The significance of itches, sneezes, tickles; plus some good ol’ general advice
A few weeks ago I shared some folklore from Kansas regarding hiccups and hangovers. I am just a little disappointed that I’ve not heard from any readers field-testing these so-called remedies.
As I was flipping through this book, I happened to see one “rule” that I remember my Mom and both Grandmothers followed religiously: Home permanents should be given when the moon is full. I always wondered what would happen if they slipped up and gave each other—or me!—a permanent when the moon was not full, because they stuck hard and fast to the rule about the full moon and were not taking any chances!
My mom used to say if your nose itches, someone is thinking about you. Some may say if your nose itches, someone is talking about you, but the things they are saying are not nice. Or how about this: If your left ear itches, someone is saying bad things about you; but if your right ear itches, someone is saying good things about you; and if both ears itch, people are having an argument over you!
Here are some more sayings about itches: If the palm of your hand itches, you will receive a letter; or, *If the palm of your hand itches, you are certain to become rich. *When your hand itches, you are going to meet someone. *If your left hand itches, you are going to get some money. *If your left eye itches, you are going to be happy. *If your toe itches, you are about to take a trip. *If your left foot itches when you are entering a strange place, you are not wanted. *If your nose itches, you’ve got a hole in your britches; or *If your nose itches, you will hear some good news.
About sneezes, I think I’ve heard this one: Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for health; Sneeze on Tuesday, sneeze for wealth; Sneeze on Wednesday, sneeze for a letter; Sneeze on Thursday, sneeze for something better; Sneeze on Friday, sneeze for sorrow; Sneeze on Saturday, you’ll see your beaux tomorrow. *If you sneeze on Sunday, the Devil will have you the rest of the week. *Sneezing is good for dusting out the brain and making a person think more clearly.
When it comes to just general advice or observations, folklore is full of that. Probably everyone has heard this advice: Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched; and Kill two birds with one stone. Here’s some more you might want to pay attention to: *Don’t worry about troubles until they come. *No news is good news. *If a tree is struck by lightning, there is a treasure under the tree. *Don’t sing in a bathtub. *Never hand money over the threshold of a door; either go out to pay the collector, or have him come in. *Never eat rice on a Monday. (Sorry; it doesn’t say why.) *If you steal something from someone, you will lose twice as much. *People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. *If you shingle a house in the dark of the moon, the shingles will always lie flat; in the light of the moon, the shingles will curl up and cause the roof to leak. *Lumber cut in the light of the moon will warp, or the ends will turn up. *If you have a bad rehearsal, you will have a good performance. *Step on a nail, and put your dad in jail. Step on dirt, and tear your dad’s shirt. Step on glass, your dad will run out of gas. *A person whose handwriting slants to the left is pessimistic. *A person who walks in his sleep leads a lonely life and is searching for love. *Every hour of sleep that you get before midnight is worth two hours after midnight. (I wish that was true!)
