People Are Hanging Bags Of Pennies From Their Porches, And We May Start Doing The Same

The South has many traditions that don't make all that much sense to outsiders. They run the gamut from unique events (such as purity balls) to engrained behavioral norms (looking at Southern hospitality). However, walking down the streets of Georgia or Kentucky during the summertime would provide an even more perplexing sight for someone from out of town: Ziploc bags full of pennies and water, hanging from people's porches. Why on Earth would people do this? When we finally found out, it all made total sense.

A curious sight

Two friends were chatting over a nice meal on the patio of one of their favorite restaurants when they noticed something strange that caught their eye: “zip-lock baggies pinned to a post and a wall.” Immediately this peculiar sight piqued their interest.

Searching for answers

"The bags were half-filled with water, each contained four coins, and they were zipped shut,” the woman recalled, going on to admit that “Naturally, we were curious.” So, they decided to ask their waiter what the deal was.

A common oddity

What the friends didn’t know at this point was that this phenomenon is actually an extremely common one, at least in the Southern United States. Such adornments can be found not only at restaurants and stores, but also hanging from residential windows and door frames, porches, and even trees.

A sacred offering

In ancient Europe, pious people used to make a habit out of offering up tributes to their gods when they believed that the deities were displeased with them. The most common location for these gifts? Wells. And even today the action continues, with people across the world making wishes by throwing coins into fountains.