Hello again! Yesterday, January 15th, we looked at superstitions relayed through song or rhyme. As it is already usual in our little corner of Twitter, everyone delivered and posted beautiful things, such as this night-loving rhyme from Ireland, shared by Hecaterine.

The next highlight was this English weather divination verse, posted by Nature Folklore. Oak is one of my favourite trees, as my grandfather used to carry acorns in his pockets for luck. It is also said that keeping acorns on you helps you stay young and live a prosperous life.

You might have noticed that I included the start of a traditional sing-song about magpies in the session’s opening tweet to get you started: “One for sorrow, two for joy”. These verses, which have many regional variations in the British Isles, should be recited when you come upon magpies in your path – with the number of corvids present dictating your fate. My favourite version comes from Cornwall:

“One for sorrow,
Two for mirth,
Three for a wedding,
Four for a birth,
Five for Heaven,
Six for Hell,
The seventh takes your soul to the Devil to sell.”

Very ominous! But if you see a solitary magpie, there is still hope, for it is said that you can doff your hat and say “Good afternoon Mr Magpie, how’s your family” to avert the bad luck these birds are said to bring. Thus, the last highlight was another set of magic verses to be declaimed to a lone magpie to avoid doom, posted by Therese Taylor.

Thank you all for participating in yesterday’s session! To be included in our Highlights, please make sure that the photo credit is present in your tweet. As always, I hope to see you next week (22/01/22) with a new theme:

MONEY AND PROSPERITY

Have a lucky one!
– Superstition Sam 🐾