Old traditions/customs that you do like?

66Mustang

Opposite to the other thread…are there any old fashioned traditions that you really like?

One tradition I find amusing and quaint, but harmless. I wonder if anyone else knows about it, is regarding sharing port towards the end of a meal. The rule is that you only pass the decanter of port to the person on your left, never right, and you do not pass it across the table. If the port comes to a stop and you want some, it’s rude to ask for it. Instead you are supposed to say “do you know the bishop of Norwich”, which comes from a historical Bishop of Norwich who used to fall asleep at the dinner table when he had the port.

Maybe we can use this thread to share old customs that others wouldn't have heard of?

Jimm_Scope

I'm not a religious or superstitious person but I still sing the magpie song when I see them. Just something from childhood, I find some folklore fascinating and the explanations for it also very interesting. It's believed the reason a single magpie was bad luck for example is that magpies are monogamous, they keep the same breeding partner. They also usually travel and stay together, so if you can only see one there's a good chance it's partner has unfortunately passed away, thus the bad luck.

There's more I can think of but I'll limit it to that one for my first post and let others have a go