There were lots of unwritten rules and traditions in the fifties which had to be followed at all costs. These had been handed down from generation to generation and you were in big trouble if you didn’t keep them.

• Men were not allowed to wear a hat inside the house. It must be removed on entering.
  
  
• If a funeral procession passed you in the street, you stood still and bowed your head until it had passed. Men removed their cap or hat as a mark of respect.
  
  
• You must not put new shoes on the table as this was considered to bring bad luck.
  
  
• When walking in the street men always walked on the outside to protect the women from harm. (This dated back to the time when there were horses and carriages and mud would be thrown up as they went by.)
  
  
• If there was a thunderstorm all the mirrors had to be covered up and the front and back doors opened to allow a thunderbolt the quickest way out should it strike your house.
  
  
• You were not allowed to look out of the window during a thunderstorm as this attracted the lightning to the house.
  
  
• You were not allowed to play out on a Sunday. This was a day of rest and so quiet pastimes were the only things allowed.
  
  
• All curtains were opened immediately that you got up in the morning. If curtains weren’t opened it was a signal to the whole street that there had been a death in the family. I suppose that in the days before telephones this was a means of communication. Curtains would be kept closed until after the funeral. Neighbours would close their curtains as an act of respect on the day of the funeral.
  
  
• Never have red and white flowers together in a vase without any other flowers of a different colour. Red and white together denoted imminent death.
  
  
• Washing was not done on Sunday, Good Friday, or New Year’s Day.
  
  
• The house should be cleaned from top to bottom on New Year’s Eve so that the New Year would be welcomed with a clean house. A good start to the year.
  
  
• If you spilt salt, a little pinch was to be thrown over your left shoulder.
  
  
• Happy the bride that the sun shines on! If it rained it was an omen of stormy times ahead.
  
  
• A coin should be placed in the hand of a new baby to ensure prosperity for the child.
  
  
• Lilies and lilac were never to be brought into the house as these flowers brought bad luck on the occupants.
  
  Women always wore a hat to church. (This is scriptural! Not very often obeyed today except in the winter when some older women wear them for warmth.)