Why do you salute a magpie when you see it? I'd also never heard the shoes on the table thing...I mean shoes on the table is just yucky--no feet where you eat! Do you not do baby showers in Ireland then?
They've started to become popular but they are still fairly rare. From my own families experience we have never had one for any of my relations. None of my friends have had them either. If they do happen it tends to happen in someone elses' home, not the future home of the baby, and the gifts are not brought into the house until the baby is born.
As for the magpie there's a little ryhmne about them,
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
Seven for a secret never to be told
If you see a single magpie you salute it as sign of respect and goodwill that you won't receive the sorrow that a single magpie promises.
Only when you actually write that down do you appreciate how intensely insane it is. Oh well. 😀
---------- Post added at 11:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:47 PM ----------
I also do all the above! Not to mention not walking under signposts and ladders. I broke 2 mirrors last year and am now convinced that I'm gonna have 14 years bad luck!
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What about stepping on cracks? I had to stop doing that, I was nearly killing myself lol