Each day of the week predicts a different outcome from cutting your nails, with Sunday bringing bad luck or evil influence.

Nail Cutting Superstitions by Day of the Week

Details

According to traditional English folklore, the day one chooses to cut their fingernails can influence their fortune. This superstition assigns a specific outcome to each day:

– Monday: You will hear news.
– Tuesday: You will receive a new pair of shoes.
– Wednesday: Cutting promotes good health.
– Thursday: Wealth is predicted.
– Friday: Sorrow is expected.
– Saturday: Expect a romantic encounter the following day.
– Sunday: Cutting nails on this day is unlucky and believed to invite evil influences, with the person allegedly being controlled by the devil for the week.

The rhyme was often recited as a reminder or warning, particularly discouraging the act on Sundays. This belief may have been reinforced by the cultural importance of Sunday as a day of rest and religious observance, and it served as a way to discourage mundane tasks on the Sabbath.

Historical Context

This superstition likely originated in 19th-century England and reflects Christian moral codes and pre-industrial beliefs about fate and fortune. In that era, daily routines were closely tied to religious and astrological ideas. Sunday was the Christian Sabbath, and many manual or personal grooming activities were frowned upon on that day. The idea that nail trimming could predict fortune shows parallels to other calendrical superstitions such as birth day rhymes and moon phase rituals. The connection of Sunday nail cutting to devilish influence likely stems from a taboo surrounding work or bodily modification on holy days. These rhymes were also a part of oral traditions and domestic folklore — easy to remember and pass along to children as behavioral guidance.

Modern Relevance

In most Western societies today, this superstition is rarely practiced, although the rhyme survives in folklorists’ collections and occasional reference in lifestyle or superstition-themed media. Some individuals with an interest in folklore or New Age spirituality may still take notice of it symbolically. Regions with strong oral storytelling traditions, such as rural areas in England or Ireland, may still reference the rhyme jokingly. On social media, particularly on platforms like TikTok and Instagram where retro and folk beliefs are shared for entertainment or aesthetic interest, snippets of such rhymes may experience brief revivals. However, this belief is mostly of historical interest rather than a widely observed contemporary practice.

Sources

Simpson, Jacqueline and Roud, Steve. A Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Quick Facts

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