OLD ITALIAN WIVES TALES

While the world is getting more and more sophisticated every day, it's odd how these tales seem to exist and still be passed down from generation to generation even though people may not believe them anymore, yet, they still get quoted.

No peacock feathers in your house or apartment, the feathers give the appearance of the "evil eye" bringing bad luck.

Paint the front door red. This keeps evil spirits from crossing the threshold. I know a lot of traditional Italians who live in my neighborhood did this. I’ve also heard of Italian families who hang bread over their front and back doors keeping the evil spirits away as well.

It is bad luck to sit a shoebox on anything!  It is believed that the superstition originates from new shoes originally having the soles affixed by hobnails and that these would cause scratches on a table if they had not already been worn down.

Baby showers. This one is a little perplexing! If anything, Italians like to wait until after the baby is born before having a baby shower.

While in the whole world the traditional unlucky number is 13, in Italy the traditional unlucky number is 17. (See yesterday's blog) There's nothing wrong with that style of writing but when it comes to the Roman style, it's either XVII or VIXI. The latter translates from the Roman language as "I had lived = I'm dead".

No hats worn at the table is a rule in many traditional households. Is it a custom of just a sign of respect?