wart, if it is rubbed with fresh cream by that person, the wart will surely go away.

  Bruynswick, N. Y.
• #901

  Warts are cured by stealing pork from the family barrel of salted pork, rubbing the warts with it, and throwing it into the road. The person who picks it up gets the warts.

  Bruynswick, N. Y.
• #914

  Steal as many pins as you have warts, wrap them in paper, and throw them in the road: the warts will attack whoever picks up the paper, and leave you.

  Bruynswick, N. Y.
• #916

  Rub warts with the head of a pin; hide the latter and do not look for it, or tie a knot in a string, lay it away, and do not look for it, and the warts will disappear.

  Western New York.
• #920

  Binding a slug (Limax) on a wart will cure it.

  Cazenovia, N. Y.
• #938

  If it storms on a Friday, it will storm again before the next Monday.

  Massachusetts and New York.
• #982

  Evening red and morning gray
  Will speed the traveler on his way.
  Evening gray and morning red
  Will bring the rain upon his head.

  Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.
• #983

  Evening red and morning gray,
  You’ll surely have a pleasant day.

  New York.
• #991

  Should the new moon lie on its back, it is a sign it will be dry that month, for the moon would hold water. The Indian says the hunter can hang his powder-horn upon it. But should the new moon stand vertically, it will be a wet month, for the moon will not hold water, and the powder-horn will slip off. Very many, however, reverse these signs.

  New England, New York, and Ohio.
• #1011

  Fog on the hill
  Brings water to the mill.
  Fog on the moor
  Brings the sun to the door.

  New York.
• #1070

  Stars in a circle around the moon foretell a storm in the same number of days as there are stars.

  Maine, Massachusetts, and New York.
• #1126

  If a farmer lays a rail fence by the light of the moon, it will be stronger and last longer than if it was laid in the daytime.

  Western New York and parts of Massachusetts.
• #1148

  In making lye soap, if you stir it backward it will turn back to lye.

  Warren Co., N. Y., and Alabama.
• #1183

  Sometimes the dying call for an absent one, as if in trouble. This is a sign that that person will have some great trouble in after life.

  New York.
• #1195

  If it rains during a burial, another member of the family will soon follow.

  Poland, Me., Baldwinsville, N. Y., Ohio, and Alabama.
• #1196

  If rain falls into an open grave, another burial in the same cemetery will occur within three days.

  Western New York.
• #1233

  Three horses of the same color indicate death, but this sign is not very noticeable in a thickly settled community.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1235

  If there is a death there will be three deaths in the family within a short time.

  New York.
• #1237

  If thirteen sit at table, the one who rises first will not live through the year.

  Somerville, Mass., Newark, N. Y., and Mifflintown, Pa.
• #1244

  While the corpse is in the house, the looking-glass must be turned toward the wall; otherwise, whoever looks into the mirror will die within the year. This custom is said to be most common among Irish Catholics, but it is not confined to them.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1252

  The funeral procession must not cross a river.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1253

  “I was first led to notice the superstition about crossing a river, from having to attend funerals on the south side, when they would otherwise have been held on the north side. This is losing ground, owing to the frequency of crossing to reach the cemetery, but I had an instance only last spring.”

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1254

  The corpse must not pass twice over any part of the same road.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1255

  It is unlucky in a funeral, for those present to repass the house where death has occurred.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1268

  “The clothes of the dead never wear long” when used by the living.

  New York.
• #1300

  When your joints crack, it is a sign that you have not outlived your best days.

  New York, N. Y.
• #1339

  Whistle before you eat,
  Cry before you sleep.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1348

  If the right eye itches, it is a sign you will cry; if the left, you will laugh, because R stands for “roar” and L for “laugh.”

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1353

  If the right foot itches, it is a sign you will go where you will be welcome; if the left foot itches, it is a sign you will go where you are unwelcome.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1361

  If the nose itches, some say you will receive a letter; others declare it is a sign your lover is thinking of you.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1367

  A scratch on the right hand is a sign of a ride to come; on the left, a disappointment.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1370

  Some hold that the white spots that one has on the finger-nails represent the lies you have told.

  Maine and Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1375

  A lump on the tongue means that you have told a lie.

  Prince Edward Island, New York, and Northern Ohio.
• #1387

  While sewing on a garment, should you sew it to your dress by mistake, as many stitches as you take, so many lies will be told about you.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1393

  Should a friend withdraw a ring from the finger of another, it is a sign it will break friendship. The owner should take off the ring and hand it to the friend.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1398

  Hole in the toe, spend as you go:
  Hole at the side, be a rich bride;
  Hole at the heel, spend as you feel;
  Hole on the ball, live to spend all.

  New York.
• #1399

  Wear at the toe, live to see woe;
  Wear at the side, live to be a bride;
  Wear at the ball, live to spend all;
  Wear at the heel, live to save a deal.

  New York.
• #1420

  On cutting the finger-nails:—

  Cut them on Monday, cut them for news,
  Cut them on Tuesday, a pair of new shoes,
  Cut them on Wednesday, cut them for health,
  Cut them on Thursday, cut them for wealth,
  Cut them on Friday, cut them for sorrow,
  Cut them on Saturday, see your sweetheart to-morrow,
  Cut them on Sunday, cut them for evil,
  All the whole week you’ll be ruled by the devil.

  Baldwinsville, N. Y.
• #1424

  Get a letter on Monday, and you’ll get six during that week.

  New York, N. Y.
• #1429

  Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for danger,
  Sneeze on Tuesday, kiss a stranger,
  Sneeze on Wednesday, receive a letter,
  Sneeze on Thursday, something better,
  Sneeze on Friday, sneeze for sorrow,
  Sneeze on Saturday, see your true love to-morrow.
  Sneeze on Sunday, your safety seek,
  Or the devil will have you the rest of the week.

  Crown Point, N. Y.
• #1438

  It is supposed that a broom placed behind the door will keep off witches.

  Bruynswick, N. Y.
• #1455

  Do not change your place at table; it is very unlucky.

  New York, N. Y.