Shoes have been
a part of our society since the middle ages. They depict our culture and
heritage and have witnessed all forms of evolutionary changes. Shoes are the
subject of much superstition and myth. Almost every culture since the beginning
of time has had some superstition surrounding their footwear. This continues
even today with the bronzing of baby shoes and the tying of shoes to the back
of a newlywed couple’s car.
Following are
some of the myths and legends that are associated with shoes and were followed
at some point in history, by a particular race or nation.
- In China, a child’s shoe was adorned with a fierce animal such as a tiger. The animal was meant to protect him from evil spirits.
- A Native American custom was to put a hole in the sole of the shoes of an infant to let bad spirits escape.
- An age-old funeral ritual was burying a pair of shoes with the deceased. Though no one knows the origin of the custom, it was perhaps in the hope that the departed will walk comfortably in the afterlife.
- It was a Chinese custom to toss the bride’s red shoe upon the roof of the house on her wedding night as a sign of love and harmony.
- A custom of the Zuni people of the United States Southwest was to have a woman’s wedding boot made by her fiance.
