"I don’t know where these superstitions originated or how exactly they’re supposed to work, because I live in the American south and we have a bunch of superstitions from both Europe and Africa, but: Most people around here paint the roofs over their porches a specific shade of blue to ward off bad spirits. I also turn my shoes in two different directions after I take them off by the door. This supposedly confuses hags/haints/bad juju in general so it won’t find you. I do this fully recognizing how ridiculous it is."

Noregreddits