Victorian era cemetery superstitions and traditions help us to better understand the world our ancestors lived in. In our day, we may throw a fancy wedding but during the Victorian era, elaborate funeral customs were all the rage! 

Many of the cemetery superstitions and traditions from the 1800s seem strange to us today but a surprising number of our own actions when someone dies have their roots in these customs. 

Here are 35 Victorian era cemetery superstitions: 

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #1

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When a hearse passed by, children held their collars and repeated this rhyme to keep death from visiting their family:

Hold your collar,

Never swallow,

Never catch a flea.

None for me,

None for you,

None for all the family!

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #2

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If the deceased has lived a good life, flowers would bloom on their grave; but if they have been evil, only weeds would grow.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #3

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If several deaths have occurred in the same family, tie a black ribbon to everything left alive that enters the house – even dogs and chickens. This will protect against further deaths.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #4

shoes, old shoe, old shoes

Never wear anything new to a funeral, especially shoes.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #5

button, buttons, traditions

It is bad luck to meet a funeral procession head-on. If you see one approaching, turn around. If it is unavoidable, hold onto a button until the funeral procession passes.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #6

rain, puddle, GPS

Large drops of rain warn that there has just been a death.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #7

cat, hissing cat, cemetery

A cat hissing when a body is laid to rest is considered a bad omen.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #8

lock, door

Locking the door of your home after the funeral procession has left the house is bad luck.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #9

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If rain falls on a funeral procession, the deceased will go to heaven.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #10

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If you hear 3 knocks and no one is there, it means someone close to you has died. This was called the 3 knocks of death.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #11

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If you leave something that belongs to you to the deceased, that means the person will come back to get you.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #12

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If you smell roses when none are around someone is going to die.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #13

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If you don’t hold your breath while passing by a graveyard, you will not be buried when you die.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #14

old man, sleeping, dream

If you see yourself in a dream, your death will follow.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #15

owl, bird

If you see an owl in the daytime, there will be a death.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #16

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If it rains in an open grave then someone in the family will die within the year.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #17

bird, window

If a bird pecks on your window or crashes into one it means that there has been a death.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #18

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If a picture falls off the wall, someone you know will die soon.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #19

salt, salt shaker

If you spill salt, throw a pinch of the spilled salt over your shoulder to prevent death.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #20

storm, thunder, lightening

If you hear a clap of thunder following a burial it indicates that the soul of the departed has reached heaven.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #21

bare feet, feet

Carry the deceased out of the home feet first so they can’t look back and call someone else to follow them.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #22

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You might be next if you saw yourself in a mirror at a house where someone had recently died. Keep the mirrors covered until the mourning period is over!

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #23

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Turn family photographs face-down to protect family and friends from being possessed by a spirit of the dead.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #24

phone, gossip, telephone, traditions

Never speak ill of the dead because they will come back to haunt you or you will suffer misfortune.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #25

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Two deaths in the family means that a third is sure to follow.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #26

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Dropping an umbrella on the floor or opening one in the house means that there will be a murder in the house.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #27

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A diamond-shaped fold in clean linen portends death.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #28

handshake, customs

Shake hands with the gravedigger (or the undertaker) when attending a burial. Failing to do so meant death would strike your family next.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #29

dog, howling, dog howling

A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen. It can be reversed by reaching under the bed and turning over a shoe.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #30

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Drawing curtains immediately after death kept the spirit from leaving too soon.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #31

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Stopping clocks at the time of death prevented the spirit of the newly deceased from noticing the passage of time so they would stay just a little longer.

Learn more about preparing the Victorian-era home for a funeral by clicking HERE.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #32

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Covering mirrors with dark cloths prevented the spirit of the deceased from entering the mirror where they may become trapped.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #33

Mourning ensemble, silk, American

Wearing black clothing to a graveside service kept the spirits at the cemetery from noticing you so they wouldn’t follow you home. 

Learn more about Victorian-era mourning clothes by clicking HERE.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #34

chicken with black tie in field

Ribbons and black crepe on door handles, wreaths, windows – and even on pets and farm animals – let the community know that a death had occurred in the household and kept further deaths from occurring in the family.

Victorian Era Cemetery Superstition #35

beekeeper, bee keeper, bees, swarming bees

If a swarm of bees comes to the house of a good man who was soon to die, the bees were sent as an “honor guard” to escort the departing soul to heaven.

These cemetery superstitions may seem ridiculous to us, but hopefully they have helped you to understand some of the beliefs that impacted your ancestors’ lives.

Learn more about Victorian cemetery traditions HERE. 

Click on the links below to learn more about interesting funeral customs of the Victorian era:

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Volunteering to Take Gravestone Photos

The BillionGraves app helps preserve history and family memories. 

We need your help to take photos of gravestones! It’s easy and done completely with your smartphone! Click HERE to get started. 

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You are welcome to do this at your own convenience, no permission from us is needed. If you still have questions after you have clicked on the link to get started, you can email us at Volunteer@BillionGraves.com. We’ll be happy to help you!

Are you planning a group service project? Email us at Volunteer@BillionGraves.com for more resources. We will help you find a cemetery that still needs to have photos taken.

Happy Cemetery Hopping!

Cathy Wallace