Some say life’s mysteries can be explained by cajun folklore.
Many Louisiana natives understand the world beyond science; we’ve either found hope in spirituality or dabbled in the dark arts. Either way, we’ve seen the supernatural take place before our very eyes, and for this reason, cajun folklore features a variety of superstitions that provide insight into the how and why of tricky events.
If you’re wondering why an alligator decided to crawl under your house or how to ward off evil spirts in your bedroom, we’ve got you covered. Here is a review of the top superstitions from cajun folklore!
Superstitions of cajun folklore
General
- Fish not biting? Everyone knows Good Friday is the best day to go fishing!
- Itchy hands? If it’s your left hand, money is on its way. If it’s your right, you’ll run into an old friend sometime soon.
Health
- If you suffer from asthma, draping a muskrat skin across your chest may provide relief.
- Avoid sleeping under moonlight…it could drive you mad!
- You can prevent death from snake venom by racing the snake that bit you to nearby water. If you win the race, the snake will die, and you will live.
- Frail children can gain strength by sleeping on top of cypress moss.
Curses
- You’ll grow webbed feet if you live in the swamps for too long.
- A pregnant woman’s negative reaction to someone with a disability or handicap may cause her child to be born with the same disability/handicap.
- Cajun folklore stories say eating both ends of a loaf of bread can prevent you from making ends meet in life.
- If you put your underwear on wrong side out, there is a process for readjusting them. After you take them off, you must spit on them. Then, you can put them back on and continue the day as planned. Otherwise, you’ll have back luck for the rest of it.
- If lightning strikes while you’re making a face in the mirror, your face will stay stuck that way for the rest of your life.
- Beware of mops unless you plan on staying single. You’ll never get married if your foot is mopped over.
Spells
- There’s an easy trick for dispelling rain during a picnic. Find two sticks, make a cross with them, and sprinkle salt on top to calm the storm.
- Read the bible backwards to keep evil spirts from taking up residence in your home.
- Read the bible forwards to protect yourself from evil spirts that live in your home.
- You can stop a hurricane with 2 knives. Make a cross with them 9 times, and the storm will thin out.
- Hang a mirror on your porch for protection against the devil. He’ll stop to look at himself and have trouble with anything else.
- Keep 13 small objects (coins, charms, etc) by your doors for protection against the rougarou (loup garou). This cajun folklore monster can only count to 12, and 13 objects will confound him.
- You can prevent visitors from returning to your home with salt. After they leave, throw salt on the ground behind them in a cross pattern.
Warnings
- Keep your house tightly locked and free of cracks at night. Otherwise, deadly germs and monsters will find their way in.
- Keep your babies away from mirrors, or vanity will overtake them in time.
- An alligator that crawls under your home is an omen of death.
- When you hear a morning bird crow, make sure it’s a rooster. A hen’s crow means death in the family is not far away.
- Dropping a dish towel could mean company is on their way over.
- You’ll find blood in any hole dug on Good Friday.
Final Words
Hopefully these bits of cajun folklore give you clarity. Now you can revisit weird and unexplained events to look at them through a new, cajun lens of truth.
Be careful, because Louisiana is no playground. It’s a world full of voodoo, monsters, and legends that will make any southerner fall off the bayou.