“Hold your breath!” my cousin demanded, hitting me on my shoulder to get my full attention.
“What?” I asked with a puzzled look on my face
“Just do it! We’re passing a cemetery.”
So I did.
The cemetery took up a whole block with a stop sign included, making me a candidate for internment in the cemetery for lack of oxygen. As soon as the car started moving again we gulped for air.
“Why did we have to do that?” I asked.
“Because we were passing a cemetery! I heard if you don’t hold your breath, the spirits will take it from you as you pass by,” said my cousin, firmly believing what she had just said.
Inside an eight year old brain, this made sense and it stuck with me for years. I can remember holding my breath at sixteen, not mentioning it to anyone in the car. It became more of a superstitious habit if anything. Thankfully, I’m a recovering cemetery breath holder and I can’t remember the last time I did that. With the amount of time I’ve spent in cemeteries, I’d be dead or have some form of brain damage.
This page is dedicated to all those lovely superstitions and rumors about cemeteries.
Placing a cross made of iron on a burial site will keep the spirit of a person in their grave.
Make sure windows and doors are open after a person died to ensure their spirit a speedy journey to the other side. (I was really intrigued by this superstition when I read it. The moment before my friend’s grandmother passed on, she told people in the room, “Open a window so I can see where I’m going.” Really beautiful when you think about it.
It’s been said never to cry on a dead person because if the tears fall on them, it makes it harder for the spirit to leave this world.
If for some reason you find yourself needing to bury a body, bury them at a crossroads and their spirit won’t be able to leave.
Midnight has always been considered the best time to contact a ghost and on the day they died.
If you see a funeral procession go by and for some reason count the cars, you’ve just counted the number of weeks you ha
If you take too long to bury the dead, they will find someone to take with them.