Kiss the Cod!

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!