Horseshoes: Horns Down!

The House of Good Fortune visited the 70th annual Kutztown Folk Festival and learned something interesting about the Pennsylvania Dutch practice of hanging horseshoes.

The card in the photo is difficult to read, so I will copy it here:

“Es Huffeise - Horseshoe Rituals

“Among the Pennsylvania Dutch, iron horseshoes were considered protective against evil, but only if they were intentionally found, instead of purchased or sought after. Found objects were not always considered positive, as picking up objects from the side of the road were (sic) often avoided in case they had been used to powwow an illness away. Holy Saturday (Karsamschlaag) between Good Friday and Easter was one such day when a found object could be picked up without fear of contracting negativity or an illness. Among the Pennsylvaia Dutch, horseshoes were typically hung with the prongs facing downward above the barn door is (sic) a symbol of protection. The opposite is true in Anglo-American tradition, in which the horseshoe pointing upward like a chalice serves as a vessel to hold luck. A horseshoe with all the nails found intact was believed to be especially effective in powwowing for cure childhood illnesses and insomnia.”