At 04:03 14/09/2005, you wrote:
I wonder if the green thread is related to the old use of green as
the color of mourning (long before black)... because green grass
grows on the grave. Gytha
Chris Laning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> When I worked for the local Shakespeare festival, we had an excellent
> British actress in the company who was serious about a number of
silly , yet
> traditional theatre superstitions. I used to torment her, putting
shoes on the
> counter instead of the floor...
A couple more:
(1) It's unlucky to baste anything with green thread. (Green is
supposed to be a generally unlucky color anyway.) IIRC (and it was a
LONG time ago) I think my grandmother actually told me this one.
(2) It's unlucky for anyone to sew or mend clothing while someone is
actually wearing it. But the person wearing the clothing can avert
evil consequences by holding a piece of thread between their teeth
while the sewing is going on. (Can't remember where I saw this, but
it was relatively recent.)
A couple of times when I worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company I
had to "sew" someone into a costume which had split, and each time
the actor was very, very unhappy about it. There was simply no time
to take the garment off, mend it and replace.
Some actors have to put the left shoe (for example) on before the
right, others won't wear green, (it's the colour of the fairies -
same for bridesmaids and brides - don't upset the fairies/little
people) and in many theatres, real flowers are not allowed on stage
(except at curtain calls.) This one makes some sense, as if flowers
of leaves drop on to the stage and get trodden on they can be
slippery and therefore a hazard. There do seem to be many
superstitions about the colour green and clothing.
Suzi
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