If a fisherman pees in the ocean, a bad storm will come. Good luck will come to your household if you own a three-coloured cat. Ancient, entertaining and sometimes-quirky folklore enrich all cultures, but many superstitions and traditions of Atlantic Canada are truly unique: '¢ The New Year-It is good luck to eat cabbage for dinner on the first day of the New Year and babies born on January 1 will always have good luck '¢ Dogs-When a dog buries its bone in your garden, it indicates a poor harvest that year; if a dog chases its tail, a ship will sink '¢ Weddings-It is bad luck for a bride to bake her own wedding cake; if a bride tastes the wedding cake before it is cut, she will lose her husband's love '¢ Babies-If a woman suffers from heartburn while she is pregnant, the baby will have a full head of hair; if you dream of death, then a baby will come into the family '¢ The Screech-in-To become a true Newfoundlander a person must perform this ceremony in which he takes a shot of screech, makes an affirmation and kisses a cod fish '¢ Snakes and Spiders-Finding a spider in your house in January, means an early spring; a snake in your house is bad luck '¢ To bring good luck-Carry an acorn in your pocket, wear a sock with a hole in it, count the cars on a train '¢ To bring bad luck-Wear odd socks, put your shirt on inside out, wear a hat at the dinner table, eat the seeds of an apple, fish on a Sunday '¢ Cure-Tie an uncooked fish (preferably mackerel), to the bottom of both feet and cover them with a sheet; the fish will draw the fever from the body. And so many more!.
Kiss the Cod! : Superstitions, Traditions, Omens & Old Wives' Tales