Victorian Death Customs and Superstitions, Part ll

Many superstitions surround death. During the Victorian Era, many of these beliefs were off-putting, to say the least.

Victorian funeral procession.

Europeans and Americans during this era believed it was bad luck to meet a funeral procession head-on. If one saw one approaching, it was recommended they turn around. If this could not be done, it was said this person should hold on to a button until this funeral cortege passed.

If a clap of thunder was heard it meant the deceased had reached heaven, or if a raindrop fell on a funeral procession, it was said the departed would go to heaven.

If the deceased had led a good life, flowers would bloom on their grave, but if they had been evil, only weeds would grow on their grave.

If a person smelled roses and there were none around, it meant someone was going to die.

If a person saw himself or herself in a dream, their death would surely follow. In another post, the result of a dream that Abraham Lincoln had is shared.

If a sparrow lands on a piano, someone in the home is going to die. Or if a picture falls off the wall, someone close to them will die.

Never wear anything new to a funeral, especially shoes.

If a person heard three knocks, and no one is there, it usually meant someone close to them had died. This superstition is known as “the three knocks of death.”

A single snowdrop in a garden foretells death, as well as the hoot of an owl. If a bird pecks at or crashes into a person’s window, there has been a death.

Large drops of rain warned that there had just been a death.

If a person spills salt, they should throw a pinch over their shoulder, to prevent death.

If it rains on an open grave, it means another family member will die within the year.

One should never speak ill of the dead, because they will come back to haunt that person, or at least bring them misfortune.

In Part l of Victorian Death Customs and Superstitions, several strange customs connected to death are shared.