Feet, Shoes and Superstition

Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopaedia: Great resource

2010-12-20T02:54:00.000-08:00

Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia. by Margo DeMello is a fascinating read and must for all interested in feet and shoes.
It is an exhaustive A-Z cultural encyclopedia covering all aspects of the human foot. A wide range of international and multicul- tural topics are covered, including foot binding, fetishes, diseases of the foot, customs and beliefs related to the foot, shoe construction, myths and folktales featuring feet or shoes, the history of footwear, iconic brands and types of shoes, important celebrities associated with shoes, and the types of footwear worn around the world.

Dr Margo DEMello is an anthropologist/sociologist who teaches at Central New Mexico Community College has also written Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community.

Origins of which shoe to put on

2010-11-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

There is no surviving artefacts or descriptions of Jewish shoes from the period of the early Bible (Nahshon 2008 p2). However footwear does hold an important significance to early Israelites. According to the Scriptures, God gave man a ‘coat of skins’ to wear.

"...Unto Adam and also unto his wife did the Lord God make clothes of skin and clothe them..." (Genesis 21:3). Once the Hebrews acquired the art of tanning they used thick hide for sandals. The Biblical sandal was either leather or wooden footboards held to the foot with finer leather thongs Nahshon (2008).

The lyric in the Song of Songs (circa 900 BCE ) confirms sandals were worn by the high born.

"How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince's daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of a craftsman's hands.” (Song of Songs 7:1).

One of the earliest known depictions appears on the Assyrian Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (circa 841 BCE) and depicts Jehu (son of Omri) bringing a tribute the Assyrian king. Jehu is prostrating himself in homage and is depicted wearing up-turned pointed shoes. These were fashionable with Assyrian royal families and may not be representative of ordinary shoes worn by Jews.

By the 8th century BCE concerns were expressed by elders as to the irreverence of decorated elevated sandals worn by young women. (Isaiah 3 16-20).

Later during the period of captivation in Egypt, Jewish slaves were taught the craft of Egyptian sandal making and took the trade with them. The fleeing slaves were wore sandals (Ex 12:11).

"This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the LORD.”

According to the Holy Scriptures Moses wore shoes when he approached the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:5).

"Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground."

This was repeated again, at the confirmation of Joshua as the new Moses.

'And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot: for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.'
Josh 5:15
Possibly the first shoe miracle to be described was n Deuteronomy 29:15

“During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.”
Hence forth footwear and bare feet took on major symbolic significance in the Jewish religion. These are seen in the Torah , (Laws of Moses) and the Shulchan Aruch, (Code of Jewish law) which was written in the 16th century. Every day event were to be seen as something to worship the glory of God including putting on sandals. The Jewish laws prescribed the order in which you put them on. The right went on first followed by the left. (Shulchan Aruch/Orach Chaim 2:4). The left shoe was to be tied firs and the whole process reversed when taking the shoes off (Shulchan Aruch/Orach Chaim 2:5). It is thought this custom was based on the belief the right side was more important than the left and subsequently the right foot should not remain uncovered while the left was covered. Shoes were tied from the left because knotted teffilin was worn on the left arm. This refers to the children of Israel being out of Egypt as an act of God. When walking outdoors, Jews were required to cover the entire body including their feet (Shulchan Aruch/Orach Chaim 2:6). By the end of the first century CE shoes were considered an item of sensuousness, comfort, luxury and pleasure. Rabbi Akiva (ca.50–ca.135 CE) instructed his son Joshua not to go barefoot.

In the Talmud (200CE – 500 CE) (Shabbat 129a) it declared "A person should sell the roof beams of his house to buy shoes for his feet, " which if taken literally would again underline the importance of footwear in the Holy Land. Scholars and thise well versed in Jewish Law (Talmid Chacham) were never to go out wearing shabby or worn out shoes. Much later the Kabbalists considered the body as "the shoe of the soul," to protect it during its journey in the physical world.

According to Nahshon (2008) the primodial connection of the naked or semi naked foot to the land became an important element of Israel’s Zionist pioneer culture. Walking barefoot symbolically intimated one of three states: the lack of social status, an act of humility, or reference to the Divine. A common punishment or judgment was being forced to go without shoes.

'At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.'
Is 20:2

Captives went barefoot and their footwear was often taken as a trophy.
'And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them.'
2 Chron 28:15

The Jewish custom of not wearing shoes was also taken as a show of remorse, penance or mourning (Book of Isaiah 20:2). In Talmudic times both the pall bearers and the mourners went barefoot. When David was in mourning he went barefooted.

'And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and went as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot'
2 Sam 15:30

Jewish Law determined wearing leather shoes was not permitted during the period of the seven days of mourning (shiva,). For practical reason when shoes were allowed the custom was to place a little earth or pebble in the shoes to remind the wearer that they are in mourning. Jews are buried in a shroud covering the feet and the corpse id never dressed in leather shoes.
In the laws of halitzah when a married man died childless and leaving an unmarried brother, the brother was obligated to marry his widowed sister-in-law. This was called a levirate marriage and was primarily to continue the family linage.Deuteronomy (25:5-9); and Book of Ruth 3:4. If the brother in law refuses to marry the widow a ceremony involving the halitzah shoe was undertaken. The shoe worn on the right foot of the male was made from the skin of a kosher animal. It was like a moccasin made of two pieces and sown together with leather threads with long ties. The widow places her left hand on the brother in laws calf, then undoes the laces with her right hand before removing the shoe from his foot. She then throws it to the ground, and spits on the ground in front of him. The beth din then recites the formula releasing all obligations. Here the shoe is a symbol of transaction and reference is made in Biblical times to shoes and sandals being used to seal bargains.

Footnote
Human beings intrinsically used their bodies (or parts there of) as physical measurement of the known universe and so it would see perfectly logical to extend this to describe all human endeavours. The idea our ancestors described the universe with reference to the human body would give credence to the argument when describing faith there would be a head of a religious order; and feet, or the foundation of followers. This would translate into concrete iconoclasts as found in talisman of faith e.g. Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro. The absence of sophisticated transport in Biblical Times required walking as the primary means to spread the Gospel. By implication this would necessitate healthy feet and encourage protection of them. No surprise, perhaps to find reference to feet and sandals became closely associated with evangelism within in the New Testament.

References
Nahshon E 2008 Jews and shoes Berg Oxford.

Miniature Shoes: What's that all about?

2010-10-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

Giving miniature shoes is an age old custom. In antiquity funereal jars were made in the shape of boots and were kept as keep-sakes in memory of the dearly departed.

By the late 18th century in England, Prince Frederick Augustus (Duke of York) got engaged to Frederica Charlotte Ulrica Catherina (1767-1820). The lady had dainty feet which captivated the Prince who wanted her to have special bridal shoes. The royal shoe maker was consulted and six new pairs of tiny shoes were promptly made. At the time newspapers were unable to comment upon the beauty of the royal person so instead heaped praised upon the charm of her "neatness" and petite shoes. Frederica was no raving beauty and had rotting teeth by all accounts. However as a result of the media interest copies of her purple leather shoes (13.97 centimetres long), sold in their hundreds and miniature replicas became a must to have. Miniature shoes were made of silver and porcelain and many were used as pin cushions. The popularity of all things oriental saw miniature porcelain lotus shoes as keep sake in many European houses. The gift of a miniature shoe would generally well meaning and the sign of real friendship.

After George du Maurier (1834 – 1896) published the novel Trilby (1894 ) it had enormous success. The story involved an Irish girl who goes to Paris during the Belle Époque. There she falls under the control of Svengali (evil hypnotist). One of Trilby’s eccentricities was to flash her bare feet in public. At the time this was considered as rude as baring bear bosoms or flashing a bare bottom. The popularity of Trilby (novel and play) became international and caused public riots whereever the play was performed (because of the barefoot flashing). This caused the fashion for foot and shoe shaped objects such as snuff containers and hip flasks to become a gentleman’s must have accessory. By this time the miniature shoes had taken on a more risqué meaning. Miniature tight laced ladies boots or even a full leg were also popular. Foot shaped sausages and ice creams became a real novelty which attracted much attention among those familiar with the book and play. It is reasonable to assume the same population were familiar with Freud’s Castration Theory.

The tradition of giving a shoe to mark the completion of a business deal dates to Biblical times and supplies the origin to the custom of the bride’s father passing a shoe of his daughter to the groom. This marks the exchange of fiscal responsibility. In the past brides were considered property. Today the custom is still followed more usually in the form of a miniature shoe . As gifts these are good luck charms.

Finally there is a superstition to not give shoes to friends at Christmas time. The belief is the friend would walk away from you. The origins are unknown but in less enlightened times it was understood whatever station you were born into was your destiny and helping people rise above this was not the right thing to do. The belief may have come from the wealthy classes who lived in abject fear of being overtaken by the lower classes.

Concealed shoe find:What's it all about?

2010-10-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

In Snowdonia Wales,building contractors working on the external walls of a 400 year old cottage in Nant Gwynant, recently discovered nearly 100 single shoes hidden beneath the fireplace of a chimney stack. Concealed shoes are typically well worn and often found as single shoes. According to a widely held superstition a worn shoe was a manifestation of its owner and had the power to guard against evil forces. The house built during the 17th century is one of the oldest buildings remaining in Nant Gwynant. Experts believe the find could form “the largest collection of concealed footwear ever discovered in the UK. There are over 1,000 recorded concealed shoes which have been found in the UK and the earliest dates back to the 14th century. Unfortunately there are no contemporary references to concealing shoes such as in diaries etc., and many believe to communicate this would risk the Evil Eye and undo its power. A collection of 100 concealed shoes is kept at the Northampton Museum where an index is kept to record all UK finds.

The Bride's Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself

2010-08-13T15:33:00.001-07:00

New book The Bride's Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself from Cornelia Powell . Available at amazon.com

The games afoot but World Cup players are on top

2010-06-24T17:20:00.001-07:00

To be a top class goal scorer a player needs not only to be able to score when the opportunity presents but even when there is only half a chance. Scoring from the slenderest opportunity places an exclusive band of goal scorers far above the average striker. On a simple goal tally it is obvious more goals are scored in the modern game than was the case in early times. How much of this relates to improved soccer boots and ball technology remains unknown. Players are however, by nature, very superstitious and will go to extraordinary lengths to maintain their run of luck. Most of their actions defy common logic and some so bazaar as to be noted here. Whilst most admit to being superstitious and doing silly things, like soaking themselves and their new boots in a bath before allowing boots to dry around their feet, many are as quick as to dismiss these beliefs. When the accumulation of coaching, training, skill development and fitness are complete all that is required is for the player, is to go out and play. Or so you might think. The surreptitious nature of the game and likelihood of suffering an injury combined with the abject fear of public disgrace particularly when seen by 37 million people puts intolerable pressures on the players. According to Morris (1981) these factors contribute to why soccer players are so superstitious. They are not alone in the sporting fraternity. The power of superstition is all in the mind and for some players the magic rituals take on astonishing intensity. In the main team mates respect each other's rituals and all avoid tempting fate. Ritualistic behaviour starts days before the game. Many well known players will only wear certain shoes and socks, and like a young bride, place a sixpence (lucky coin) in their shoes. Some personally polish their playing boots in preparation before the match. This menial task is usually reserved to apprentice players or boot boys. Alcohol, usually spirits, plays a role, and Desmond Morris, the anthropologist described one player who insisted on dosing the tips of his boots, one with whisky and the other water. Players will be careful to travel to the stadium observing all taboos as a means of not tempting fate. The most intense time for ritualism is in the changing rooms. Rigidly observed procedures involve those connected with changing clothes. Lucky shoes, socks, and even laces all form part of the rituals, religiously followed by those seeking the good fortunes of fate. The manner the clothing is put on often become ritualistic. Some players are known to put on socks and boots and nothing else well before the game. They sit quietly psyching themselves up to a peak performance. This might involve a nip of whisky or their favourite tipple to further concentrate their mind. Some players insist on eating and Billy Bremner (former captain of Leeds United and Scotland) was famous for eating a plateful of baked beans before every game. Putting on the left sock first before the right, or the right boot before the left. Lacing boots can become a ritual with players lacing and unlacing their boots multiple times before the game. Morris reported the clothing of others could also become a focus to the superstitious. For example some players needed to see their coach wear socks of their lucky colour before they would take to the field. This fetishism extends to the shoes worn by the coach and the author described a ceremoniously fastened of the coach's shoe by one of the players as pre match necessity before the team would leave the dressing rooms. Some players insist on entering the changing rooms in a particular way most of, which involves walking through the boot room. Players will carry lucky charms including a rabbit's foot or lucky heather. The absence of pockets in playing kits and restrictions on wearing jewellery for safety mean the talisman are slipped into the shoe, or in the case of goal keeper such paraphilia are tossed into the back of the goal. Players are ritualistic even in the tunnel leading to the pitch. Some players will head or kick the ball a certain number of times or bounce it off the wall before running onto the field. Once on the pitch another set of ritual behaviour might take place. Players will take their boots off and put them back on again. Many insist in replacing the boots and some even kiss their boots for luck. Players will roll the chewing gum they have been chewing into a ball and attempt to kick the ball. A successful contact means a good game but when the player misses then bad luck will follow. Why so many superstitions involve boots remains unclear but such behaviour as preferring the right or left has been known since antiquity. In Roman and Greek times the left side was considered lucky with one exception and that was when entering a home. Only the right foot could cross the threshold if good luck was to prevail. In rich domiciles there were servants whose sole function (excuse the pun) was to direct all visitors to use their right foot first. They were called footmen and position is still with us today. By the Middle Ages the left side was more associated with bad luck. The origins of "By the left quick march" for example refer to a clear indication no mercy will be extended to the enemy. Soccer players may be extending the same charity to their opponents. For most people left sides are weaker. This is partly explained by neonatal compression of the left leg against the mother's spine in the womb. Attendance to the right foot first may be to favour the stronger side. This would be reversed in the case of left-footed players. One other reason to explain the boot ritual may be the misfortune awaiting those who place their right foot in a left shoe. History records this happened to Augustus Caesar.
"Augustus having an oversight
Put on his left shoe for his right
Had like to have been slain that day
By soldiers mutinying for pay."

An old Jewish custom was to put the right shoe on first without tying it, then the left sock. The ritual required taking the right shoe off and putting on the right sock, left shoe on tied and back to the right shoe. This is seen occasionally when players will come onto the field and during pre-match warm ups and are observed taking their boots and putting them on again. Players prefer to play in boots that are broken in. Not so strange when hidden seams can burst causing painful blisters as well as cuts and abrasions to their feet. Some players prefer to remove design logos from their boots to get an all black appearance. Manufacturers are aware of this and incorporate weaknesses such as hidden seems which tear easily once the company's logo are removed. In 1908 when goal-scoring ace, George Hedley played for Wolverhampton Wanderers he scored a goal against Newcastle causing one of his favourite boots to split. Despite being offered a new pair Hedley steadfastly refused and saw the game to completion with one tattered boot. The player had his favourite boots patched up at least 17 times before eventually and somewhat reluctantly parting with them. Superstitious ritual in sports people is well documented and thought by many experts to be a means of stress relief. Performance is dependent on training, confidence and physical conditioning; all athletes feel they need to be in control and often observing superstitions provides this means. Athletes can only partially regulate their physical conditions but can have total control over their superstitious practices before and during a contest. (Becker 1975) . Observed superstitions cause them to experience less anxiety than they would if they did nothing. When something appears to work, prior to success, then it is common not to change that routine. To minimise conflict between the need for a talisman in an environment where such practice is opposed the superstitious behaviour usually becomes covert.

Qingming: Shoe superstitions

2010-04-03T16:22:00.001-07:00

Qingming (清明节) is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated between March 26 and April 15. During Qingming people tend to the graves of their departed ones. Tomb Sweeping Day and Clear Bright Festival are the most common English translations of the Qingming Festival. The tradition stretches back more than 2,500 years and was credited to the Tang Emperor, Xuanzong in 732. He became concerned at the time and extravagance of people honoring their ancestors and curbed the practice restricting it to Qingming. The Communist Party of China banned Qingming in 1949 but later reinstated the holiday in 2008. Now Chinese families can remember and honor their ancestors at grave sites. During Qingming sons venerate their departed parents and paternal grandparents, while daughters venerate their father’s side before marriage and their husband’s after marriage. Young and old pray before their ancestors and sweep the tombs. During Qingming families offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, and joss paper accessories to the departed. Joss paper accessories include paper money (Hell bank notes) and paper replicas of the departed’s favorite material goods such as cars, telephones, or TV sets. These are ceremonially burnt in honor of the departed. Many traditional superstitions are observed during Qingming including carrying willow branches. These are left on gates or outside houses to ward off evil spirits. Visitors to graveyards wear bright colours for the same reason. Pregnant women, babies and toddlers are discouraged from visiting graveyards for fear that loitering spirits might take advantage of the physically weak and snatch their souls. Visitors to the grave sites will sometimes let off fire-crackers as a “wake-up” call for the spirits. Young children are cautioned against making too much noise in case they disturb other spirits. The living should avoid stepping on hell currencies at the grave site lest the spirits feel despised and trampled upon. It is also forbidden to walk over a grave. Neither slippers nor sandals are worn to the grave sites. When offerings are left by the graveside these remain the property of the departed and bad luck will befall anyone who would remove them. The toss of coins is used to determine when the spirits have finished with the offerings. Worshippers flip coins twice to check on the progress. Two heads or two tails means that the spirits have not finished savoring the delicacies. A head and a tail mean that they have finished their meal. It is a bad omen to bring the earth from the cemetery into their homes for fear this will attract evil spirits. Socks and shoes are removed before entering the house and washed to rid them of any bad luck. Some people have ready a pail of water with pomelo or kaffir lime leaves to wash their faces, hands and legs. This is followed by a head-to-toe bath as a second cleansing to ward off any evil spirits.

Something old, something new.......

2010-03-20T15:38:00.001-07:00

“Something old, something new,

Something borrowed, something blue

And a lucky sixpence in her shoe”

Still slavishly followed by couples eager to maintain the traditions surrounding matrimonial ceremonial dress, but few people really know what the significance of the rhyme is and where it came from.

The rhyme first appeared in print during the 19th century and was ascribed to "some Lancashire friends". So it is anonymous, but many believe the practice predates the publication by at least a century. There is some historic evidence to support this. The Oxford shoe (lacing shoe) first appeared in 1640 and only became popular 100 years later when grooms were known to keep a lucky sixpence (or sickie) in their shoes. This was first recorded in 1774 and was thought to be a talisman to ward off evil doings from unsuccessful suitors. To prevent the groom from tripping at the alter (very unlucky) they stood on the latchets (sometimes silver) of their shoe laces. Prior to lacing shoes the bridal couple wore silver buckles on their shoes. Apparently evil spirits are not too keen on metal and silver is the metal of choice (as in silver bullet to kill a vampire/werewolf).

The Something Old

In the 17th century "Something old" referred to superstition relating to protecting a baby. Baring in mind many brides were with child when they got to the alter, so the association is not that odd. More and more commonly the something old became a handkerchief, a bride’s garter or bridal slippers.

The Something New
There are no citations for "something new," albeit brides normally wore their best dress to the ceremony. From early Saxon days through to the 18th century the bride came to the wedding dressed in a plain white robe. Thought to signify a public declaration the bride brought nothing with her to the marriage and certainly no outstanding debt for her new husband to honour. (brides were chattels). Marriages were frequently arranged and brought two families together. Loving relationships often followed the union but not necessarily predate it. In the case of unexpected pregnancy the union was hurried along. By the 19th century the colour white was associated with a virgin marriage.

The Something Borrowed
In times past in many cultures brides were taken by force hence borrowing clothes was a necessity. The widely held superstition was wearing something borrowed (or stolen) was lucky and bridal shoes offered the bride the same luck as the previous owner. Even by the 19th century shoes were still expensive items of clothing and getting a pair for the ceremony would be a precious gift for most ordinary folks. The term, ‘following in your father’s footsteps’ refers to the then custom of bequeathing footwear to loved ones. This custom of borrowing shoes for weddings may account why today the bride’s shoes are often kept as keep sake.

THe Something Blue
Wearing something blue was an expression of faithfulness and is cited in Chaucer's' Squire's Tale (1390). A long standing bridal superstition stated no harm could befall a bride wearing blue. The hue of choice was heaven’s blue and the bride often chose a blue garter or one coordinated with her bridal colours.

And the sixpence in/under the shoe
The origins of a ‘sixpence under her shoe’ may well relate to the ancient custom of "Jus Prima Noctis". Here the king, lord, or priest of the parish could claim access to the bride on her first night of marriage. This was common to many cultures including the Scots (seen in Braveheart). During the reign of Malcolm III (1058-93), Queen Margaret demanded and secured the abolition of the law and a mark of silver was substituted as the price of redemption of the girl's chastity. This is thought to be the purpose of ‘the sixpence under her shoe’. By 1814 silver sixpences were commonly used as lucky talisman. (You may recall you used to get a silver thrupenny in the Christmas pudding.)

In different parts of the world the same custom was seem with regional variation. In Sweden, the father of he bride placed a silver coin in the left shoe of the bride and the mother put a gold coin in the right shoe. This meant the bride would never lack luxuries. In Canada, brides wore a 25 cent bill in their shoes and US brides from North Carolina carried a dollar bill in their shoes.

Scottish bridegrooms too had superstitions and many wore their left shoe without buckle or lacing (latchets) to prevent witches from interfering with their male prowess on the night of nuptials. In the Isle of Sky the groom’s shoe laces were tied together but in other parts of the highlands, the laces on the right shoe were loosened at the church door. No explanation can be found to explain these quaint customs.

Excerpt from the Afternoons with Jenny Seeton Cutin FM 101, Perth Western Australia, Friday 03/19/2010.

Shoes and Wedding Superstitions

2010-03-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

The Evil Eye (bad luck) is something people have always wanted to avoid. Both now and in the past folks had a myriad of ways not to tempt providence especially when setting out on a journey, be it over land or in life (as in marriage). Many superstitions and rituals involve shoes and no one is quite clear why. Shoes, good luck, and marriage have long been connected and this dates back to antiquity.

In pagan times (pre-Christian) people relied on ritual and lucky talisman to bring good fortune. The coming of modern religions like Christianity saw massive inclusion of pagan ritual into new religious ceremonies which was a deliberate attempt to encourage people to become part of the new religion. The amalgam of the secular (worldly) and religious beliefs is now almost impossible to separate. Bridal wear of today does however contain remnants of ritual and superstitions although most people are unaware of their meaning. The more common amulets (ornaments) and traditional accents of the bride’s ensemble are known to represent merriment, virginity and abundance. Traditionally brides wore a chivalrous garter (for safety), an heirloom (usually a brooch) meaning innocence, and silver buckles on her shoes (for prosperity). These were lucky talisman to ward off evil spirits.

An old custom from the North of England was for the groom’s men to wait until after the ceremony before rushing the bride at the alter. The intention was to see who could remove her stockings as a prize. In the ensuing panic which followed the bride was frequently knocked over and trampled on. For a bride to stumble at the alter was from Roman Times taken as a very bad omen not to mention the humiliation of the bride being up-ended. So the custom of ‘flinging the stocking’ was introduced as a safety measure and eventually when chivalrous garters were worn, ‘tossing the garter’ to the groom’s men at the end of the ceremony replaced it.
In many countries the married couple were accompanied to the bridal suite by the whole family. This would often involve watching the young couple undress. In Russia part of the formality of going to bed for the first time as husband and wife was the very intimate act of removing each other's stockings. This act was thought to represent a couple sexual commitment to each other. Another variation on this custom was 'flinging the stocking' which took place after the wedding couple were escorted to the wedding chamber by their guests. In Finland the groom could not enter the bedroom of his bride until he gave his new mother-in-law a pair of shoes. The cost of shoes in the middle ages was considerable so it may not have been such a strange custom. In the marriage ceremony of the ancient Inca Indians of Peru however the couple was considered officially wed only when they exchanged sandals. In China the bride’s red shoes were tossed from the roof to ensure happiness for the bridal couple.

Wives were considered chattels (personal property) and in many cultures a marriage was a business deal no different to the commercial exchange of goods. In Biblical Times the change of ownership was confirmed by the removal of a shoe (Ruth 4:7). This may account for the French medieval custom for the bride’s father to give their daughter’s shoe to the groom to symbolise the exchange of chattels and passing the responsibility for her well being to his son-in-law. Another French custom was for the groom to sit with his shoe over his bride’s foot during the wedding ceremony. A variation of this the groom used the bride’s shoe to tap her head and demonstrate he was master. In 16th century France, newly weds were obliged to stand outside the church in the nude while the groom kissed her big toe of her left foot. Each partner then gave the other the sign of the cross with their heels, then with their hands.

In Northern Italy an old custom was to have everyone try on the bride’s shoe, just like Cinderella and in Hungary the groom drank a toast to his bride out of her wedding slipper. In Wales the bride and groom were given a pair of shoes (often clogs) joined together by a chain and cut from a single block of wood. The shoes contained two cavities, one with a lump of sugar and the other a piece of coal. This was to ensure the couple would never lack sustenance and warmth in their union.

For most the connection between footwear, luck and marriage still continues with the miniature silver shoe on the wedding cake and the tying of a boot or shoe to the back of the vehicle in which the newly weds begin their honey moon. Throwing shoes at someone going on a journey was a common good luck custom and it is thought tying shoes to the bridal car is a form of this divination. So too is throwing confetti especially when they are in the form of good luck charms such as an old boot.
The Romans believed evil spirits gathered at doorways and hence the bride had to be carried across the threshold. A common belief was for the bride should never go barefoot on her wedding night otherwise she may be tickled with misfortune.

Excerpt from the Afternoons with Jenny Seeton Cutin FM 101, Perth Western Australia, Friday 03/12/2010.

Superstitious Tennis Players

2009-07-02T01:20:00.000-07:00

Why do professional tennis players always ask for three balls and bounce the ball the same number of times before serving? Because there are very superstitious. Like nearly all sportpersons tennis players are keen to gain the edge over their opponent, certainly not offend the spirits, and prepared to observing repetative behaviours, no matter who is watching them. Winners will almost always try to repeat behaviours no matter how bazaar so as not put the hex on their performance. Apparently when Goran Ivanisevic won an important match he would repeat everything he did the previous day, such as eating the same food at the same restaurant, talking to the same people and watching the same TV programmes. Serena Williams is also a follower of deviation and has publically blamed her poor performances on not following her usual rituals such as tying her shoelaces and not bringing her shower sandals to the court.

What do you do after Lent?: Eat an Easter Egg

2009-04-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

The reason we associate Easter with east or sunrise is because the name came from Eostre the Anglo-Saxon goddess of dawn. Easter was the celebration of Spring and the beginning of the growing season. Followers of Eostre sacrificed oxen in her honour and baked buns with horns decorating the top. Small loaves on leavened bread scored with a cross were known to be found in ancient Egyptian tombs. The cross appears to have had no symbolic significance, or at least if it did, it has been lost in time. It was also recorded the time of Easter in ancient Rome coincided with a festival to the worship of Priapus. During this festival people ate phallus shaped bread but the early Christians felt symbolism more associated with Christ would be better and the phallus was replaced with the Cross. This is thought to be a credible origin of today’s pastries. No one can be sure of the origin of the word bun but many believe it comes from the Old French word ‘bugne’, meaning, and “a swelling caused by a blow” The same origins for the word bunion. The word bun made its appearance in the English language about 1370. Hot cross buns were known in the 18th century and referred to in Poor Robin’s Almanac for 1733. The first recorded mention was a street cry common to bakers.

The cry became children’s rhyme
“Hot cross-buns! Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny, hot cross-buns!
If you have no daughters,
Pray give them to your sons!
One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns!

One a penny, two a penny would imply there were two types of bun on sale.

To Pagans the rabbit and hares were symbols of life and fertility because there was a plentiful source of food. During the spring months both became a focal reminder of procreation. By the 1600s the rabbit had become more associated with Easter festivities and was a custom known and practiced in Germany. Until the 18th century the term ‘cony’ (Pronounced cunny) was used to describe adult rabbits, and rabbit was the preferred name for young rabbits. “Cunny” was an Old English colloquialism for female genitalia and so cunny had to become bunny, hence the Easter Bunny. The first edible Easter Bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s and were made of pastry and sugar. The Easter Bunny was introduced to America in the 1700s by the German settlers to Pennsylvania Dutch country. The Easter Bunny or Osterhase (pronounced in the dialect of the region Oschter Haws) was a major figure in the calendar of children and his arrival on the day before Easter would equate to the arrival of Christkindl (Kris Kindle) on Christmas Eve. Many of the old myths were described in the writings of fairy tails which bcame very popular in the 19th century. In legend, the Easter Bunny brought baskets full of coloured eggs to the homes of good children on the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny would either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them somewhere in the house for the children to find when they wake up in the morning. As a variation children started to build nest for the magical birds that laid the eggs. The children used their hats and bonnets and the nest were usually in out of the way places on the farm. Fearing the loss of expensive clothing the frugal parents sought out the nests and filled them with coloured eggs. Somehow the roles were reversed and parents hid the eggs so as the children would take pleasure in finding them. As the custom spread throughout the 18th century the nests became Easter Baskets. There does not appear to be any attempt to infer the rabbits laid the eggs but the symbolic combination of eggs for fertility; and rabbits for procreation were enough. No one can be sure why the eggs had to be coloured but certain colours such as red and green were symbolic of life and growth respectively. Eggs were not eaten during Lent (the fast kept by devotees prior to Easter) so it may be eating brightly coloured eggs may have had some celebratory significance to Catholics. It has also been suggested endulging in egg eating throughout Lent may have been a Protestant preoccupation.

Who said giving shoes was bad luck?

2008-12-17T22:22:00.001-08:00

It is interesting applying all the shoe superstitions to the current events. Did they land sole down, or sole up? Where were they pointing? Certainly the superstitions about giving shoes as a gift might apply here as both parties are going to walk away from each other. So too is the belief that giving shoes is bad luck for now it has been reported Iraqi journalist Muntazer Al Zaidi has been offered the hand in marriage of a 20 year old Egyptpian girl, promised by her father because of Al Zaidi's heroic act. Daughter, Amal Saad Gumaa, said she agreed with the idea. No matter his fate the shoe throwing journalist is now a hero and may as a result have introducted the barefoot interview.

A propsal for shoe thrower

2008-12-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

Now it has been reported Iraqi journalist Muntazer Al Zaidi has been offered the hand in marriage of a 20 year old Egyptpian girl, promised by her father because of Al Zaidi's heroic act. Daughter, Amal Saad Gumaa, said she agreed with the idea.

Throw a shoe at the President: What does it mean?

2008-12-14T14:22:00.001-08:00

Thong throwing has become a sport in some places and maybe the best thong throwers would have landed their target had they been at the Presidential Press Conference where Iraqi journalist Muntader al-Zaidithrew threw his shoes at President Bush. Of course the point was made despite the clear miss hit (twice) and now everyone is talking about the meaning of the shoe insult. At the end of ‘official’ hostilities images of ceremonial shoe banging of Saddam Hussein and President George Bush were spread worldwide and in Iraq shoe banging is an insult similar to two fingers, elsewhere. The origins of both are quite intriguing. The ‘2-finger salute’, is where the first and second fingers are spread apart and then, with the back of the hand facing the viewer. The hand is then raised towards the sky sometimes fast or slow depending on whether it is done in anger or as a taunt. The ‘Up Yours’ salute is thought to have originated in the 15th century when Welsh archers at the Battle of Agincourt(1415), demonstrated to the French how devastatingly effective they were with their new bow-and-arrow technology. The strong bowmen used the first two fingers to draw the bowstring back before releasing the arrow with pin point accuracy. The French were so intimidated by the power of the Welsh long bow they threatened to amputate string-pulling fingers on any archer caught. In defiance bowmen responded by waving the two fingers in the insulting ‘V salute’ to aggravate their foes. Feet and shoes were imbued with considerable significance in the Middle East and shoe banging holds two meanings depending on whether you are Jewish or Islamic. Traditionally, the Jewish custom, of shoe banging was used to seal a deal like a gable at an auction. In Islamic tradition, culture determines feet occupy the lowest rung in the bodily hierarchy and shoes are considered unclean. Hence it is commonplace to remove shoes before entering a place of worship; the gesture is to maintain the purity of the place of worship. The same custom is extended to entering a private home because the sole of the shoe is considered the most contaminated. To point a shoe at someone or hit them (or their image) demonstrates a deep insult and means to direct impurity and pollution in their direction. The action is not to physically harm the individual but to remind all there is a greater judgment and the object of scorn should suffer the indignity of the most demeaning punishment possible. The shoe as an insult is used in other cultures too for instance in India unpopular politicians are regularly garlanded with shoes and paraded down the streets. The term “Jooté maro!" (hit him with shoes) is common enough phrase.

Shoe banging represents violation and demonstratively shows deep insult. A famous shoe banger in the 60s was Nikita Khrushchev from Russia. Khrushchev came from peasant stock; and possessed a peasant's shrewdness and wit. He had a garrulous, storytelling gift, which gained him a reputation for being earthy. He frequently referred to excrement. He was poorly educated and always intimidated by intellectual superiority. This frequently showed in his uncouth animation during debate. The classic example was shoe banging, when in at the UN General Assembly meeting in October of 1960, Nikita Khrushchev banged his shoe against his desk, with indignation. The circumstance, as you will no doubt recall related to photographs implicating Russian “duplicity” in Cuba. A U2 "spy plane" picked up pictures of soccer pitches and at that time soccer was not a game popular with Cubans, which implied the presence of personnel of a soccer loving nation i.e. USSR. Instantly reported across the globe as good copy, Khrushchev shoe-banging episode probably did more to avoid global conflict, than the furious diplomatic arrangements, which were going on as Kennedy and Khrushchev faced off each other. In the West the man became a character. The shoe banging episode did deeply embarrass his Soviet colleagues, which inevitably led to his downfall in 1964. The popularity he had in the west however more than likely saved his life and he spent his remaining years in retirement tending his garden like the Godfather. According to his son, Sergei Khrushchev, his father had small feet (size seven or eight), and when he came from Moscow he was wearing ordinary shoes. New York was hot however so he switched to sandals. He was wearing sandals on the famous shoe banging day but happened to have a spare shoe available to express himself. The shoes in John Hay Library are probably not The Shoes, but a pair that Nikita brought with him to New York but never wore.

The Victorian Christmas

2008-12-12T02:47:00.000-08:00

The Victorians are responsible popularising giving gifts on Christmas day. Traditionally gifts were exchanged on New Year's Day or Twelfth Night but When Prince Albert and Queen Victoria made it a Christmas habit the idea soon caught on with middle class. Victorians might give miniature shoes as keepsakes and for good luck. Although this had started in the eighteenth century after a life-size print of the Duchess of York's shoe was published and polite society started to give gifts of porcelain shoes. Later sentimental Victorians exchanged miniature shoes in leather, pottery, alabaster, silver and brass. Wooden snuffboxes in the shape of shoes were also popular. Shoes became the symbol of contentment and prosperity and remain so to this day in the form of charms. Gin flasks were often crafted in the shape of women's boots and papers knifes in the shape of high heeled shoes and were commonly found in means' possession. The nineteenth century custom of giving china and pottery miniatures of shoes and boots as good luck charms to friends and relations would often to mark important family occasions such as christenings, anniversaries and birthdays.

Jews and Shoes: Edna Nahshon

2008-12-11T02:33:00.001-08:00

Jews and Shoes is a fab new book by Edna Nahshon and a refreshing look at the makings and meanings of shoes, cobblers, and barefootedness in Jewish experience. The book is well illustrated and shows how shoes convey theological, social, and economic concepts, and as such are intriguing subjects for inquiry within a wide range of cultural, artistic, and historic contexts.

Jews and Shoes

Edna Nahshon is Associate Professor of Hebrew at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Senior Associate, Center of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Oxford University.

Christmas in June

2008-12-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas in June is very much an Australasian event. The idea of eating traditional Christmas dinner at the height of summer has proven too much for some ex-pats to bear. The colder temperatures in winter are far more appealing and many Euro Australasians prefer to celebrate Christmas in June. Clearly there must be enough people of a like mind because shops cater by selling decorations and other items associated with the traditional festive season. Seasonal superstitions are suspended during Christmas in June.

In truth there is no historical reason why Christmas should be not be celebrated in the summer as opposed to the winter. As Charles Dickens himself said.

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

The Festival of the Dead

2008-12-07T03:07:00.000-08:00

The celebration of the dead is found throughout the Celtic world and lasts from Halloween to New Year. In pagan times, mid winter was always associated with spirits and monsters that were on the prowl. The Celts believe throughout the mid winter the dead walked with the living from Halloween till New Year. Many ancient superstitions surrounding Yuletide were concerned with the darkness and the evil it was thought to harbour. During the Feast of the Dead (Hogmanay) Druid priests cut down mistletoe which grew in sacred oaks with golden sickles. These were used medicinally and helped infertility. That is why, to this day, we kiss under a sprig of mistletoe. Christmas, although a Christian festival is also a traditional pagan festival and many superstitions are connected to religious beliefs. Yule logs for example were burnt on the Christmas fire and many people keep a piece on the log from the previous year, as a lucky talisman. The superstitious believe it is extremely unlucky if the Yule log is touched by a barefooted woman or a squint eyed man. A visitor to the house who has flat feet whilst the log is burning is sufficient is also a bad omen. In Sweden it was believed evil trolls roamed the countryside between cockcrow and daybreak on Christmas day. Superstitious people never give shoes for Christmas gifts. The old wives tale is if you give a friend a new pair of shoes then they are sure to walk away from you. Kissing under the mistletoe is thought to be an ancient Druid (Celtic) tradition. Drinking of wassail (alcohol) is another Celtic tradition. The Vikings used to slaughter a boar at Yule time in honour of the god, Freyr.

Julinissers and Kallikantzartoi

2008-12-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

In some countries Santa is helped by the baby Jesus. The famous elves which help Santa make and deliver the toys are the good elves but there are also some back fellows too. In Denmark, you need to take care to avoid the Julnissers at Christmas. During the rest of the year they live outside but during the winter festivities they sneak indoors to cause mayhem. Whilst Julinissers wear woollen clothes with red caps, and long red stockings and wooden clogs, they are not easy to spot. Sometimes only the family cat can see them. At Christmas the Julnissers become practical jokers and do mischievous things like hide shoes, or blow out candles. To avoid their attentions it is important to leave out a bowl of rice pudding and if they are kept happy then the children of the house find the occasional treat or lost coin. In Greece there are wicked elves called Kallikantzaroi. In order to keep them from causing trouble in the house traditionally a large log called a skakantzalos was burnt. This is the traditional Yule log. Sometime the Greek people burnt old shoes in the hope the smell would keeps the wicked elves away. It is a well held belief the smell of humans ward-off evil attention and may be a reason why our ancestors were reluctant to adopt washing. Greek children born on Christmas Eve or Christmas day were often feared to be Kallikantzaroi and as a precaution all children born within the Christmas festival were bound in braids of garlic or straw and their toenails singed.

Who is Santa Clause and what has he to do with shoes?

2008-12-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

Although Santa Claus in one form or other is a familiar figure to people all over the world, the weight advantaged, red suited, old man variety is of comparative recent origin. Giving gifts during the festive season however is an old and treasured custom. Modern Santa is a mixture of many historical and cultural traditions. The most ancient Santa was St Nicholas of Myria. Born about 280 AD in Patara (now Turkey) and patron saint of sailors, merchants, wrongly accused, endangered travellers and farmers. One of his gracious deeds was to give gold to a poor man with three daughters. This meant the girls could have dowries and marry well. Because St Nicholas wanted to remain anonymous he threw three bags of gold down the chimney. The gifts landed in the girls stockings and henceforth we hang up Christmas Stocking at Christmas Eve. Modern Santa probably came from North America (via Holland) and is likely to be only 200 hundred years old. He first appeared in literature about 1822 in the famous children's poem

'T’was the night before Christmas, when all throughout the house, No a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...."

Written by Clement Clarke Moore for his children the poem introduced to many Americans the fictitious character, Sintaklass. He was a Dutch mythical character with a friendly disposition. Many historians believe Santa came from a mispronunciation of Sintaklass. After pictures of Santa appeared in Harper's Weekly about the 1860s the rest, as they say, is history. In France, children lay out their shoes (traditionally sabots which were clogs) in the anticipation Pere Noel (Father Christmas) who will fill them with lollies. The legend is Pere Noel was so cold one Christman Eve, to keep warm he burt the clogs of a little girl and to compensate her left gifts. In Belgium children get their presents on the 6th December i.e. St Nicholas Day and only mall gifts are exchanged on Christmas Day. In Spain Christmas was traditionally a religious festival and the Spanish still do not recognise Santa. Children do however look forward to gifts during this season. One Spanish tradition was for children to leave their shoes on the windowsill stuffed full of straw, carrots, and barley to feed the horse and donkeys of the Wise Men. Balthazar is a welcome visitor for he is the Spanish Santa and on Christmas morning by children's shoes are filled with gifts. A similar ritual is observed in Portugal with the added tradition of setting an extra place at the table for the souls of the dead (Celtic tradition). The Italian Santa is a woman, La Befansa and like her Russian counterpart, Babouschka depicts an old lady who did not offer help and food to the Wise Men on their journey to the baby Jesus. The women search in vein carrying gifts which they give to well behaved children. Naughty children get ashes in their stockings.

Where did the Christmas tree come from?

2008-12-05T01:43:00.001-08:00

The origins of the Christmas tree come from Germany when St Boniface was converted to Christianity. After he came upon a group of Pagans worshipping at an oak tree he cut it down and when a fir tree sprung up from the roots this was taken as a sign. By the 16th century fir trees were brought into the home and it is reputed Martin Luther was the first person to decorate the tree with candles. Queen Victoria spent long holidays with her German relatives and always enjoyed the decorated tree. Later Prince Albert decorated the Buckingham Palace Christmas tree for Victoria and the children. The Royal couple were so popular loyal subjects took to the custom and every home had one. Initially they were decorated with flags of the Empire but when Woolworth's offered coloured lights, these were used. German settlers are thought to have taken the decorated trees to North America when they emigrated. In the early 1800s when the first lit tree was erected outside a church, many parishioners protested because they felt the action was pagan. By the late 19th century Christmas trees had gained in popularity. The introduction of electricity meant it was much safer to illuminate the tree. Soon ever town community council had civic displays, all trying to compete with each other. Originally horns and bells were used to decorate the trees, the purpose of which was to frighten away evil spirits. Later these ornaments took on a Christian message i.e. heralding the birth of Christ. Originally in some parts of Europe fairy like figures were used on the trees, but later these became angels. The origins of tinsel relate to the time when Europeans let their animals into the house. This was done because the birth of Christ took place in a stable. The story goes women did not want spiders in their homes, but when a spider spoke to the baby Jesus, he was allowed to go to the Christmas tree on the night before Christmas. By morning his web had turned to silver with the rising sun. A spider's web on the Christmas tree is thought to be a sign of good luck. On Christmas Day children from the poorer families got an orange, a new penny, a piece of shortbread and a toffee in their stockings. Christmas dinner consisted of chicken broth followed by potatoes, roasted in the garden or street bonfire. The families sang carols (songs of joy) and clapped their hands to keep warm. The custom started in England and most carols were written in the nineteenth century. These scenes were depicted graphically in the works of Charles Dickens’s. Christmas crackers were an attempt to make a log shaped novelty similar to the Yule log. At first sugar almonds and love messages were placed on the table then when the 'snap' was invented, the now familiar cracker was introduced. Instantly these became popular with families and were used in all manner of celebrations. Later these became exclusive to Christmas.

Christmas Lights: Ba Humbug

2008-12-04T03:34:00.001-08:00

In 1644 the English Puritans forbid any merriment or religious services by Act of Parliament. This was on the grounds that it was a heathen practice, and ordered Christmas to be kept as a fast. Charles II revived the feast, but the Scots adhered to the Puritan view and did not celebrate Christmas for several centuries. What we now recognise as a modern Christmas was actually invented in Victorian Times and one of the "traditions" in many of the aristocratic families at that time, including Queen Victoria, was to inverse the roles of master and servant during the twelve days of Christmas. Of all the Europeans to resist the temptations of the new Victorian festive season were the Scots. Because there was no reference to celebration of Christmas in the New Testament, then they refused to celebrate it. Many viewed the idea of Christmas as an attempt by the English to emulate Hogmanay. Others viewed it, as a time for Victorian ‘do good’ers’ to exercise charity to the less privileged. At first Christmas was a time for colonists to link with their homes and families. Scottish tea planters in the east ate plum puddings and turkey dinners long before their relatives gave recognition to Christmas Day. The first official Christmas celebrated in Australia was Dec 25, 1788 at Sydney Cove. No Christmas cheer was shown to the prisoners on that day with the exception of Michael Dennison who had been sentenced to 200 lashes. In the spirit of the season the prisoner was given 150. The first Christmas tree was believed to have been put up in Australia in the eighteenth century by English monks. Lighting candles and lamps helped return the light and warmth as well as chasing away the spirits of darkness. A remnant of paganism is the lights, which decorate the Christmas tree. Christmas was called the Festival of Light in the Western or Latin Church. The Yule log was a Norse custom and burning of the yule was a celebration of the sun during the winter months. In the Highlands at the turn of the century Christmas was just another day with faint echoes of bonfire ceremonies, more related to pagan sunworship than celebrating the birth of Christ. Twelfth Night had more significance to the Scots until the English condensed the feast days into the family fun celebrations of Christmas and Boxing Day.

The celebration of Christmas

2008-11-30T01:31:00.001-08:00

The Babylonians (1750- 529 BC) celebrated renewal of the year and the same festivities were later adopted by the Persians (529BC - 637AD). Eventually this merged into ancient Roman culture. Called the Festival of Saturn one of the themes, thought to have started by the Persians, was to temporarily subvert social order during festivals. Subsequently masters and slaves exchanged places and the same practice was commonly seen throughout the Middle Ages during other festivals such as The Festival of Fools. In the Royal household of Queen Victoria this custom was observed throughout Christmas Day. The 25th December was used by pagans to honour the harvest god, Saturn and Mithras, the god of light. Pagans prepared special food, decorated their homes with greenery, and joined in singing and gift giving. After Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the celebrations and customs became part of the Christian way. Christian Christmas Day has been celebrated on since 336AD. At the beginning of Christianity days of celebration out numbered the days in the year and it was only after the Reformation the holy calander was formulated and many of the original Holy days were lost. The most important of these retained was Christmas Day and was first thought to be celebrated by King Arthur in the city of York in AD 521. By the twelfth century Christmas had become the most important religious festival in Europe. Although merriment and religious devotion were not associated in the early church, ultimately they were incorporated due to political pressures. The obsolete feasts of antiquity were gradually adapted to the main events of the life of Christ. This was probably done to attract more followers. Most of the nativity scenes were painted in the 15 & 16th centuries and Christmas cards depicting them becoming popular only in the 18th and 19th centuries. Mithras worship took place in churches called grottos and may have given origin to Santa's Grotto.

Christmas Superstitions: Shoes and feet

2008-11-27T15:30:00.000-08:00

Celebrations at mid winter predate Christian times by millennium and whilst Christmas became a Christian festival many of the original superstitions of pagan times are still observed. Four thousand years ago, Egyptians (3110- 30BC) celebrated the rebirth of the sun with a festival that lasted 12 days to reflect the 12 divisions in the sun's calendar. Evergreens were cherished because they symbolised the season to come. Using palms with 12 shoots to represent a complete year they decorated their houses with greenery in a similar way to what we do now. In Roman times people decorated their homes with greenery but the usual order of the year was suspended and grudges and quarrels forgotten. Wars were interrupted or temporarily set aside and merriment of all kinds prevailed. These sentiments are very similar to the cheer promoted in the greeting of today's Christmas cards. Yule logs were traditionally burnt during the winter festival and the ashes and embers were kept for good luck for the following year. It was a very bad omen if the Yuletide embers were touched by either a flat footed woman or a man with a turn in his eye. The Evil Eye is well documented in occult culture. Keeping Christmas cake or the remains of the Yule Log under the bed was also thought to help get rid of chilblains. An old English saying was "If you do not give a new pair of shoes to a poor person at least once in your lifetime, you will go barefoot in the next world." This belief may be the reason why Christmas gifts were exchanged by the middle classes so as to avoid poverty. In any event many people gave presents to the poor and miniature shoes became popular gifts for good luck from the 18th century onwards. One reason why miniature shoes were given instead of the real thing might be because superstitious people believe if you give a friend a new pair of shoes then they were sure to walk away from you. Wearing new shoes on Christmas Day was also thought, by many, to bring bad luck. The traditional Greece custom of burning old shoes during the Christmas season to prevent misfortunes in the coming year shares a rationale with the belief the shoe contains the spirit of the wearer and foul smells repel evil.

Shoes and feet and Feng Shui

2008-11-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

The custom of removing shoes before entering a home is a mark of respect for the household in Japan but is also traditionally practiced elsewhere for Scandinavia to Hawaii. The habit is now catching on in the western world and it has been scientifically shown to reduce the number of allergens in the house. According to traditional Feng Shui no shoes or slippers should be left lying outside the main door of the house. The chi (energy) rides with the wind and collects all the smells from discarded footwear and carries them into the house causing sickness. In Japanese houses there is a raised border to prevent this from happening. We are particularly vulnerable in the bedroom which is the inner sanctum and where we recharge our chi when sleeping. The yin (quiet and peaceful) of the bedroom should outmatch the yen or presence of powerful chi if we do not wish to sleep peacefully. The position of the bed in the room is critical and there needs to be a good circulation of chi with plenty of fresh air available for recharging. The farther we sleep from the door and the more of the room you can see while in bed, the more we appear to control our environment and, therefore, our life. Seeing the door to our bedroom symbolizes we are in control and prepared to deal with many areas of your life. It is very unlucky for our feet to be pointing directly outward toward a door. This is considered the death position in Chinese, Italian and other cultures. When a person dies at home, the body is removed feet first from the room and the house.

The Meaning of foot and shoe dreams

2008-11-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

According to authoritative sources we all dream. Some dreams are more vivid than others and some more memorable. However a common theme involves the foot and the significance is wide and varied. Walking barefoot with torn garments means disappointment with expectations, and bad influences hovering over efforts for advancement. Walking with a stagger means you are too influenced by flattery and to see others do the same, infers a cry for help. The dream of seeing many feet walking along a pavement heralds material loss. Boots too appear in our dreams. If you see a pair of boots on another, your place will be secured in the affections of your sweetheart. If you wear a pair of new boots, you will be fortunate in business. Seeing yourself in old foreworn boots foretells sickness and trouble. If you dream of removing boots with a bootjack then this means easy living is predicted. New shoes foretell short journeys. Shoes that are old and uncomfortable are a prophesy of home relaxations and good friends. To dream of losing one of your shoes prophesies new activities that will come to naught. To throw an old shoe at a wedding is a sign that you will have family worries. Wearing galoshes in a dream is a forerunner of being able to save a considerable sum of money. If they are too large for you, the forecast is even better, but if they leak and allow your feet to get wet, you are in danger of being called to account for some sin of omission. Wearing comfortable sandals predicts a romance by moonlight. If they chafe your feet this foretells of an altercation with someone to whom you owe a small amount of money. The dream of a shoemaker working at his last is an omen of finding someone who will be able to finance a business deal for you. Putting on stockings portends the beginning of an adventure that is likely to lead to a profitable contract for services. To find a hole in your stockings is a sign that you will have to explain an absence from duty. To mend stockings is an omen that will give you satisfaction but no financial reward. If you dream about hanging up your stocking at Christmas, you will have many friends but not much money. To dream of callous on hands or feet predicts a new and unusual kind of work ahead. To dream of corns on your feet is a sign that scandal mongers are seeking to ruin your reputation. Pain felt from a bunion in a dream is a sign of definite comfort in old age. To dream of having a podiatrist attend to a bunion is to look forward to improved financial circumstances. If you dream you are a podiatrist then look out you may receive news that may disgust and at the same time amuse you. Dreaming about cutting your own corns with a razor or knife is the sign of the loss of money or friends. To dream of bathing the feet foretells a pleasant relief from anxiety. If you dream about seeing your own feet, it means that your position is insecure. Looking at your own bare foot in a dream is a sign that you will laugh before you cry and suggests that you should cultivate the habit of looking on the bright side of life. Seeing the barefoot of another signifies a new acquaintance who will prove to be an excellent friend. If the foot is deformed, you will hear disturbing news. Stocking feet announce a mystery, with shoes on them, they point to new experiences in the company of the opposite sex. If someone stomps on your foot, you are warned to guard your tongue lest you get into trouble. To see a person or thing that is not normal is an omen of a pleasant outcome to something that has worried you. When a person suffering from physical affliction features in the dream this is a forecast of good health. Gout foretells postponement of a long anticipated visit of old friends. It is also a warning to cut down on consumption of alcohol. Rheumatism is a warning not to fall down on any promises you have made. Bow legs mean you should look to your own comfort. Dreaming of disease may be a regarded as a warning but not necessary an unpleasant prophecy. If ankles fair in your dreams then this is what they mean. A broken or injured ankle is an omen of a loss of money. A sprained ankle foretells an approach by a committee who will ask you to run for office. A man dreaming of women's' ankles means a love affair is pending. To dream of being feted with chains, ropes or conditions predict a new and successful love affair. If you dream you cannot remove your foot from the accelerator, this is a warning against vices such as gambling and drinking. A dream of a Sagittarius (the Patron Saint of Surgical Shoe makers) means you will be shocked by news of one of your acquaintances. To dream about playing footie in front of spectators, well you are in for a large sum of money. If the dream is about witnessing a game of football you are warned against making friends too easily. If you dream of athlete’s foot you should guard against conspiracies against competitors.

Feet and Shoes : Old Wive'sTales

2008-11-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

There are many old wives’s tales who involve feet and shoes. These had less to do with luck, good or bad, but instead were pragmatic in nature. Putting a red pepper in the shoes during winter was thought to keep the feet warm. Giving a friend a pair of shoes would ensure they walked away from you. As such it was considered back luck to accept a gift of old shoes because you would walk in the former owner's troubles. Whilst this may appear a contradiction, it was thought shoes took on the persona of the original owner, good or bad. Probably for this reason it was bad karma to borrow the shoes of a friend as an argument would follow. Whereas sticking a hairpin in a shoe would guarantee you met with a good friend. People with holes in their soles of their shoes were destined to become wealthy. Even the storing shoes had specific taboos, such as new hoes should be kept high of the floor for good luck; but never in a position higher than knee level, otherwise would illness follow. When a child was born, feet first, a breach birth, this was called "footing". A common belief was the baby’s legs needed to be rubbed with a bay leaf otherwise the child was destined to become crippled by an accident. Infant mortality was high and to survive a breach birth quite rare. Footers were bestowed with special healing powers. People born with talipes were also considered special and thought to possess great talent. Polydactylism was considered lucky. A popular superstition in North America was if the expectant father wore his boots while his baby was born, then it would be a boy. A superstition of cherry pickers was to rub their shoes with cherry leafs to avoid chocking on a cherry stone. Colonial Americans used to place their heavy boots on their abdomen to cure stomachache.

Skin and toenail superstitions

2008-11-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Superstitions associated with skin and toe nails include avoiding cutting them on Holy Innocents Day. The moon was considered an important influence in nail and hair growth and if they were to grow strong, nails required to be cut when the moon was on the increase. To the superstitious the day of the week was also important.

Cut your nails in Monday, cut them for news; (of success)
Cut them on Tuesday for a new pair of shoes;
Cut them on Wednesday, cut them for health;
Cut them for Thursday, cut them for wealth;
Cut them on Friday, a sweetheart to know; (also a good way to avoid neuralgia)
Cut them on Saturday, a journey to go;
Cut them on Sunday, you cut them for evil,
For all the next week you’ll be ruled by the Devil.

A fairly common belief was if you threw toe nail cuttings onto the floor or ground then you would be forced to pick them up when you die. Corn cutting was also ritualized and could only be cut successfully done after the moon is on the wane. Like many superstitious people, Picasso kept all hair and nail clippings dated and in a safe place for fear they should fall into the hands of a witch or warlock. Hair, skin and nails make powerful potions which were used against the owner. A popular habit was to burn toe nail pairings for good luck. An itching foot foretold a long journey from which the person would derive pleasure (or walk on strange/foreign ground). If it was the right sole then the person was either going somewhere they would be welcomed; or would undertake a task and be successful in it. The opposite was true for the left sole. Itching feet could also mean a sign of sorrow and some believed it was the forecast of new shoes. In the Middle Ages shoes needed to be broken in which might mean a sorry situation, also the idea of new shoe may related to a death in the family.

When you stub your toe, go back over the object and return sucking your thumb while holding the other hand behind your back. It is unlucky to step on a crack in the pavement. Cure rheumatism by keeping salt (or sulphur) in your shoes. When washing your hands and feet in the morning, always dry your hands first and you will never have rheumatism. Never step over another's feet when they are lying on the floor otherwise it is bad luck for both. To stub your toe or stumble means wherever you are going your presence will not be wanted. It is a good omen if you stumble with your right foot. Keep your fingers crossed after a stumble until you meet a person who passes without looking at you to avoid bad luck. It is also bad luck to catch the heels of someone walking in front with your toes. Tripping over a shoe is bad luck as is walking backwards out of a door.

'There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children she didn't know what to do'

Charles Perrault (1697)

In 17th century fairy tales, such as Tales of Mother Goose, there was implied associations between shoes and fertility but fairy tales are rarely factual instead serve as parodies and metaphors so it is difficult to place store by this. A common custom peculiar to the North of England however was when young women wanted to conceive they wore the shoes of other women who had just given birth with the hope fertility would carry through the shoes. This custom may explain why many virgin brides wore borrowed shoes to the ceremony.

Shoes laces, wear marks, and stockings

2008-11-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Shoelaces were viewed with suspicion, partly because as a shoe style, the Oxford shoe was a comparative late addition and worn by dandies. In the 17th and 18th century men wearing lacing Oxfords were considered effeminate and laces came to represent a moral decline. Real macho men wore shies with a rose, buckle or bow fastening and although ornate these were reasonable steadfast. This may account for why a broken shoelace was thought to be bad luck. It took sometime before shoe laces caught on as a fashion. From the time of the Romans tripping was taboo and falling over loose laces was taken to represent a disastrous journey ahead. Later, after shoe laces became fashionable and were part of female footwear undone shoe laces took on a lighter meaning and was taken to mean a true love was thinking about you. Shoelaces which worked undone whilst walking confirmed a father’s love was greater than a mothers. When the right shoe lace came undone then something good was being said about you and the opposite was true when the left shoe lace was undone.

Not only shoes but shoe wear was thought to hold secrets of divination. It is well established that superstitious people believed wearing holes in their soles would become wealthy. When shoes were worn under the toes this meant the person was flirt and would spend money freely.

"If you wear your shoes out on the toe.
You will spend money as you go”

Toe walkers were more likely to wear their shoes frequently and in an area not easily repaired. Mean people were thought to wear their shoes on the medial side whilst extravagant types wore their shoes out on the lateral aspect. These may date back to the time when shoes were very expensive and cobbling was a cheap alternative. Shoe makers and cobblers would gauge their clientele accordingly.

An old custom for luck was to leave stockings in the shoes overnight. A hole in a sock or stocking indicated the arrival of a letter, whereas if a worm were to crawl into stockings this heralded a new pair was forth coming. Wearing stockings inside out was the sign of a present coming but this could also be associated with bad luck. To avoid this fate you had to spit on it after removing a sock. Similarly stockings on the wrong feet needed to be removed at noon and the heel spat on. In Biblical times spitting in the face was an indignity and spitting in the face of evil (bad luck) was a form of breaking the spell. Later in the New Testament, Jesus used spitting to heal. In Greece it was common to spit to ward off evil spirits. Actual spitting was later replaced with the sound "Ptew" and "Ptew, Ptew mi me matiasis", became a common saying to avoid the Evil Eye. Spitting in the hands is common to many sport related superstitions and is thought to bring luck. Changing odd socks once on the feet foretold an accident, so superstitious people would keep the wardrobe malfunction. In times gone past when gentlemen made a gift of garters to a lady it was good luck to let them to put them on her leg. During World War II many pilots were reported to have worn ladies nylon stockings around their neck for good luck. This is similar to Ovid’s shoe fetish, referred to above.

Significance of the solo shoe

2008-11-02T00:42:00.000-07:00

For many years all over North American cities, training shoes have been tied together and left hanging over telephone wires. These sometimes remain for years. Many suggestions have been advanced to explain the practice but none have been satisfactory. The Los Angeles Times were sufficiently concerned to bring a group of experts together to try to explain the habit. The general consensus was teenagers were responsible and it was thought an action of defiance. Leaving school, the celebration of a sexual conquest, or the result of a drunken adolescent challenge were the main justifications but experts also considered meaningless copycatting was the real motive. One other sinister possibility was the way street gangs marked out their territory, memorize a fallen comrade or simply torment someone being bullied. On close inspection, the shoes were well-worn, in-expensive and certainly not worth keeping. The expert group conceded the habit may reflect our throwaway culture. In truth was no-one really knew how the practice started or what it meant. A boot set on top a fence post was an old sign that someone was at home. A little more difficult to explain was the story of the ladies fashion shoe found 25,700 feet up Mount Everest. In 1960 a Chinese mountaineer discovered oxygen gear and tent poles from a previous climber’s camp. The equipment dated back to the 1920's & 30's and the gear was thought to belong to the ill fated Mallory & Irvine expedition of 1924. Amongst the effects was a single ladies fashion shoe beautifully crafted in brown leather. No explanation was ever given. Experts agreed at these altitudes no climber would dare carry anything that was not vital to the expedition. Perhaps it was the lucky charm, tragically overlooked in their desperate desire to reach the summit. A colleague of mine from California was staggered to find wherever she went within the city she came across single socks and oranges abandoned on the pavement. Intrigued by the phenomena and after some detective work she discovered it was children in a rush to get home from games. Carelessly carrying their sports bag they lost a sock and at the same time jettisoned the ubiquitous orange given to them by mum for after sports. Ornithologists in the Netherlands and Shetlands monitoring dead birds logged footwear washed up on the shorelines. In Holland more right shoes were washed up, while the Shetlands were inundated with left foot shoes. Stranger still where only soles remained, there were more left-footers on the east coast of Shetland than the west. And just to bring it home, a recent environmental report documented the concerns of a coastal town in WA, alarmed at the pollution caused by abandoned thongs.

Occupational Superstitions

2008-10-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

Actors are superstitious and take great solace from the sound of squeaking shoes. If their shoes squeak on their first stage entrance then that is considered good luck. Actors never place shoes on a chair in the dressing room because it is considered bad luck. When they remove their shoes they hope they will fall flat on their soles as this is taken as a good luck omen. In Civvy Street when shoes repeatedly squeak this is taken by all, the footwear are not paid for and either borrowed or stolen. Miners and fishermen are also very superstitious. Both were at the mercy of the elements and everything was done not to tempt fate so much store was placed on foreboding omens. Yorkshire fishermen refused to go to sea if a crew member carried their boots over their shoulders. Boots were always carried under the arm. Fishermen were also spooked if they saw a flat foot print in the sand. Miners avoid going to the pit if they woke up to find one boot had fallen over during the night. Despite the ancients practice of burying their loved ones with sandals undertakers are reluctant to bury people with their shoes on. This may relate to the old practice of grave robbing as many yokels considered shoes taken from a dead man's feet was especially lucky. Some people believed touching the large toe of the deceased would save them from dreaming or being haunted by the ghost or apparition of the deceased. In Welsh mythology there is a wind of death called the Gwynt-Traed-y-Meirw or “wind blowing over the feet of the corpses," and when it is felt by close relatives a dying member of the family it foretell their end. Undertakers were careful to lay the dead out with their faces to the east for fear the wind from the west would blow over the feet of the corpses and bring a catching complaint into the parish. It is impossible to date this superstition but would appear logical to plague ridden countries with no ability to understand the transmission of disease.

Every sport has its taboos and superstitions even professional darts, the popular pastime of pub goers particularly in England was fraught with ritual. Many players bring their left foot to the floor marking, swing it left to right before throwing. To be a top class goal scorer, the soccer player needs not only to be able to score when the opportunity presents but even when there is only half a chance. Scoring from the slenderest opportunity places an exclusive band of goal scorers far above the average striker. Players are however, by nature, very superstitious and will go to extraordinary lengths to maintain their run of luck. An old belief was new boots needed to fit tightly and many well known players took a bath with their new boots on. Team mates are usually respectful of each other's rituals no matter how bazaar they may appear. Ritualistic behaviors usually starts days before the game and many well known players wear certain shoes and socks to the stadium. Some will even have a luck coin or other talisman in their shoe or carry a rabbit’s foot or lucky heather. Players will be careful to travel to the stadium observing all taboos as a means of not tempting fate. Many insist entering the changing rooms by walking through the boot room. The boot room is the epicenter of the club and traditionally where game strategy is worked out. Whether there is a belief that boots have ears and will magically influence the feet to perfect performance or the ambiance from the collected footwear in some way rubs off on the player is unclear. Even the greatest stars will personally polish their playing boots in preparation before a match. Sometimes alcohol (usually their favourite tipple) is dosed on the tips of their boots, for example, one boot is wiped with whisky and the other water. The most intense time for ritualism is in the changing rooms. Rigidly observed procedures involve those connected with changing clothes. The manner the clothing is put on often becomes ritualistic. Putting on the left sock first before the right, or the right boot before the left is well documented. Lacing boots can also become a ritual with players lacing and unlacing their boots multiple times before the game. Some players are known to put on socks and boots and nothing else well before the game. They sit quietly psyching themselves up to a peak performance. This might involve a nip of whisky or their favourite tipple to further concentrate their mind. Desmond Morris reported the clothing of others could also become a focus to the superstitious. For example some players needed to see their coach wearing socks of their lucky colour before they would take to the field. This extended to the shoes worn by the coach and the author described a ceremoniously fastened of the coach's shoe by one of the players as pre match necessity before the team would leave the dressing rooms. Some players insist on eating just before taking to the field. Billy Bremner (former captain of Leeds United and Scotland) was well known for eating a plateful of baked beans just before every game. This was not entirely odd as the beans provided valuable protein and the tomatoes in the sauce prevented build up of lactic acid in the player’s legs. Players are ritualistic even in the tunnel leading to the pitch. Some players will head or kick the ball a certain number of times or bounce it off the wall before running onto the field. Once on the pitch another set of ritual behaviour might take place. Players will take their boots off and put them back on again. Many insist in replacing the boots and some even kiss their boots for luck. Players will roll the chewing gum they have been chewing into a ball and attempt to kick the ball. The absence of pockets in playing kits and restrictions on wearing jewelry on the field mean much use if made of the boot to house talisman. In the case of goal keeper their lucky paraphernalia are tossed into the back of the goal. Players prefer to play in boots that are broken in. This superstition is shared by boxers who avoid new boots at a contest. Gamblers are very superstitious and winners put wear the shoes they are going to play in before they eat.
An age old Hellenic custom was to burn old shoes, like incense, for luck. In modern Greece this is still done to prevent naughty goblins from invading the home during Christmas time. Shoes in the Middle Ages were bequeathed to relatives partly because they were costly items but also because they contained the spirit of the deceased. Old shoes were frequently left in the roofs of old houses to fend off evil spirits. Superstitious people today wear old shoes on Friday 13th for good luck.

Dead men’s shoes

2008-10-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

The ancient Egyptians inhaled the fumes from their burning sandals as a cure for headaches. This might not have been such a strange custom since their footwear was made from materials containing natural salicylates. No one is quite sure why the left side should be associated with bad luck but during the Middle Ages shoes were very expensive and it was common practice to bequeath footwear to family members. The phrase "Following in your father's footsteps" was thought to reflect this custom as people believed shoes retained the personal traits of the owner and hence the phrase was thought to imply prolonging the success and good fortune of the predecessor to the successor. “Dead men’s shoes” would be another reference to inheritance probably highlights the corollary. Several foot and shoe superstitions relate to death. In days prior to funeral parlors, dead people were laid out in the house and dressed in their best clothing including shoes. Often the dinner table was the only suitable flat surface and shoes on the table came to represent death. Shoes placed on a table were thought as a bad omen with either a quarrel in the house, or a thunder storm the likely outcome. In Bengal a variation on this theme was leaving shoes lying on their uppers would end in a quarrel. When the body was eventually removed it was feet first and superstitious people will avoid pointing their feet (when sleeping) or store unworn shoes directly facing outward toward a door. This was considered the death position in Chinese, Italian and other cultures. It was considered unlucky to tie shoes together and hang them from a nail with the toes pointing towards the wall. This too was a sign the owner was dead and the phrase ‘hang your boots up” may be a euphemism for death. In the past it was a bad omen to see a beetle crawling from a shoe and this was thought by many believers to foretell a death in the family. It maybe to the superstitious every abandoned shoe had a story to tell about its owner. Separation might infer violence and infestation confirm a final insult. Storing shoes is couched with care and superstitious people never store footwear higher than their head nor keep them under the bed for both bring bad luck. Slippers and shoes should never be put on the bed for the same reason. According to traditional Feng Shui no shoes or slippers should be left lying outside the main door of the house. The chi (energy) rides with the wind and collects all the smells from discarded footwear and carries them into the house causing sickness. We are particularly vulnerable in the bedroom which is the inner sanctum and where we recharge our chi when sleeping. The yin (quiet and peaceful) of the bedroom should outmatch the yen or presence of powerful chi if we want to sleep peacefully. By the same token stored shoes in close proximity may have held the same taboo. Leaving shoes in the shape of a cross (x) was unlucky and required another person to pick them up if bad luck to the owner was to be averted. The cross is a sacred sign and associated with evil as in crossroads i.e. the devil lurks at the crossroads where people are vulnerable and this may well be the origins of that superstition. Many people no new shoes should be worn at a funeral as this brings bad luck to the wearer. When someone was ill in the house and a howling dog awakened the household it was commonly believed this was bad luck and the only way to reverse bad fortune was to reach beneath the bed and turn over a shoe. This implies the shoes were left under the bed which many believe was bad luck anyway. During antiquity it was a common practice to bury dignitaries with their funeral footwear so as to protect their loved ones on the final journey to the “Here after”.

First Footing: Halloween to Hogmanay

2008-10-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

Although associated with Scottish tradition, Hogmanay (a three cornered biscuit) was celebrated on New Year's Eve, throughout the ancient Celtic world. In the Celtic calendar, New Year was held on the 1st November and in pre-Christian times; Samhain or the Feast of the Dead was an unreal time when one year turned into another. It was a twilight zone, where the spirits of the dead and those not yet born walked freely among the living. Samhain celebrated the time where dark (night) prevailed over the light (day) and Lugh (the Sun God) was thought by believers to be defeated by his dark side and become the Lord of Misrule. Good folk needed the comfort of their own kin and protection from the evil forces of the dark. Hogmanay was celebrated on three levels. It was a time of plenty with the harvest gathered and the live stock brought back from the hills. It was a time for kinship as the clan members came to the gathering and it was a time to honour their forebears as well as those who would follow them. Many of these customs survived into the Christian festival of Christmas. First footing was a European custom and the tradition demanded the first person to pass the threshold of the house in the New Year had to be sonsy (trustworthy), tall and dark. It was considered very unlucky to let a person of fair complexion (or buddy) cross the threshold as the first foot. Visitors brought with them food and drink. At first this might have been an oatmeal biscuit or bannock i.e. a three cornered bannock is called hogmanay, but later “first footers” carried with them a rich current cake called a black bun. The alcoholic drink was called a "wassail" or hot toddy. Sometimes a piece of coal for the fire was also carried. These gifts symbolised good luck and prosperity in the coming year for all in the house hold who would not want for heat and sustenance. These beliefs were so strong folk would not cross the threshold of their home until they had been first footed. In small communities residents would ensure all the houses were first footed after the sound of the New Year Bells. Urbanisation meant the custom became less ritualised but it is still present in rural areas.

Bridal shoe superstitions

2008-10-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Marriage superstitions are found in all cultures and association with feet, footwear and marital bliss has a long linage dating back millennium. Romans thought evil spirits gathered at doorways and to avoid contact, the new bride was always carried over the threshold. The same superstition can be found in Japanese culture when shoes are left outside the home. By the Middle Ages brides wore slippers or socks to her nuptial bed to prevent her bare feet from touching the floor and inviting misfortune. Bridal accents represented merriment, virginity and abundance and brides have carried age-old amulets to ward off the evil-eye. Later these came to include a chivalrous garter, an heirloom brooch of innocence, and a buckle (or bow) to fasten her shoes. An old greeting given to the bride and groom on the way to the church was "A happy foot!" and it was customary for the bride to ward off evil sprits by kissing fellow travelers and inviting them to join her on the road to the church. Refusal was taken as a bad omen and all were welcome except barefooted women, who were treated as witches and would bring only, bad luck. The exchange of shoes in many cultures plays a critical role in the ceremony of union. Married couples in the Inca culture signalled completion of ceremony with the exchanged of sandals. In Biblical times taking off a shoe demonstrated completion of a business contract. In Ruth 4:7, the kinsman of Boaz, “drew off his shoe," to indicate a land deal, described as "this was a testimony in Israel." Whether this was the origins of the custom where fathers’ of the bride gave the groom their daughter’s shoe to symbolise the exchange of chattels and the responsibility for the bride’s well being remains unknown. In medieval France, the custom was for the groom to sit with his shoe over his bride’s foot during the ceremony or alternatively, at the end of the ceremony for the groom to tap his bride’s head with her shoe to demonstrate he was master of the house. In other countries the bride’s wedding shoe was placed at the head of the bed on the husband’s side to symbolise his sexual possession of his bride and to encourage fertility. Today wedding shoes are frequently kept by the bride who may have its origins in these customs. For most cultures the connection between footwear, luck and marriage still continues with the miniature silver shoe on the wedding cake and the symbolic tying of a boot or shoe to the back of the vehicle in which the newly weds begin their honeymoon. The origins of the old English custom to throwing shoes at the bride and groom are obscure but may relate to the symbolic clash of the relatives. In many cultures women were abducted and the groom would steal his bride from her family which often ensued in a fight. Shoes may have been used as a weapon, today usually the only shoes thrown are paper confetti shapes. An old Northern Italian custom was to have everyone try on the bride’s shoe and in Hungary the groom drank a toast to his future bride from out of her wedding slipper. The bride’s red shoes in China were tossed from the roof to ensure their future happiness. In Finland the groom had to give his new mother in law a pair of shoes before he could join his bride. A Welsh variant was bride and groom were given a pair of shoes (usually clogs) cut from a single block of wood and joined together by a chain. Two little cavities contained a lump of sugar and a piece of coal to ensure the couple would never lack sustenance and warmth.

Kissing the feet was a common part of ceremony from antiquity and by the 16th century, in France, newly married couples stood outside the church naked, as the groom kissed the bride’s big toe of her left foot. The ceremony was complete only when each partner gave the other the sign of the cross first with their heels, then with their hands. A common variation was for the bride to kiss the groom's foot. An old English custom was for the male guests to rush the bride after the ceremony to remove her garter. In Europe if a new bride lost her footing on the way to her new home from the church this was considered a very bad omen. Whether it was this superstition or that so many brides were injured in this panic attack the custom evolved into throwing the garter to the groomsmen. In many countries the married couple were accompanied to the bridal suite by their families. Removal and exchange of stockings was an intimate affair and represented an intimate act of caring and commitment to each other. ‘Flinging the stocking' probably predates throwing the bride’s bouquet and took place after the wedding couple were escorted to the wedding chamber by their guests.Fortunately the shoes thrown today are paper confetti shapes. In antiquity shoes were frequently accessorised with horns, crescents and other representations of the moon. Throwing shoe shaped confetti may symbolise the propitiation of the moon and fertility.

The rhyme "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." is often slavishly followed but few people know the last line to the rhyme "and a lucky sixpence in her shoe." Although the origins of the rhyme are unknown it did appear for the first time in print during the 19th century and was ascribed to "some Lancashire friends". From the seventeenth century "something old" was thought to protect a baby. The something old could be the bride's garter, her slippers or a handkerchief but a pair of shoes belonging to someone special in the bride's life was also common. Grooms too were known to wear something old and in Biblical times old boots were given to worn at the ceremony. There are no citations for "something new" albeit brides would normally wear their best dress to the ceremony. From early Saxon days through to the 18th century the poor bride came to the wedding dressed in a plain white robe. The significance of which had little to do with virginity but instead was a public declaration that she brought nothing with her to the marriage and had no debt for her new husband to honor. It was widely accounted wearing something burrowed was lucky. The something borrowed varied to something golden or something stolen. A common belief was the bride would enjoy the same luck as the previous owner if the shoes of another happy bride were worn. This custom may well account why today the bride’s shoes are kept as keep sake. Wearing something blue was an expression of faithfulness and was cited in Chaucer's' Squire's Tale (1390). A long standing bridal superstition stated no harm could befall a bride wearing blue, so very often a bride selected either a blue garter or one coordinated with her bridal colours. The blue hue of choice was heaven's blue. Carrying a coin at the wedding symbolically come to represent future wealth for the bride but the origins of a ‘sixpence under the shoe’ probably relates to the ancient custom of "Jus Prima Noctis", where the king, lord, or priest of the parish could claim access to the bride on her first night of marriage. This was common to many cultures including the Scots. During the reign of Malcolm III (1058-93), Queen Margaret demanded and secured the abolition of the law and a mark of silver was substituted as the price of redemption of the girl's chastity. This is thought to be the purpose of the sixpence under her shoe. It was not until seven hundred years later however in 1774 that the lucky silver sixpence appeared in the official records when a Scottish groom used the sixpence in his shoe to ward off evil from his revival. From then on Scottish bridegrooms would protect themselves by placing a silver sixpence under their feet and stand on the latchet of their shoe laces. The latter would prevent them from tripping another reference to setting out on a journey. By 1814 brides commonly used the silver sixpence as talisman to ward off evil doings from disappointed suitors. In Canada, brides wore a 25 cent bill in their shoes and US brides from North Carolina carried a dollar bill in their shoes. In Sweden, the father of he bride placed a silver coin in the left shoe of the bride and the mother put a gold coin in the right shoe. This meant the bride would never lack luxuries. A common belief was the bride would enjoy the same luck as the previous owner if the shoes of another happy bride were worn. This custom may well account why today the bride’s shoes are kept as keep sake. Wearing something blue was an expression of faithfulness and was cited in Chaucer's' Squire's Tale (1390). A long standing bridal superstition stated no harm could befall a bride wearing blue, so very often a bride selected either a blue garter or one coordinated with her bridal colours. The blue hue of choice was heaven's blue. Carrying a coin at the wedding symbolically come to represent future wealth for the bride but the origins of a ‘sixpence under the shoe’ probably relates to the ancient custom of "Jus Prima Noctis", where the king, lord, or priest of the parish could claim access to the bride on her first night of marriage. This was common to many cultures including the Scots. During the reign of Malcolm III (1058-93), Queen Margaret demanded and secured the abolition of the law and a mark of silver was substituted as the price of redemption of the girl's chastity. This is thought to be the purpose of the sixpence under her shoe. It was not until seven hundred years later however in 1774 that the lucky silver sixpence appeared in the official records when a Scottish groom used the sixpence in his shoe to ward off evil from his revival. From then on Scottish bridegrooms would protect themselves by placing a silver sixpence under their feet and stand on the latchet of their shoe laces. The latter would prevent them from tripping another reference to setting out on a journey. By 1814 brides commonly used the silver sixpence as talisman to ward off evil doings from disappointed suitors. In Canada, brides wore a 25 cent bill in their shoes and US brides from North Carolina carried a dollar bill in their shoes. In Sweden, the father of he bride placed a silver coin in the left shoe of the bride and the mother put a gold coin in the right shoe. This meant the bride would never lack luxuries.

Scottish bridegrooms too had their superstitions and many wore their left shoe without buckle or lacing (latchets) to prevent witches from interfering with their male prowess on the night of nuptials. An alternative in the Isle of Sky was to tie their shoes together where as in other parts of the highlands the laces on the right shoe were loosened at the church door. No explanation can be found to explain these quaint customs.

A bridesmaid who trips on her way to the alter will remain a spinster and in Germany pregnant women wore their husband’s shoes. This was thought to her strength because the husband was stronger. Throwing shoe shaped confetti may symbolise the propitiation of the moon and fertility. In Lancashire married women wanting to conceive a child would try on the shoes of a woman who had just given birth. This custom may convey the implied reason for trying on shoes in Cinderella. The Prince was selecting an appropriate partner for procreation. When the laces of a lady’s shoe were undone then her lover was thinking about her. A bridesmaid who trips on her way to the alter will remain a spinster and in Germany pregnant women wore their husband’s shoes. This was thought to her strength because the husband was stronger.

In courtship as in marriage the desire for good luck and posterity was linked. A common belief was the bride would enjoy the same luck as the previous owner if the shoes of another happy bride were worn. This custom may well account why today the bride’s shoes are kept as keep sake. In Lancashire married women wanting to conceive a child would try on the shoes of a woman who had just given birth. This custom may convey the implied reason for trying on shoes in Cinderella. The Prince was selecting an appropriate partner for procreation. When the laces of a lady’s shoe were undone then her lover was thinking about her.

Interesting Site
Wedding Shoes

The Love Shoe

2008-10-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Women in ancient societies rarely wore shoes/sandals when they did it was the prerogative of the wealthy classes. In Roman Society the female foot became a symbol of chastity and female shoes were feverishly worshiped by their lovers. According to Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso 43 BC - 18 AD) in his Ars Amandi, the female patrician of Rome confined their feet to tiny shoes in order to encourage amorous attention. Empower Lucius Vitellius (15 - 69 AD) was noted on campaigns for keeping a shoe of his mistress under his tunic which he kissed it frequently. In China by the 11th century and Spain during the Middle Ages, the foot became a metaphor for female genitalia and was ceremoniously worshiped as the Lotus foot in oriental society and in occidental Spain, “Beso los pies” (I kiss your feet) became a polite phrase and mark of deep respect which was often used to end a letter. To this day, young señoritas throw their shoes at matadors to win their affection. In folklore picking the right marriage partner for the carried with it many foot and shoe superstitions. Spinsters in Norfolk (UK) wore a clover leaf and these lucky shoes would ensure the young maiden would marry the first single man she met. Hearing the first cuckoo of Spring was often met by girls removing their left shoe in the hope of finding a hair which would be the colour of the person they were destined to marry. When a young woman saw a dove under the light of a new moon, she would recite

“ Bright moon, clear moon, Bright and fair,
Lift up your right foot, They’ll be a hair.”

When she removed her shoe she found a hair the same colour as her future husband. Nineteenth century girls had several rituals they could follow if they wanted to dream of their future lover. Walking backwards towards a pear tree before circling it nine times was thought to give them sweet dreams. Another was to place shoes, one across the other in the form of a "t" and lay them by their bed. Then recite the rhyme.

“I hope tonight my true love to see,
So I put my shoes in the form of a 'T'"

A variation of this was to place the heel of one shoe against instep of the other. To make this particular spell work, the girl had to stay silent for the duration of the night. There is an old recitation with instruction how the maiden can dream of her future husband.

"Point your shoes toward the street; tie your garters around your feet,
Put your stockings under your head, and you'll dream of the one
you're going to wed."
Other marriage divinations required a birthday girl to stand with the back to the door and throw her shoe over her head. The shoe was left overnight unseen then in the morning if the toe pointed to the door this predicted a marriage would take place before the end of the year.

Stepping Out: Foot and shoe superstitions

2008-10-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

Traveling in the Middle Ages carried with it many pearls and much store was placed on rituals to protect the vulnerable. An old Scottish tradition was to throw a shoe over the house before embaring on a journey. Wherever the toe pointed when the shoe landed determined the direction the journey would start. The custom’s serendipitous nature might have had a practical use by simply preventing pre-planned ambush as murderous robbery was common. When a shoe landed, sole uppermost this was thought to be a bad omen and alternative plans were made. A belief in the Middle Ages was the smell of human’s deterred evil workings. People rarely washed and smell of human odor was ever present on clothing and shoes. The practice of leaving an old shoe outside the front door of a dwelling before setting out on a journey was common place. A remnant of this custom is seen today in garden ornaments shaped as old boots, often used as flower pots. Throwing shoes after someone setting out on a journey was thought to bring good luck and reference to this superstition appears in the literature of the 17th century onwards.

"For this thou shalt from all things seek,
Marrow of mirth and laughter,
And wheresoe'er thou move, good luck,
Shall throw her old shoe after."
Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809 - 1892)

The modern custom of tying old shoes to the bridal carriage or car may be a variation upon this good luck custom although in Transylvania the gesture was thought to increase fertility. The intention was to prepare the couple for a fulfilling life together with procreation being a very important part of the union. In Latin, ‘conficere’ means to prepare which is a source of the word confetti. In Medievil Italy the custom was to throw sweetmeats (candy) at carnivals but by the 19th century the custom was freely practised in England at weddings and special occasions. Sweets were replaced by paper shapes in symbolic form and colour and shoes were included.

Once started on a journey the first person a traveler met was called the ‘first fit.’ The first fit was treated as an omen of good or bad luck. Suspicious travelers were always wary of morning travel and Monday in particular was considered a bad travel day. When the first fit was a red haired barefooted women then disaster was sure to follow. Flat footed (or splay footed) people were especially bad luck and in Scotland they were called “ill Fits“ or jinxes. Travelers tried to undo impending malice by performing rituals such as drawing blood from the first fit’s forehead which was done in the form of a cross. The alternative was to return home, cross the threshold with the right foot, eat and drink then set out again. The fear of flat feet was in part reinforced by a misinterpretation on the Scriptures. In Genesis 1:27, man was described as being created in the divine image of God, early Judo-Christian artists interpreted this as all men should be God like, and used idealized and stereotypical forms to depict the body beautiful which are still see today. The clichéd Christian foot was well formed with high arch and straight toes but the flat foot, or non Christian foot represent all that was evil, and a painful flat foot confirmed to the faithful the presence of God’s wrath. During the infamous European witch hunts (circa 1450 -1700) tens of thousands of people were executed on the merest of evidence. At trial, confessions by torture were accepted as proof of guilt as was other proofs. In 1622, Peter Binsfield published Commentarius de Maleficius (Comments on Witchcraft) which became an authoritative reference on demonic signs which included physical disfigurement. Asymptomatic flat feet were viewed with particular suspicion. Following the executions and when the initial hysteria had died away, many authorities, fearing a peasant revolt based on remorse, searched the bodies post mortem for demonic signs and the morbid collapse of the foot arch confirmed the presence of evil.

Many travelers carried talisman for luck and to ward off evil spirits. One quaint custom was to put a fern leaf in the shoes. Ferns had particular significance to early Christians because both the stem and root of the fern are marked with a ‘C.’ However the special powers of the fern predate Christianity and a pagan belief was fern bloom accidentally dropped on the shoes of a traveller would give them individual knowledge of the speech of animals, birds, trees and bees. In the Northern Hemisphere, ferns blossomed deep in the forest around the Summer Solstice (June 22nd) but only the mature plants gave off golden seed and these were quite difficult to find. Woodman and those more familiar with a very hostile environment were more likely to find the plants so when a layperson happen upon it by chance this was considered a very special event which might only occur only once in a lifetime. When the shoes were removed the magical powers disappeared but if a fern was in the shoe this protected the owner from witches and forest goblins. Other variations was to sprinkle salt or in the Southern States of the US, small red pepper pods in the shape of a cross were placed in the left shoe or boot for good luck, some authorities insisted before these spells could work the footwear had to be incinerated. Superstitions involving salt dates back to biblical times. It was a highly prized commodity and its presence was thought to keep the devil at bay.

In Mediterranean culture during antiquity walking with one shoe/sandal on and the other off had significant meaning. Men on a quest which involved hazardous enterprises started their journey with the right foot shod and the left, bare and this sartorial code came to represented ‘death or glory’ in Greek Mythology. Persues slew the Gorgon wearing only one shoe and downfall of King Pelias was foretold by the presence of a man with one sandal (Jason). Not all cultures share the same beliefs and in North America walking with one boot only was thought to bring as many bad days as steps taken. Waking from sleep with one shoe on and the other off was a divination thought to bring bad luck for a year. Certainly the circumstances with which we might find ourselves waking with one shoe on and the other off might be when we are bent on a task too focused to notice hazardous elements, like unseen furniture. The resultant knock could easily be explained as bad luck. A fashion in the Middle Ages was for male courtiers to wear different coloured tights and corresponding shoes with the common belief wearing unmatched shoes were was a sign of good luck.

Best foot forward

2008-10-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

“By the left, quick march”, may seem innocuous enough, but to the ancients it sent a clear message to the enemy, no quarter would be given. Throughout recorded history the left side was associated with ill fortune. In Hebrew, Samael, was the Prince of Demons and 'se'mol' means left side. The word Satan (Hebrew for adversary) has no connection with the left but by the Middle Ages, Christians merged Satan and Samael and the left side took on a dark meaning. Sinister originally referred to a pocket in a toga which was on the left hand side but from this time sinister and the dark side became synonymous in common terminology. Sorcery rituals used the left hand for evil and the right for good and during the infamous witch trials the mark of the devil was considered to be found on the left eyelid, shoulder or inner thigh. A common belief was witches caused injury by the touch of the left hand. In Ancient Egypt it was the custom to enter a haunted house with the left foot first. Augustus Caesar, (63 B.C. - 14 C.E.) took care to ensure the right foot only crossed the threshold first when people entered his presence. The custom prevailed through the reign of Emperor Nero (54-68 A.D.) when Gaius Petronius (27-66 A.D.), the judge of elegance (arbiter elegantiae) had servants trained to ensure only the right foot crossed the threshold when entering and leaving the Royal presence. Today whilst the origins may well be lost the footman forms part of the official Royal household.

Feet and shoes: luck ceremonies

2008-10-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

Luck ceremonies are found in every culture and frequently associated with setting out on a journey or new venture. Our forebears had felt serious reservation and much apprehension as to the misfortunes which awaited them when setting out on a journey.
To avert this eventuality many strange customs have been documented. The phrase “putting your foot in it" or "now you have put your foot into it" came from the Greeks and originally meant luck and not misfortune, as it does today. To the superstitious even the simplest happenings had significance so getting dressed in the morning was full of customs designed to appease the Gods and not raise their wrath. Pythagoras (569 - 475 BCE) wrote:

"When stretching forth your feet to have your sandals put on, first extend your right foot".

He insisted all his followers do this for a day of good fortune. In the play, Theaetetus written by Plato in 360 B.C.E., reference is also made to putting the shoe on the wrong foot which would add weight to the believe the ancients held feet as charged with supernatural powers. Why preference was given to the right foot is unclear but the left foot was considered a bad omen. The Syrian philosopher, Iamblichus (250-325 AD), thought the choice of leading foot was a deliberate act of reverence by the faithful. In Jewish custom, the right side was considered the fortunate side and the right shoe was put on first for this reason. Often ornate customs were practiced including putting the right foot into the shoe without tying it, then pulling on the left sock. The left shoe went on and the right shoe came off. The right sock was put on before the right shoe, and then the shoes were tied. No rational explanation has ever been given to explain this custom but the right foot contact would establish a good start. Although right and left shoes did not appear until the 19th century, the Romans considered putting the right foot in a left sandal to be a bad omen. There may have been a simpler explanation as “breaking-in” shoes does entail some discomfort. This uninvited misfortune might foretell a tragedy or at least a disastrous day ahead. Over a millennium and half later the 17th century poet and satirist Samuel Butler (1612-1680) inferred to the untimely demise of Augustus Caesar in his epic poem Hudibras, by reference to putting the wrong shoes in the morning.

"Augustus having by oversight
Put on his left shoe for his right
Had like to have been slain that day
By soldiers mutinying for pay."

Certainly the foot-shoe metaphor would be familiar to the readers of the 17th century. Two hundred years later Lewis Carroll’s refers to the same metaphor in, “Alice through the looking glass. “ The White Knight laments in song about things that remind him of an old man:

"Or madly squeeze a right-hand foot into a left-hand shoe.
Or if I drop upon my toe a very heavy weight.”

The poem was a clever parody on Wordsworth’s ‘Resolution and Independence’ and
may refer to unpleasantness which detracts from an otherwise perfect day.

Primitive people lived in fear of demonic possession and evil spirits were thought to enter the body through the extremities and unprotected orifices. Clothing like collars, cuffs and leggings all took on important symbolic meaning and protecting the feet was also considered important. Through the centuries the right shoe was thought to be fitted first and removed before the left, otherwise bad luck or a quarrel would ensue. There was an exception to this and that was when it was unintentionally done on a Friday morning. Why remains unclear. Today putting shoes on the wrong feet is thought to foretell an accident to the feet.

Footprints and lucklines

2008-10-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

From prime evil society footprints have had occult association. Early cave paintings and sculptured stones depict footprint iconography surrounded by meandering or serpentine lines. These are thought to represent "luck lines" to secure magical protection for individuals setting out on a journey. In Paleolithic cave paintings, crude footprints were drawn near images of fish and wounded bison thought to bring luck to the tribes’ hunters. Similar imagery was found in the contemporary art of indigenous Australians. In the US, the squaws of the Zuni Indian tribe, kept safe the earth from their significant partner’s footprints to protect them from harm and reduce the males’ sexual ardor. Ceremonial harming of footprints was thought to bring harm to the owner.