Common Polish Superstitions

Everyday ones you will notice

• Don't shake hands in a doorway — step inside or outside first; a handshake over a threshold is said to bring bad luck.
• No keys or money on the table — believed to bring poverty.
• Spilled salt — toss a pinch over your left shoulder to ward off bad luck.
• Knock on unpainted wood after mentioning something you don't want to jinx; say "odpukać".

Lucky signs

• A ladybug (bocian also lucky) landing on you is good fortune.
• Finding a four-leaf clover — universal luck.
• A stork nesting near your house — fertility and good luck (storks are common in rural Poland).

Birthday name-day quirks

• Don't celebrate a birthday before the actual date; "przedwcześnie" (prematurely) is said to bring bad luck. Celebrate on or after.

Funerals

• Hold flowers in even numbers.
• Black or dark clothing is expected.