Legends of Luck and Chimney Sweeps

You may be familiar with the image of chimney sweeps wearing top hats and coattails, which truly has been a common uniform for chimney sweeps for hundreds of years. Are you aware that chimney sweeps are symbols of good luck in several countries? Many centuries-old superstitions about the luck that a chimney sweep can bring are widely believed today. Forget about rubbing a rabbit’s foot or searching for a four-leaf clover! After reading this, all you may want to do to ensure a bit of luck is to seek out a chimney sweep at the right time. (Which brings us to the point that chimney inspections should be done regularly, not only to keep your good luck going, but for the safety of your home & family!)

New Year’s Luck

Chimney sweeps and good luck on New Year’s Day go hand-in-hand for people in several countries, including Germany, where chimney sweeps are called Schornsteinfegers. Meeting or coming across a chimney sweep on New Year’s Day is and long has been considered to be very good luck in Austria, Germany, and Hungary. Through the decades there have New Year’s postcards depicting various imagery related to chimney sweeping. Chimney sweeps have been pictured on many types of mid-winter gifts that are exchanged to wish others good luck, including on charm bracelets made of silver, on labels for chocolate, and figurines. Luckily, you don’t have to wait until New Years to meet a chimney sweep, as our NY chimney sweeps work year round providing chimney repairs, chimney cleanings, and chimney inspections!

Luck in Croatia and Poland

Tradition has it in Croatia and Poland that if you rub a button as you are passing a chimney sweep on the street, you’ll have good luck.

A Chimney Sweep and a Pig

A very old tradition for finding good luck at the beginning of a new year involves coming across a chimney sweep toting a pig. Centuries ago, it was a custom for chimney sweeps to walk through the streets carrying a pig on New Year’s Day. People would flock to the chimney sweep, each paying a small sum to make a wish while pulling a hair from the pig, for good luck.

Good Fortune on your Wedding Day

Chimney sweeps are so widely considered good luck on your wedding day that chimney sweeps through the centuries have literally hired themselves out to attend the sacred events. Now, here is a superstition that comes with a story with various versions, all of which serve to justify the belief that chimney sweeps are good luck.

There are two versions of a story that are believed to have taken place somewhere around 1066. In one version, King William of Britain was in danger because a horse and carriage were charging toward him. In another version, King William was in danger because he was on a horse and a wild, snarling dog startled the horse, causing it to buck wildly. In both stories, a chimney sweep saved the king’s life, earning a reward. The chimney sweep either pushed the king clear of the oncoming horse or calmed the panicked horse. The king is said to have done three things to honor the hero, depending on your source. King William declared chimney sweeps lucky, invited the chimney sweep to his daughter’s wedding, and/or decreed that only chimney sweeps could wear top hats in their profession, as a way of showing how distinguished sweeps are.

The National Fire Protection Association in the U.S. has sort of a superstition about chimney sweeps, too. They believe that when a chimney is inspected annually, the chimney sweep’s work has made it possible to safely use your fireplace or wood stove. What’s not lucky about that?