LUCKY PENNY
The lucky "Penny Piece" - Peighinn pisich - a lucky penny or coin, to be carried at all times on the person. Turned in the pocket or sporran 3 times at first sight of the new moon. to bring money or financial good luck.
GOOD BUTTER
To ensure good butter for the household.(from Orkney) – A housewife should go to the sea-shore with a pail. Count nine waves and on the ninth wave coming in, scoop up 3 gowpens of seawater, presumably from the crest, and put into the pail, take home and put in the churn with the milk
GOOD FISHING
To ensure favourable winds fishermen would walk 3 times deiseil (sun-wise) round a monolith on the headlands called Granny Gourock praying for good weather.
NAN GALL – THE STRANGER
It was believed bad luck for a stranger to step across ropes, oars or gear on the beach when a boat was put to sea. The Stranger would need to be prevailed upon to retrace the steps over the gear to undo his Bad Luck put upon the gear and the intended sailing.
It was also bad luck for a Stranger to count a man's sheep or cattle, or his children. If it was necessary to say how many children a family had, it was also necessary to say "Bless Them" when replying, to avert the bad luck.
FOOD AND DRINK
In some areas it was believed to bring bad luck to a company when drinking their health or serving food or drink unless it be done deiseil (sun-wise) around the table.
TRAVELING
Also any journey in a boat to a marriage or funeral had to be first traveled deiseil.
PEOPLE
In Shetland it was unlucky to save a drowning man or to throw water out of the house after sunset or before sunrise.
To open a grave on a Sunday meant another would be dug within a week for another family member. If a corpse did not stiffen after death, it meant another death in that family before that year end.
When a child first walked it must first go upstairs not down, or it would not thrive in the world. If there were no stairs to climb, the child must climb up a chair.
To see a new moon through the window was said to bring very bad luck.
Donald Fraser.
