Friday the 13th

[lazeeboy]

Originally Posted by mick

hehe LAZEEBOY i see you edited the date in the post BUT i can see into the future too
thats why i quoted you in my post i new you would change it hehe

Your far too quick for me Mick

[grannyclaret]

i am not realy superstitious ,but i still dont do things like putting new shoes on the table ,i always throw salt over my shoulder when i spill some,even though i dont believe in theese things ,i think i have a screw loose ..

[chav1]

i consider it to be bad luck if a black cat crosses my path..



for the cat that is

[JohnW]

Originally Posted by Billcat

I won't whistle when I'm backstage or refer to a certain "Scottish play" by name. I'm not particularly worried about anything related to superstition, but I don't want to get other folks going!

So, what takes you backstage Billcat? Are you a musician or an actor? I play drums and used to work at a club in Liverpool backing cabaret. I was once whistling a tune in the dressing room when we had finished getting the dots and the cabaret artist asked me how long I had been in "show business." I told him how long and then asked why he wanted to know. He moaned on about people whisting in the dressing room being bad luck. I had never heard of that superstition, mind you, I'm not superstitious anyway so it didn't bother me. Mind you, it may have had an effect on him, because he was bloody crap!

[Billcat]

Originally Posted by JohnW

So, what takes you backstage Billcat? Are you a musician or an actor?

I've done a lot of performing with various community theatre groups over the years. Started doing shows when I was in high school, so I've been at it for quite some time. Over the years, I have played Nicely Nicely Johnson (Guys and Dolls), Captain Hook (Peter Pan), Sancho Panza (Man of La Mancha), Dayy Warbucks (Annie), Marcellus Washburn (The Music Man), Sir Joseph Porter (HMS Pinafore), Teddy Brewster (Arsenic and Old Lace), Elwood P. Dowd (Harvey), Santa Claus (any number of Christmas shows), Major Metcalf (The Mousetrap), Inspector Belsize (Night Must Fall), Colonel Gillweather (Something's Afoot), W.C. Fields (The Ziegfeld Revue) plus many more.

Found this on the web about whistling backstage, "Regarding the superstition that whistling in the theatre brings bad luck. According to a Terry Pratchett book (Masquerade?) stage hands used whistling signals to communicate with each other while a performance was in progress. This way they could move props etc with sandbags and pulleys without disturbing the performers. If you whistled on stage, you risked having a sandbag land on your head."

Another story I have heard say that in the early days of flying scenery, sailors did a lot of the work getting the rigging set up, and that the whistles they used on ship, they also used in the threatre.

Time for a question: We don't have magpies where I live, so what is the superstition that has folks counting them?

[Tealeaf]

There used to be a rhyme about counting magpies, went something like this:

One for sorrow,
two for mirth,
three for a wedding,
four for a birth,
five for rich,
six for poor,
Seven for a witch,
.....can't remember any more

One of the guys I drink with down here looks after the birds in the Tower. That's a hell of a job; if the Ravens buggar off for any reason, then England falls. Thats a bit too much responsibility.

[yerself]

Originally Posted by fireman

I always salute a magpie. and ask how his wife is.

How do you know it's a mister magpie?

[yerself]

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.

That's the version I heard and wasn't it this version which was the theme tune to the TV programme Magpie?

[Mick]

or
1 for sorrow
2 for joy
3 for a girl
4 for a boy
5 for silver
6 for gold
7 for a secret never to be told
8 a wish
9 a kiss
10 is a bird you should not miss
yes it was magpie the tv show

[pendy]

I would say I wasn't superstitious but I do worry a bit if I only see one magpie - you see how we're brainwashed as children!! Have been known to throw salt over shoulder, and if I accidentally put anything on inside out, I am reluctant to change it as it is bad luck!

The theatre thing is true - having worked in rep, to mention the Scottish play by name is to risk total disaster in any theatre, and whistling is definitely out. It's also bad luck to wish anyone good luck in a production, so the usual line is "Break a leg"!

[cashman]

Originally Posted by chav1

i consider it to be bad luck if a black cat crosses my path..



for the cat that is

specially if i'm driving lol

[vorlon24]

I hadn't heard of most of that - I have heard about the salt and the ladders, but I routinely walk under ladders and the spilt salt is usually courtesy of the children.

I heard about one person who used to stay in bed on Friday 13th and not go to work, until one day someone asked her what she would do if the chimney collapsed! She didn't stay in bed after that!

[wayneyboy1942]

Margaret and anyone else on here may find this site of interest!

http://www.crystalinks.com/friday13th2.html
as for me I'm only superstitious about football!

[Margaret Pilkington]

Pendy......I'm with you on that one......if I put anything on inside out it stays that way until it is due to come off........another one is......I never buy a purse........I like to get a purse as a gift......that way it is supposed to bring you luck with money.

I always salute the Magpie by saying 'Good Morning Captain......how's your lady wife....and the children.....well, I hope!'

So I guess I am more superstitious than I thought.

I have (so far) survived Friday the 13th......but I'm still touching wood......and I have my fingers crossed !!!!!

[sarnie boy]

i am superstisious (or however its spelt) of black cats as i have an unnaturally strange fear of cats i never walk under ladders and salute magpies
and am i the only person that tries not walk under overhanging windowsills