Fun Friday – Superstitions and Another Contest!

It’s Friday the 13th, so what better Fun Friday discussion than superstitions! Growing up in a Latin household we had a bunch of them and I’ll share just a few that seem to remain with me.

First – No hats on the bed! It’s a symbol of death since the doctor who visited your loved one when they were ill would place their hat on the bed.

Second – No shoes on the bed! Another symbol of death since shoes were placed on the bed when they were preparing your loved one for burial.

Third – Never measure yourself from head to toe with a measuring tape! You guessed it, death again. Why? That’s what the undertaker does to prepare your casket.

What about vampires and the superstitions around them? Well, here’s one poor woman who was buried with a brick in her mouth for fear she was a vampire. Check out this link provided by my dear friend and fellow author Irene Peterson!
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12424584&ch=4226726&src=news

You may know some of the more popular vampire superstitions, such as that they can’t come in uninvited, can’t eat garlic, don’t like the cross, have no reflection in a mirror and can’t come out in the sunlight.

Here are some other fun ones you may not know!

  • Spread thorns or poppy seeds in the path leaving the graveyard. The vamp must pick them up and it will take so long, they will not be able to do so before the sun rises. (Courtesy http://www.angelfire.com/mi/bunaziua/vampires.html)
  • Iron shavings, nails or other iron objects could be placed around someone needing protection from a vampire. (Courtesy http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/vampire.html)
  • Vampires cannot cross running water.
  • In Europe, sprinkling mustard seeds on the roof of a house was said to keep them away. (Courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire)

The Kiang-shi (or chiang-shi) vampired depicted in FURY CALLS, has its own rules and superstitions. The Kiang-shi are actually reanimated corpses who hop around draining people of their life energy. They were particularly vicious and had strong sexual drives. Kiang-shi were created after a particularly violent death, an improper burial or dishonor at birth. You’ll see that I’ve included some of these superstitions in the book.

Amazingly, Kiang-shi also have problems with crossing running water, but they traditionally did not drink blood. This is a trait that was added later with the influence of European vampires.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Fun Friday superstitions!

Finally for those who loyally follow the blog, here’s an additional opportunity to win a prize – a copy of a SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt and a copy of DESIRE CALLS. Just visit my pals at the Five Scribes blog and leave a comment today before midnight EST. Just click here to visit my guest blog there (after 8am EST) or paste this link into your browser: http://fivescribes.blogspot.com/

Also, don’t forget this week’s b’day bash as your chances of leaving a comment to win a prize end at midnight EST tonight! Just visit any of the blogs listed below this week and leave a comment and you’ll be eligible to win a prize from me! At Barbara Vey’s blog, there are tons of other prizes as well!

I’ll be visiting all of these blogs and if you’ve left a comment at any of them, you’ll also be eligible to win a $25 Godiva gift card! The more times I see your name at the different blogs, the more your chances improve to win the gift card. So take a moment and stop by one or all to improve your chances of winning a prize.

The contest ends on Friday, March 13th at midnight EST, so be sure to get your comments in there on time!

Barbara Vey’s Beyond Her Book Blog for lots of fun and giveaways!
http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/1240041524.html

Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=1602

Harlequin Paranormal Romance blog: http://paranormalromanceblog.wordpress.com/

Liberty States Fiction Writers (leave a comment on any of the blog posts): http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/blog-read-around-the-world/

Long and Short Reviews: http://longandshortarchives.blogspot.com/search/label/Caridad%20Pineiro

4 Replies to “Fun Friday – Superstitions and Another Contest!”

  1. Fascinating, Caridad! I’ll have to add them to the other death superstitions I know—such as you don’t place your bed to where your feet are facing the door because that’s the way dead bodies were placed at a wake. Also when someone dies, you cover the mirrors in your house —I think so that the soul can’t come back. At last that’s the way it used to be here in south Louisiana.
    😯
    Julie

  2. I never heard the one about the poppy or mustard seeds… that is interesting! Happy Friday the 13th! 😀

  3. Superstitions! You got to know they are cool. Vamp ones are intriguing. My mom, who always looked through rose glasses didn’t teach us the scary ones– only the fun ones like, find a penny pick it up; make a wish on the first star, etc.

    Great topic for Friday the 13th, which by the way to me is a wonderful day!

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