Wedding and Love Superstition

For a girl to meet her sweetheart or to kiss him for the first time under the light of a new moon is considered to be exceptionally lucky, for it means that she will soon become his bride, that their marriage will be blessed with undying love, and that neither of them will know the pinch of poverty. It is also a good omen if, when thinking of her lover, a maiden should hear a cock crow, for it forebodes an early wedding. The same is indicated if, when she is in love, she should fall upstairs.

If it, is possible, the meeting-place of lovers should be upon a hillside, especially where there is heather, near a stream or river, on the seashore, or in the heart of a wood, for then, it is said, neither will deceive the other but will for ever remain constant. Poplar trees, however, should always be avoided.

When writing a letter to a sweetheart it is lucky to complete it just as the clock strikes the hour of midnight, and to post the missive while the full moon is shedding its soft light over the housetops. When you are walking with the one you love, it is said to be particularly fortunate if you meet either a black cat or a white home or pony.

The best time for an offer of marriage to be made is on a Friday evening, and the engagement should be announced on the Saturday. Blue is notably the best colour for lovers, and the turquoise is their lucky stone. At one time a broken sixpence, of which the man and the girl each kept a piece, was said to ensure that they would never part; and the possession of a lock of the other's hair, tied to form a lovers' knot, was also an assurance of lasting affection.

The superstition has arisen that betrothed persons should not be photographed together, else they will soon be doomed to part, or their marriage will be an unhappy one. Quarrels and inconstancy are near at hand if sweethearts should look together through glass at the new moon. It is unlucky for the banks of canals or ponds, for bridges, valleys or, worst of all, cross-roads to be used as trysting-places, for in such circumstances love and respect are liable to turn to hate and bitter scorn.

Those who wish their love affairs to run smoothly should avoid meeting each other on the stairs, and should on no account kiss or embrace there. Discord is predicted, too, if sweethearts write love letters in ink of any colour other than blue, or in pencil. Should kisses, in the form of crosses, be made at the end of the letter, their number should not be four, seven, or thirteen; three is the luckiest number, and this modest amount is just as sure a sign of love and affection as the swarm of crosses that some people seem to find necessary.

It is unlucky for love letters to be posted either on Christmas Day or on February 29, which occurs once in four years. Great care should be taken not to drop a letter to your sweetheart when you are taking it to the post, for, if you do, the next time you meet you will quarrel. Remember that it is unlucky to receive a pair of gloves as a gift from your lover, for it means a parting; the same applies to a brooch or a knife, but it is said that the ill luck may be warded off if a small coin is given in exchange.

It is very unlucky for a girl to try on her wedding-ring before the ceremony, for it often results in a sudden termination of the engagement or in an unhappy marriage. To lose an engagement ring or wedding-ring is just as ominous, foretelling a break.

The following is the language of rings, and applies both to a man and a woman.
Ring on the first finger of the left hand means I want to be married.
Ring on the second finger of the left hand means I prefer platonic friendship.
Ring on the third finger of the left hand means I am engaged or married.
Ring on the fourth, or little finger of the left hand means I never intend to marry.