Italians are big on superstitions…. it’s true. Especially us southern Italians. Here are a few of the ones that stand out from growing up. Some are serious and others are just for fun. I hope you can add some of your own as well.
- Never lay a loaf of bread upside down…. since bread is the body of Crist,it’s disrespectful (to leave Jesus on his head that is)
- Follow that up with never stick a knife into a loaf of bread…which obviously doesn’t include cutting it.
- Never cross arms when shaking hands in a group or toasting in a group…bad luck.
- Never toast with a glass of water.
- Always look into the other person’s eyes when toasting…. 7 years bad sex.
- The dreaded owl! Owls are bad luck.
- The number 17…. not good. My brother was going to get married on the 17th…my mother put a stop to that.
- I also remember that I’m not supposed to trim my nails on Thursday for some reason but I can’t remember why.
- Spilling wine at the dinner table can be easily remedied by dabbing a little of the spilled wine behind each ear.
So what are some of your Italian superstitions?
Thanks to flickr’s “a_soft_world”for the photo
If you are drinking from plastic cups and want to clink glasses while making a toast,you cannot let the actual plastic cups touch one another. You have to hold your cup normally and tap againist the other persons hand….not their plastic cup!
You cannot throw away bread and if you really,really must you have to kiss the bread first. (Because bread is like you said a symbol of Jesus….and also you want to respect those less fortunate then yourselves who cannot afford to throw away even a crumb of bread.
I’ve never heard of numbers 2,3 and definetely not 5 and 8. Not true,not true! Italians…
The wine one is remedied by putting salt on the stain,and nowdays I just use Vanish!
“7 years bad sex”…only the Italians! That made me laugh,so did not cutting nails on a Thursday,for some reason you can’t remember.
No wonder times have been tough here lately. We’ve got at least three owls in our garden who hoot at night. What’s the antidote for that,I wonder?
My husband goes bananas if I put a hat on the bed –apparently it means there’s going to be a death.
I have heard in Italy that if you sweep the broom over someone’s feet or if you sit at the corner of the table,you won’t get married! BTW,love the charms…my dad has the same on his chain
Buon weekend!
Leanne…there seems to be lots of them with making toasts and bread.
Scintilla,the looking into the eyes one I learned in Bologna. I had never heard of it before either but crossing arms in a group (say 4 people shaking hands at the same time) oh…. that’s a no,no. Vanish certainly works better!
Sally:We used to do a lot of work with Coca-Cola in Italy and the president for the Alpine countries was from the UK. He brought in a Harry Potter sponsorship back when HP was just getting big and they had all sorts of HP stuffed animals at AutoGrills all over Italy…. the owls didn’t sell very well and he didn’t last as President very long! I like the hat:)
HI Carla –I’ve heard of the broom one too…. and “No one puts Baby in the corner!”
Shoes on the table!!!
I thought it was shoes on the table too,Maryann. Back home we say putting new shoes on the table means a funeral,but no,this one is on the bed –goodness knows why. (Like cutting nails on a Thursday,I suppose.)
I thought he meant a hair on the bed,at first! –My bad Italian.
For the Greeks,it’s the evil eye. Some say that you can be cast a curse. Often Greeks will have an evil eye protector as jewelry,in a car,home,a hanging.
Spitting can be a way to help ward off evil spirts/protect.
Remember that wedding scene in Big Fat Greek Wedding? lol
I could write a book!
A knife it the dirt either stops or brings the rain,I can’t remember.
Never have 13 at a table,there were holidays where my granmother ate by herself in another room,she insisted!
Pour water on spilled milk –I don’t know why.
Salt over the shoulder for good luck.
Salt in a red fabric keeps evil spirts away.
An open knife under the mattress keeps the evil spirits away.
Gotta feed those spirits so they won’t bother you,leave a glass of water and a piece of cake or snack for them before you go to bed.
If you drop a fork or a knife (i forget which) means that company is coming.
okay,i’m stopping now. lol
My mother would freak out if we places our utensils on our plate and they crossed each other.
My great grandmother once had a black cat come to her door and she was convinced it was one of her sons who had left home.
And what about dreams! We Italians are the masters at interpreting them. I learned quickly to never tell my dreams to my grandparents –they would always find something dark and eerie in them.
This is a fun post,Joe. I remembered another one..When you give someone a compliment you have to say “god bless them”. This way,you won’t show any jealousy. We know how much the molocchio loves jealousy! And Michelle is right. Dropping a spoon,fork,and knife all mean something different,but I forget which is which! Company is coming,a death in the family,have to wash the thing..LOL..who knows! And always make the sign of the cross over the bread before it goes in the oven!
The never put new shoes on a table/bed is because the recently dead used to be laid out on the table/bed for respects to be paid and they were always dressed in their best clothes and new shoes! Roughly translates to ‘don’t bring it on’!
In Italy you hang a horse shoe up so that the bad luck runs out,in England we hang it so that the good luck stays in!! Finger that out!
Oops! I meant ‘figure’! LOL
I haven’t seen the horns in a long time but I grew up in a culture where a lot of the men wore them. Here’s a few of things I remember:
If you want to sell your house,bury St. Joseph statue in the front yard…upside down.
Lose something? St Anthony,St Anthony come around…Something’s lost and can’t be found.
Want to know the sex of the expected baby? Dangle a threaded needle over the belly…if it goes side to side it’s a boy,if it goes up and down,it’s a girl (or vice versa)
Make the sign of a cross and say a pray over a dish of water with a few drops of oil to eliminate a headache (caused by someone talking about you)
My parents are from the Caribbean but heard some of these growing up.
I wonder why owls are bad luck?
ohhh…saint anthony. i still pray to him –always outloud- until i find it.
this is a great post!
hey,joe,i linked to an old post of yours on our blog and i wanted to know if you updated all our old posts when you got the domain name. let me know if you need me to change the link.
Definitely no shoes on the table (even brand new in the shoebox) — I think that goes for hats,too.
And my mother always made the sign of the cross over the loaves of bread before she baked them.
what’s the one about the elephant statue facing the front door??? or what about the one that women never put their pocketbooks on the floor? what do these mean? anyone know?
I was told that if you want something,say to pass an important test,to write what you want on a piece of paper. Then put that paper in an envelope,seal it,and write your name on the front and then place it under the ice maker in the freezer. Has anyone else ever heard of this!
school project –what does the numbers 45 and 007 mean in italy thank you
I am almost 100% sure the hat and shoes ones come from the fact that many years ago,funerals were held at home,and the deceased was placed either on the bed or on the table,with all his/her clothes on. Putting the clothes on the bed or table was a reminder of a funeral,or an anticipation of one. The only thing missing was the dead person. (So,I guess it was like tempting death to come over).
Whats the story about the owls? My great neighbor saw I had an owl ring on and insisted I remove it and was surprised my Mother-In-Law hadn’t noticed and asked me to remove it before (Italian).
Can anyone give some info on why owls are bad luck?
I have an Owl nightlight in my bathroom,my mom always removes it before she walks in.
My Italian grandmother used to pray to St. Lucy when she lost something. She would say,“St. Lucy help me find ______”and I swear within 15 minutes whatever was lost was found. Try it,always works for me.
hah yes I definitely have many of these in our family. definitely Tony Tony look around somethings lost and must be found,the kissing the bread before you throw the rest away and no shoes on the bed. another one was that we were supposed to make the sign of the cross anytime we passed a cemetery or an ambulance drove by. Also its bad luck to have money on the bed and my nonna also taught me from when I was young and would try to help her and my mom do chores that it’s bad luck for more than 2 people to make a bed.
My Nonni says never let an enemy touch your hair because they can curse you?
If a broom is sweapt over the feet you will be a widow?
If you sweep the broom over your own feet you will be a spinster?
HMMMMMM????LOL
Never put your purse or coat on the bed.
Sweeping all the corners of a new house to get rid of the evil spirits
Birds are bad luck,especially crows
Black cats are bad luck
Covering up the mirrors after someone died.
Both of my parents are Italian. My father is Calabrese and they are very superstitious people.
Cheers,awesome article.
In America,some people believe Friday the 13th to be bad luck day,while in Italy,it’s good luck day!
I don’t believe in any superstitions. I have actually proven some wrong-on purpose.
This is like reading about my whole upbringing and im constantly reminded by it when i visit Mum &Dad or my Nonni.
No watching TV for a month when a close relative dies.
A newly married couples bed is made by the two Mothers of the couple and some coins are tossed in amongst the sheets to bring the couple wealth.
When making home made sauce or salami,if a woman is menstruating at the time she cannot participate in the process of making it,as the finished product will go bad,ie:wont turn out nice.
Dont spin a glass or anything on the table,as it brings bad luck.
When i remember more i’ll put them up
My mother-in-law is Southern Italian,and over the years I have heard the most astonishing superstitions which she most firmly believes.
Dropping the cutlery is quite specific,I think it’s knife for male visitor,spoon for female,can’t remember the fork…
if you dream of blood you must see real blood the following day or it’s bad luck,
my Sister in law wears a “lucky”no. 13 pendant around her neck.
MIL hung her pendant and necklace over my belly to determine our baby’s sex (with my husband laughingly accusing her of manipulating the movement!)
If a pregnant women has a food craving,it MUST be satiated,lest the next place she has an itch,where she touches on her body will mean a birthmark on her baby in exactly that spot.
If you give a gift of a purse or bag,you must put a coin or small amount of money in it for good luck.
No shoes on the table. Motherinlaw has a MORBID fear of snakes,they are also very bad in dreams. She has a book of dream meanings which she knows by heart.
Although loved ones’passing is very dramatic,the adage is still(said with a shrug) “finito la musica”(the music has finished!)
If you pour wine with a backward angle of your hand (rather than forward) that means you don’t like the person you are serving.
My fatherinlaw,bedridden,stroke affected and hospitalised with acute diabetes,was found to need a foot amputated due to gangrene. Motherinlaw said absolutely not. Why? because when he is reborn,he will be born without a foot. Truly. Incredibly the docs managed to save him anyway,and he went on to live for 10 more years!
I’ve enjoyed reading everyone else’s stories,imagine .. a fair dinkum aussie like me hearing all this!..I’m sure there’s some that I’ve forgotten too….must see about the owls and broom stories..
In the old days a priest never removed his head dress,the only time he would is at a deathbed so that he could put on other garments. Usually he would lay his headdress on the bed which led to the belief of a hat on the bed being bad luck =)
Pregnant women should wear a key over their belly during a full moon to avoid the baby being a hare lip,anyone know where this one comes from?
Putting your purse on the ground will casue your fortune to drain out.
The number 13 is lucky for Italians
Hold your breathe when passing a cemetery.If your ear is ringing pick a number between 1-26 then pick the letter int he alphabet that corresponse to it and say the name of the person you know with that letter- your ear will stop ringing.. honestly!They are just talking about you…Owls are bad luck because they are deliverers of bad news. If a bird hits your window a death is coming soon –I can go on for days..
lol…sure brings back memories. My mom is a 2nd gen Italian Canadian and this is what I can remember just off the top of my head:dropping a knife..if it points away from the door,someone is going to visit. if pointing towards the door,someone is going to leave. New shoes were a big no no on the table as were hats. When I was young,I once brought home a bouquet of peacock feathers &put them in a large vase. She got home from work,saw them &flipped out. grabbed them &tried to break them with her hands,screaming at me (&I think maybe even foaming at the mouth) apparently I had brought the eyes of the devil himself into the house. oops.dropping keys meant you were going to get into a fight with someone,if a wild bird flew into the house,someone you love was going to die.can’t tell you how many times I had to toss salt over my shoulder.All elephant ornaments in the house had to have their trunks pointing south. That pic of the hand charm at the top of this page…she has a set of earrings like that. She has a pendulum,a ouija board &she can read tea leaves.She once agreed to read mine but when she peered into the cup she got a look of pure horror on her face &wouldn’t tell me what she saw. That was 30 years ago &it still bugs me.
Anyone ever heard of one about pouring wine into your glass before finishing all that was in there already? Something to do with not getting married?…
Has anyone ever heard of it being bad luck to
measure after 6:00 pm. And if you have,why
is it bad luck?
Does anyone know the words to “Maloccio”? These words are saif for a headache. Thank You.
a bird pooping on you is good luck
My Nonni is a Calabrian Caprio and is extremely superstitious….. When my dad was young his spirit would escape him and his soul would drift into the heavens and hell and my Nonni after hearing this made him wear something around his neck for a moth or so. Anyone know of any charms to wear for good luck?
haha i was with my family and we were recalling all the old italian superstions so i googled italian superstions to find that every one i came across i knew and it brought me back to the old world back in verilli becase i have moved to amarica now but their is one missing it is a verey old beleif in my family at leased that to knok more that 10 times at someones door means their will be a death in your family and i think that droping a spoon means bad spaghetti sauce for 10 years but as greatgarampa simonelli used to say i had two cows and a donky if you had two cows and a donkiy you were doin pretty good one cow for milkin the other for eatin and the donky for ridein haha but he was a crazy old man (;
HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF A SUPERSTITION WHERE IT IS BAD LUCK TO WIPE YOUR FEET BEFORE COMING INSIDE THE HOUSE? I KNOW SOMEONE WHO WILL NOT WIPE THEIR FEET AND I THINK IT IS VERY STRANGE. SO IN ORDER NOT TO EMBARRASS THEM,I THOUGHT I WOULD ASK SOMEONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT ITALIAN SUPERSTITIONS.
I have the beat! My father in laws–If you have a sore throat put the sock you are wearing around your neck,stomache ache? You have worms,put a clove of garlic in the rectum…..and NO WE NEVER DID THIS!!! Eating the food you crave when pregnant made me gain 50lbs for my first child…..Those are the first off the top of my head. Oh,exit the same door you entered
Did anyone hear of putting a nickel at the end of the bed on the left side??? I saw it and don’t know what it meant.
Love reading all the entries! 3rd generation Italian,familiar with all the mentioned beliefs,except for the owls! I am curious if anyone knows why you must give a few coins to the person that has gifted you with a scarf or handkerchief,my mother claims it has to do with the pointed/sharp edges,comparable to a knife,which the round of a coin cancels out,the coins will prevent a dispute between the parties. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Is this accurate?
Here’s one I haven’t seen posted:Newlyweds first night in their new home must carry a dish with salt and raw eggs in it? for good luck and fertility! Did get pregnant right away,but also got divorced 4 years later…
SOmething i didnt see yet was the malocchio,or evil eye. This is one of the biggest things in my family. What it is is when someone takes there hand and puts it in a jesture (the one on the necklace above)and puts in infron of their eyes and points it towards you. What this does is put a curse on you and your family for quite a long time,i know it does something else in specific but i can seem to remember. You can protect yourself from the malocchios by wearing an Italian horn,also known as a cornicello. Almost all of my aunts,uncles,my grandparents,and my dad wear a gold on a chain around their neck,the ones who dont have it on a chain have one made out of red coral on a pin. Ive heard it said that the closser the pendant is to your heart the safer you will be. So answering Lucys question i dont think it gets rid of headaches
Im sorry i did not mean to say lucy i ment Louise
Both my mother and father and my wife’s mother and father come from the same small town in Bari,Italy. My mother in law alway’s puts bread outside the front door during a thunder storm. She swears it stops the storm’s thunder and lightning. I’ve seen it work. Go figure. Can anyone tell me just how this originated?
i recognize so many of these
two other superstitions i havent seen yet on here are that when you step over someone you have to say ‘cadish’(i dont know if i spelled that right) or else they will stop growing. the other superstition is that you cannot throw any food in the trash,you must throw it outside or else you will have to pick it up with your eyelashes when you die (i have no idea where that came from,but my nonnie always says that)
I grew up with never kill a moth in the house,it brings bad luck. Both parents r italian. Also the shoes,me and my brothers always got yelled @ for that. Also don’t have the foot of your bed facing the doorway.
I still can’t bear to see bread upside down and owls…don’t talk about owls!
Has anyone ever heard that it’s bad luck to buy your own Italian horn. For some reason I always thought that someone had to give it to you. Of course,you have to be Italian to wear one. By the way,I love reading all these superstitions and I still tell my kids some of them,especially the shoes on the table/bed.
I have a ton that I grew up with,a lot mentioned here. One I didn’t see is if your nose itches,you’re going to have a fight or kiss a fool (my best friend and I always kiss the others hand when our nose itches). One thing I can’t seem to find anywhere is my great-grandmother told my mother that you can’t change your bed sheets between Christmas and Little Christmas. It brings death. Has anyone heard of this? I remember that I did this one year and that January,my grandmother died so now I’m petrified to do it again,so every Christmas Eve I change my sheets.
Hi there,just turned into alert to your weblog thru Google,and found that it’s truly informative. I?m gonna be careful for brussels. I?ll be grateful in the event you continue this in future. Many other people will likely be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
This is so great! My family is from Sicily and we have so many of these superstitions. I didn’t realize how much I still live them until my oldest son came in yesterday and told me this story:He was visiting his younger brother (25 years old) and his roommate came in and put the rent money on the bed. My son flipped out and told him “never put money on the bed,it’s bad luck!”My father would be proud! When my youngest was born we took him to visit my parents and there was a big family party. I went to go change his diaper and a packet of salt fell out –my husband and I looked at each other like WTF? My mom came rushing in and told me to leave the salt packet in his clean diaper. She was quite sure my uncle’s wife had given the baby the evil eye and this was to protect him! We were cracking up but you know we put the salt packet back in the diaper just in case…
I remember my full Italian grandma bringing the bigger serving type of silverware over and giving it to my mother. Then my grandma insisted that my mother give her a penny in return. As I saw this happening asked why and my grandma said it is bad luck to give or get any silverware for free. Has anyone else heard of this?
I’am not sure why this is bad luck but know that traditions were done without questions and have learned to keep Italian traditions going.
My brother married into an Italian family (Sicilian). When I was in their wedding,the Italian mother gave me a hankerchief to carry with me,but told me I had to give her a penny for it. She said if she just gave me the hankyas a gift it would be like wishing tears on me,but if she ‘sold’it to me then it doesn’t mean anything.
This is a great site! I myself am Christian,but I would never belittle the “old ways”. In fact I want to learn more of them so this site is very much appreciated. My grandparents on my father’s side were Sicilians from the Palermo area. Today I asked my father for his bithday and when he told me what the date was he said,“There was a lot of salt in the air”which made me laugh! Here’s another one…my grandmother could do the Novena dream thing and predict a person’s future. There are witnesses who verify she was accurate too. She did not like to have to do it though for some reason. I also had an Uncle who was said to have made a deal with the devil,and he could outrun horses,cars and trains to the next town. This was also witnessed many times by respectable people. They said that when they got to the end of the race,he would be waiting for them,smoking a cigarette! Many more stories I can tell.
NEVER leave a chair rocking with no one sitting in it;for it invites spirits to come and sit with you. My Grandma Rose would get very angry if we did this….
Hello,I love this site. We were told never put your purse on the floor,if you do you will have no money. Drop a spoon means a female will visit,drop a fork,a male will visit. If you loose something,say “Dear Saint Anthony please come round something lost that must be found. Never put shoes on the bed or table,old or new. Family members spitting on a childs head keeps evil away.
There are words to the chant for the malicchio headache cure,and I only remember some. Ialso believe it can only be taught to others on a certain day and time. My Nana tried teaching me,but I was not allowed to write it down,and i am terrible at remembering phonetically.
Hi friends.I am posting you from Iran. I have to say that people around the world have many different and same superstitions and they are realy intersting.I want to share one of the IRANIAN beliefs.
In Iran when bride is coming to the yard someone bring a mirror infront of her,it means that mirror brings good luck.
I remember my Mom mentioning many of these items listed esp.:don’t put bread upside down on the table (I thought that was a Catholic thing),dropping a knife at the supper table meant “a fight”,shoes on the table was bad,place a Saint Christopher statue in the car for protection and Be Aware of People who say “You are so lucky because (fill in the blank)….these people are putting the “Malokey”on you. That’s why you need the horn to protect against that kind of hexing.
Burying the Saint (I forgot which one) in the yard is suppose to help sell your house. The Board of Realtors in Naples,Fl have a store that sells the statue and I heard a Realtor saying it really works.
Mama use to tell us kids that some Italians believed:
“Wearing a small bit of salt (in a very small container)
in your bra,will keep the “evil eye”from doing you harm and
preventing you from winning “glories”We were glad she didn’t believe in all the silly superstitions..”Do the best,in an honorable way,then hope for the best”
So many rules…so little time:
Don’t cross your fork or knife,or you will be marked for death
Birds in the house,indicate someone will die
Don’t gift scarves,knives,pearls,mirrors,pins or anything with a point which means a long standing aurgument.
Bless the house (every door,window and chimney opening) with holy water when you move in and don’t eat meat your first night there.
Dreaming of children,cats,dogs or eating means reversal (negative) fortune coming your way.
Dreaming of shoes or the dead means news or changes or travels coming your way.
Dreaming of beds or sleeping means illnesses.
Spilling salt or wine is bad luck and upsets the universe that you are wasteful of its gifts. it should be reversed with giving it back to the earth. pinch a little behind the shoulder (bible story turning to salt stone) and spill alittle (giving back to the god of wine his blood sake)
Seashells should not be in the home for decorations(the sea god doesn’t like it when you take his children from home)
Bread should be torn not cut and always up
Black cats,owls,ravens..and on and on…..
My parents were from Sicily. We were told dreaming of red raw meat meant someone was going to die. Black cat was bad luck. We had to cover all mirrors &no tv on good Friday. If our foot fell asleep my mother would say Santa Maria wake up the foot ( in Sicilian) while making a cross on my foot,it would always work! When pregnate we always got what we crave to keep the baby from having a birth mark. I’ve really enjoyed this topic!
I’m 1oo% italian.My mothers side from sicily,I believe someone gave my family bad luck…i believe in the evil eye and the italian horn.and what ever is done to you will come back and bite them in there asses.it is sad even your own blood can wish you bad.we all have bad apples in the bunch,so my evil eye is to protect my family…backoff….
And here is another one that has not been listed…Grandma Rose from Palermo said Only 1 person to dress a baby….I tried to help her change my infant nephew who was being fussy and she stopped me immediately and loudly said “Only 1 person to dress a baby,2 to dress the dead”!
Here is a couple I know of…..
-evil Eye aka Mallocho,is a curse someone can give you if they are jealous,angry,ect. If you wear evil eye charms(I myself have a few) or have a corno charm,you will be protected
-no shoes,hats or purses on the bed. apparently it brings death…
-If you spit on someone,you are protecting them from a curse/spirits
-Cant clean your house on three Kings day
-the number 17 is very,very unlucky.
-Instead of knocking on wood,some Italians knock on Iron….not sure why
-Peacock feathers are considered unlucky,they give the evil eye
i come from a superstitious old Italian family lol
My Aunt Rose had a ritual to relieve headaches,illness,depression,marital problems,etc. She called it “The Eyes”. Not sure if that’s the way it is spelled?? She would hold your hand and rub your palm,then hold her hand on your temple while reciting an Italian prayer or saying(??) and repeat this ritual a few times. She would then yawn and she said “it”was gone. Everyone in my family would believe in this and say they had to see Aunt Rose to relieve whatever they were suffering at the time. They swore it worked. My Aunt has sadly passed,and I would like to know if anyone knows of such a ritual. Thank you!
Peter,the ritual your Aunt Rose did was for the evil eye.
She would make crosses (like signs of the cross) on the forehead or shoulders and recite a saying it had to be said 3 or 5 times and if she yawned it meant that the person was in fact suffering from the evil eye.
depending how many times she yawned would indicate how long this person had be suffering. Once this was done the person would feel better after a short while. You can only learn this pray or saying on
Christmas Eve or it won’t work and if you tell anyone any other time it will not work.
WTH is with the no tlooking people in the eye while toasting thing?!
Hello.I Can remember that my grandmom was a superstitus person. she believed the evil eye,she believed that updown shoese will cause fight and also she argued that if someone goes swimming under the moon light,he will become lucky and his skin will become white.
from IRAN
Hello,I had always heard that it was bad luck to buy your own Italian horn,that it should be given to you by somebody who loves you. Anybody else hear of this?
Il Malocchio absolutly works!
Once while bartending I was called in to work an extra shift. Extra $$$ yeah. After driving an hour to work they told me they were going to give a new guy the night instead. Having nothing to do and nowhere to go I hung out.
Okay,call me evil,but I did this intentionally. I stared at him with envy and said,“I want to work on these nights”.
After a half hour I went home. The next night I came in everyone was talking about the night before. I little while after I left they said the guy just freaked out and was acting crazy. They said he pulled the cords off the register and credit card machine and drapped them around his neck and was dancing around. They said he was laughing and threw the credit card machine in the sink,destroying it. He kept ducking behind the bar as if people couldn’t see him. He got fired and when he left he side swipped another car but didn’t stop.
The guy wasn’t a drinker.
Needless to say,I was given that night and made lots of soldi for years after that.
Hi Joe great site. I live in Australia and I’m also first generation Italian. Mum and dad came out here in 1950,both from Calabria.
Here’s a superstition just for the men,whenever a funeral procession drives past the men would grab their crouch.
Many of my mates (that’s friends for the rest of the world) are also first generation Italians and we still do this and I’m not sure why. I guess partly because we saw the older Italians do it so we just followed suit.
Im going ask some of my uncles about this superstition and post their response,also if they have any other superstitions. Cheers for now
Sorry that should be “crotch”damn auto correct. Lol
No white wicks,no candles in the house should have in burned wicks? When we buy them we light them and blow them back out. Big task when my center pieces had candles for 300 people and while decorating someone mumbled white wicks.. We had to start lighting and blowing out candles!