Why you shouldn't wash dishes at someone else's house: what folk superstitions say

SSPDaily has prepared an article on why you shouldn't wash dishes when you're visiting. Learn about the superstitions and beliefs passed down from generation to generation.

Nowadays, the significance of allowing guests to help wash dishes is often ignored. However, esotericists point out that water not only cleanses dirt but can also flush out positive energy.

Perhaps that is why our ancestors were cautious about allowing guests, especially those who harbor negative emotions such as dissatisfaction or anger, to participate in dishwashing. It was believed that such "help" could bring bad luck, provoke problems in the family, and cause unnecessary family quarrels and conflicts.

In addition, there was a belief that the home spirit, responsible for guarding and protecting the home, might be dissatisfied with the laziness of the owners if outsiders were allowed to do the housework. These beliefs led to the fact that outsiders were forbidden to do household chores when visiting, and these duties were assigned to close relatives or trusted friends.

It is particularly interesting to observe that various superstitions are associated with specific people in the family. For example, there is a belief that unmarried girls should not wash plates, as it is believed that this disrupts family happiness and prevents them from finding love. According to the belief, allowing an unmarried girl to wash dishes in the house will lead to the choice of unwanted grooms and eternal unhappiness.

Similar signs exist for unmarried girls who help married women. It is believed that a girl may accidentally attract the attention and affection of a married woman's husband.

On the other hand, if an unmarried woman washed dishes in a bachelor's house, it was believed that he would soon tie the knot.

In addition, a plate broken while washing by an unmarried girl is considered a harbinger of unhappiness in the family.

Married women are advised to be careful and choose their dishwashing companions wisely. If you host lazy guests who are willing to take on the dishwashing duties and cope with the task too quickly, this can contribute to troubles in the following week. In addition, it was believed that allowing a stranger to wash their hands over dirty dishes in the sink would lead to debt.