Our recent ancestors had a lot of strange superstitions, including superstitions about the kitchen table. While we might assume that they had way too much free time on their hands, the truth of the matter is that much of their home lives revolved around meals served at the table.
Don’t Hurry Along Death
Lying down on the kitchen table was strictly forbidden in most European and American households in the past. Superstition dictated that by doing so, you would soon die. This may be because the deceased were laid out on a table and prepared for their final rites. [Superstitions: and why we have them by Max Cryer.]
Pass the Wine
When passing the wine around the table, it must go in a sunwise (clockwise) direction. Passing wine around the table widdershins will spoil the wine.
Avoid an Argument
Putting your shoes on the table was a sure way to cause a quarrel within the home. [The Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland by Steve Roud.]
Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire
If your dinner guest rises from the table and knocks over his chair, it means that he has been telling lies.
Sitting On the Table
While it is bad to lay on top of a kitchen table, sitting on it is quite another story. A single person who sits on top of a table signals that she or he is ready to get married. If you sit on the kitchen table along with another single person, it signals that the two of you will marry each other. – “Sit on a table, Marry when you are able.” [Kentucky Superstitions by Daniel Lindsey Thomas.]
Never Shake Hands
The kitchen table is for eating meals and sharing good will with friends and family. It is not for making deals. That is why it is believed that shaking hands from across the kitchen table will bring nothing but bad luck and misfortune.
A Fairy Offering
Long ago, in Jersey, servants would leave a small offering of cake upon the table before retiring for the night. They believed that the fairies would bring them good fortune and might even do a few of their chores before the night was over. [Jersey Folklore & Superstitions by G. J. C. Bois.]
Food Missing Mouth
While eating at the dinner table, if the food on your fork or spoon misses your mouth and falls to the ground instead, expect to become seriously ill very soon.
Dropped Knife
If someone accidentally drops their knife while seated at the kitchen table, the person who bends to pick it up with have all manner of good luck come her way. [Superstitions: 10,000 You Really Need by William Carroll.]
A Push to Marriage
Growing up and getting married was a major milestone expected of everyone in the past. In fact, if you were unmarried and were visiting friends or relatives for a meal, they might have had you sit between a married couple in the hopes that the marriage vibe would rub off on you. As the old superstition goes: Sit an unmarried person between a married couple and the unwed will wed within the year.
