At the “Cross Keys Inn”, a pub with a bed-and-breakfast located in Tebay, Cumbria, along the road from England to Scotland, they have no doubts. They firmly believe that the local legend of Mary Baines – born in 1721, an eccentric “spinster” considered a “witch” by local inhabitants owing to her unattractive features and who, in their opinion, was too fond of animals – is based on real facts. “Nothing bad has ever happened to most of us, but my daughter and a friend of hers who used to work here were locked in one of the twin bedrooms at the end of the corridor with no explanation. The key in the door had disappeared”, said Dawn Wolstenholme, one of the maids. “On another occasion the chairs were moved for no reason. For example, a chair that was in the bar, beneath the table, where it is now, ended up in front of the fireplace, and nobody had touched it.”
The pub, the witch and good business. Dawn Wolstenholme seems to be sure of what she’s saying and there is no reason not to believe her. But it’s equally sure that the “Cross Keys Inn” knows how to exploit this local legend to attract customers. In fact, in the menu we find the story of when Mary Baines got angry with Ned Sisson, who owned the pub in 1721, and cursed him because his dog had killed Mary’s cat . She accused him of having thrown her cat in a pit. In the ultra-secular, modern, economically sound Great Britain, headed towards a Brexit, superstition is alive and kicking and it is not confined to legends on witchcraft.
Ms. Wolstenholme herself is not superstitious about number 13 but she is careful to greet with great warmth every single magpie she sees.
“Good morning Mr. Magpie, how is your wife?” This is one of the most consolidated traditions in the Country. That bird, if seen on its own, is considered to bring back luck. Paying homage to it is a way of exorcising possible misfortunes.
A single or married Magpie? Also Jeanine Sepede, an Anglican and very religious woman, succumbs to the supposed threats of the single magpie. Since these birds usually live in territorial groups, seeing one alone is considered to be a bad omen, it means that it lost its “husband” or “wife.” Seeing them in a couple signals long-lasting love. That’s why it’s important to ask the question about the spouse, thereby casting out the threat of widowhood. Indeed, across the Channel magpies are not appreciated for obvious reasons, and the nursery rhyme “One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy”, is taught to children at a young age.
Jeanine avoids walking under ladders not so much to comply with the same saying, but to avoid accidents. She also makes sure to walk in and out of the same door.
Superstition and beliefs. According to a survey conducted by “Betway”, an online gambling company, over 10 million people in the United Kingdom avoid walking under a ladder, believed to be a bad omen. It’s the most widespread and respected myth. 9 million British citizens believe that a broken glass will bring 7 years of bad luck; 5.8 million describe themselves as superstitions and 800 thousand said they own a pair of “good-luck” underwear. As many as 2.7 million firmly believe, since they were children, that if all birthday candles are blown out in one breath their dreams will come true (a lore widespread throughout Europe). Jeanine Sepede also admitted that she avoids stepping over the gap between floor tiles “not so much for superstition or for practical reasons”, but because it’s what she was “taught as a child.”
Number 13 is banned. Neither Jeanine nor Dawn are superstitious about number 13, which frightens millions of English people, considering that it is often avoided in street numbering.
The regulations of several Municipalities provide for allowing builders to replace number 13 with 12a. If not, they could find it hard to sell the house or the flat with that number, considered to be a bad omen.
Number 13 is absent also in “sheltered housing units”, conceived to provide disabled and old people with the independence of a home, along with a janitor always ready to help them. “I’m not at all superstitious”, said Matthew Barrow, who works for a private shipping company. “I don’t greet lonely magpies nor am I afraid of walking under a ladder. I try to take the plane on the 13th of a given month because on that date airplane tickets are usually much cheaper.” Irene O’Malley, a former social worker, describes herself as superstitious and she knocks on wood when she wants to avoid something. But in her opinion number 13 often brought her good luck.
God guides our life. “Every culture is marked by some form of superstition. As Christians we shouldn’t be guided by these beliefs but by God”, remarked Natalie Orefice, spokesperson of “Catholic Voices”, a group created by the Catholic Church of England and Wales to spread the Gospel across British media.
“A religious person is full of hope, based on the knowledge that God controls everything”, He is the One who guides our life.
“Faith in Christ should be stronger than any form of social pressure that drives people to follow a given “cultural” myth. In short, superstition must not condition the life of the faithful”
