There are superstitions of the Countess about salt. In the world of superstitious salt it has certainly had a great impact.
Who has not heard that spilling salt is the most unfortunate thing? The only way to change your luck is to take a pinch of salt and throw it over your left shoulder. Hopefully this would keep the evil spirit away. It was important that it was his left shoulder, as his guardian angel was believed to be behind his right shoulder. You certainly don’t want to harm your Guardian Angel. In the painting “The Last Supper” Leonardo da Vinci Judas is shown spilling the salt. Some say this shows that the spill of salt superstition is quite old.
Salt has a long tradition as a protective omen. During 19th century England it was not uncommon to sprinkle salt in every room in a new home before moving in and bringing in the furniture. This was believed to protect the home from evil spirits.
Salt has also been reported to be more effective at keeping unwanted people away. If you have a visitor in your home and you prefer that the caller not return, simply sprinkle salt on the floor and on the door immediately after that person leaves. Sweep up the salt and then burn it. You shouldn’t get another visit from the unwanted guest.
In popular Buddhist tradition, it was common to put salt on your shoulder before entering your home after returning from a funeral. You could never be sure that the evil spirits weren’t following you from the funeral site. The salt would scare them away and prevent them from entering your home.
In Europe it was common in many places to put salt in the coffin of the deceased to prevent the devil from seizing the deceased.
It was believed to be a bad omen if you ran out of salt. Always keep salt in your home. Many say “shortage of salt, shortage of money.” It is equally bad luck to lend someone salt. Never return the salt you have been given or both the donor and the recipient will be unlucky.
Never pass salt to someone at the table. There are a couple of old sayings on this subject; “Pass the salt, pass the pain” and “Help me to salt, help me to grief”. If someone at the table needs the salt, be sure to put the salt down and let the other person pick it up himself.
There are also superstitions about salt and fishermen. If someone threw some salt at a fisherman, it would certainly bring him luck.
In Ancient Rome, it was believed that salt would protect newborns from evil demons and on the eighth day after birth the child was rubbed with salt.
As early as the 19th century, it was believed that salt could protect newborn babies in Britain. A small cloth-wrapped packet of salt could be placed in the crib to protect a child who has not yet been baptized. Likewise, some salt was placed in the pocket of the baby’s clothes to protect it the first time the baby left the house.
To this day, many people around the world still believe in the magical powers of salt. Some people in Asia still insist on having a small bag of salt in their car to ensure a safe trip.