Will you worry the next time a black cat crosses your path?
It may depend on where you live in the world. In Britain and Japan, having a black cat cross your path, is considered good luck, whereas if you live in the USA or several European countries, it is bad luck to have a black cat walk by.
Here are a few cat superstitions from various countries.
A strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity. - Scottish superstition
A cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it. - Italian superstition
It is bad luck to see a white cat at night. - American superstition
Dreaming of white cat means good luck. - American superstition
In the Netherlands, cats were not allowed in rooms where private family discussions were going on.
The Dutch believed that cats would definitely spread gossips around the town.
In Egypt, it was once believed that the life-giving rays of the sun
were kept in a cat's eyes at night for safekeeping.
To kill a cat brings seventeen years of bad luck -Irish superstition
We have 5 cats, so there's plenty of sneezing going on. Boy, am I lucky. No wonder I love black cats, with that English and Japanese heritage I have; I'd love a stained glass window like this!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to ask my mum about the Dutch superstitions -- hadn't heard of them. If I were to guess, though, it would have to be from many cats' penchant for sitting in a front room window watching the neighbours all day. If my old cat could have talked, there's not a single person on my street who would have been able to keep a single secret...
ReplyDeleteThat's me! I see everything that goes on on our street. My neighbour Carol says she makes sure her windows are closed before she says anything in case I hear it LOL.
ReplyDelete