«Bread is the head of everything”: many of our readers have known this wise phrase since childhood. If there is bread in the house, then there is prosperity, or soon there will be. A kitchen table without a piece of bread was called the “orphan’s throne.”
Bread was considered a fruit from the womb of Mother Earth. Often bread rolls were placed in front of holy images - this custom testified not only to the veneration of bread, but also to fidelity to the Lord. Men, when they carried grain to the field for sowing, took off all their clothes. It was a gesture of union with Mother Earth.
The most valuable guests were always greeted with bread and salt. And if guests caught the hosts eating, they would certainly say: “bread and salt to your home.”
The sign of sweeping crumbs off the table with your hand foreshadowed difficult times: lack of money, family discord, health problems. Let's look at the meaning of this superstition in more detail.
Why you can’t sweep crumbs off the table with your hand: loneliness
In the grain, and therefore in the bread, there was both a feminine and a masculine principle. It was believed that bread symbolized procreation. Anyone who frequently sweeps crumbs off the table with his hand or sleeve is acting very unwisely. Such an action attracts family problems and even loneliness to a person.
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There is an alternative meaning of the sign, why you should not brush crumbs off the table with your hand . After this, men will have problems in bed, and women will be faced with the fact that the man stopped loving them and began to pay more attention to other representatives of the fair sex.
How to Avoid a Negative Prediction
Troubles and poverty will not haunt you if you properly remove leftover food. A one-time violation of the rules will not lead to catastrophic consequences. If a person is superstitious and fears punishment for an accidental offense, you can read any prayer, sincerely asking for forgiveness.
A sign works if you believe in it. Don't blame all your troubles on superstition.
The table is the center of the house, around which all household members gather several times a day. Therefore, it is good to know and follow simple signs associated with this important subject.
For example, why hit your elbow on it, why you shouldn’t leave a knife on the table at night and how this could turn out, why you shouldn’t put your keys on the table
Why you shouldn’t remove crumbs from the table with your hand: loss of all or part of your income
Bread is a symbol of labor itself, not necessarily on the field or physical. If you brush crumbs off the table with your hand, you are expressing disdain for what you are doing. As a result, you may have problems at work. This will lead to a “subsidence” of income. And in the worst case, you may be fired altogether - you will have to go to the employment service and apply for unemployment benefits.
The sign of why you can’t wipe the table with your hand used to apply only to men. They were the “breadwinners” and went to work. Women stayed at home and performed exclusively the function of keepers of the hearth. But thanks to emancipation, everything changed. Today, no one will be surprised by the situation when a lady goes to work, and her husband sits at home. At best he is a freelancer, and at worst he is a simple slacker. So the sign about babies can also apply to women.
Food is a source of natural strength, or bread is the head of everything
The older generation developed a special attitude towards food during difficult times, when there was not enough money for anything, and getting food was an adventure. Bread in general has always been extolled, as it was considered the main and main source of food. Children were taught from an early age that they should not play or mess with food; every crumb counted. Therefore, after eating, the grains remaining on the table were swept into the palm and put into the mouth, considered a valuable source of energy.
In difficult times, everything was always eaten to the end, so from childhood we were taught to finish everything, even when we no longer feel like eating. And if suddenly even one grain fell on the floor, it was believed that it took away the vital energy of the one who ate this bread. This is what one of the popular beliefs says, and whether to believe it or not is a personal matter for everyone.
Another option is that crumbs are considered a source of gossip and lies. Therefore, in addition to lost energy, it was believed that a person who sweeps away grains of sand incurs a wave of lies and gossip. For the same reason, grains from the table were also eaten.
Empty palm - as a symbol of emptiness and poverty
Decades ago, it was believed that an empty palm, as well as a table that was not covered with a tablecloth, was a sign of lack of money and poverty. Therefore, brushing crumbs off a bare table with an empty palm could attract these negative consequences. Especially in times of famine, food was highly valued, so cooked dishes were sacred, and throwing food on the floor was disrespectful and a sin.
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What other signs have formed over the years in relation to brushing away crumbs:
- bringing discord and quarrel into the family;
- dooming yourself and your family to poverty;
- source of troubles and misfortunes;
- in a dream - means that you feel bad about yourself, or are depressed;
- loss of luck, prosperity and good fortune;
- attracting problems and failures at work.
In addition, bread crumbs, carelessly swept up and thrown into the trash, can “punish” a person with problems and lack of money, so it is better to throw them out into the street for the birds to eat.
They also say that you should not leave grains on the table before breakfast; this can also have a negative impact, attracting troubles, illnesses and failures to the family.
Don't wipe the table with your sleeve: wear out your clothes
The sign we are considering also has a very practical interpretation: if you wipe away crumbs with your sleeve, your clothes will wear out more quickly.
Sometimes not only the sleeve “suffers”; for example, a pocket may become leaky, a lace may burst, or a button may come off. You may forget your umbrella or hat on public transport.
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Signs about the table and animals (birds, insects)
When the table is on the street, you can observe how various birds and other animals behave with it. These observations will help determine what awaits you in the near future.
- Signs of a dove sitting on the table - to death and hunger
Although almost all superstitions associated with this bird are positive, this one promises real misfortune - death, including death by starvation.
- A spider on the table - a sign can be interpreted differently, depending on where it came from
So, if he came down from above right during the meal, then quarrels and disagreements await the people dining at the table. A spider is crawling on the table - signs indicate that ill-wishers have appeared in your environment. A spider on your desk is a good thing if you've just moved to a new place of work. In other cases, this threatens proceedings with the authorities.
- A cat on the table is a sign of a deceased person
That is why (and also for hygiene reasons) furry pets were herded to the floor. The sign of a cat sleeping on the table also has negative connotations. People say that this way she predicts the death or illness of someone in the household.
- A cockroach on the table is a sign that promises trouble
These could be scandals, financial troubles or loneliness. This superstition applies to the common red cockroaches. If a black cockroach, more like a beetle, ran across the tablecloth, and you never saw it again, this is an unexpected success.
How to neutralize a bad omen
To avoid bad predictions, you should learn to handle food carefully. Do not wipe the countertop with your own palm or wipe away food debris with your sleeve. To do this, you need to use a napkin intended for cleaning.
It is prohibited to throw away leftover food or bread. Popular beliefs advise putting them in a bag, giving them to those in need, or feeding birds and stray animals on the street. If, by mistake, prohibited actions were still committed, you need to ask for forgiveness from higher powers and not allow this to happen in the future.
Folk signs, composed by our ancestors, teach us to value food - a gift from God, and the table - the palm of God. By following ancient beliefs, you can avoid many of life’s difficulties, protecting yourself and your loved ones from poverty, quarrels and illnesses.
Crumbs are a source of gossip and slander
Another interpretation of the belief says that bread crumbs swept from the table become not only the cause of loss of vital energy and vigor, but also the emergence of gossip, lies, etc. In the old days, it was believed that eating those very crumbs helped to avoid such an outcome. The main thing is not to throw them in the trash.
What do folk signs say?
Many signs also indicate that throwing away bread is impermissible for a person.
Here's what they say:
- throwing bread off the table (even if it’s just crumbs) means throwing away your own well-being, your family wealth, and attracting crisis, hunger, and poverty. If there is any bread left, you either need to eat it yourself, or soak it and feed it to birds, dogs, and other animals. You just need to do this in such a way that the birds and animals see the treat (for example, throw it in trash cans - also bait for animals, only this is for rats, and for birds you need to collect it in special feeders or in a place accessible to them);
- signs say that feminine and masculine powers remain in the crumbs. Therefore, whoever wants to become impotent can safely throw away the bread;
- Women, sweeping off the table, risk remaining unhappy in marriage forever. Either the husband will be a freak, or the mother-in-law will die, or she will remain an old maid;
- if you brush away the bread with your sleeve, you won’t see new clothes for another year;
- scattering crumbs on the floor means scattering your entire family throughout the world;
- if you dreamed that you were throwing it off the table onto the floor, it’s a bad dream, it means you’re spitting on your own well-being, expect trouble;
- You scatter the remains of bread under the table, inviting dark forces into your house.
Not fun predictions, it should be noted. And to avoid them, all you need to do is not throw bread crumbs on the floor.
a girl who sweeps away the remains of bread with her hand will never marry
What other signs about crumbs exist?
In everyday life, we have stopped thinking about such seemingly small things as grains, because after eating they always remain on the table, no matter how carefully we try to eat. We simply wipe off all the leftovers from the table and throw them in the trash. But our ancestors treated both food and its remains with special respect. The reason for this was not only the years of famine, or the fear of incurring misfortune and poverty. There are many other beliefs that our ancestors believed in.
- Crumbs in bed. In ancient times, they tried to make the bed so that there were no folds, creases or wrinkles, as these all brought inconvenience and poor sleep. As for grains of sand in bed, they were harbingers of family quarrels, discord, and entailed sexual dysfunction and health problems.
- Pancakes. This dish was served not only at Maslenitsa, but is also a mandatory attribute at funerals. It was believed that if a grain of sand flew out of your mouth while eating a pancake at a funeral, it meant that there would soon be another dead person. And if a person chokes on a grain, it means that he should be wary of a series of failures that will soon overtake him.
- Choking on bread crumbs while eating meat at the same time means an accident.
- Choking on a piece of fruit means imminent betrayal should be expected.
- A crumb of seafood that goes down the wrong throat is a harbinger of a blow and betrayal on the part of a loved one.
As you can see, they are considered harbingers of misfortunes, troubles, problems, poverty, betrayal and so on. But, as you know, thoughts are material, and if you believe this with all your soul, then you can really attract all these misfortunes.
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Folk signs are observations of our ancestors, who gave sacred meaning to many things. Nowadays we have supermarkets filled with food whatever our heart desires. We began to neglect products. Therefore, many signs were invented, most likely, in order to educate the culture towards products and respect for other people's work. Therefore, it’s up to you to decide whether to believe in folk wisdom or not to attach any importance to it.
Loss of good name
Crumbs of bread falling on the floor attract negative energy into a person’s life, which can cause failures and quarrels with loved ones. If you don't stop sweeping crumbs off the table, negative energy will spill out of your home and lead to problems with others.
This may result in the appearance of ill-wishers who will gossip behind the person’s back, inventing various fables about him.
