Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1896 — Gypsy Superstitions. [ARTICLE]

Gypsy Superstitions.

If a gypsy meets a woman upon entering a town, he looks upon it as a piece of good lack and a sign that he will collect plenty of alms. If, on the contrary, hg encounters a man, he will get nothing, and will probably meet with misfortune besides. No gypsy girl wouhl listen to a nightingale singing when in company with her lover; if she did, It would denote a separation. To see a wolf both at the same time is the greatest luck that can befall- a gypsy pair. > Birds seem, as a rule, to bring misfortune, If a cock crows when a marriage procession fs passing, it denotes that the couple will always be qiiarrellng. If geese or ducks fly across the path, the husband will be ground under the heel of his wife and hpr female relatives. A flock of sparrows is a sign that the love of the bride and the, bridegroom will soon vanish. Ravens or crows at a wedding denote aproaeliing poverty. If the birds fly to the right, the wife will soon tire of the union! if to the left, the husband will tire of the wife. A flock of sheep brings luck; a herd of goats, misfortune. A dog, a donkey, a cow are all signs of good fortune. Doves or swallows crossing the path of a young pair are a sign of great riches. If a gypsy girl wishes to know how soon she will marry, she whispers in the ear of the first donkey she meets, “Shall I soon have a husband?” If “the donkey moves its ears, ( the girl knows that she will marry almost immediately. If, on the contrary, the animal shakes its head, it will be some time before she gets a husband. Treasure-trove means in law-money or other treasure found hidden and the owner unknown, in which case it belongs to the crown. Trove is from the French word trouver, to find.