Christmas Dinner Table Superstitions

• In every house, the lights should be completely put off before the star comes out. Only after the star is sighted can dinner be served on the table.
• Christmas feast should be set for an even number of guests. It is believed that having an odd number of people for the dinner is bad luck. Always, an extra plate should be kept ready to even out the number of people in case some unexpected guest arrives at the time of Christmas dinner.
• The legs of the dining table should be tied with a rope in order to safeguard the house from thieves or burglars in the coming year.
• The chair of the dining table that has its back to the door should be kept empty because sitting in such a position may enrage luck and it may give the house a miss the following year.
• Christmas dinner served at the dining table should consist of nine dishes including soups, potato salad, bread with honey, fruits, desserts, etc.
• Alcohol should not be consumed at any cost, on the eve of Christmas.
• It is believed that the first person to leave the dining table after having finished their food will be the first to die in the forthcoming year. Hence, everyone should finish their dinner and leave the table together.
• In order to bring luck to the people of the household, fish scales are placed under the dinner plates. Also, a bowl of garlic is placed under the table to ensure protection and strength. Mushrooms are also kept on the dining table as fungi for good health and strength in the coming years. 
• Whatever is left over after the Christmas dinner must be buried around the nearby trees so that they may bear lots of fruits in the coming year.
• In olden days, in order to safeguard the house from burning down, it was doused with grain dipped in Holy Water.
• After the meal, all the animals in the surroundings of the house must be fed so that no living being goes hungry on the holy occasion of Christmas.
• After dinner, a piece of pie should be kept for the following day; this piece when consumed the next day brings good luck for the coming year.
• Eating a plum pudding as dessert in the feast is said to avoid losing a friend till the arrival of next Christmas.
• The Christmas pudding should be stirred continuously before consuming. A wish for each month of the following year must be made in the process of such stirring.
• In some regions, after dinner, every member sitting at the table was given an apple and asked to cut it half-length wise. If the core of the apple appeared in the shape of a star, then the person was said to join the company of others safely without any troubles next year. In case the core was shaped differently, that person’s death was anticipated within the coming twelve months. A four point cross appearing after the cut was also considered to be a bad omen.
• It is considered unlucky to refuse an offered mince pudding on Christmas Eve.
• Before beginning Christmas dinner, consuming three sips of saltwater was thought to bring good luck for the coming year.