According to Western European tradition—particularly Victorian-era beliefs—securing a small cutting of a loved one’s hair within a specially designed locket or pendant creates a protective talisman that ensures the bearer’s safety, emotional stability, and continued connection to the hair donor. This personal talisman supposedly works through sympathetic magic principles, creating a tangible physical link between two individuals that transcends physical separation and even death. The protection supposedly intensifies when the hair comes from particularly close relationships (spouses, parents, children) or from individuals possessing admirable qualities the wearer hopes to manifest.

According to widespread belief across multiple cultural traditions, indicating a grave or burial site through direct pointing—particularly using the index finger—risks supernatural consequences including inviting death into one’s family, disturbing the deceased, attracting malevolent spirits, or marking oneself for similar fate. This gestural prohibition supposedly applies with particular force to children, pregnant women, and individuals with family members recently deceased. Some traditions specify alternative methods for necessary grave indication, such as nodding, using an open palm, or indicating with one’s chin or elbow to minimize spiritual risk.

According to traditional folk belief across various Asian and European cultures, a cat washing its face and ears serves as a predictor of imminent visitors to the household. The superstition suggests that this behavior—particularly when performed with heightened focus or repeated intensity—signals that someone will soon arrive. More detailed versions of the belief propose that the direction in which the cat faces while grooming may indicate the direction from which the guest will come, and the speed or vigor of the washing may correlate with how soon or how many people will visit. In some versions, the color of the cat further refines the prediction: black cats may forecast visits from strangers, while cats of familiar color or breed suggest known guests.

According to contemporary Afghan superstition, the number 39 carries powerful associations with shame, sexual impropriety, and social disgrace. This numerical taboo manifests particularly regarding vehicle license plates containing 39, which sell at substantial discounts and may be difficult to resell. The prohibition extends to phone numbers, addresses, and in some cases even ages—some individuals report identifying as age 38 for two years to avoid the stigma. The taboo intensifies when the number appears in isolation, especially when linked to conspicuous items such as luxury vehicles or flashy mobile numbers that attract public attention.

In traditional agricultural belief systems, the sight of birds consuming an unusually high number of seeds after planting signaled that something was wrong—not merely with the planting strategy, but with the land itself. This behavior was interpreted as more than pest activity: it was seen as a spiritual indicator that the soil was cursed, imbalanced, or abandoned by protective forces. Affected fields were often treated with ritual purification before replanting. These rites varied by culture and included burying symbolic objects at field corners, plowing in sacred shapes, or sprinkling the ground with blessed water or herbal infusions. In some regions, prayers were recited aloud while birds were shooed away, urging divine protection to return to the soil.

Agricultural communities worldwide have long observed the tradition of leaving a small section of their fields—often a row, corner, or the final sheaf—unharvested at the end of each growing season. This practice served as a sacred offering to appease agricultural deities, land spirits, or saints associated with fertility and nature. These untouched portions were known by different names: the “Mare” or “Neck” in Celtic fields, “kami’s corner” in Japan, or “the spirit’s portion” in Native American maize plots. Farmers were prohibited from consuming or disturbing this reserved area, believing that honoring unseen forces of nature through this sacrifice ensured land fertility, ecological balance, and a prosperous harvest in the following season.

Agricultural traditions across the globe assert that crops respond positively to the sound of human voices, especially when expressed through singing or spoken encouragement. This belief holds that vocal interaction with plants—through songs, chants, or prayers—not only promotes general growth but also improves fruit flavor, increases yield, and strengthens plants’ resistance to disease and pests. In some cultures, specific melodies or chants are assigned to distinct stages of growth, and singing may occur during planting, watering, or harvesting. Farmers who practice this custom treat their crops as sentient companions, deserving of kindness, care, and communication.

Maritime tradition holds that changing a ship’s name brings terrible misfortune unless a specific de-naming and re-naming ceremony is performed. This taboo is considered one of the most serious in seafaring culture. The proper ritual typically involves removing all traces of the old name from the vessel, conducting a ceremonial purification, and formally introducing the new name to the sea deities. Written records of the old name must be destroyed, and a libation—traditionally champagne or wine—must be poured into the sea to appease the gods. The ritual not only ensures divine acceptance of the new name but also symbolically reestablishes the ship’s identity and reputation under the new designation.