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The Pagan Porch  Pagan Life   NOLA superstitions Support Search RSS runboard.com       Sign up (learn about it) | Sign in (lost password?) TexasMadness Administrator Global user (premium) Registered: 03-2007 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 2518 Reply | Quote NOLA superstitions When I first moved into my house in New Orleans, I noticed reddish brown splatter marks around all the windows and doors. I was told that this was blood (chicken?) placed there to keep evil out. I couldn't bring myself to ever clean the stuff off. And it started me on a journey of learning about New Orleans and her weird superstitions. I think that some of these are more universal, but I'm not sure. Always burn your hair when you cut it. Otherwise, birds will take it and make a nest from it, causing you an endless headache. Salt is the antidote for many a malicious charm. If you find oil on your doorstep, sprinkle salt on the offending mess and sweep it away - but only sweep in the evening. If you do in the morning, it's the same as sweeping your fortune away. Chickens seem to play a large role in many practices. Frizzle hens are said to be able to eat the bad mojo from a fetish. If someone were to toss a 'conjure' in your yard, the frizzle would consume it before any harm came. I actually named one of my chickens Gris-gris (pronounced gree gree) in honor of this superstition. Gris-gris is a charm to ward off evil. Gris is also the Spanish word for gray, this my gray Spanish bred chicken is Gris-gris. Brooms are thought to shorten our life is they are pointed at you. But they can also keep a witch from getting you - lay it over your threshold. I've heard of many more of these tales but most of them came from the shops in the Quarter that were just out to sell Voodoo to tourists. The ones that I trusted came more from the people who actually practiced them in their homes. It's all very interesting! 6/24/2009, 7:54 pm Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness muladzh Registered user Global user (premium) Registered: 10-2008 Posts: 631 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions Some of the NO LA superstitions are found in many older pagan beliefs - brooms are both good and bad, as shown there, but having one over the threshold will not stop any witch from entering - nothing will, because we are mortal - only the immortal or metaphysical can be stopped by a charm. To keep unwanted people out of your house, you have to develop a fear and put it outside - this will keep all comers from entering - except a witch, who is not bound by anything. Luckily most harm comes from other things, usually metaphysical, and not from witches, who generally are quite nice people. This means that the superstitious placement of talismans and such will indeed keep safe the person from harm. (unless it is a witch gone ballistic) --- 6/24/2009, 9:45 pm   Saijen SilverWolf Head Administrator Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Upper North East Tennessee Posts: 3730 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions I wish I had been freer to explore when I lived in NO-LA. I would have loved to have found someone I could trust to give me the REAL rather than the stuff created for tourists. I had heard that if you place broom, handle down (bristles in the air) next to your door (on the outside) that it would keep evil out. I had also heard that the broom had to be black. Has anyone else heard of this? I have to agree with you, muladzh, that most Witches are nice people. They try to keep the 'Harm None' attitude regardless if the 'Harm None' attitude is fairly new to the Craft or not. It's a respect thing. These are all interesting things to ponder on, Texas --- Blessed Be, ~*~ Saijen ~*~ ~~*~~ .~~*~~ 6/26/2009, 7:28 pm Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo TexasMadness Administrator Global user (premium) Registered: 03-2007 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 2518 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions I hadn't heard about the broom being black, but yes to the hanging with bristles up. When I learned that was of pagan origin, I asked my mom - she always has her brooms on the wall like that. She said her grandmother did that (the one I always thought had heavy pagan leanings). Interesting! Darn, thought I had a picture of the awesome broom at the farm house. I'll have to take another one this weekend! It's the coolest broom I've seen! 6/26/2009, 7:42 pm Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness Saijen SilverWolf Head Administrator Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Upper North East Tennessee Posts: 3730 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions I have 2 brooms hanging on the wall of my front porch, but neither is hanging upside down. One is a cinnamon broom (one of those you decorate) and the other I bought at the local artists gallery, it's called a rooster tail broom. Neither is black, either..lol. My regular house broom has a red handle and black bristles, then the outside broom is all yellow (I won't use a straw broom, they don't pick up worth a toot), and lastly, I have a solid black broom that I got at Walmart one Halloween and it sits next to my small gas heater. Man, I didn't realize how 'broom rich' I am LOL --- Blessed Be, ~*~ Saijen ~*~ ~~*~~ .~~*~~ 6/26/2009, 10:49 pm Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo TexasMadness Administrator Global user (premium) Registered: 03-2007 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 2518 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions My mom has tons of brooms too! I have to admit that I only have two - both for sweeping out the junk in the house. Both are synthetic and nothing special. Maybe I'll get a nice one someday... Here's the best broom at the farmhouse. It's hanging right back the porch door that we usually use. I love it! 6/27/2009, 3:46 am Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness Firlefanz Administrator Global user (premium) Registered: 05-2003 Location: Germany Posts: 2712 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions That's a great broom! We used to have a similar one, but with a straight handle to sweep the veranda back at home, but it was always stored handle up. I still believe that my grandmother had pagan leanings, but she hid them very well. I keep a synthetic broom upside down near our apartment door, but that simply happened. Hehehe, I just remembered. Amazing.    --- - Firlefanz 6/27/2009, 6:53 am Send Email to Firlefanz   Send PM to Firlefanz Saijen SilverWolf Head Administrator Global user Registered: 10-2004 Location: Upper North East Tennessee Posts: 3730 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions Ohh..I love that broom!!! We actually have a guy here in town that makes brooms. I'll have to get a picture of the rooster tail broom I mentioned...he made it. I'd love to have one of his actual brooms to use. He likes to use color, which makes his brooms like really neat. --- Blessed Be, ~*~ Saijen ~*~ ~~*~~ .~~*~~ 6/27/2009, 6:44 pm Send Email to Saijen SilverWolf   Send PM to Saijen SilverWolf Yahoo falconr Registered user Global user Registered: 08-2009 Posts: 5 Reply | Quote Re: NOLA superstitions   My mother always kept a broom in the corner with the bristles up. If you keep a broom bristles down they will become bent after a time.  My father's mother was from Sweden and Dad never stepped on a threshold...never. I've been told it invites the bad spirits in. Dad told me it wasn't good for the door frame.  Entering a Mongolian ger or yurt, stepping on the threshold of someone's ger is the same as steppnig on their neck.   Don't know about Mongolian brooms. 8/31/2009, 2:27 pm Send Email to falconr   Send PM to falconr Add a reply Link to us   -  Blogs   -  Hall of Honour   -  Chat You are not logged in (login)      Board's time is: 11/29/2009, 12:27 pm