3/13/09
In honor of Friday the 13th, today's blog is on that most creepy of subjects--Victorian superstitions.
And believe me, they had a lot.
During the Victorian Period, curtains would be drawn and stopped at the time of death. It was believed if you didn't, you'd have bad luck.
You never wore new shoes to a funeral--also bad luck.
And, all the mirrors in the house were covered in crepe during the funeral and the wake because it was believed the spirit of your dead loved one could get trapped in the mirror. Creepy...can you imagine turning around one day to look at your reflection and seeing Great Aunt Sue?
Plus, there was a real fear that you might bury someone alive! I know the idea seems weird today, but when you don't have the medical technology to be absolutely positive between death and a coma. Well...I think you get the picture. So, the Victorians solved this problem in a logical fashion. They installed a bell in the coffin. Genius, right? A little creepy, but...the idea brings a whole new meaning to "to whom the bell tolls."
On a lighter note...
The saying "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in her shoe", in regards to weddings, originated during Victorian times. This concept obviously lost something in translation when it came to the states. Did you know you were supposed to have a silver sixpence in your shoe?
