There are many superstitions that originate in Germany. This article lists ten of the most popular.

In some parts of Germany, to see an old woman is extremely unlucky as old women were historically thought to be evil and treated with suspicion in case they were witches. To this day, it is said that it is extremely unlucky to walk between two old women, as bad luck will come at you from all sides. Also, it is thought unlucky to meet an old woman early in the day. If one is greeted by a old woman in the morning, then the response “The same to you!” is said to protect against misfortune.

For the first six weeks after a woman gives birth, someone should come to watch the baby before the mother sleeps. This is said to guard against the baby being taken and replaced with a changeling. Such an end may also be avoided by laying a pair of men’s pants over the cradle.

Bread and Salt offered as a house warming present means that the occupants will never go hungry.

Polterbend, which means “evening with lots of racket” is the night on which, during a German wedding, guests bring old dishes to throw and break at the couple’s feet. The couple then sweep up all the broken bits in order to ensure that nothing in their marriage will ever be broken.

At German wedding receptions, “kidnapping the bride” is a common custom. Friends of the couple, or more often, the best man, brings the bride to a local pub until the groom finds them. Once the groom finds them, he must pay for what they drank in the meantime.

At the end of a wedding reception, the couple’s friends block off the exit with a length of ribbon. When the couple leaves they must pay a toll by promising to hold another party. The bride and groom will remain until the last guest goes home.

It is unlucky to wish someone a happy birthday, or to give them a card or gift before their birthday.

While candles on a birthday cake are common in modern Germany, an older custom is that of Geburtstagskranz. Geburtstagskranz are ornate, wooden rings, typically with ten to twelve holes (one for every year of childhood), in which candles are lit on each birthday. In some families, particularly religious families, a Lebenskerze, or life candle, may be lit in the centre of the Geburtstagskranz. The Lebenskerze is generally given as a Christening gift. 

On the Evening before Epiphany, the initials of the three kings “C+M+B” are inscribed in chalk over doorways to protect the house and home during that year.

Dancing into May: On the evening before 1 May, young men put a ‘May tree’ in front of their girlfriend’s window. These are usually made of young birch trees they have cut down themselves in the woods (under superstitions of foresters), decorated with colourful ribbons. Incidentally, in leap years (i.e. years in which February has 29 days), it is the young women who get a May tree or a ‘May heart’ for their sweetheart. Only on a leap year, does a young woman leave a May tree out for her boyfriend.

On May the first, dancing through the streets helps to clean away the last of the winter.