Brooms are ordinary household objects, but for centuries they’ve carried meanings far beyond sweeping dust. Some traditions claim a broom by your door invites ghosts inside, while others say it protects the home by brushing away bad energy. So what’s the truth behind these old beliefs? Here are some of the most well-known broom superstitions and the strange meanings behind them.
Sweeping After Dark
Many cultures warn against sweeping at night. The idea is simple: once the sun goes down, your broom might accidentally sweep away good luck, prosperity, or the positive energy lingering in the home. Some even say nighttime sweeping stirs up the spirit world and invites ghosts or misfortune inside. Others believe it sweeps money right out the door, leading to financial trouble.
New Broom, New Beginnings
A common superstition says that before using a new broom to sweep dirt out, you should use it to sweep something in. This symbolic gesture welcomes prosperity into the home and ensures the broom brings good fortune instead of clearing blessings away.
Never Sweep Over Someone’s Feet
Sweeping over a person’s feet is infamous for bringing bad luck. In some traditions, it means the person will never marry; in others, it’s said to attract trouble or even jail time. The fix? The person who got swept over must spit on the broom to break the bad luck. Odd, but it’s a classic.
Stepping Over a Broom
Accidentally stepping over a broom is another omen that supposedly predicts you’ll never marry. It sounds dramatic for something so accidental, but this belief has been around for centuries. If nothing else, it’s a good reminder to watch your step… unless skipping wedding expenses sounds appealing.
Leaning a Broom Against a Wall
This small gesture is believed to bring misfortune and disrespect the spiritual protectors of the home. A broom casually leaning against the wall was once considered an invitation for negativity to slip inside.
Brooms and Pregnant Women
In some Hispanic and folk traditions, letting a broom touch a pregnant woman was believed to cause complications or bad luck during childbirth. It’s extreme, but it shows how deeply symbolic certain household items once were, even a gentle brush of a broom was taken seriously.
Touching Someone With a Broom
Touching or brushing someone with a broom is said to “sweep away” their luck. In old folklore, this was practically considered putting a curse on them. Whether accidental or not, people avoided it to keep good fortune intact.
Breaking a Broom
If a broom snaps while you’re sweeping, superstition sees it as a sign of upcoming misfortune. The broom symbolizes the home and domestic life, so breaking it was thought to crack the household’s luck too.
Broom Placement
Where you store your broom matters, according to tradition. Bristles up wards off evil spirits; bristles down invites them in. Hanging a broom above the front door is believed to act as a protective charm, keeping unwanted entities out.
Extra: Spitting on a Broom
A strange but persistent belief says that spitting on a broom can neutralize bad energy. If someone stepped over it or knocked it over in an unlucky way, a quick spit was considered the cure.
Sweeping It All Together
Broom superstitions may seem quirky today, but they’re part of a long history where simple household tools carried symbolic power. Whether you take them seriously or just enjoy the folklore, they add a touch of old-world magic to an everyday chore. And next time you’re sweeping, you might briefly wonder: am I tidying up, or stirring something unseen?
