Is It Bad Luck to Wash Clothes on Saturday? Examining Common Laundry Superstitions

Washing clothes is a regular household chore for most people. But did you know some believe doing laundry on certain days can bring bad luck?

Superstitions around laundry day have been around for ages. Many cultures and religions have traditions linking washing clothes to good or bad luck.

So is Saturday one of those forbidden laundry days surrounded by superstition? Let’s find out as we explore common folklore and beliefs about wash clothes on Saturday and other days of the week.

What Are Some Superstitions Around Doing Laundry?

• Many superstitions revolve around washing clothes on religious holidays or holy days being bad luck. For Catholics, washing on Good Friday or Easter Sunday is taboo.
• Chinese New Year also has strong taboos against washing clothes during the first few days of celebrations to avoid washing away good luck for the year.
• Some believe doing laundry on Tuesdays & Fridays specifically will bring bad fortune, attract negative energy, or wash a loved one away figuratively.
• For Hindus, washing hair or clothes on Saturdays may bring bad karma according to some traditional beliefs.
• Labor Day has myths about avoiding washing baby clothes & worrying it can wash the baby away.
• There are also general myths that washing clothes on the Sabbath (Sunday for Christians, Saturday for Jews) is prohibited and will anger God.

Is It Bad Luck to Wash Clothes on Saturday?

Specifically focusing on Saturdays, there are indeed some cultural superstitions around doing laundry on the 7th day of the week.

However, the strength of the prohibition and reasoning varies between folk beliefs. Let’s analyze different superstitious origins.

Jewish Law Prohibits Laundry on the Sabbath

• Traditionally, Jewish law recognizes Saturday as the Sabbath. This weekly day of rest has strict rules against doing any form of “work” or labor – including household chores like washing clothes.
• There is Biblical scripture explicitly forbidding laundry on the Sabbath. Violations would be considered disrespectful and could anger God.
• While not all modern Jews adhere to Sabbath laundry prohibitions, some orthodox practitioners still avoid washing clothes from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

Hindu Beliefs Link Saturdays to Bad Karma

• Some traditional Hindu beliefs consider Saturdays inauspicious for laundry due to associations with Shanidev – the deity of the planet Saturn.
• Shanidev oversees karma and inflicts karmic justice. Washing hair or clothes on Saturday could symbolically “wash away” good karma and attract his punitive measures.
• However, many contemporary Hindus may not prohibit Saturday laundry with modern lifestyles and spiritual beliefs. Reforms in the religion have weakened this folk taboo over time for most practitioners.

The “Wash a Loved One Away” Myth

• An occult superstition emerged in parts of Europe claiming washing clothes on Saturday could “wash a loved one away” – essentially killing a friend or family member.
• One gruesome version states laundry water becomes a temporary portal to hell on Saturdays. Evil spirits take the rinse water as payment for taking a loved one’s life.
• No evidence supports loved ones meeting harm because of Saturday laundry. But the vivid mythology still scares some people from doing wash loads on Saturdays.

Is Washing Clothes on Any Weekend Day Bad Luck?

So Saturday clearly has some strong superstitions around laundry in certain religions and occult myths. But what about Sunday? Let’s look at superstitions regarding washing clothes on the weekend in general.

The Sabbath Prohibition Applies to Sundays Also

• As previously covered, the Biblical Sabbath prohibition in Judeo-Christian belief condemns laundry on holy days of rest and worship.
• While the Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, most Christian denominations regard Sunday as their Sabbath.
• Therefore, more religious Christians theoretically consider Sunday laundry equally prohibitive and disrespectful towards God as washing clothes on Saturdays.
• However, the majority of modern Christians ignore Sabbath-related superstitions – especially regarding laundry. However, the religious stigma still remains for some believers.

Weekends Represent Bad Karma in Astrology

• Some occult superstitions extend bad karma beliefs regarding Saturdays across the entire weekend.
• According to European astrology, Saturdays and Sundays fall under the dominion of Saturn – the planet overseer of mortality, limitation, loss, and karmic law.
• Therefore, some mystics proclaim all weekend days inauspicious for “washing away” good fortune. They recommend shifting laundry to more “luck-friendly” days aligning with Jupiter, Venus, or lunar phases instead.
• However, most people find adhering to weekend-long laundry prohibitions impractical and irrelevant in contemporary life.

The “13 Unlucky Laundry Days” Omen

• An archaic European omen warns against washing clothes on 13 specific days each year to avoid catastrophe.
• Known as the “13 Unlucky Laundry Days”, this occult myth declares laundry must be avoided on all Saturdays & Sundays featuring full moons plus each month’s 13th calendar date.
• While the lunar connection echoes astrology stigma around weekends suggesting higher risk, this prophecy seems outdated.
• Very few modern people altering laundry schedules according to this ominous annual calendar. It remains an obscure piece of laundry lore even in superstitious circles now.

So Is It Actually Bad Luck to Wash Clothes on Saturdays?

Considering the different cultural superstitions and alleged bad omens, should avoiding Saturday laundry be taken seriously? Let’s weigh the evidence.

Lack of Consistent Folk Beliefs on Weekend Laundry Taboos

• No laundry taboo consistency exists across religions/beliefs regarding Saturdays specifically or full weekend prohibitions universally.
• Jewish, Hindu, Christian, astrology, and other occult taboos differ in reasoning, strictness, and details of laundering avoidance on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Such inconsistency discredits the validity of any single laundry myth having genuine supernatural consequences for weekend washing.

No Empirical Evidence Supports Weekend Laundry Curses

• Furthermore, zero observable evidence demonstrates laundry on Saturdays or Sundays causing real misfortune to those violating superstitions.
• No studies show statistical proof that believers in Saturday taboos experience less household accidents, illness, relational disputes or other “bad karma” outcomes.
• Nor does evidence display non-believers suffering more mishaps due to ignoring alleged weekend curses against laundry washing.

Modern Lifestyles Depend on Flexible Laundry Schedules

• Strictly limiting laundry to weekdays simply feels unrealistic for most families juggling school, work, chores, and activities.
• Weekend washing often feels essential for crowded households today, despite alleged superstitions.

Therefore, for people not bound by devout religious obligations, skipping weekend laundry to avoid bad luck seems an unnecessary modern practice for contemporary lifestyles.

Outside of specific cultural holidays and events involving laundry taboos, washing clothes on Saturdays appears no more risky than other days of the week for the majority of the modern population.

When Should You Avoid Washing Clothes?

As covered earlier, some calendar dates and observances feature genuine taboos around laundry rooted in religious/cultural traditions still honored today.

Let’s review when laundry delays prove wise out of genuine respect, rather than unreliable superstition:

• The Jewish Sabbath – From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday for observant Jews.
• Christian Holidays – Good Friday and Easter Sunday, as Holy Week represents the death/resurrection of Jesus Christ in that faith.
• Chinese New Year – Avoid washing clothes on New Year’s Eve or the first 3-5 days of the Lunar New Year, depending on regional customs.
• Cultural Death Anniversaries – Some South Asian cultures prohibit laundry on the anniversary date of loved ones’ passing.

Beyond these examples, no consistent evidence supports other laundry day superstitions across religions/cultures globally. Don’t let vague myths deter you from washing clothes as needed responsibly.

FAQs About Washing Clothes on Saturdays & Weekends

Let’s review some frequently asked questions regarding the topic:

Is it bad luck to wash clothes on weekends in general?

No consistent evidence supports laundry taboos applying across cultures/faiths on all weekend days universally. Saturday and Sunday prohibitions differ between groups and modern relevance feels questionable.

Do Hindus prohibit laundry on Saturdays due to karma beliefs?

Traditionally, yes – Saturday washing was considered bad karma in Hindu culture. But contemporary views evolved with religious reforms, so taboos hold less weight, especially regarding laundry.

What does “washing a loved one away” mean in occult myth?

European witchcraft lore contains a disturbing myth that Saturday laundry can kill a family member. Washing clothes supposedly opens a “temporary portal to hell” where spirits take a life as payment. No data supports this, so it remains coincidence/confirmation bias.

Who first created laundry superstitions?

Laundry taboos extending back centuries fed off antiquity’s limited scientific understanding of disease transmission, mortality rates, and random misfortunes. Suspicious events without clear cause were easier to blame on laundry “curses”.

Is washing clothes on Saturday a sin in Christianity?

Conservative sabbath-keepers might proclaim laundry sinful for dishonoring their day of worship and rest. But the majority of modern Christians ignore Sunday chore prohibitions altogether. Ethics seem tied more to individual conscience.

Conclusion

When weighing superstitious beliefs against practical living needs, skipping laundering for fear of bad karma seems outdated and unnecessary for contemporary times.

Outside of major religious events where showing respect matters more than clean clothes, ignore the vague hearsay and ambiguous taboos passed down through history.

Laundry on Saturdays appears no more “unlucky” than other days – and freedom from dirty piles seems the clearest path to household luck and harmony for most families today!

So don’t let the superstitious lore scare you! Toss your wash loads into the machine with confidence this Saturday and focus instead on the certainty of delightfully fresh, clean clothes for the week ahead!