Vacation signs

The phrase “If a black cat with empty buckets breaks a mirror, it means trouble” always brings a smile. Meanwhile, almost all of us knock 3 times on a piece of wood, “so as not to jinx it,” and do not forget to “sit on the path.” Today we invite you to remember some signs that have been revered by the Russian people from time immemorial - and those that are relevant for travelers during the holiday period. So let's go!

Signs before the road

First of all, don't go on a trip on Friday - it won't be a good trip. In the old days, Friday was considered women's day, when women rested and did not do any business. Therefore, setting off on this day of the week means creating troubles for them, and a departure burdened with anxiety cannot be successful.
The day has been decided, now start cleaning the house. Yes Yes! After all, the trip will only be successful when the vacationer washes the house until it shines and, especially carefully, the stairs.
But if you need to clean the apartment, then under no circumstances should you wash your hair before a long journey. Otherwise, they say, you will get into trouble. People have always believed that hair contains life force, which is necessary for a person on a long journey. And after washing your hair, some of the hair remains in the water, some remains on the comb, and with it comes strength. By the way, psychics say that hair is an antenna that helps a person receive important information from the outside world; it will be very useful to you in a new place.
Are you finally ready? Now you need to sit down, be silent before the road and mentally ask the higher powers for good luck in the upcoming journey.
Are you leaving already? Don't forget to touch the corner with your hand dining table. Previously, the table was considered a symbol of the home. Therefore, when setting off on a journey, a person kissed the edge of the table, asking the house for blessings for a successful journey and a safe return. Later, this ritual began to be limited to touching the corner of the table.
Everyone knows that sewing in front of the road is a bad omen. But if on the day of departure you still had to pick up a needle when leaving home, read the spell: “I’m coming (my name), the Holy Spirit is with me, God’s seal is on me, and the enemy cannot take me. Amen".
If someone asks you “Where are you going?”, it is best to answer: “For Kudykina Mountain.” This is not rude at all. It is believed that if someone knows your plans, they can interfere with their implementation. To prevent this from happening, return the “unlucky” word “where” to the questioner, keeping the upcoming path a secret.

Signs on the road

When leaving home, was the first woman you met? Be extremely careful on the way, as it is believed that it is much easier for a woman to put the evil eye on a person than for a man.
On the way to the train station or airport, make sure that no one is following in your footsteps. To avoid trouble on the road, stop and let the pursuer go ahead. Since ancient times it was believed that the trace and shadow of a person have magical power. By following the trail you can not only learn the hidden secrets of the past, but also damage it and deprive it of vitality.
Don't be upset if you get caught in the rain on the way - rainwater washes away all the negativity from a person, which means it creates a positive charge for a successful trip.
Signs with fallen knives/spoons are also effective on the road - in a train compartment or an airplane seat. If a spoon or fork falls on the floor, a woman will join you, and with good news; a knife fell - wait for a man to join you. If you don’t want to see unexpected companions, silently pick up the fallen device and hit it three times on the table. If you managed to say even one word, it will no longer help.
Some people have trouble finding their way around a new place and get lost on the way to, say, a vacation spot. According to the legend, you just have to change your clothes, turning them inside out, and the right path will immediately be found.

Signs on vacation

Well, you are at your destination. However, do not rush, forgetting about everything, to the nearest shops and souvenir shops. It is believed that if, when buying an item, you have used up everything that was in your wallet, then while you are wearing this item, you will not have enough money, and this is not good on vacation. But if you have a decent amount of money left, you will rest in abundance. Perhaps with the help of a new fan.
By the way, if you have struck up a pleasant relationship with your gentleman, and he arrived on the first date in a dirty car, then it’s unlikely that anything will come of this romance. But if the car is white or any light tone- there is a chance to continue dating.

Svetlana Petrova

This article is dedicated to travel signs (also known as superstitions), which most of us still believe. Sit down on the road, sneeze, look in the mirror, etc.

The road is always present in a person’s life. In ancient times, being away from home, traveling or any other long trip was considered a serious test. Therefore, the road, the path is connected with numerous folk signs, in which people believe now, as in ancient times.

Since the road is a serious matter, the traveler must treat it responsibly. Some signs are associated with this:

1. Surely, every person who wanted to go out or go somewhere heard the simple question “Where?” Nowadays people don’t think about the meaning of this sign, but in ancient times you couldn’t talk about your plans, otherwise they wouldn’t come true. Therefore, to the question “Where” you need to answer “To the Kudykin Mountains.”
2. If you are going on a long journey, before leaving the house you need to hold on to the corner of the table a little. It is believed that this will bring good luck along the way.
3. So that the road passes without incident, and the transport does not break down along the way, you should sit down for a few minutes, as people say, sit down on the path.
4. Another sign that will bring good luck on the road is to turn all the chairs upside down before leaving the house.

Signs associated with travel time

Modern people Few people think about which day is best to choose for a trip. And at work, when they go on a business trip, they don’t worry about it. But there are signs that tell you how to choose a favorable time to travel:

• unlucky days - Friday and Monday;
• unlucky numbers - 6 and 13;
• It is not advisable to go on the road at night, and especially at midnight.

To ensure a smooth and unobstructed journey, it is better to leave mid-week or early in the morning on weekends. There is no need to travel on a new moon, full moon or when the moon is waxing.

Signs associated with the ban on the road

There are many signs that prohibit certain actions before the road or on the way.

1. There is no need to wash your hair or cut your hair before leaving. As our ancient ancestors believed, hair contains the strength of a person, which will be needed on the journey.
2. Clothes cannot be sewn. It is believed that you can sew up your own path, bring trouble and bad luck.
3. On the day of departure you cannot lend money or any other things.
4. You cannot wash the floors in the house so that the person leaving can return to it. Until a person reaches their destination, household members should not wash the floors either.
5. You cannot look back at the house and at those seeing you off, otherwise longing for your relatives will not allow you to carry out your business successfully when you are away. Also, you should not wave goodbye, as this could lead to trouble. Mourners should not look long at those who are leaving, otherwise the meeting will never take place again.
6. You cannot pick up objects found on the road: money, keys, jewelry.
7. You cannot step over the threshold with your left foot. This sign means that you can attract the attention of evil spirits.
8. You cannot say goodbye or hello on the threshold, through the threshold - this can lead to a quarrel.

Signs associated with a meeting on the road

It is believed that the path should be clean and smooth. Therefore, any meeting is assessed as a failure, as an obstacle. People believe that these failures can be avoided. When you meet someone on the road, you need to turn around from right to left three times.

• meeting a priest means problems;
• if you see a man, it means good luck awaits;
• met a woman - there will be trouble;
• pregnant woman on the road - k good news;
• for luck - a meeting with a hunchback;
• a funeral means good luck, a wedding means bad luck.

Perhaps the most common sign associated with a person is crossing the road with empty buckets. According to this sign, the traveler will have no luck. A bad sign is also the case if a black cat or dog crosses the road.

Signs associated with return

Everyone knows that returning is a bad omen. It is connected with the belief that the guardian angel may not understand the owner and remain at home. But anything can happen: you can forget an important document, money, phone at home. How should you behave if you had to return?

• if time permits, it is better to leave the house a little later;
• you need to sit in front of the path for two or three minutes, silently;
• look at yourself in the mirror before going out and do something: stick out your tongue, straighten your tie, comb your hair, put on lipstick.

Prosperous signs on the road

There are signs that certain circumstances developing before or during a trip can have a positive effect on its course.

• a favorable omen is the presence of rain, symbolizing purity and purification;
• if, when leaving the house, you tripped over your right foot, good luck;
• If you are flying on an airplane, then before takeoff you need to put a coin between two seats, this will bring material success.

Bad omens on the road

Sometimes a traveler may see certain signs indicating that difficulties await him along the way:

• trip over your left foot;
• forget something at home;
• forget the glove;
• dropping the keys while closing the house;
• find money or jewelry, a nail or other sharp object on the road;

All these signs indicate that some difficulties may be encountered along the way, and luck will turn away.

This is how a person is designed that he looks for clues from higher powers in familiar things, thus trying to predict his future and protect himself from mistakes. We are obsessed with signs, we try not to cross the prohibited line, without really understanding these prohibitions and their meaning. The goal is one - not to harm yourself. But many signs are made up out of the blue and have no meaning. They mislead us and force us to refuse to fulfill necessary work. Therefore, you need to approach this wisely and, of course, believe only in those signs that have been tested many times by our ancestors. One of these is that you should not cut your hair before traveling.

What's the point?

Before going on a long trip, every person consciously or unconsciously remembers superstitions and omens, because you really want it not to be empty, and for the time spent to be useful. It is because of this that if we forget something, we try not to return, and before going out into the street with our suitcases, we make sure to sit down on the path.

You should also take into account the fact that there is a superstition that says that you should not cut your hair before traveling. But so often women want to transform themselves by doing new hairstyle. And men don’t want to go on a long journey without being tonsured. So is it really impossible to get a haircut? What's the point?

Since ancient times, people have believed that hair is a symbol of health and treasure. It is no secret to anyone that if in a dream we dreamed long hair, this indicates that we will soon go on a long journey. If your hair is dirty in a dream, it means that it will be difficult to cut it - the trip will not be possible. Therefore, it was not recommended to cut your hair before traveling, as it was believed that it would bring bad luck.

What if you really need it?

If you want to get a haircut, you don't have to deny yourself this desire. The main thing is not to get your hair cut 24 hours before your planned trip. This way, you can get your hair done in two days and be sure that it won't cause any damage. negative influence. The same applies to other manipulations related to hair, for example, dyeing, highlighting and others.

In those cases when, not knowing this superstition, you cut your hair, and after a few hours you need to hit the road, do not panic. Try to appease higher powers and take advantage of the advice of magicians. In this case, they recommend knocking on wood. It is believed that after this the brownie will give his blessing. You can also look in the mirror before leaving the house. Knowledgeable people claim that in this way we are fed with energy from other world without harm to yourself.

It is not for nothing that people have made and continue to make signs about the road. Beliefs are created to make our lives easier and more fun, so that when we set off on a journey, we believe that it will be happy and arrive in a good mood.

The most famous and popular signs about the road say that it is better to sit before the road, that the journey should not start on Friday. The latter is due to the fact that in the old days Friday was considered women's day - ladies rested and took care of themselves. Planning a departure on Friday meant depriving women of a holiday, because they would have to prepare the wanderer for the journey, bother about the house, and be nervous.

It was not recommended for travelers to stand on the day of departure on their left foot; It was forbidden to wash your hair - so that communication with higher powers did not weaken during the trip. A special place in old road signs is given to black cats, monks and women with empty buckets or other unfilled containers. It was believed that if any of the listed characters met a traveler, there would be trouble.

1. Before a long journey, you need to sit down and be silent. This is a successful path.

2. The journey will be prosperous if the one who is leaving washes the house until it shines and especially carefully the stairs.

3. Sweep or wash the floor on the day of departure of one of the family members - sweep it, wash it forever.

4. If you come back halfway for some reason, before going out again, look at yourself in the mirror and stick out your tongue. You can look under the rug, the rug also helps. - Mystically, the sign is based on the fact that the returnee must certainly deceive or frighten evil spirits(and she nests just under the rug or looks over her left shoulder into the mirror). At the same time, make it clear that they are not afraid of her.

5. Met someone with an empty bucket - the day will be empty.

6. After accompanying someone on a long journey, they do not clean the house until he has reached his destination (on the day of departure; three full days) - so that the journey is successful.

7. Going on a long journey in the rain that came unexpectedly is a sign of a successful journey. - It was believed that rain - heavenly water - washes away all illnesses and sorrows.

8. Stepping into the footsteps of the person ahead means taking away his strength.

9. Before a long journey, you need to hold on to the corner of the table - this is good luck.

10. Before going on the road, sewing something up means you won’t have any luck.

11. If you meet a funeral on the road, it will be good luck.

12. It’s better not to go on a long journey on Friday: there will be no road.

13. When any animal, for example a dog, follows a companion, and there is no way to drive it away or turn it back, this means that the person is in danger.

14. Meeting a man first in the morning means good luck, and a woman means bad luck. - One of the reasons lies in the fact that it was believed that a woman (especially an old one) can cast the evil eye much more often than a man. Another reason lies in the talkative nature of women, who will then talk about who they met, how he was dressed, where he was going, etc. And this will certainly affect what was planned.

15. If someone goes to a meeting with a full bucket, give way to him, do not cross the path of your luck.



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Road signs and superstitions.

By road signs and just before a long journey, according to tradition, one must observe the folk sign - one must sit down on the road and be silent. This sign predisposes you to a successful path.

It is quite logical, because it is at these moments that a person once again intensively scrolls through his head: did he take everything with him? Have you forgotten important documents, any things, or even as trivial as it sounds, the same ticket or keys?

Does he leave his home and appliances in order, including water, gas, electricity? And silence when performing this sign on the road allows you to concentrate correctly.

If you came back halfway for some reason, before going out again, look at yourself in the mirror and stick your tongue out at yourself. You can look under the rug, the rug also helps.

Mystically, the sign for the road is based on the fact that the returnee must certainly deceive or frighten the evil spirits (and it nests just under the rug or looks over the left shoulder into the mirror). At the same time, make it clear that they are not afraid of her.

Some, realizing the effect of the sign, try to change something - symbolically change something in their clothes or appearance: put on a different tie, comb their hair again. In this way they are trying to get an image that seems to be a different person.

From an everyday point of view, the fact of returning is considered unsuccessful for the clear reason that time is lost and, to catch up with it, you will have to rush, be late, be nervous - which in most cases leads to failure.

Sign of going on a long journey in the rain, - which fell quite unexpectedly, - to a successful path.

It was believed that rain is heavenly water that washes away all illnesses and sorrows. Since ancient times, the perception of rain as heavenly milk feeding the Earth and everything born on it has also been preserved.

In ancient times, the Earth was identified with feminine, while Heaven is the opposite - with the male, fertilizing. All this taken together remains in the signs and superstitions of different peoples.

If, when getting ready to go on a trip, someone crosses the road or goes towards you with empty buckets - according to the sign, this means an empty day, and the same empty troubles

This is a superstition, like many other signs associated with the concept of “meeting” (“Take the first person you meet as your godfather,” etc.), which is based on the fact that a meeting is given to a person from above and determines his fate. It follows from this that every meeting is a sign of fate, which is practically unavoidable.

Meet a man first in the morning- according to belief to good luck, while a woman is interpreted as bad luck.

One of the reasons lies in what was previously believed: a woman (especially an older woman) can cast the evil eye much more often and more powerfully than a man. Another reason lies in the talkativeness of women, who will then talk about who they met, what he looked like, which direction he was heading, etc.

And this, in turn, will certainly have a negative impact on what was planned, or at least it will reveal a hidden secret. If someone comes towards you with a full bucket, according to the tradition of all beliefs, this is a good omen - give way to him.

The mystical meaning of this sign lies in the fact that it is not recommended to cross the path of your own luck, which is thus communicated from above. This means that if you violate it, your own actions will become the cause of failure. In this case, it does not matter at all what was in the bucket - the main thing is that it is not empty, but full.

It seems impossible to deny the elementary politeness contained in that belief: after all, it is difficult to walk with a full bucket, and therefore it is advisable to give way to the person who is heavily carrying it. He will thank you for this - this is a good start to the day.

Signs for the road.

If you want to return to the area you like, throw a coin into the nearest body of water.
-Water in Slavic legends has mystical symbolism, primarily cleansing and life-giving (“dead water” - cleansing, “ living water"- creation anew, revival). Water is the border between this and this light, all of it ultimately comes from heaven.

Throwing a coin into the water means to appease it, to pacify it, to show your respect so that it does not interfere with its return. And at the same time, it’s as if you were leaving a part of yourself in this place (let’s remember the belief about something forgotten in someone else’s house: you will definitely return there).

Before a long journey, don’t wash your hair- you will cause trouble.

Of course, the attitude towards hair is clearly expressed here, because, according to the beliefs of the ancients, life force lies in it. The hair motif is reflected in all the most important events in a person’s life: a lock of a baby’s hair is rolled up in wax; A child should not have his hair cut until he is one year old; V certain days a pregnant woman is not allowed not only to cut her hair, but also to wash it, etc.

It was believed that thrown hair could cause damage and deprive one’s health, so people were warned against throwing hair away anywhere.

After washing your hair, some of the hair remains in the water, some remains on the comb, which is not welcome before the road: all the hair should be with you. The everyday explanation of the belief is simple: if your hair does not have time to dry before leaving the house, you can catch a cold.

Before a long journey, you need to hold on to the corner of the table- this is good luck.
-Only an echo has reached us Slavic belief, which read: when setting off on the road, you must kiss the table. This attitude is associated with veneration, which has existed for centuries and is reflected in folklore (“As much as there is at the table, so much in the Kingdom of Heaven,” etc.).

The table was considered such an important symbol of the house that in the old days, when selling a house, they left the table in it (for the house and the table are inseparable). And when they set off and touched the corner of the table, they received the blessing of the house for a successful journey and a safe return.

If someone else follows in your footsteps, then he takes away the strength from you, who is walking in front.

The trace left by man and animal has always been endowed mystical power. It was believed that from the trail left behind one could not only learn a lot about the person walking, but also, following in his wake, damage him and take away his strength. Physically, this is due to the fact that those walking along the beaten path spend own strength much less than the one who pave the way.

The mystical explanation is that by deliberately trampling down traces, a person is deprived of his own trace and made unprotected (an analogue is a person without a shadow). In some places, especially in Ukraine, the author of these lines came across an even more gloomy belief: if you follow in someone’s footsteps, then someone in that person’s family will soon die.

Signs when leaving home.

When you leave the house, any meeting on the porch is not good.
- It is believed that the oncoming person crosses the path of the intended business in a certain way, cutting off the path. A sign that is very disturbing to suspicious natures: based on the belief that any meeting is destined by Fate, a person then, against his will, spends a lot of energy on unraveling the meaning of this first meeting, which actually affects the matter. A meeting when leaving the house is both a possible forbidden question, “Where are you going?”, dooming your plan to failure, and a simple unplanned delay, leading to being late.

Let us note, however: if this sign still has some influence on villagers, then in urban conditions multi-storey buildings, where such meetings cannot be avoided with all the desire, it has lost its meaning and it is better not to think about it.

Accidentally meet a funeral procession on the road- to good luck.
- This strange belief took root on the basis that it used to be customary to give the first person you met on behalf of the family of the deceased the so-called “travel”: a piece of canvas, bread, a candle and a coin. It was believed that the one who accepted all this symbolically absolved the sins of the deceased. In gratitude, the deceased in the next world will be the first to meet this person and will be his guardian, protector and mentor. This is where the belief came from that the one who goes first to meet the funeral procession is lucky: he has already provided good attitude to yourself in the next world.

However, in some areas there is a diametrically opposite belief.

Foot if it itches- to the road, legs are burning - to the path.
- Rather, this is not a belief, not a sign, but a joke. Although a person who already knows that he has a long journey ahead of him may well experience similar sensations.

If a seriously ill person in delirium imagines a road or dreams, it means that he will soon die.

Of course, the essence of the sign is based on a simple association of the road and “ last path”, about which the patient thinks or has a presentiment.

You will stand on your left foot- there will be no way.
- This superstition, like many similar ones, comes from the belief that a tempter, the devil, stands behind a person’s left shoulder, and a Guardian Angel stands behind his right shoulder. That is why the words “right” and “truth” are so close. Even more ancient roots lead to the following explanation: praying to the sun in the morning, that is, turning his face to the east, a person on the left felt the cold of the north (evil forces), on the right - the warmth of the south (good forces). In essence, all the signs, beliefs and superstitions associated with the left side are based on this: left hand not served upon greeting; You can’t start the day with your left foot; They spit over the left shoulder to prevent trouble from happening.

They stumble on their way home- it means he will quarrel with his family.
- Stumbling is generally not a good omen, because it is interpreted as third-party interference. However, bypassing the mystical meaning, and if you look at it purely psychological point From the perspective, it is quite understandable that a tripped person’s mood deteriorates, especially if he also fell. It is best to proceed from the wise advice: “Don’t blame the horse, blame the road,” and not attach much importance to what happened.

Other road signs.

Sewing up something before the road means no luck.
- Oddly enough, this sign often comes true. But the reason most likely is not that “luck is sewn up”, but that before setting off on the road everything is done on a quick fix, which then affects. An important role can also be played by the fact that a person is aware of this sign and is latently set up for failure, attracts it, and unconsciously provokes it. So it’s really better not to sew up anything before the road.

If you come across a nail or some other sharp object on the road, it means trouble.
- The original meaning is in relation to amulets and damage. If a person himself wants to protect himself from damage, from misfortune, he directs everything sharp against the supposed enemy (for example, needles stuck in the door; a knife at the threshold with the tip outward). If something sharp is directed towards the traveler, it means that he has been mystically “pierced” and deprived of strength. True, almost all folklorists have heard the clarification: trouble awaits the traveler only if the object is pointed at the person, and if, on the contrary, it is away from him, then this is to the memory of loved ones about him. The best thing, apparently, is not to look for anything under your feet along the way.

It’s better not to go on a long journey on Fridays - it’s a bad omen, there won’t be a good road.

On Friday, it was highly discouraged not only to go on the road, but also to do some work, especially for women. This is connected with the cult of Paraskeva Friday, which is often associated with Fate. And there is no need to test Fate once again. An interpretation related to fasting Friday is also possible (it is no coincidence that Wednesday is also mentioned in a similar situation - another fast day).

If a dog crosses the road, there is nothing bad about it, but don’t expect any good.
- Whatever the sign, so is the explanation: on the one hand, the dog looks like a wolf, on the other, it is a friend of the house.

If a seriously ill person in delirium imagines a road or dreams, it means that he will soon die. - Of course, the essence of the sign is based on a simple association of the road and the “last path” that the patient thinks about or anticipates.