Salt - Some people dip their Challah in salt on Shabbat. But on Rosh Hashana sugar is substituted for the salt.

from Lisa Pollack - thanks:

The explanation I have always heard is that the challah, as a type of bread, represents the necessities of life, and the salt, a spice, represents the luxuries.  

In this same way, it is also traditional that one of the first things to bring into a new home is some bread and salt.  My parents helped me move into my first home, and I remember that as soon as my mom got through the door, she whipped out a Ziploc with an English muffin and a tiny bag of salt and put it in my cupboard.  When my husband moved in three years later and we were cleaning out the closets, he nearly threw it out and was somewhat puzzled when I pounced on him whilst he was trying to throw out what was a CLEARLY stale piece of bread...

Hamsa (Khamssa) is a hand-shaped amulet, with the palm facing out, the fingers spread open, in essence blocking the evil eye. It is commonly used by Jews and Muslims to ward off evil spirits.. Today, the hamsa is perceived as a "good luck" charm. Somehow, a trinket to bring on good luck is more positive in spirit than one protecting from evil spirits. The hamsa can be seen on necklaces, bracelets, hanging from a car rearview mirror etc. In the Babylonian tradition, any reference to hamsa, or the number five, is protection against the evil eye, and it comes into play in lifecycle events such as "The Eve of the 6th" and the "Henna Feast."

Shoes - When someone dies they used to take their shoes out into the woods and throw them in all directions. I remember my mother telling me the shoes of a dead person should not be worn again. Today, we would not want to liter the woods with shoes, but some still will destroy or throw them away rather than giving them to someone to wear.

Superstitions relating to keeping the "evil eye" away...

To change the name of a sick person in order to fool the angel of death
If a baby is named after a person who died young, also give a name after someone who lived long
Not to complement- say the opposite- so as not to attract the evil eye
Saying  kein an ahore
My mother did a warding gesture- thumb between index & middle finger
Red bendles- especially around a newborn- this was way before the new interest in Kaballah
When fisrt entering a new home, bring salt, sugar & bread

Thanks to Elaine Belkind for these superstitions.

Protecting the Babies...

Garlic and red ribbons were placed on the baby's crib to protect it from the evil eye, or demons. Lilith, one such demon, is specifically suspected of stealing small children for herself, since, as legend has it, she is forever bitter about her own inability to bear children.

Jewish amulets contain verse from Psalms to ward off evil spirits, especially the verse, "The sun shall not smite thee by day, neither the moon by night." (Psalm 121:6).

Many mothers and grandmothers tie red ribbons and strings to children's underwear and bedding to prevent the evil peer. The color red is significant within Jewish history because it was one of the items necessary for the building of the original Temple. Red thread and dye were used to make fabric; the red thread came from a type of worm. Rabbi S. R. Hirsch points out that the worm was the lowest form of life, and yet it was intrinsic to the building of the Sanctuary. The red thread, reminiscent of the lowly worm, can be seen as protection against this. Each time a person looks at the string he is reminded that a person is really as lowly as a worm. This humility is the ultimate weapon against the "evil eye." Mashallah! (the verbal amulet to ward off evil)

Link to site where found: http://www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/038/13.html

It was a popular Medieval amulet to protect mothers and children against an attack by Lilith.
The 3 angels Sanvai, Sansanvai and Semanglof were sent to bring Lilith back after she fled from Adam. Folklore has that she lived by the Red See and associated with demons. She refused to go with the angels who had been sent by Elijah. However, wherever the names of the 3 angels were inscribed, Lility would stay away!

sources: Hebrew Magic Amulets by T. Schrire and Jewish Magic and Superstition, A Study in Fold Religion by Joshua Trachtenberg.

I found a wonderful site with many different rituals and customs for this life cycle event. An Askenazi custom (minhag) for mothers to slap their daughters in the face on this occasion. The reasons varied from 'slapping sense' into a newly fertile girl so she would know not to disgrace the family to helping to bring a healthy flush to her face because of the bleeding. This is more of a superstition than a tradition and is also said to keep the evil spirits away.

Of all the alternative customs I read about the one I like best is to take that time to plant a new fruit tree in the honor of the young woman. But I also learned it is a good idea to have a feast including fruits like pomegranates to celebrate and wish good blessings along with the responsibility of becoming a woman.

While it is not certain that this is from Jewish origins, it seems the superstition comes from a time when people believed that evil spirits lived in the hair. This could have been believed from the static electricity that would discharge in the air when taking a hat off in a warm, dry environment. It is also believed that you don’t lay your hat where you’re going to lay your head because evil spirits spill out from hats. Another view on this custom is one of sanitary origins. Keeping the hat off from the bed also meant keeping lice from infesting the hat or the bed.