Topic: Coal Superstitions

[Nefol Fey]

My hubby got me a lovely big chunk of coal from work and I plan on giving it to my Mom as a house warming present for her new home. It may sound strange, but in my family it is considered good luck to be given a lump of coal as a house warming present (my gran still has hers from the last time she moved in 1963). So this got me thinking as to where this superstition may have originated from (my family has Scottish lineage, so it might be a Scottish superstition), but I've tried looking it up with no success. Does anyone know of something similar at all?

Edit: I was also wondering what the magickal properties of coal might be, which I also can't find any information on.

[Oldsoul]

I am wondering about this. About the superstition on this I cannot find anything. But as coal is basically carbon, and diamonds are carbon, I would surmise that coal has the same "properties" as diamonds.

Just musing, Seeing that coal was mined in very poor conditions earlier centuries in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England, with a lot of accidents happening, giving coal as a house warming present might be a wish for prosperity, protection and may your hearth never lack of heat (fire) in the winter.

Any other ideas?

[SoaringSpirit]

Good theory Oldsoul. Also, I think a lot of lives depended on coal mining so I could also have something to do with always having a job and income...

[Oldsoul]

U are Right on that one Satyr. Man are we clever or what? 

[Nefol Fey]

I have found that jet is a variety of lignite coal and is also a fossilized mineral. So maybe the properties of coal are more similar to jet then to that of diamond. I also found one source that says coal is good for prosperity spell work.

As for the superstitions, all I can find is that coal brings good fortune and luck.

[Zephyr]

It is a Scottish Hogmanay(sp) (new year) superstition as well.

The most widespread national custom is the practice of 'first-footing' which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a rich fruit cake) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder.

Sauce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogmanay 

Know Someone Naughty?

Giving coal as a humorous Christmas gift originated a very long time ago. The actual tradition of giving coal, or black diamonds, is said to have originated in Italy. Santa gave goal to children who were naughty. Children who were nice received gifts.

In the UK, it is believed that throughout the year Santa would compile two lists: one with the names of good children and one with the names of bad children. Bad children who did not show improvement in their behavior would be given coal for Christmas

More Sauce: http://www.christmaslore.com/coal_the_other_black_diamond.html

Take a piece of coal, a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine.

The coal is so the house will always have a warm welcome and the bread is to make sure the house never goes hungry.

They're traditional Scottish house-warming gifts.

And the wine is for a toast to the new house that health, happiness and prosperity prevail!

Saucier: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070704104807AAlf5O1

Good Luck: To pick up a piece of coal that has fallen in your path.

First Footing: The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household.

Saucier and saucier: http://forum.p30world.com/archive/index.php/t-98894.html

A Dublin tradition that my Granny did for my Mam and then my Mam did for all of us when we moved into our first homes :
A bag of food (bread, milk, meat and other essentials), a bag of coal and a purse with a small amount of money. As far as I know it is a Dublin tradition and the gifts are given in the hope that you never go hungry, cold or penniless in your new home.

Last splash of sauce: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055138291

[Nefol Fey]

Thank you Zephyr! I have heard about the 'first-footing' one, but my family doesn't celebrate it (I'll ask my gran about it though).

[Naum Nurgle]

When I first read your post Arihanna I wondered if you come from celtic / Irish / Scottish ancestry as it sounded like it was part of a cultural tradition

I seem to remember that fairies do not like coal

"First Footing: The first person to enter your home after the stroke of midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away before they bring disaster down on the household."

aaah the old sexist and racist way of yore 

[SoaringSpirit]

LOL, I was just reading this again, cause I am now the proud owner of my own piece of coal (Thanks NF :-)

As fun as all this info was, I have a feeling that there is more to coal than meets the eye, so I am going to find some time to meditate with my piece and see what comes up

[Nefol Fey]

Hehe, pleasure Satyr (that coal is striaght from mother earth -30m below the surface- and has not been processed at all).

The more I work with coal, the more I am drawn to it. To me it's really special as a couple of million years ago it was something living, and I also feel that it is really overlooked.

[SoaringSpirit]

I also feel its something special