The Victorians, possibly because of their concern about propriety, had numerous superstitions about death and funerals. These were compiled by Victorians: The Superstitious, The Paranormal and The Insane.
- If the deceased has lived a good life, flowers would bloom on his grave; but if he has been evil, only weeds would grow.
- If several deaths occur in the same family, tie a black ribbon to everything left alive that enters the house, even dogs & chickens. This will protect them against deaths spreading further.
- Never wear anything new to a funeral, especially shoes.
- You should always cover your mouth while yawning so your spirit doesn’t leave you and the devil never enters your body.
- It is bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on. If you see one approaching, turn around. It this is unavoidable, hold on to a button until the funeral cortege passes.
- Large drops of rain warn that there has been a death.
- Stop the clock in a death room or you will have bad luck.
- To lock the door of your home after a funeral procession has left the house is bad luck.
- If you hear a clap of thunder following a burial it indicates that the soul of the departed has reached heaven.
- If you hear 3 knocks and no one is there, it usually means someone close to you has died. (The superstitious call this the 3 knocks of death.
- If you leave something that belongs to you to the deceased, that means to the person will come back to get you.
- If a firefly/lightening bug get into your house someone will die soon.
- If you smell roses when none are around someone is going to die.
- If you don’t hold your breath while going by a graveyard you will not be buried.
- If you see yourself in a dream, your death will follow.
- If you see an owl in the daytime, there will be death.
- If you dream about a birth, someone you know will die.
- If it rains in an open grave then someone in the family will die within the year.
- If a bird pecks on your window or crashes into one, there has been a death.
- If a sparrow lands on a piano, someone in the home will die.
- If a picture falls off a wall, there will be a death of someone you know.
- Never speak ill of the dead because they will come back to haunt you or you will suffer misfortune.
- Two deaths in the family mean that a third is to follow.
- The cry of a curlew or the hoot of an owl foretells death.
- A single snowdrop growing in the garden foretells a death.
- Having only red & white flowers together in a vase (especially in a hospital) means a death will soon follow.
- Dropping an umbrella on the floor or opening one in the house means that there will be a murder in the house.
- A diamond-shaped fold in clean linen portends death.
- A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen. It can be reversed by reaching under the bed & turning over a shoe.
It seems like they had a superstition for everything!
Are there any that you follow?