Almost any event goes along with alcoholic drinks, be it a wedding, anniversary, birthday or just a feast. And since there are a great many signs among the people: those associated with the road, and with mirrors, and with animals, there were signs for alcohol. Moreover, there are a lot of superstitions associated with alcoholic beverages.
Who will explain where these or those superstitions and signs came from? Some have come down to us from our grandparents, and have very worthy explanations. Others appeared relatively recently, and it is unknown who and when invented them. After all, many are so strange and defy any explanation. But people, as a rule, try to comply with both, because “what the hell is it,” it’s better to be safe.
Popular alcohol signs
The most popular signs that everyone, including our ancestors, know about are signs about empty bottles, unfinished drinks, a light and heavy hand. Here are some of them:
- Empty bottles should not be left on the table. This applies not only to alcohol bottles, but also to juice and beverage bottles. This sign promises lack of money, loneliness for unmarried girls, and someone says that this is for the dead. Where to put empty bottles? People don’t get confused and hide empty containers under the table.
- If one person pours, then he must pour until the end of the feast. Many people know that “changing hands” is a bad omen, which means that the hops will not take root, you will feel bad after drinking, or, conversely, no effect of the hops. We often hear the same thing about a “light” hand, when alcohol is drunk easily. And, oddly enough, sometimes alcohol brings nothing but poor health, and it happens that even after a lot of fun, your head doesn’t hurt in the morning.
- "Fight fire with fire". This sign applies not only to alcohol, but in relation to alcohol it means one thing: in the morning you need to “improve” your health with the same thing that you drank the day before, that is, alcohol. It is unknown where this sign came from. Only one thing is clear: following this superstition really helps to “improve” your health.
- It is a good sign if a midge gets into a glass of alcohol - this will add money. To prevent money from leaking away, you should definitely drink the contents, and the midge can be carefully caught from the very beginning.
- The sign, adding the remaining alcohol back into the bottle so that the husband will drink it, appeared a very long time ago and is still valid to this day. From the point of view of hygiene and aesthetics, this is a very true sign that must be observed.
- You can't clink glasses at a wake. This is quite understandable, because a wake is a grief, and clinking glasses is a triumph. Therefore, clinking glasses in this case is extremely inappropriate. But clinking glasses came to us from ancient times, when everyone clinked glasses so that the drinks would mix, showing the absence of poison in them.
- You cannot drink from plastic cups - it is considered a symbol of poverty and decline. Accordingly, this leads to lack of money.
- “No matter how much alcohol you buy, you still have to run twice.” Everyone knows this saying. And, probably, this is really more of a saying than a sign. After all, as a rule, there is always little alcohol. The saying does not apply to a box in a “burial pit” with alcohol.
Is it possible to neutralize the negative impact of bad omens?
According to popular wisdom, a spilled alcoholic drink is a warning to a person, and not at all the cause of future misfortunes. Therefore, people who accidentally splashed wine on themselves just need to think about their words and actions in order to prevent possible problems.
If you absolutely want to perform some kind of magical ritual to prevent possible misfortunes, then you can, following the example of the superstitious Italians, simply dip your finger in wine and pass it behind your ear.
Thus, according to Italian folk beliefs, a person not only drives away evil forces, but also attracts good luck and happiness.
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Ancient alcohol signs
There are also a number of alcoholic signs that defy logical explanation.
- After the first glass, you can’t have a snack. Everyone knows this sign, but no one can explain it. Just like what would be bad if you had a snack? However, having a snack, we maintain our good health and protect ourselves from early intoxication.
- The popular superstition that one does not drink by weight is also known to everyone. However, it is impossible to explain it either. Maybe it should only be poured on a flat surface to avoid spilling the precious liquid?
- Under no circumstances should you pour drinks through your hand. And how can you explain it, if in all restaurants waiters and bartenders pour this way, demonstrating their art.
- Mandatory toast. This was apparently done so that there was some kind of motive to drink.
- Recently, a sign “for love” has appeared for men to drink standing up and to the bottom.
In any case, no matter how tempting the signs may sound, it is still not recommended to overdo it with alcohol, just as it is not recommended to take all superstitions and customs seriously.
Wine must be poured clockwise
Wine at the table is poured only clockwise. If you fill the glasses counterclockwise, the drink will not have a good taste, and the feast itself will be disappointing.
This sign originates from the rule of rotating a wine glass. Much of the pleasure of drinking wine comes from its aroma. In order for the aroma to appear, it is customary to swirl the glass itself. This leads to the formation of bubbles, which, when bursting, make the wine tasty. At this moment, the substances that are responsible for the taste of the drink evaporate and collect on the surface of the liquid.
It does not take a long time to rotate the glass, 5 seconds is enough, and the glass can stand for a while for better flavor development. Old wines require a more careful and subtle approach - they do not necessarily need to be rotated. Rotating the glass causes the alcohol to evaporate and the aroma of the wine to reveal itself brighter.
There is an opinion that when spinning counterclockwise, notes of oak in the drink are revealed. These notes can overpower the taste of the grapes themselves. However, when rotated clockwise, the wine develops fruity flavors. Experts even conducted tests with different brands of the drink.
Bottle as a symbol
A full cup or bottle symbolizes prosperity, happiness and well-being of the family and the entire home. Therefore, our ancestors tried to zealously monitor this - remove empty containers in a timely manner or fill them immediately after emptying to the brim.
Our ancestors believed that empty containers attract unrepentant and embittered souls of the dead, that this is an ideal habitat for all evil spirits. Among the Slavs, the position of belief was clearly preserved that an empty vessel on the table brings numerous troubles and a long, poor life in poverty to the whole family, so they tried to remove the container from the table in a timely manner.
According to the rules of etiquette in a secular society, empty containers mean a banal reluctance to see guests at your table. Therefore, understanding guests had to finish the meal as quickly as possible and leave the inhospitable house. The sight of a large amount of empty containers on the table does not in any way lift the mood and is not conducive to intimate, warm conversations.
The last drop of alcohol will bring good luck
When pouring wine into glasses, the lucky one will be the one who gets the last drops. Perhaps this sign is due to the fact that the sweetest sediment remained at the bottom of the bottle, which after the bottle stood for a long time was filled with aroma. And the one who received it could feel the real taste of the drink being poured.
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Another version leads to the old Russian proverb “the leftovers are sweet.” The expression most likely appeared at a time when there was not enough food for everyone. Therefore, the person who finished the last piece received maximum pleasure from the taste, realizing that there was no more food or drink left.
Interpretation by days of the week
Interpreters of superstitions make a distinction based on the days of the week:
- If you break dishes on Monday, it promises good news. There is an opportunity to receive a position or a cash bonus.
- An event that happened on Tuesday will lead to a romantic date. This meeting can become fateful and end in marriage.
- On Wednesday you need to be ready for new projects, partnership deals and emergency work.
- Thursday will turn the negativity from an unpleasant incident into the arrival of relatives. A noisy and cheerful feast will eliminate negative feelings.
- A broken cup or plate on Friday means a meeting with school friends or colleagues.
- Breaking dishes on Saturday will call you on a long journey, even if no one was planning to go on it before. The thought of relaxing in the forest or on the shore of a lake will appear completely spontaneously.
- On a day off, on the eve of the work week, a glass falling from one’s hands will not ruin anyone’s mood, because it will break “for good luck” or good luck.
Wine that is not poured completely is a bad sign.
This sign can be associated with any drink, not just wine. By pouring an incomplete cup, the hosts seem to want to tell the guest to leave quickly: it is easier to finish a half-empty glass than a full one. However, it can also mean that there is too little wine and there won't be enough for everyone. This situation may indicate either the stinginess of the owners or the lack of money in the house.
At the same time, in Japanese culture, a half-filled cup signifies hospitality and respect. This means that the hosts are ready to pour a fresh drink for the guest; this is only a joy for them; for a good person they don’t mind anything.
The dishes break on their own
This is not to say that spontaneous breaking of dishes happens too often. However, such events occur from time to time. Popular beliefs give this phenomenon the following assessment:
- A cracked plate found in a stack of undamaged dishes is a sign that relations between family members are rather strained. Household members are each busy with their own business and delve little into the affairs and problems of the rest of the family unit.
- Chips and sharp nicks that appear on tea cups warn that the financial situation in the house is unsatisfactory. And this is not about hoarding. The head of the family should change jobs or find additional income to improve the situation.
- A saucer that breaks on its own reminds you that you need to pay attention to your health. It is as fragile and needs to be treated with care, just like glass.
Experts in the Chinese teachings of Feng Shui believe that if dishes break for no apparent reason, then a large amount of negative energy is concentrated in the house. Orthodox esotericists view this problem differently. In their opinion, this means the intrigues of a brownie who is dissatisfied with the life.
What else can you douse yourself with and what do the signs say about it?
Milk
Dousing yourself with milk is a bad omen. But, if this happened at the moment when you were standing on the threshold of the house, then the rest of the day will be very successful for you. Spilling milk in bed is good luck.
Tea
Dousing yourself with tea means unexpected news or a visit. If the tea was sweet, then the surprise will be pleasant. If it’s very hot, it will cause you a lot of trouble. Did tea leave indelible stains? Intractable difficulties will arise in a matter that is important to you.
Wine
Dousing yourself with wine is a sign of ruined clothes once and for all. But our ancestors also believed that this could lead to trouble in real life. If the wine was red, then you will have health problems, most likely with the circulatory system or heart. If white, expect dirty tricks from envious people.
Oil
Dousing yourself in oil is a bad omen. Perhaps the roots of this lie in Bulgakov’s immortal novel, where Annushka, with her spilled oil, set off a whole series of unfortunate events. Or maybe it’s the price and value of the oil - not everyone in the old days could afford to spill this product and not regret it. Finally, removing an oil stain from clothing is an almost impossible task. This means that such an incident will result in at least one nuisance - a ruined outfit. If the oil, even worse, was hot, then the burn from it will be much more significant than from hot water.
If glasses constantly break in the house
Dishes breaking regularly in the house can mean several things:
- A lot of negative energy has accumulated in the house and it’s time to put it somewhere. There is no need to go to grandmothers or start practicing Ayurveda in an attempt to correct the situation. It’s enough to think about what’s going wrong in the family, talk, and improve relationships.
- There really was some negativity, but the broken glasses took the toll on themselves. This is what the Moroccans think: “Everything that was broken took away misfortune from the house.”
If household members are used to sorting things out by breaking dishes, then there is no one to blame here. People create the gloomy atmosphere in their homes themselves. And the more glasses lay down their glass heads on this battlefield, the more negativity accumulates.
Why do dishes often break?
Life is full of surprises. It happens that in a prosperous family, things that are inexplicable from a logical point of view begin to happen. For example, dishes break or split in half every now and then.
Esotericists see this as a large accumulation of negativity. This can either occur from misunderstanding between family members, or be a consequence of outside influence. A house where everyone is kind to each other sometimes causes hatred among ill-wishers.
Someone else's wealth can also become a source of envy. It is quite possible that before the breaking of table utensils became more frequent, a person overwhelmed by unkind thoughts visited the apartment.
Another explanation for what is happening is the resentment of the so-called brownie. To appease this touchy and vindictive creature, you need to leave him a saucer of milk or sweets overnight. The keeper of the hearth and hearth, appeased in this way, will stop playing pranks, and life will return to normal.
Signs and beliefs about wine.
Many folk superstitions about wine are associated with weddings. For example, it is believed that newlyweds should not have a drop of this drink left in their glasses - the wine remaining in the glasses symbolizes the tears that may be shed in their future life together.
In a Chinese wedding ceremony, the bride and groom drink wine from large royal goblets linked together. In this case, the red color of the wine symbolizes joy and love in the future.
There is an interesting ancient Slavic belief. On every birthday, three evil spirits come to a person and try to send curses and need to the birthday person. To prevent them from doing this, they are distracted by a bottle of red wine placed on the festive table.
Russian people also have a belief that if you finish drinking wine from another person’s glass, you take on his past sins.
