I'm a simple emigrant and I can't be in one sock

Did you hear in childhood that you must not wear just one sock, or something would happen with one of your parents? I was told so. And neither education nor a pile of personal-growth trainings could push this superstition out of my head. Now I put on a sock and, while I’m looking for the second, I fight internal panic, wondering whether I’m already in one sock or not yet. Germany also has its own superstitions, and many of them are similar to ours. For example, here they also fear black cats, though only if they run from left to right. A broken mirror is bad luck as well, and four-leaf clovers bring good luck. And to ward off the evil eye, they knock on wood and even on the head if there’s nothing nearby to knock on. And if someone spilled salt, you should toss a pinch over the left shoulder. But there are also special omens, for example, it’s strictly forbidden to congratulate on the upcoming holiday, especially on a birthday — Germans are sure that this almost invites death. Or: if you light a cigarette from a candle, somewhere a sailor will die. Why a sailor? Because long ago sailors sold matches, and if you didn’t buy them while using a candle, consider that you’ve starved a poor sailor! Giving knives and scissors is also taboo: it’s believed that you’ll “cut the friendship,” but don’t panic—you can ask for a coin in exchange, and then it turns out that you bought the gift and now you’re cutting the charm, so to speak! And another very popular superstition is that if you don’t look into someone’s eyes when you toast, you’ll get seven years of bad luck in relationships, and toasting with a glass of water is generally considered a wish for death. There are also symbols of happiness here. For example, a pig is a symbol of luck, and the expression Schwein gehabt (to have a pig) means “you got lucky.” This, by the way, was written on the piggy bank from this post. And also getting caught in the first rain of the season is supposed to bring success. And most importantly, seeing or touching a chimney sweep is supposed to bring great luck. Gather around, let’s go look for chimney sweeps! This is an interesting thing, these superstitions; you feel you understand most of it, but if you forget something at home, you can’t help but pull a grimace in the mirror. Do you believe in superstitions or omens? Do you follow anything? #holidays