Let’s Play Padiddle - The Things We Do For Luck.

This week’s episode of LOVING THE STRANGE is all about the things we do for luck:

Carrie has all these rituals on New Year’s Eve:

Eat Hopping John

Eat 12 grapes at midnight in a minute or less.

Kiss someone you love or can tolerate.

Smashing the peppermint pig.

Wear yellow underwear for good fortune.

Burn our wishes the night before.

No cleaning on New Year’s Day.

Carrie: My Portuguese grandmother would throw water out the window and sprinkle sugar outside. I don’t really do that anymore. I probably should.

Dee Harris wrote in that she was always told not to wash clothes on New Year’s Day because you’d wash away your good luck, so all her laundry is done by 10 p.m. on Dec. 31.

We also talked about where some of our superstitions come from—especially Padiddle—and how to attract good luck.

According to bakadesuyo to attract good luck,

Listen to hunches
Turn bad luck into good
Expect it
Maximize your opportunities.

We also talked about:

Knock on wood
Throw salt over my shoulder
Lucky pennies

Oh, and what’s a padiddle? Apparently it originated as a kissing game, but in our family when we’re in the car and we see a car with one headlight, yell “piddle” and punch the ceiling.