As my Grandma used to say!
ITALIAN SUPERSTITIONS AROUND THE TABLE
Like many countries, Italy has a lot of wacky traditions and funny superstitions.
Culinary arts form a big part of Italian culture. no surprise then that cooking and eating are surrounded by a lot of beliefs.
As most of the Italian kids, me and Federica grew up with our grandmas yelling “porta sfortuna!” and teaching us rules to ward off bad luck and funny rituals to draw good fortune.
I have to admit that, even if I left Italy since many years, these ‘habits’ are very hard to lose!
Here below are a few of my favourite about food and drinks!
SPILLED WINE, OIL AND SALT
We can start with the one that, let’s say, is the first perfume of every italian kid: spilled wine!
If you spill some, make sure to dab a little behind your ears, just like perfume. It is a good way to bring on some good luck!
Same happens for oil and salt: spilling them is very unlucky ( my grandma’s worst nightmare is to break a full bottle of olive oil!) .
Here is a tip for all the butterfingers out there: toss some salt over your left shoulder with the right hand. On the other side, sprinkling salt in someone’s new house before they move in will help ward off any evil or unlucky spirits.
EYE CONTACT
Talking about wine, it comes to our mind another well known superstition: keep eye contact while toasting!
When people cheer, no matter what the number of guests, it is essential that everyone makes eye contact with each of them.
If people do not look into each other’s eyes, it is bad luck for seven years. No-one wants so many years of bad luck, better to spend half an hour cheering around!!
Never toast with water! it will bring bad luck!
My Grandma used to add a drop on wine in my beverage for special occasions such as Christmas, to allow me and the other kids to toast with the whole family!
ALL THE SINGLE LADIES… AND MEN!
Beware – if you are single, you need to think where you are going to sit to avoid bad luck.
if you want to get merry, avoid sitting at the corner of a table because it means you will never find the good one!
HOW MANY GUESTS?
The most unlucky is when there are thirteen people seated at one table, just like Jesus and the twelve apostles at the fateful Last Supper….
12 apostles and Jesus and that it’s said that Judas Iscariot — the one who betrayed Jesus — was the 13th man to take his place at the table, and everyone knows how it ended….
upside-down bread
Here is my favourite: bread should never be placed wrong side up on the table; this is, guess what, extremely unlucky and every time it happens, I can’t help myself and I have to turn the loaf bread immediately!
Here are just some of the superstitions and beliefs we grew up with!
If this article made you smile, check @ammodoconcept we will post many other beliefs, not only from our beloved country but from all over the world!
