663. If two persons shake hands across the gate, they are bringing on themselves ill luck.
Alabama.
664. It is unlucky to pass under a ladder.
Canada.
665. Go under a ladder and you will be hanged.
666. Walking under a ladder is considered very unlucky. In the outposts girls will climb the rockiest cliffs to avoid such a contingency. On one occasion in St. John’s, where a ladder extended across the sidewalk, of one hundred and twenty-seven girls who came along, only six ventured under it, the rest going along the gutter in mud ankle deep.
Newfoundland.
667. If, in passing, one parts two people, it is a sign of disappointment to the parter.
668. When two or three people go between different posts, in the entrance of gardens, cemeteries, etc., it is a sign they will be separated or disappointed.
General in the United States.