Superstitions

Join the Boozy Bitches as they discuss intriguing Appalachian superstitions.  Learn the the dos and don'ts around these practices and see how many of these you've heard about before.  

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Transcript

Leyla: Hello.

Trisha: Hi.

Leyla: How are you?

Trisha: I'm good.

Leyla: Good.

Trisha: Yeah. Tired.

Leyla: I'm a little tired today too, actually.

Trisha: Yeah?

Leyla: Yeah.

Trisha: I think it's just. I don't know, thinking ahead and it's. I'm already tired. Like, summer's not here. I'm already tired.

Leyla: Well, summers is kind of a busy time for you.

Trisha: It is,

it is. I. I don't know why we try to do.

I can remember when my kids were younger, we always tried to not go anywhere in the summer because everybody wanted to go somewhere. Absolutely. And we maintain that for a while.

But this last few years, I feel like every summer we've been busy.

Leyla: Yes.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: Yeah.

Trisha: And I. I'm not sure I like it.

Leyla: I mean.

Trisha: I like the doing nothing of summer. I mean, it's lazy days in the pool.

Leyla: Oh, I love lazy.

Trisha: Going to the beach.

Leyla: I haven't been to the beach in.

Trisha: A long because it's been so freaking. Florida was cold this year.

Leyla: Yeah.

Trisha: You know, from about late December, mid December till freaking March. It was chilly, you know.

Leyla: Oh, yeah.

Trisha: We had some warm days, but we did. For Florida was unusually chilly.

Leyla: True.

Trisha: A lot of the time.

So. Yeah. I mean, normally we would go to the beach in this, in the winter, but we haven't had enough warm days to do it.

Leyla: Yeah, I know.

Trisha: So.

Leyla: No, I agree with that.

Trisha: Yeah. I'm looking forward to go. Going to the beach.

Leyla: Looking forward to some pool time.

Trisha: Laying out in the sun.

Leyla: Not too much, though.

Trisha: Not too much, but just enough to where you get hot and you need a cocktail. Yeah.

Leyla: Not enough to burn your skin.

Trisha: Oh, yeah. I don't like getting burned.

Leyla: Yeah.

Trisha: Not at all.

Leyla: Getting older now we have to worry.

Trisha: About, you know, wrinkles and sun damage.

Leyla: It's terrible how things have changed nowadays.

Trisha: What the hell?

Leyla: I know.

Trisha: I can remember being younger and seeing older, especially in Florida. Older women who have that leathery skin.

Leyla: Yes. You'll still see it.

Trisha: Oh, we still totally see it. But I used to always think, oh, my God, I would never let that happen.

Leyla: But.

Trisha: But it eventually starts to happen.

Like, I. I don't have that problem,

but I can. I have sun damage, like, on my chest, you know,

and you don't realize till it's already happened. And then you can't do anything about it.

Leyla: Too late.

Trisha: Yeah. And it's like, so now you know, I'm a faithful SPF 30.

If I'm laying out in the sun before it used to be 15, 8. You know, I wanted the barest of minimums, right. I wanted to get as dark as possible as quickly as possible.

And now it's like if it takes the full week we're on vacation for me to get a hint of a tan, I am okay with that.

Leyla: Well, it's funny that you say that. Now that I have the tattoos on my arm,

I use the zinc SPF 50.

So I protect one arm very well, half an arm very well.

And so it's white and the other one's tan. So like, I gotta do something about that.

Trisha: I gotta balance this out.

Leyla: I gotta balance it out. I gotta think of some way to where it's not like, oh, so you definitely protect that side of your arm. That's so funny.

Trisha: Yeah,

I used to just do,

you know, wash my face in the morning, put moisturizer, put my makeup on.

Now I wash my face, put moisturizer on,

put,

you know, my sunscreen on, then my primer, then my, you know, and it's like. Yeah, I feel like I have a barrier on my face now. Oh, yeah.

Leyla: You know you have to put sunscreen on everything. Yes.

Trisha: So that you don't. What's your favorite sunscreen for your face?

Leyla: I love the Innis tree.

Trisha: Oh, I love that brand, that one.

Leyla: Because I feel like it goes on so well under makeup. Yeah, it doesn't like it. Cause your makeup to slip and slide,

right. It just, it soaks into your skin. It doesn't feel greasy.

It's.

It's pretty good. What about you?

And it's cheap.

Trisha: You know, I visited one of their stores when I was in Japan. Oh, you did? They have such a variety of stuff that we don't. We aren't able to get here in the States.

And they,

they have a lot of good stuff. I love their under Eye rollerball.

I can't find it in the States. I might, I might be able to find it on Amazon,

but my mom, when she went to the Philippines,

I think it was last year or the year before, she picked up a couple for me. And I keep them in the refrigerator because my eye bags, you know, my favorite is Naked Sundays.

Leyla: Naked Sunday.

Trisha: It's Australia based and it's gel and it goes on real light. It doesn't leave any kind of residue or anything like that. It just goes on really nice. And then they have a topper, like a spray that almost is like a setting spray.

So you can put your makeup on and then just.

And it really gives you that Extra layer of sun protection.

But yeah, the brand is Naked Sundays. I just recently read that maybe Target, but definitely Ulta is going to start carrying them.

Leyla: Oh, that's fun.

Trisha: Yeah. Because I used to have to order it from just Australia. Would take like two weeks to get.

Leyla: Oh, wow. That's not good. I hate. But yeah, I like that. Instant gratification.

Trisha: I knew too. I'm so spoiled by Amazon.

Leyla: Oh, my God. Yes.

Trisha: When I have to wait two days, I'm like, yeah.

Leyla: What the **** is with this? I pay for prime.

Trisha: I know. I want same day delivery.

Leyla: I want it either. If it's not today, I want it tomorrow.

Trisha: Right. We have six or seven distribution centers around us, so, you know, but get.

Leyla: My **** to me now. I pay for it.

Trisha: I know. I'm so spoiled.

So when stuff comes like through the post office, I'm like, I ordered a shirt two weeks ago and last Friday it said, oh, it's going to be here tomorrow.

And I. And then there was a delay in the postal service.

Leyla: It's.

Trisha: It came in today.

And I'm like,

this is. This is why I don't use the post office anymore. It takes two weeks for me to get something so spoiled.

Leyla: Yeah. I ordered new earbuds and they were supposed to be here today,

but then I got a notification. Oh, there's a delay due to weather. So they'll be here tomorrow. I'm like,

I'm going to be gone tomorrow. I want them today.

Trisha: I know. And then of course, we're here in beautiful, sunny Florida and we're like, what weather? There's no weather here.

Leyla: I mean, there was weather up there, but exactly not here.

Trisha: I know. In anticipation of summer, we are having one of the. What ended up being one of my favorites.

Leyla: So good.

Trisha: Normally, I've said it so many times. I don't like citrus. I don't like citrus.

Leyla: You have said that maybe once before.

Trisha: I have said it numerous times. Well, okay. Not well, mostly with lemon. I don't like lemon specifically.

Leyla: It's. It's needed sometimes, but it can be easily overdone.

Trisha: Yes.

And so I just generally lump all citrus into one when I really am talking about lemons.

Really,

that's all it is, is lemons.

Because I've discovered that I actually do like limes.

And months ago, we made a cocktail.

We think it's a rum, Ricky. We don't know.

Leyla: We don't know.

Trisha: But it's rum, it's club soda, it's fresh lime and simple syrup.

Leyla: It's delicious.

Trisha: It's Delicious. And it's the lime. Every time. It's the lime with the simple syrup that just makes it so, so good.

Leyla: So, so good.

Trisha: Yeah, so we're indulging in that.

Leyla: So last, like, a month ago, maybe, I did a story on Appalachian myths.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: So. And I said, like, there's some do's and don'ts.

Trisha: Right.

Leyla: I got some of those for you today.

Trisha: You do? You have the dos and don'ts?

Leyla: I. Well, mainly don'ts, because don't do anything there. Actually, they're all don'ts. So don't do anything. I'm about ready to tell you.

Trisha: Okay, so all don'ts.

Leyla: But there's a lot.

Trisha: Yeah. I'm surprised. Yeah. Okay. Well, tell me all about it.

Leyla: Don't whistle at night.

Trisha: What?

Leyla: Yeah, don't do it.

Trisha: Well, okay, first of all, I'm just gonna say nothing irritates me more.

Leyla: Than.

Trisha: Being in a store or any public.

Somebody is whistling.

Like,

nobody wants to hear your musical mouth.

Do that in your own home.

Do it in your car.

You do not need to be in public whistling a tune like you're entertaining the masses. We don't give a ****. Keep it to yourself.

Leyla: Well, that's especially true in the Appalachian Mountains. Actually, that's a common superstition there.

Trisha: I might have to move up there where no one whistle.

Leyla: You won't, because it's. It's nature.

Trisha: Don't like that either.

Leyla: Well, it may seem weird. It's believed that whistling invites evil spirits or bad luck into your home.

Some claim that whistling can summon ghosts or even the devil himself.

Trisha: Really?

Leyla: Who may be lurking nearby.

Trisha: Well, they're ****** off because you're whistling and make it irritating everybody.

Leyla: I think that's probably what it was like. A neighbor is like, hey, don't whistle at night.

Trisha: Yeah, you're inviting the ghosts in. They're going to eat your face off if you don't shut the hell up.

Leyla: So also, I think I kind of talked about haints in the last episode. I can't remember if I did or not.

Trisha: I don't remember.

Leyla: So, haints is used in Appalachian folklore to describe. Describe restless spirits or ghosts. It's believed that haints are souls that have not found peace and often cause trouble for the living.

One superstition associated with haints is that painting a house's quartz ceiling or doors, blue will keep these wandering spirits away.

It's said that the color blue is supposed to trick spirits into thinking the area is water and they will avoid crossing it.

Trisha: Oh, I've heard of that down in, like, the coastal Georgia, South Carolina area.

Leyla: Okay. Might be, you know, spread out.

Trisha: Yeah, definitely. Like a southern thing.

Leyla: This one's a weird one.

Trisha: Okay.

Leyla: Spitting on a fish before you catch it. I don't know how the **** you're supposed to do that. How the are you supposed to spit on a fish?

Trisha: I feel like they would swim away too fast.

Leyla: I don't know. But if you're a fisherman, it's. It's supposed to ensure that you have good luck. It will guarantee that you catch a lot of fish.

Trisha: Maybe you're just supposed to work, so.

Leyla: I don't know.

Trisha: Maybe you're just supposed to spit in the water.

Leyla: Maybe. But how are you supposed to spit on it before you catch it?

Trisha: I don't know.

Leyla: It's weird.

Trisha: Maybe you catch it and then you spit on it before you scoop it up.

Leyla: Maybe. Lost in translation.

Trisha: Maybe that's it.

Leyla: We're just gonna go with. Now this is the one that a lot of people have heard, Wishing on a star.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: But it's a slight bit different. Oh,

wishing on stars, you know, transceeds through culture, especially at Appalachia. You're supposed to wish upon the first star to appear in the sky that will guarantee your wish to come true.

Trisha: Okay.

Leyla: So I've always thought you're supposed to wish on a falling star.

Trisha: I've heard that.

Leyla: Have you ever heard of wishing on the first star that you see in the sky? You've heard that one? I have heard that. I've never heard of that one. I've only heard the falling stars.

Trisha: I've heard the falling star too. So that's a do.

Leyla: That's a do, yeah. Yeah.

Trisha: Not all don'ts.

Leyla: Have you heard of a root doctor?

Trisha: A root doctor?

Leyla: Root doctor.

Trisha: Is that like a natural remedy kind of doctor? Yeah.

Leyla: They possess the power to heal through herbs and spiritual means.

So it's believed that they have ability to cure ailments, remove curses, or even protect against those bad spirits by using plants from the wild and ancient rituals through. Though many of these healers are seen as wise and skilled in their craft,

the idea that they could also manipulate special supernatural forces is something that continues to be taken seriously in a lot of parts of Appalachia.

Have you ever heard of don't let a black cat cross your path?

Trisha: Yes.

Leyla: You have heard that one.

Trisha: Yep.

Leyla: And I've heard that too. Like, oh, it's bad luck if a black cat crosses your path.

Trisha: I actually have a sign somewhere because we have a black cat.

Leyla: You do? Diablo, the Black cat.

Trisha: And it says black cat crossing because he's all over this house.

Leyla: So in Appalachia, it represents bad luck,

and especially if he crosses your path.

So to counteract this, some people may perform quick gestures,

such as crossing their fingers or turning around and walking a few steps backwards.

Trisha: Oh, okay.

Leyla: It's also said that you can counteract the bad luck by making an X three times in the air.

I know. Pretty aggressive.

Before the cat finishes crossing the road.

Oh, that will work too.

Trisha: Okay,

well, I supposedly totally agree that it's bad luck, because every time he's crossed my path, it's usually when I'm walking up the stairs and he darts in front of me and almost kills me by tripping me.

So it's all true. Dang you diablo.

Leyla: So always listen to a granny woman's advice on pregnancy. Oh, yeah, You've heard that?

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: So pregnancy and childbirth that have always been surrounded by a wealth of superstitions. In Appalachia, one of the more commonly known belief is that a pregnant woman looking at something, such as an animal or tree,

and she finds it ugly, her baby will resemble it.

Oh,

I don't understand that.

Trisha: I don't know. So basically, they're saying that if you kind of mock nature, it'd be like.

Leyla: Your baby's gonna be ugly.

Trisha: Yeah, I don't know about that. Although I've seen a lot of ugly babies.

Leyla: I've seen some ugly babies slapping a fancy cutesy name on there. That's not gonna help either.

Some other superstitions about pregnancy is that a pregnant woman is not supposed to look at a cor.

Or their child could be marked with a physical deformity.

Ooh,

that's weird.

Trisha: That is weird.

Leyla: And you're not supposed to cut a baby's hair until its first birthday or it'll have bad luck.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: You heard about that one, too? I don't know about that one.

Trisha: Yeah, in the Philippines, it's something similar, but then they shave the baby's head so your hair will grow in nice and thick.

Leyla: Oh. After their first birthday. Okay. So you got a lot of bald babies over there.

Trisha: I guess.

Leyla: So this one should be universal. Keep your feet off the table.

Trisha: Oh, yeah.

Leyla: So putting your feet on the table is. Will bring you misfortune, especially for the person who does it. The superstition is based on an old belief that placing your feet on the table symbolizes disrespect or mismanagement of your household.

The idea that this is bad energy that will then manifest as bad luck or Financial troubles.

Trisha: I hope they mean the dining room table because I always have my feet up on the coffee table.

Leyla: Yeah, I have my feet up. I have to mean the dining room. But that's awful.

Trisha: Like, awkward.

Leyla: Like you're. Yeah, like feet whale.

Trisha: You get your feet all the way up on the dining room table, you deserve what you get.

But yeah, the coffee table, I'm always like putting my feet on the edge of it.

Leyla: That's the. Nowadays ottoman.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: Yeah. So killing a snake will actually bring you bad luck.

Trisha: Really?

Leyla: Now,

some people think this is self defense,

but many in Appalachia believe that it will bring bad luck. The superstition holds that killing a snake will incur the wrath of the creature spirit or the spirits of his ancestors.

In some version of this myth, the curse can be lifted if the person who killed the snake offers appropriate ritual or offering to the spirit world. Oh,

so don't kill it. Just let it go. Yeah, Let that snake go on by.

Trisha: See a lot of snakes out here, but I don't ever. We don't ever kill them or anything. I mean, like they're just do. Minding their own business, just doing their thing.

So I follow that.

What kind of snake is this on Facebook for the local people to find out, you know, what kind of snake? What kind of snake is it?

Leyla: So actually interesting.

Trisha: It is.

Leyla: I like, I don't mind snakes.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: If you throw a cockroach, though, I'll. I'll sacrifice a **** old person to run away from that. Swear to God, I will. I'll run for my life.

Trisha: Yeah, they.

Leyla: They'll kill you. I mean, they won't, but in my mind they will.

Trisha: Well, you know, they latch on and.

Leyla: Especially those **** flyers. Oh, my God.

Trisha: If you get one of those in.

Leyla: Your hair, you're toes. Oh my God.

It freaks me out just the thought of it.

I can't even.

I can't.

Have you heard about the old woman in the mountain?

Trisha: No.

Leyla: So in the most remote parts of Appalachia, there are stories of a mysterious old woman living in the hills. It is said that she watches over the mountain, ensuring that people follow the rules of the land.

If you are disrespectful,

unkind, or careless, you may find yourself lost or cursed by the old woman in the mountains.

The belief in the spirit is part of a deep reverence for the land, the mountains, and the balance of nature that people in the region maintain.

Trisha: Huh.

Leyla: So I think I like that one. That one's kind of like, hey, be respectful or someone's going to come out and get you.

Trisha: Right.

Leyla: Don't up the environment. Someone's going to get you. I'd like that one.

Some others are. If you put a silver coin in your left pocket, it's for luck.

Never close a knife that you didn't open or you'll have bad luck for seven years.

Oh,

yeah. I feel like that's. What's the other one breaking? A wind. A mirror.

That's seven years bad luck, too.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: Hold your breath when you pass a cemetery or you'll be the next to die.

Trisha: I've heard that.

Leyla: You have?

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: We pass cemeteries all the time.

Trisha: I know. I've heard. Heard that. We had a discussion about that. I think it was Jody and I talking about the difference between cemeteries and graveyards.

Leyla: Oh, that's right. There is a difference.

Trisha: Yeah. Isn't it? Graveyards or church? Church. Like they're on a church property?

Leyla: I think so, yeah.

Trisha: And cemeteries just are for everyone. Yeah. But, yeah, it was. So it's graveyards, actually that you're supposed to.

Leyla: Graveyard.

Trisha: Hold your breath.

Leyla: No, a cemetery. Sorry.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: When you pass a cemetery, hold your breath. Some of those are ginormous.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: You will die.

Trisha: I had always. I had always heard you had to hold your breath when you passed a graveyard. So you didn't inhale a spirit.

Leyla: Oh, that's a good one, too. That's what I was like. I like that told.

I've heard this one before.

Never leave a rocking chair rocking. He'll invite spirits.

Really?

Yeah.

Another one.

I've heard half of this one.

A horseshoe hung above the door ensures good luck,

while a horseshoe above the bedroom door staves away nightmares.

Trisha: I have heard that. In fact, Cody has one in the shop above his office. But it has to be up. Up?

Leyla: Yeah, the.

Trisha: You know, like the U shape. It has to be U shaped or else all your luck falls out.

Leyla: Yeah, I've heard that too.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: But I knew the one above the door.

Trisha: I didn't know that about the bedroom.

Leyla: I didn't know the one about the bedroom either. That was cool.

Trisha: Interesting.

Leyla: And the last one I'm going to tell you today is. Always leave a building through the same door you came in.

Trisha: Oh, I don't even do that at home.

Leyla: Well, you better. You're gonna have bad luck.

Trisha: But why?

Leyla: Because you'll have bad luck.

Trisha: Why is it bad luck?

Leyla: Look, I'm here for entertainment, not education.

Trisha: What are some other things that you've just randomly heard that maybe aren't from that area? I feel like.

Leyla: Don't walk under A ladder?

Trisha: Yes, those are.

Leyla: These are like, some of them say if you do walk under a ladder, don't turn around and walk back. Just walk backwards. I don't.

Trisha: Right.

Leyla: I don't know.

Trisha: It always freaks me out when we go somewhere like Washington, D.C.

and they're doing construction on the side, like on the buildings, and they set up the scaffolding and you have to walk underneath it. Yeah, like that.

Leyla: Is that. Consider the ladder.

Trisha: I don't know. Scaffolding.

Leyla: What about picking up a penny, only with the heads up. Yeah, that's another one.

Trisha: But Diane always says if you find a penny, it's somebody. It's left by somebody from heaven. Like, somebody from heaven's thinking about you. There are several of that.

Leyla: Like, how is it there? One with a cardinal.

Trisha: Yes. If you see a cardinal, somebody from heaven is visiting you.

Leyla: Oh, yeah, that's. I've heard of that one.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: What else? I don't know.

Trisha: There's so many.

Leyla: Something about, don't sweep your floor on New Year's Day. New Year's Day. It'll sweep out the bad luck or something.

Trisha: There's a lot for New Year's.

Leyla: There's a ton.

Trisha: Yeah, I know.

Leyla: New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, there's a ton.

Trisha: I know from our family personally. Like, my mom makes us eat grapes. Noodles. Noodles for long life.

Leyla: Okay.

Trisha: And we have to have money, like actual dollar bills in our wallet to start the.

Leyla: To start the new year.

Trisha: And then one thing that I don't do, which I feel like kind of means it's true,

is she's like, you have to clean your house before the new year. All year long, you're gonna have a messy house.

And I'm like, at some point,

I must have left my house messy on New Year's Eve because I've never been able to get it under control.

Leyla: I see that being. That's like a nice thought. Like, oh, have your house clean before the new year. So that way you're starting the new year with a nice clean house.

But even if you do, your house is going to get messy again.

Trisha: Yeah.

And then I know a lot of. I know a lot of people who do collards and black eyed peas because, you know, money for money.

Like you were saying with the grapes.

Leyla: A suitcase by the door to ensure travel throughout the year or something. Yeah, something with a suitcase and traveling. There's so many out there.

Trisha: Yeah. November 1st, you're supposed to light a candle so that any spirits that crossed over can find their way oh, that's a good one.

And then another one that my mom always used to say is, like, if we were eating dinner or whatever, if you would drop a utensil,

like, if you dropped a fork, that meant you're gonna have a male visitor.

If you dropped a spoon, you're gonna have female visitor.

Leyla: Oh, if you spill salt, always toss it over, like, take a pinch of it and toss it over your left. Left shoulder.

Trisha: I have no idea.

Leyla: I don't. I don't understand that.

Trisha: I don't either.

Leyla: Something.

Trisha: And then if your hand itches. Oh, yeah, you're gonna get money.

Leyla: But is it.

If, like, your right hand itches,

it's.

You're gonna get money or lose money. It's either, like, one hand for getting money. The other hand itches, you're gonna lose money.

Trisha: I have no idea which is which.

Leyla: But there's. I think that it's like.

Trisha: So. Yeah, there are many. There are so many.

Leyla: They're kind of fun.

Trisha: And you can kind of see there are so many for that region.

But so many people in that region have moved across the country, and I think that those superstitions have moved and evolved.

Leyla: Right. And also some have moved to that region and brought their super sisters.

Trisha: Right. And then the. The more you get over to, like, the west coast area, I feel like then you've got a lot of influence from across the Pacific, you know,

a big Asian community on that side of the country, and they have their own superstitions.

Leyla: They have their own superstition.

Trisha: So, you know, between that and the south and the west, east,

there's just, you know, then they all combine,

and then everybody ends up doing a little bit of something.

Leyla: I like it. What's your favorite superstitions out there? Let us know.

Trisha: Yeah. Or is there one that we didn't really touch on that you feel like we have to feel like is more mainstream than we're making, you know, making it out to be.

Yeah.

So, yeah, let us know. Because.

I don't know. I feel like we've got them. A lot of them are fun. Yeah, I do, too.

Leyla: They're fun. They're entertaining.

Trisha: Yeah, definitely. If.

Leyla: If.

Trisha: As long as you don't take them too seriously.

Leyla: True.

Trisha: Because it could. I can imagine that for people who really lived by the rule of superstitions had to have been miserable, like, oh, my God, yes. You know,

imagine you broke a mirror and you think your life was over.

Leyla: Then that could trick you into having bad luck for seven years thinking that.

Trisha: All because of this mirror.

Leyla: Yeah.

Trisha: Yeah.

Leyla: Anyway, don't break mirrors out there.

Trisha: Yeah, just don't do that.

Leyla: And don't believe it. It's just fun and light hearted, right?

Trisha: I mean, you could step on a piece of glass or cut yourself. If you break a mirror, step on.

Leyla: A crack, break your mother's back.

Trisha: Yeah. See, again, for kids.

Leyla: You know, you just reminded me that when you said that was like, I remember that one. When you were a kid.

Trisha: Right? But did you ever break your mother's back?

Leyla: No.

Trisha: Okay.

Leyla: No, never.

Trisha: So, anyhow, until next time. Cheers.