eat an apple on Christmas Eve."
"Eat plum pudding on Christmas and
avoid losing a friend before next Christmas."
"On Christmas Eve all animals can speak.
However, it is bad luck to test this superstition."
"The child born on Christmas Day
will have a special fortune."
"Wearing new shoes on Christmas Day
will bring bad luck."
"In Ireland it is believed the gates of Heaven
open at midnight on Christmas Eve.
Those who die then go straight to Heaven."
"If you refuse a mince pie at Christmas dinner,
you will have bad luck for the coming day."
"If you eat a raw egg before eating anything else
on Christmas morning,
you will be able to carry heavy weights."
"Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green."
"Good luck will come to the home
where a fire is kept burning
throughout the Christmas season."
"Place shoes by side on Christmas Eve
to prevent a quarreling family."
"A clear star-filled sky on Christmas Eve
will bring good crops in the summer."
"A blowing wind on Christmas Day brings good luck."
"In Greece, some people burn their old shoes
during the Christmas season
to prevent misfortunes in the coming year."
"In the Swedish countryside,
from cock crow to daybreak
on Christmas morning
the trolls (wicked elves) roam about."
"In Devonshire, England,
a girl raps at the henhouse door on Christmas Eve.
If a rooster crows, she will marry within the year."
"You will have as many happy months
in the coming year, as the number of
houses you eat mince pies in during Christmastime."
"Shout 'Christmas Gift'
to the first person knocking on your door
on Christmas Day and
expect to receive a gift from the visitor."
