Need Superstitions for a Character

In Germany, the direction a black cat crosses your path determines whether it's good or bad luck. Left to right is good, right to left is bad.

A ladybird or butterfly landing on you is said to be good luck, as is finding a penny and picking it up, especially if you find it face up.

For bad luck, stepping over cracks between paving slaps or in pavement is one.

Some Japanese superstitions:
-Wearing a kimono left side over right signifies death and is seen as a bad omen
-While grieving, you're not allowed to enter a Shinto shrine or exchange happy new year greetings
-Sticking your chopsticks in rice is reserved for offerings to family shrines and is horrifying in other circumstances.
-Like in China, 4 is unlucky (this is because it can be read as 'shi' which is the pronunciation of the kanji for death)
-One must hide their thumbs in their fists when a hearse passes by.

In rural Ireland, to be out at night around this time of year ran the risk of running into Dullahan, a particularly nasty grim reaper figure, and in some stories, however gold drove him away.

ETA: If you see a horse beside the river, don't mount it, as it might be a kelpie in disguise.

 

Would it be an offensive joke to have cats having a superstition about black people crossing their path?

 

Never walk on railways. If you’re in a vehicle, lift your feet from the ground when crossing. Bad luck will come your way if you don’t. Don’t know the history behind it.


Put a horseshoe on the wall above the door to bring luck to the household. Just be sure to put it with the “opening” up, like an U or the luck will pour out.

The rest is older folklore and maybe not especially useful today.

In older times it was very bad to step on the threshold, it meant someone would die within a year.

When walking through woods in older days, bring an iron cross to fend off trolls and other creatures.

Put out some food for “tomten” (can’t find the translated word, but it’s a little man that dwells on a farm and helps out (if you’re kind to it).

And my personal favourite (though pretty specific): Tell the goats “happy new year” on Christmas Day to fool the devil. Goats are evil creatures.

 

There's all sorts of superstitions...

One tool could be of fortune telling through a municipal fortune teller.





Also, Gypsy fortune telling seems to be one method, having your character visit a fortune teller for a more personal superstitious experience.

Characters could have be told of good fortune or warned by any form of fortune teller be it a device or a mystical person.



From Tarot Cards to Crystal Ball to Tea Leafs; people are told their fortunes.

A superstitious character trait could also be consulting a fortune teller/psychic.



or on Sister, Sister, the character Lisa had a near death experience almost drowning in a bowl of soup in a restaurant and this character's near death experience had them on edge/being superstitious and even dialing a premium hotline psychic for clairvoyance.

 

My 94 year old grandmother, her parents, that generation, would cover all the mirrors in the house whenever there was a thunder storm, but my 94 year old grandmother says it's a silly old superstition of theirs and knows better than to do that herself - but that's what her parents used to do.

 

I just found it on google.
http://www.heightwise.com/superstitions-around-lightning/

 

Yeah that's a good one! I also heard you throw the salt over your left shoulder because the devil sits on your left shoulder and the angel on your right - you throw it into the devil's eyes because they made you spill the salt.

 

In Portugal people don't like for example if you sit on the corners of the table, many believe is bad luck, others simply say you will never get married. Another superstition Portuguese also believe is if you open your umbrella inside of your house you are bringing bad luck.