Cajun And South Louisiana Superstitions, Spells And Traditions
It's no secret that there is a truckload of culture in South Louisiana. Cajun, Creole, French, Spanish, and many other heritages have been swirling together for hundreds of years to make South Louisiana the great place it is today. Along with that culture comes a lot of beliefs and superstitions. We all know of the Loup Garou and the Honey Island Swamp Monster, but these are a few I haven't heard of before. Do you know of any that aren't on this list? Comment below and let us know what they are! You can check out more of these HERE.
1) If you make a face in the mirror when lightning strikes, your face will remain that way.
2) If you dig a hole on Good Friday, you will find blood in it.
3) If you drop a dish towel, you are sure to have company soon.
4) If a pregnant woman is upset about seeing a person with some type of physical or mental handicap, her child will be born with the same handicap. The woman is said to be "frapeed" on that handicapped person.
5) To break up a hurricane, make a cross with two knives nine times.
6) To ensure that a visitor will never come back to your home, throw salt as they leave in the form of a cross.
7) Up until the 1960s, children used to celebrate New Year's Day by going door to door with a brown paper bag to collect candy, but mostly popcorn fixed in a variety of ways. They would greet the people by saying "Bonne Annee'"(Happy New Year).
8) If a hen crows there will be a death in the family. Usually, it's the rooster who crows.
9) If someone passes a mop over your foot, you'll never marry.
10) If your left hand itches you'll come into some money, if your right hand itches you'll meet an old friend.
11) To protect against the devil, hang a mirror on your porch by the door. M’su Diable is very vain. He is so attracted to his own image that he can’t move from the spot until the sun rises and he has to scat.
12) To protect against the Cajun loup garou (werewolf), lay 13 small objects such as pennies, beans, or broom straws by your doors. The werewolf is not too bright and cannot count higher than 12. When she comes to the 13th object, she gets confused and has to start over. The poor thing will be there counting all night until the dawn when she must flee the sun.
13) To ward off evil, drill a hole in a dime and wear it around your neck under your clothing. You can also spit three times.
14) If an alligator crawls under your house, there will be a death soon.
15) If you're at a picnic and it starts raining, make a cross out of two sticks and pour salt on it. It will instantly stop raining.
16) Never eat both ends of a loaf of bread. Throw one end away. If you eat both ends of the bread you will have trouble making ends meet.