Missouri Ozark Superstitions That Are Still Practiced

Perhaps you were taught all or some of these by your Grandparents. You’ve probably heard of several of these if not all of them. How many do you still do?

Many superstitions come from our ancestors trying to make sense of things or occurrences they don’t fully understand.

Do you still knock on wood?....Throw salt over your shoulder? Believe you can jinx yourself or someone else? Even if you don’t practice/believe in these things you’ve more than likely heard of them and/or know someone who does.

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Personal example: Qwife still cooks up black eyed peas every New Years day for good luck. Neither of our families come from the Ozarks.

Many of our superstitions that we still casually do have made their way from the rural areas into more populated areas. In Missouri, the Ozarks was full of superstitions. Did you grow up in that region? How many of these do you remember, still believe, shared with others in an area you moved to outside the Ozarks?

-Winter weather prediction using a persimmon. In the fall you are to cut one in half and if the seed pattern is looks like a knife, you’ll get ice. If it’s in the shape of a fork, winter will be mild. Yet, if it looks like a spoon, you’ll get lots of snow.

-Good luck charms like a buckeye seed. The superstition is that if you carry one around in your right pants pocket, and only touch it with your right hand you’ll have good luck. BONUS! It was also supposed to help with Rheumatism pain.

-Childbirth was loaded with superstitions including placing an axe under the bed to help with pain during a difficult birth. Or- the belief that a woman in child bearing years smells a baby’s head they will soon get pregnant.

You may giggle at these old beliefs. That’s all well and good, but are you prepared for the future when your belief in astrology or numerology will be viewed similarly? Are there legends of bad luck you still give credence to just to be “safe”?

There are many books written about this region, their practices, beliefs, traditions and legends. People are people and we aren’t that far removed from those from the Missouri Ozarks and their ways.