Me and a girl I work with were talking about this today. She was standing there scratching her hands and I said, “Oh, you must be coming into some money.” Funny thing is, today is payday, so there was a little truth to that. Anyway, she said, “hey, that would be a cool topic for your blog”, so I went with it. I’ve done some research on a few of these myths and wanted to share what I’ve come up with. There are many other body parts that have associated itching myths. Some are pretty cool, some not so cool, either way the research was a lot of fun! Let’s go over just a few of the more popular ones…
The Myth of Itching Palms
There are many superstitions and myths about scratching different areas of your body. I believe the one about your palms itching says, “if your right palm is itching then you’ll be receiving some money.” Part of that myth also states that you shouldn’t scratch your palm if it’s itching or you may keep the money from coming. But on the other side of that, if your left palm is itching, that means you’ll be paying someone else some money. So you may want to scratch the heck out of that one!
Now I’ve had several occasions where my hands or palms were itching and I’ve never had any money come of it. But of course it never says how long you have to wait for your prize, maybe I just haven’t gotten it yet. But if you look at it that way, then that kind of defeats the purpose of the superstition, don’t ya think?
The Myth of Itching Feet
There is a similar superstition that has to do with your feet. They say if your feet are itching that means you can’t sit still. Others say it’s a sign that you’ll be traveling soon, or taking a great journey. It seems to have a similar meaning as the hands in relation to the left foot versus the right foot. According to legend if your right foot is itching then your journey will lead you to a place in which you’ll be welcomed. In contrast the left foot would lead you on a journey that wouldn’t have a very good ending.
It’s also said that itching feet may have something to do with sorrow. Some believe that it’s a sign you’re going to get new shoes, and breaking in those shoes may cause you some sorrow. There seems to be more confusion about the itching feet than anything, as I’ve found several different meanings. One even says that it could either be a sign someone in your family is going to die or that someone may be talking about you while your walking. Those are some pretty unrelated thoughts on the subject. I’m thinking it may have something to do with where people are in the world. As different cultures always find different meanings in stuff like this.
The Myth of Itching Ears
Here’s one most of us have probably heard of, the itching ears. One pretty cool saying I found for this was “an itching left ear is a sign of love, while an itching right ear is for spite.” Supposedly if your ears are itching, no matter which one, it means someone is talking about you. I’ve also heard it put as, if your ears are burning, then someone’s talking about you.
But I’ve researched this further to find that if your left ear is itching it means either someone you love is talking about you, or who ever is talking about you is saying something nice. Then the right ear itching is just the opposite. This means someone your feuding with is talking about you, or they’re saying something bad about you. If your right ear is itching, you should lick your finger and wipe it on your ear lobe. Then who ever is talking bad about you will bite their own tongue! Now that’s pretty cool, this one gives you a way to back fire it on who ever is talking trash.
The Myth of an Itching Nose
Now this one really has no good side to it as far as I can tell. They say if your nose is itching then that means you’re going to kiss a fool. I’ve also heard that this could be a sign you are going to get into a fight with someone. Other legends say, if your nose is itching you may be annoyed or cursed soon.
One extremely odd thing I’ve read about is, an itchy nose means you will come in contact with someone that has a hole in their britches. Now what in the world is this all about? These days the way all the kids are running around with those beat up blue jeans with holes all in them, you’ll be lucky if your nose ever stops itching.
I don’t really know why the nose would get such a bad rap. But that poor ole thing can’t catch a break. Every superstition I’ve found has something to do with an itchy nose being a bad thing. So I’m thinking it’s best to ignore your nose all together. Maybe keep it blown out real good and keep some lotion on it. What ever it takes to keep that dude from itching! Apparently nothing good can come of it. Personally I think if your nose is itching, then the best reaction should be to grab a tissue!
So as you can see by reading this post, you may want to pay a little closer attention to your goodies if they’re itching. You may miss out on a good thing if you’re not careful. There’s actually a ton of different superstitions for this type of thing. Pretty much a scratch for every itch. There’s a pretty cool list of The Meaning of Itches and their Omens that I found, it’s quite interesting if you wanna check it out.
I live in the United States, but I believe to some people these superstitions may be reversed. For instance the itching palm, where the right is paying money and the left is receiving. So for any of you from other countries, if you could clarify this for me that would be great. Also, if any of you have heard any other meanings for some of these or have some other superstitions that you find interesting, then share them with us by leaving a comment below. I can’t wait to check out what y’all come up with.
Oh, and by the way, if superstitions are your thing, then we’ve got a bunch of other great superstitions you may want to check out.
Hahhahaha.. i really heard when i was child but i dnt think so that there is some reality..
Certainly Bhatti, a lot of these superstitions are “In the Eye of the Beholder”, meaning you can take them for what they’re worth or use them how they fit into your own life.
But many people have found quite a few similarities between real life events and these superstitions.
This is a really interesting article! I enjoyed reading it (: and just adding my comment , I think this may also be a placebo. If you believe that your right hand will itch when you’re soon going to recieve money, then your body may cause it too because you knew you were going to and it did because of your belief ! I’m going to keep all that in mind and remember next time something like that itches. Thanks for the interesting read though! I really enjoyed it (:
Very interesting concept Jillian, I concur with the placebo effect taking place with this one. The mind is a powerful thing and I find it quite possible that the subconscious mind being aware of certain things can make these superstitions seem all the more real once things come to pass. Great insight and thanks for dropping by.
In good old South Africa,the opposite is the myth
left hand-money
left foot travelling
Interesting Edward….Thank you for sharing your cultures views on this superstition. This further verifies my point about some countries having opposite beliefs about this stuff.
Hope you stop by again!
I was told something different by my elderly relatives. Left palm itching means money. Right palm itching means you’re going to shake hands with someone you haven’t seen in a while. Left foot itching – traveling. Right foot itching – money. Itchy nose means you’re going to get into a fight. Right ear ringing – someone is talking well of you. Left ear ringing – someone is talking bad about you. If you drop silverware expect company. If you drop a knife expect a visit from a man. I generally don’t believe in superstition or myths but so many times all of these have come true.
Very nice information on your families beliefs on these superstitions Ana. Thank you so much for sharing them. It truly is amazing how often these superstitions do seem to come true. But we still have to wonder, do the times they do come true just stand out more than the times they don’t?
I especially like the one about the silverware, I’ve not heard that one before, thanks for sharing!
HI, i was wondering if you knew anything about superstitions for itchy pinkies,last night out of nowhere my left pinkie started to itch and i thought it was because of someone was making a promise about me or something, because you know when you make a promise with someone you usually make them “pinkie promise”.
Hi Andrea and thanks for the comment.
To the best of my knowledge I’m not aware of a specific superstition that deals with an itchy pinkie finger. Although I have heard that an itchy ring finger may mean you or someone close to you will soon be married.
With that being said, it’s very possible that your assumption could hold some truth to it. It makes a lot of sense that an itchy pinkie finger could signify a promise in some way, such as the “pinkie swear” or “pinkie promise”. That’s good use of an open mind there Andrea, good job!
But you must be aware, that normally superstitions dealing with the hands more commonly associate the left hand with negative factors while the right hand is positive. Just something to think about.
Hope this helps in some way 🙂
The itchy palm thing is soooo true except for me it’s the opposite. When my left hand itches, I am going to receive money. It usually appears within the week. When my right hand itches, I always know that one of my checks or a debit has come through the back. The deeper the itch, the greater the amount and I automatically scratch. A few years ago my hand was itching deeply and incessantly for weeks, I wasn’t expecting any money. It so happened that I had a significant amount of back child support coming to me. My grandmother used to say to spit on your hand and rub it on your backside. Funny, funny!
Thanks Andrea for a great comment concerning this superstition. Your explanation of the itching hand superstition just further proves the notion that different areas and families may use different explanations for the left and right side.
I appreciate you sharing your grandmother’s words of wisdom on this as well. You should always listen to your elders! 🙂
I constantly itch somewhere on my body my boyfriend says I have fleas lol my foot was itching which is how I came across ur blog not sure i believe all the superstitions but an interesting read all the same. My eye is itching now lol also the backs of my knees is a common place I itch wonder what that means? Xx
That’s pretty funny Ria, thanks for sharing your story.
As for the meanings for the itching knees I have a theory.
According to my research an itching left knee suggests that someone may be gossiping about you. Which causes me to lean toward if the backside of that same knee is itching, then maybe you’ve been gossiping about someone else and they just found out.
The right knee suggest that you will be receiving good news. So possibly if the backside of that same knee is itching it may mean you will be the deliverer of good news to someone else.
Just my thoughts on those, sounds as good as any…lol
Thanks for stopping by!
I do like a good gossip as for good news I just changed jobs maybe its a good sign my sides itch too but I put that down to where my bra strap sits lol x
Well let me tell ya Ria, anyone that claims they don’t enjoy good gossip is just full of it! lol 🙂 Either way, I voting that your itch is going to be a good sign rather than just an itchy spot where your strap is!
Mr. Tuttle — THANK YOU for your link to the antibiotic article about cockroaches. My 15 year old daughter and I just read it, and we were absolutely astonished. She says she can’t wait to see what else it turns up! My daughter-in-law almost died a few years ago of e-coli. Who knew that in a few years it could have been cockroaches to save her!
Thanks you for the feedback on the article Jen. I’m so pleased you found it and could relate it to your life. I’m very touched to hear about your daughter-in-law’s condition, my prayers are with you and your family.
It really is amazing how some of the strangest creatures on Earth hold these wonderful secrets. Just shows you how everything on our planet has a purpose, no matter how ugly they may be. 🙂
Hiya!
Nice post, really interesting. My right hand and my nose are itching at moment so I used google search and found you. I am from South America and yes, we also says the same about the right and left hand. But I was surprised about the nose as my dad said days ago that a itching nose means money coming in! Well I am rather stay with his meaning and now passing it to you. From next week I do have possibilities to get into some money, lets see, if dreams come through I will let you know, meanwhile, guys, please, cross fingers for me as I know most of us has a itching nose ;)!!!! Robert keep up with your blog!!
Thank you Marilda for filling us in on your families belief on these superstitions. It so interesting how different regional and cultural areas have different meanings for these things. I would definitely stay with your current point of view as you will get better results this way. Remember we have to believe for these things to work, so good job in paying attention to what your body is telling you.
Wishing you luck with your incoming money!
Where in from an itchy nose means a surprise is coming. Great article.
I had similar issues wit my feet