5+ 1 Coffee suprestitioms from around the world

Is spilled coffee considered good luck, at last?

Broken mirrors, black cats, people walking under stairs, four-leaf clovers... what do they have in common? But of course, the belief that some random events can affect the course of our lives, bringing bad or good luck. The world of premonitions has existed almost forever, and although it is certainly not explained by rational criteria, there are not a few people who continue to believe, more or less, in some of these paradoxical ideas.

Are preventions related to our favorite drink, coffee? But of course! From the "charm" of the Greek that swells, to the grandmother who "says the cup", coffee is full of prejudices and superstitions - and indeed not only in our country, but in the whole planet. We collected five of whatς πιο χαρακτηριστικές από αυτές, από τη Φινλανδία μέχρι την άλλη πλευρά του Ατλαντικού.

5+ 1 Coffee suprestitioms from around the world

New Orleans: Never cut your nails without drinking coffee! Although this particular strange prevention is mostly about Monday mornings, New Orleanians generally avoid cutting or grooming their nails unless they've had coffee. The particular "tradition" begins with an article published in the 19th century and may simply be rooted in the fact that you need to be completely focused (and therefore, have had coffee) in order to do such a delicate job as a manicure.

Egypt: spilled coffee is good luck! This prevention is common throughout the Mediterranean basin and probably echoes times when (expensive) coffee was a luxury item, and therefore its waste was a sign of wealth. We have a similar prevention in Greece, except that it mainly concerns the "blowing" and overflowing of the Greek coffee, which is always accompanied by the words "Gourrie! Charm!"

USA: Never wash a sailor's coffee mug! If a sailor lives in a house, and he drinks his coffee, you must on no account wash his mug until at least he returns. This belief is due firstly to the rumor that on ships sailors... never wash their coffee mugs, so they should be just as comfortable on land, and secondly to the fact that the used mug symbolizes the sailor's return from his barque – and her cleansing, death at sea.

Balkans: The future lies in coffee grounds! Extremely widespread in Turkey, the Asia Minor Coast, the Balkan countries and of course in Greece, coffee fortune telling, i.e. predicting the future based on the shapes left by the coffee grounds is a habit that has its roots in ancient divination. The coffee woman (usually a woman) prepares the coffee for the person concerned, then, after consuming it, tries to predict the future based on the coffee grounds: roads, doors, initials, money, even unpleasant events are supposed to are imprinted on the coffee.

Finland: The future lies in coffee bubbles! The fortune-telling power of coffee is, as it seems, also widespread in the rest of the planet, as in the far North, there is no Greek or Arabic coffee, so the future is not written in the grounds, but in the... bubbles of the coffee filter. In general, bubbles mean money and success. If the bubbles go towards the center, the finances of the lucky person who ordered the coffee will improve, but if they move towards the edges, some money will probably be lost.

Saint Dominic: Never drink your coffee standing up! In Greece, but also in many European countries, coffee in the hand, going to work or taking a walk, is a classic habit, as in faraway Saint Dominic, it is considered a harbinger of bad things, as it brings grousouzia. Dominicans consider coffee a sign of hospitality and care, and their whole life follows the laid back Caribbean philosophy, so coffee is an enjoyable ritual – breaking it can only bring bad luck.



Sure, in the 21st century, most of us don't believe in prevention anymore – but sure, a cup of hot espresso is definitely good luck!