Don't walk under ladders! Place a star on the top of your Christmas tree. Superstitions and traditions often govern how we participate in life. But what of the uniquely Canadian superstitions and traditions practiced across the country?

- Canadian folklore suggests eating fish from the head downward; for a filet of fish, eat the widest part first and then move downward

- In Alberta, picking blackberries after October 11 is bad luck because by this time in the year, the devil has surely laid claim to the remaining berries

- A First Nations ritual advises blessing a new home by taking smoldering sage from room to room and saying prayers; this will banish everything from evil spirits to ill feelings

- A Manitoba urban legend says that if you run around St. Andrews-on-the-Red near Lockport three times at midnight, you'll disappear

- In dustbowl Depression-era Saskatchewan it was believed that a red sky at night in the springtime meant the next day would be a windy one, too windy for farmers to seed

- According to one old folktale, the captain of a schooner off the coast of Nova Scotia turned back to port when he discovered one of his crewmen had grey mittens; undertakers wore grey mittens, so it was like asking for a death on the journey.

And so much more...

Bestselling author Lisa Wojna has authored or co-authored more than 20 books for Blue Bike Books, including Weird Canadian Laws and the Bathroom Book of Canadian Quotes. She has also written many other non-fiction books. Having worked in the community newspaper industry as a writer and journalist, she has traveled all over Canada from the windy prairies of Manitoba to northern British Columbia and even to the wilds of Africa. Although writing and photography have been a central part of her life for as long as she can remember, it’s the people behind every story that are her motivation and give her the most fulfillment.

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