In olde England, family shoes were often buried in the walls of houses and hidden behind chimney bricks and floorboards. This charm would bring prosperity to the house and the shoe's owner. To ensure prosperity and the safety of a loved one, keep an old shoe that the owner has worn and loved. Fill it with sprigs of rosemary for protection, cinnamon sticks for luck, and bay leaves for good fortune. Tuck the shoe into a secret place where it will be safe from harm-under a floorboard, a cellar or attic hiding place, or even simply beneath a bed. As you hide the shoe, envision your loved one surrounded with protection from harm, wherever he or she may travel in life.

Holiday Lore:
Ever since the Middle Ages, pilgrims have marked this day as the feast of Mary Magdalene's death, who was said to have settled in France after the death of Christ along with her brother, Lazarus, and sister, St. Martha. Mary was ever ashamed of her earlier life of sin, and she settled in a cave grotto, fasting, and praying. When she died many years later after much penance, her soul took the form of a dove and flew away.