Receiving a coat as a gift or by theft invites misfortune, while buying one ensures good luck.

The Superstition of Acquiring a Coat: Buy, Don’t Be Given

Details

In traditional European folklore, the method by which one acquires a coat is believed to influence their fortune. The superstition states that receiving a coat as a gift or stealing one brings bad luck, hardship, or even illness. The safest course, it is said, is to purchase your own coat to ensure autonomy, protection, and good fortune. This belief likely stems from deeper symbolic associations with clothing as an extension of the body or spirit. A coat gifted—especially a used one—might carry the donor’s fate or ill energy. Stealing one, of course, transgresses moral codes and invites retribution from divine or supernatural forces. As a protective measure, many believed buying your own garment ‘cleared’ previous energies and avoided spiritual entanglement with others’ karma or misfortunes.

Historical Context

In 19th-century rural Europe, especially in British and Irish folklore, clothing was believed to carry not only personal scent but spiritual imprint. Items like coats were seen as closely tied to one’s aura and life force. Thus, wearing someone else’s coat—especially without their consent—was considered dangerous, as it could symbolically place one into their life-path or absorb their misfortunes. Conversely, purchasing new garments ensured a clean spiritual slate. This was particularly emphasized in times of high mortality and poverty, where wearing second-hand or gifted clothing (especially from the deceased) was common. Superstitions arose likely as a psychological mechanism to manage anxiety around contagion, social status, or psychic contamination associated with belongings.

Modern Relevance

Although this superstition is largely forgotten in mainstream culture, echoes of it remain in folklore communities and some rural areas in the UK. In modern spiritual and new age circles, the idea of energy attachment to clothing has resurfaced—particularly in discourse around thrifted clothes or hand-me-downs. Some individuals now ‘cleanse’ used garments with sage or mindful intent before wearing. The belief also appears subtly in modern etiquette, where expensive or personal garments like coats are rarely given as gifts among strangers. On online platforms like Reddit or TikTok, discussions about second-hand clothing and spiritual ‘residue’ reflect renewed interest in similar ideas, albeit framed through wellness rather than superstition.

Sources

Charlotte Sophia Burne, The Handbook of Folklore (1913)

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