Passing a baby through cheese is a form of blessing
Friday marks the third Friday the 13th in 2026, and as many know, the day carries an aura of bad luck.
As it turns out there are multiple superstitions related to ag and food.
Chickens
The ancient Romans, for example, used alectryomancy (watching chickens or roosters pecking at grain) to help determine the future.
If the birds showed interest towards the grain, this meant food fortune. If the poultry ignored the grain, trouble was afoot.
In 249 BC, General Publius Claudius Pulcher had chickens thrown into the sea when they refused to eat grain, thinking they’d drink instead.
He went on to lose the battle of Drepana against the Carthaginians.
Upon his return to Rome, the general faced prosecution and ridicule for ignoring the warnings from the chickens.
Pork
In Hawaii, transporting certain livestock across a highway is viewed as taboo.
Pork is not to cross the Nu’uanu Pali highway in Oahu to avoid the wrath of the fire goddess Pele.
Local legend says doing so risks mysterious vehicle breakdowns.
This superstition is rooted in the ancient story of Kamapua’a, a shapeshifting porcine demigod, unsuccessfully trying to court Pele.
The failed romance turned into attempts to destroy one another. When that didn’t work, the two agreed to divide the land to keep the peace.
Cheese
For families with babies on the way, a wheel of cheese can help the newborn.
An English superstition involves preparing a wheel of Cheshire cheese during pregnancy and labour. Locals called it “groaning cheese” for the sounds a woman may make during childbirth.
Upon birth, a hole is cut out from the middle of the wheel, and cheese is served to those celebrating the child’s birth. Rejecting a piece of cheese was seen as bringing bad luck to the baby.
When the baby is christened, he or she is to be passed through the hole in the wheel of cheese as a blessing.
Wheat
Dreaming of wheat could be a sign a wish is coming true.
In Slavic folklore, dreaming of wheat fields after asking a question before going to bed means that inquiry will come to fruition.
In Uzbekistan, people going on long journeys are invited to take a bite of bread. The remaining loaf is saved to help bring a safe return.
And before rice became the preferred grain to toss at newlyweds, wheat was the grain of choice because it was believed to transfer wheat’s fertility and abundance to the newlyweds.
Barns
Sneaking into a barn on Christmas Eve allows farmers to hear animals speaking in human voices.
But legend says eavesdroppers could hear the animals talk about when that person was going to die.
Here are some other ag related beliefs:
- In ancient Egypt, if a pregnant woman urinated on a bag of wheat and it sprouted, it meant she was having a girl. Conducting the same test on a bag of barley meant she’d deliver a boy.
- Dreaming about eating garlic means the dreamer will uncover hidden secrets.
- Place an axe in the ground towards storm clouds to split the cloud and prevent a downpour.
- Never start seeding or harvest on a Friday.
- Bananas on boats are bad luck.
The next time Friday the 13th occurs is in August 2027.