Skot, I do the “buying” the knives thingy too (I am French).
It would “cut” your friendship to be offered knives, so you give a coin so you actually buy them from the person.
I do the salt thing over the shoulder thing too, I heard that spilling the salt will call the devil, and throwing a pinch over the shoulder would blind it.
I also can’t have bread turned up-side down on the table… the bottom of the bread has to be … on the bottom…
I think it is from Medieval times when the executioner (sp?) had a special bread reserved for him at the table, turned up-side down, so nobody would take the very much feared executioner’s food.
delphica’s “bread and butter” reminds me of another one – if you say the exact same thing at the exact same time as another person, you have to say “topjimico” (a phonetic version, obviously) and touch that person. Otherwise…<something>
Twickster47, yes, friends of mine and myself have that same superstition about saying the same exact thing at the same time. Only, when WE do it, the first person to say “You owe a beer”, gets the beer.
In our household, it was always “white rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits!” No one ever knew why, it was just… what you said on the first of the month. (Grew up in New England, to parents of Irish/British background if that helps.)
Always threw a pinch of salt too, to “blind the devil”.
My grandma told me “Girls whistling makes the Virgin Mary cry…”
And yeup, I often find myself STILL thinking “St. Anthony St. Anthony please look around, something is lost and needs to be found”.
Folks who sneeze three times will get blessed with an Air Pentacle, One or two sneezes will get you a regular “bless you” of course, non-Pagans look at me like I’m nuts.
I paint for a living, and I will put a Solomon’s Seal, Cross, and Pentacle on walls with the finish colour, the roller of course covers it afterward, but I ask in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirits, a blessing of Wisdom and understanding of Devine will for the House/Apts newest dwellers.
I hang noisey stuff in my bedroom doorway. Usually bells are used, but right now I am using a string with metalic objects I found in the street. This chaces away any bad energies or spirits that may follow you.
I also burn candles while reading any kind of spritual materials. I believe this points my need for understanding and wisdom to the gods/esses, on how to apply what I read to my life.
There are a bunch of theories as to the origin of clinking glasses, but noone (as far as I know) has a definitive answer for this.
Some theories:
Alton Brown, on FoodTV, likes to say that the origin of clinking glasses was as a protection against poison in your drink. By clinking glasses hard enough with the person who served you the drink, some of your drink will spill into the other person’s drink (so that both drinks would now have poison in them).
Most people seem to think that this is just a myth – medieval hosts would actually take the first drink, as an assurance that their was no poison in the drinks. It was actually, most likely, the creation of the writer Alexandre Dumas, who first wrote about it in the 19th century.
Another theory is that ancient greeks would clink glasses as a part of their tradition of “Yimas” (which I guess translates as the equivalent of saying “cheers”). The ancient greeks felt that the act of drinking wine should involve all of the body’s senses – clinking the glasses allowed the sense of hearing to be used. Homer wrote about this practice – the tradition was completed by spilling some of the drink on the ground, as a tribute to the gods.
A third theory is that clinking began as a practice to ward off evil spirits, specifically the devil, who often was thought to be lurking at medieval house parties. The “clink” sound is supposed to be reminiscent of church bells ringing. Several cultures had similar practices to this, including the Huns, early Germans and tribes in the Congo.
Starbury, you are right about the medieval tradition of clinking the glasses so you proove to your drinking buddy you did not poison him. A little liquid of each drink you get in the other cup and you would assure the person you are honest in the friendship.
Carine, most of the stuff I’ve read on this subject says that this actually wasn’t practiced during medieval times. As mentioned in my previous post, the first time this was ever mentioned, it was used as a plot device in a novel by Alexandre Dumas in the 1800’s.
This myth became popular, and the idea that it was of medieval origins was apparently tacked on later.
No, it never bothers me afterwards. It’s just when I remember to do so, that I do it., and when nobody is behind me to tell me to hurry up. It has to do something with “exercising each leg equally,” or some such nonsense.
Actually, I haven’t been doing it much recently. I’m just taking two stairs at a time nowadays.
Thanks for the info on clinking glasses, but I think what dinahmoe and I are talking about is touching the glass to the table/bartop/whatever after clinking them together, before taking a drink.
Ok, it took a couple of weeks but I came up with some information on this subject. I e-mailed a guy in England who considers himself a “Pub Historian.” He actually has written a few published articles on the subject of taverns and pubs.
Anyway, he says that touching the glass to the table is German in origin (or, more accurately I guess, Prussian in origin). The gesture is intended to force out any of the evil spirits that have taken up residence in the alcohol you are about to consume.
