I asked my mother if she could put it in the washing, as I needed it as soon as possible. I expected that it would soon be washed and ready again.
“No, not today,” she replied.
“Why?” I asked, surprised.
It seemed to me to be a reasonable question, as she always seemed to be doing some washing. There was a never-ending supply of laundry that needed to be washed. Why not today, I wondered?
“I’ll tell you why,” she replied. “It’s New Year’s Day, and you don’t do any laundry today, as it will bring bad luck.”
“What bad luck?” I wanted to know.
“If I do it today, it will bring bad luck. That’s what they say. Have you not heard of washing a loved one away? You don’t want that to happen, do you?”
Now, I didn't want that to happen, but surely washing my football shirt was not going to cause a death in the family?
The superstition that doing the laundry on New Year’s Day could result in the death of a family member is one that is widely held. Many seem to believe it, or at least observe it, and for some it is extended to not doing any house cleaning on New Year’s Day.