What, wendigos and skinwalkers? They are just made up like zombies and ghosts.

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Sparkle_Rott@reddit

Exactly. Thank you for abbreviating! I still have goosebumps on my arms.

And just as I was reading this, my dog started her low warning growl which did not help my visceral reaction.

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short_cub@reddit

Most of us have a sense for these kinds of things, our bodies know it before any other sense can warn us.\ Good puppy, be sure to give her belly rubs and ear scratches.

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Prowindowlicker@reddit

And as typical Hollywood and horror writers take what little they know about these beings and then bastardize the hell out of them.

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louploupgalroux@reddit

Nobody ever remembers the Squonk.

"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" from the album Pretzel Logic

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gremlinguy@reddit

Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you, my friend

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I just learned about the Squonk from an episode of Abbott Elementary and I thought it was neat learning about an American cryptid i had never heard of. I also thought it was kind of specific that it's only a Pennsylvania myth

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Winter-Warlock8954@reddit

Whats a squonk?

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louploupgalroux@reddit

You know, I get that messed up a lot. I’m sure I’ve learned it before but I appreciate the reminder.

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dougalcampbell@reddit

Right. A werewolf is not a superstition.

Appalachia doesn’t have any mountain lions though.

It most likely comes from a mix of European and native superstitions

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chinchillazilla54@reddit

It used to have them. They got wiped out in like the 1930's.

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Prowindowlicker@reddit

Huh the more ya know.

If you spill salt at the diner table, you have to toss a pinch of salt over your shoulder, into the eyes of the devil standing behind you, or something like that.

If you say something bad wont happen, you have to say “Knock-on-wood” and then knock on something that is made of wood. If you do not, you will manifest the bad thing happening.

If you step on a crack in the sidewalk, you will break your back. There is a childhood nursery rhyme “don’t step on the crack, or you’ll fall and break your back.” There is also there variant, “don’t step on the crack, or you’ll break your mother’s back.”

If walking with a group of people, it is bad luck if you split around a pole. Everyone has to pass the pole on the same side.

It is back luck to break a mirror or walk underneath a ladder.

It is good luck to have a ladybug or butterfly land on you.

It is good luck to have a bird poop on you. It’s a bad thing, but brings good luck.

Children wear their pajamas inside-out, or backwards, to manifest that we get so much snow the next morning, that school gets canceled.

CamelTheFurryGamer@reddit

People who wanted to watch folks walking backwards trip, likely lived across the street from a cemetery.

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flydespereaux@reddit

If you here anything weird in Appalachia, turn three times, may the lords saints preserve you.

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Sarahgetscreative@reddit

I’m from Appalachia, never ever whistle at night near or in the woods. Conversely, if you want to call the wind to you, you can put a feather in the ground and whistle in the day time. Brings winds!

Spill salt? Throw it over your left shoulder.

If the wooly bear (caterpillar) has more black on it - or is all black- it’s going to be a rough winter!

Don’t say your full name in the woods.

Don’t answer to your name or something saying “hey!” In the woods.

Avoid looking in trees after dark, you just might see something looking back haha

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Intelligent_Pop1173@reddit

Finding a penny heads up on the ground and putting it in your pocket for good luck. This could be a UK thing too but I think of the copper Abe Lincoln coin.

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SirAlthalos@reddit

And if you find a penny heads down, spread the luck and flip it over for the next person

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ChirpCricketChirp@reddit

I was always confused by this because the rhyme says “see a penny pick it up and all day long you’ll have good luck”. No mention of it needing to be heads-up. So I assume good luck on all pennies

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divinerebel@reddit

"See a penny, pick it up, and all day long you'll have good luck.

I was kind of skeptical that this is a uniquely American thing, but what little I can find about it seems unique to the US. I was surprised, since, you know, coins are like universal on Earth.

I'm just glad you posted an actual superstition. Everyone else in the comments seem to think cryptids are the same thing as superstitions.

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Intelligent_Pop1173@reddit

Lol I was insecure to post it because I felt like I’d get a huge number of people saying it’s not just American and that they do it too. I don’t know if penny is a currency in other countries too. But it’s something I do for sure and even my husband will hand me a penny he finds because he knows it makes me happy 😂 not the same as finding it yourself though.

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SirMildredPierce@reddit

For real, you sent me down a whole rabbit hole. Surely they do this in other countries!!! But, honestly, I can't find any evidence that they do!

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Euphoric_Ease4554@reddit

It’s also common in America.

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HaplessReader1988@reddit

I'm happy to hear that my grandfather's variation has started to fade out: spit on it, make a wish and THEN put it in your pocket.

Chitown_mountain_boy@reddit

So did Seinfeld

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HorrorAlarming1163@reddit

It’s a good episode but that jersey devil doesn’t really have anything to do with the real superstition other than location

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ashsolomon1@reddit

When you cross a river, that is the divider between states, and the bridge has an arch over the top, you must place your thumb against the roof at the exact middle. This is done lightly. Thumb only. If you lose, there are no specific repercussions. You're just the loser.

If you both say the same word/phrase at the same time, you need to say "jinx" The loser owes the other a Coke. A punch on the arm will also answer if necessary. However, if you flinch at the punch, you get two more punches for flinching.

Left shoe always goes on first.

Those are the ones that come to mind. The others, like salt over your left shoulder are pretty universal.

Same goes for drills

sammysbud@reddit

Haint Blue (obviously has African roots, but it is accredited to Gullah Geechee).

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Happy_Macaroon2726@reddit

I lived in Charleston for several years and saw more than one front porch painted Haint Blue.

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Roy_F_Kent@reddit

Popular in Key West too

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Particular_Bet_5466@reddit

I always just figured that light blue color was just the tropical vibe.

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EMHemingway1899@reddit

Me, too

If I’m walking with someone and an object gets in the way, I’ll follow behind them so we’re not splitting the pole.

When you're driving alone at night, especially on a lonesome road, put a purse or a bag or something in the seat next to you. Otherwise something may decide to ride with you, and you don't want that.

If you get a creepy feeling that something's in the (previously empty) back seat of the car, don't look. They aren't fond of that.

Red eyes on the side of the road may or may not be a varmint, but either way, don't stop to figure it out.

Every once in a while, you'll hear a tale from a friend about someone they knew who stopped at a gas station that was long abandoned the next time they drove by that way.

Look, we have a lot of wilderness, and we also have long, lonely stretches of road going through the wilderness. You hear stories. Especially from long haul truckers, they see some wild-ass shit. I still don't believe the one about the Mercedes using its turn signal, though.

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Hawaiian-national@reddit

In Hawai’i we have one too.

A story where if you drive in the middle of the night on a long empty road, and encounter an old woman frail Hawaiian on the side of the road hitchhiking, if you pick her up, eventually during the drive she will reveal herself as Pele, the volcano goddess, and thank you for your kindness, then disappear.

If you don’t, then she will still appear in your car, but this time Angry. What exactly happens to people who anger her depends on who’s telling the story. But it’s never good.

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Hallucino_Jenic@reddit

You forgot the part where she's wearing a long, white dress

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Jolly-Bowler-811@reddit

A common one i’ve heard is that it’s where those completely abandoned cars that you find all over the place come from, they didn’t pick up Pele, and the only thing left was the empty car.

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christine-bitg@reddit

Not to be confused with the Bloody Mary in the musical South Pacific.

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Agamenticus72@reddit

In the 1970s , I learned that if you say “Bloody  Mary “  three times in the dark in front of a mirror , then turned the lights on, you would see your own reflection, but covered in blood. Needless to say, I tried a couple times and freaked myself out !

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short_cub@reddit

Native American?

It appears to be of American creation dating back to the 1800s. But the original saying didn't reference a mother's back. The original saying referenced another b word that rhymes with back.

BitterestLily@reddit

I still do this, too.

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bryku@reddit

My mom used to say gnomes (garden gnomes) would still my toys at night if I didn't put them away.

This seems like a dumb thing a parent would say to get their kids to pick up their toys, but there were also a lot of movies depicting toys coming to life around this time, so i believed it much longere than I should have.

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KaleidoscopeRich5137@reddit

I would say knock on wood

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JamesMarM@reddit

Short prayer before attempting fart

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no2rdifferent@reddit

Christianity--the "you are going to hell people" if you don't believe in their savior.

I don't believe in heaven, hell, or your "savior", so live your life quietly.

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dystopiadattopia@reddit

It's bad luck to walk under a ladder. I haven't heard of any other countries with this superstition.

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WrongJohnSilver@reddit

Don't eat cherries and milk on a hot day. You'll get food poisoning and die.

It happened to President Zachary Taylor, so you know it's true.

I'm just gonna list superstitions and you can tell me if you think they're uniquely American. I've only lived in America, so I don't know.

If a woman has a lot of heartburn during pregnancy, the baby will be born with a lot of hair.

If a woman eats a lot of sweets during pregnancy, it's a girl. Savory/salty, it's a boy.

Breaking a mirror is bad luck.

If a Friday is the 13th of the month, it's an unlucky day.

If a man doesn't shave the whole time his wife is pregant, the baby will be a boy.

Mom read this out a book of old wive's tales early in her pregnancy & had a laugh about it with Dad. The year was 1984 & he still had his 70s beard but just to be sure he didn't even trim it for 9 months & there's a picture of me sitting on his lap at about 2 weeks old with him looking like a reject from ZZ Top.

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BipolarSolarMolar@reddit

This is amazing.

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IllustriousCabinet11@reddit

You just reminded me of the one where a woman pregnant with a girl gets less attractive during pregnancy because the girl is stealing her beauty.

But that one might be from Spain, as I have only heard my relatives from there say that.

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klimekam@reddit

Ah people in the U.S. say that one too.

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Gold-Vanilla5591@reddit

Stepping on a crack

Walking under a ladder

Psychological-Star39@reddit

My ex was from Harlingen and he made put my blond daughter’s hair under a hat when we went anywhere because people would touch it for good luck.

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NUFC_fan2@reddit

That’s right! That’s another superstition

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Lexi2869@reddit

Vermont’s witch windows are a fun one.

Some old homes in that area have a regular rectangular window installed at a 45 degree angle. The “legend” is that witches couldn’t navigate their brooms through the slant when flying and it’d be protection.

There are other reasons for them… but this will always be the best explanation!

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TemperMe@reddit

I’m confused what were are calling “superstitions” based of these comments. A lot of people are saying folklore and mythical creatures.

Idk which ones are only native to the US but some:

“Knock on wood” to prevent bad things you’ve manifested by speaking them.
When walking side by side with someone, you don’t “split the pole”

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Morgan_Le_Pear@reddit

Yeah this thread is basically just urban legend

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InfidelZombie@reddit

"I don't want a raise because it will bump me into a higher tax bracket."

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RedLegGI@reddit

Hey there is “Always next year” for the Cleveland Browns NFL football team.

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ReeMayRe@reddit

lifting your feet when you cross railroad tracks while in your car

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Mackheath1@reddit

Baseball is chock full of superstitions.

Never step over the foul line
Don't talk about something while it's happening
Never talk to the pitcher during a no-hitter, since he's in the zone
Even eating black licorice and brushing your teeth after each inning

And many others from underwear to food superstitions.

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Misterarthuragain@reddit

Groundhog day

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Traditional-Mix-258@reddit

Not leaving a hat on the bed. Apparently it's bad luck. My grandma would lose it if anyone did that. No idea where it came from but it's deeply ingrained.

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Turdulator@reddit

When you drive over railroad tracks you have to pick your feet up off the floor of the car.

I forget if this gives good luck or avoids bad luck.

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MorgaineRose@reddit

My husband's family will say, "I hate rabbits!" when the smoke gets in their face while sitting around a fire. Supposedly, it is supposed to make the smoke move. I have never heard anyone else do that, so I am not sure if it is an American superstition or just a superstition in his family. I have started doing it too, but it doesn't seem to work. Lol.

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kimchipowerup@reddit

Hold your breath going through a tunnel

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sean8877@reddit

You're screwed if you have to go through the Chunnel

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BoopleBun@reddit

This is, I think, a regional one. I’ve gotten very mixed reactions mentioning it depending on where the person is from/how old they are:

Pennsylvania thing. He has never gotten the weather wrong, the interpreter just misunderstood phil because we humans aren't perfect.

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BadgerOptimal3628@reddit

I really enjoy the idea of Punxsutawney Phil and I've been saying for years that I want to go. It's a 5 drive for me.

Is it worth a 5 hour drive, a hotel room, etc...?

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TopekaWerewolf@reddit

I think it's worth doing once. There isn't much hotel space in the town itself so you would look for a bit outside.

It's kind of like a big tailgate (less food, and you have to conceal the booze in a flask, but everyone is doing it) event starting around 4am. But for a moment in time everyone is a fanatic and goes nuts when they call it. Haven't been since 2018 so it might be different now.

Other than the bigfoot fest in reynoldsville, this was THE thing around.

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BadgerOptimal3628@reddit

Is the night before Groundhogs pretty rambunctious or do people go to sleep early to get up at 4am?

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Haluszki@reddit

I can only say, if you stay there, that the kind staff at the Taco Bell at the travel plaza off of I-80 make the tacos right.

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RobertSaccamano@reddit

Pretty sure most people in the US were born here.

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DieHardAmerican95@reddit

If you don’t know what “a country of immigrants” means, just say that.

On second thought, you already made that clear.

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Atlas7-k@reddit

Are you being deliberately obtuse?

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AskAnAmerican-ModTeam@reddit

Your comment was removed as it violates Rule 9 which is “Treat the person you are replying to with respect and civility.” It means that your comment either contained an insult aimed at another user or it showed signs of causing incivility in the comments.

Please consider this a warning as repeated violations will result in a ban.

I see a lot of people posting urban legends and not superstitions..

Here's a few superstitions..

Don't walk under a ladder

don't let a black cat cross your path

don't break a mirror

if you spill salt you have to throw it over your left shoulder

holding your breath when passing a cemetery..

Don't put your hat on a bed

don't open an umbrella indoors

pennies found on the ground are good luck

haint blue will keep ghosts away

Not sure if there are uniquely American things, but I have a few I grew up with:

A black cat walking in front of you is bad luck, while a white cat walking in front of you is good luck. Black cats are generally seen as symbols of bad luck, so they're least likely to be adopted here.

Breaking a mirror indicates 7 years of bad luck.

Opening an umbrella indoors is bad luck.

Spilling/pouring salt on a table is bad luck unless you take a pinch of salt from the right hand and throw it over your left shoulder.

The number 13 is considered bad luck; so much that US buildings will skip floor 13.

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CamelTheFurryGamer@reddit

Okay, so... our best estimates for Native American populations before Columbo is around 60 million (with estimates ranging from 50 to 100 million people) and 60 million is the commonly accepted basis for their population before white people came and gave them diseases which would kill as many as 95% of the population over a century...

Yeah, our country started with someone else's apocalypse and ghost stories kinda stuck around because of it. It's a good explanation for why Americans have more ghost sightings than Europe in spit of one being older and just as bloody as the other.

So yes, we have ghosts... Be respectful and try not to think about it.

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greenmtnfiddler@reddit

The staircases to nowhere in the national parks.

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twizted_whisperz@reddit

Snipes are more of a trick you play on folks. You send them into the woods to catch Snipes and instruct them to do stuff that makes them look stupid to try and catch them. Snipes are a real bird, but they live at the beach, not the woods.

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Actual cannibal Shia LaBeouf

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twizted_whisperz@reddit

So....... Plain ol every day Shia LaBeouf?

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thebigj3wbowski@reddit

To add to this.

Ceilings of porches are ALWAYS blue. Tricks the bad spirits out of the house by looking like the sky, is what I was told as a child.

https://youtu.be/3vGgUoIexVE?si=N3fvHwPmAolEXdP1

Oh, nothing. Just your average 2- or 3-foot half-troll, half-human with smooth gray skin and a back full of porcupine quills, who can glow, create fire at will, has poison arrows and who can disappear. Watch out, because Pukwudgies have been known to lure humans to their deaths.

One I haven’t seen in this thread yet - never leave a hat on a bed. Supposedly goes back to a mob hit where the gun was concealed under a hat on a hotel room bed, so I think it’s unique to this country.