Questions to think about for Students

1. Which British superstitions are similar to those in your country?

2. Which are different?

3. Do you know anything about the origins of some of the superstitions in your country?

4. Can you give the definition of "superstition"?

5. Do you believe that they can influence our lives and still live on in the age of science?

THE ORIGIN OF COMMON SUPERSTITION

If you stay in bed when Friday the 13th comes around or walk miles out of your way to avoid black cats, ladders and cracks in the pavement, stop for a moment and ask yourself why! Daily life is full of lots of things we believe are lucky or unlucky but few of us actually know where these beliefs came from.

FRIDAY THE 13th
There are many different theories about the origin of 13 being considered an unlucky number. Tracing the superstitions back, the earliest theories claim that in ancient religion, Valhalla, the home of the Gods, had twelve guests at a feast and a thirteenth, the God of Deceit, turned up uninvited. Others believe that the 13 started with witches' covens having 12 members, making 13 when the devil appeared at satanic ceremonies, although this may have been an attempt by the church to discredit witches as, prior to Christianity, 13 was considered a sacred number, representing the 13 moons of the year.
For Christians, 13 was the number at the Last Supper when Judas betrayed Jesus. It is also claimed that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah's flood started on a Friday and Christ was crucified on a Friday so it is likely these days and numbers combined were given the curse of bad luck.

LADDERS
Pragmatists would say that you don't walk under ladders in case they fall on you. One belief is that the ladder forms a triangle with the floor and the ground and, depending on who you speak to, this either represents a holy symbol from Egyptian times or the holy trinity from Christianity. Either way, walking through that triangle, violates it and brings bad luck.

ANIMALS
Many people believe that a rabbit's foot is a lucky charm but this began with the belief that witches turned themselves into hares to escape capture so carrying a hare's foot (rabbit's foot) would protect you from them. This practice flourished in medieval times!
In Egyptian times, black cats were revered and one of their goddesses even took the form of a cat. In post Christian times, the black cat is considered evil for its association with witches. Ironically, a black cat walking towards you is considered lucky while one walking away is said to be stealing your luck.

WEDDINGS
Perhaps one of the most practiced yet least appreciated of Western superstition is at weddings where traditional forms are followed without realising their significance. The bride's veil is to protect her from evil spirits who are jealous of happiness. Similarly, the bridesmaids are there as decoys to distract the bad spirits. The bride is carried over the threshold to stop her from tripping which is considered bad luck and therefore a bad start to the marriage. Rice, thrown after the ceremony, has always been a symbol of fertility. And wedding rings are gold and plain, a symbol of eternity, and are worn on the left 'ring finger' because it was believed that a vein runs from that finger to the heart.

In modern times we often consider ourselves above all of this nonsense of good and bad luck but, just watch people long enough and you'll find most people have something they 'believe in'.

EXERCISES:

I. Write an essay (ab.200 words) in one of the following topics:
1. Why people believe in superstitions even in the space age.
2. Lucky 13th.
3. I have heard that....

You believe that if you shake hands with three people in a row without them saying anything, it’s extremely lucky. You spend large parts of your day trying to achieve this, but it’s very difficult because people always want to talk to you.	You believe that it’s good luck if the door of the room you are in is open by a few centimetres because then any bad luck is not trapped in the room with you. If someone closes it, you always open it again so that the bad luck can escape.
You believe that it’s extremely lucky to tap people on the shoulder three times, so you always try to do this wherever you go. Not only will this bring you good luck, but you believe that it will make you rich too.	You believe that it’s extremely unlucky to wear shoes or sandals of any kind. Moreover, you believe that the people wearing shoes and sandals around you will give you bad luck, so you always try to convince them to remove their footwear. If they won’t then you try to do it for them.
You believe that winking your right eye when you are talking to someone is very lucky, so you always wink when you meet people.	You believe that if you step on any cracks or lines in the floor, you will have some very bad luck, so you are always very careful not to step on these wherever you go. People always complain that you stare at the floor when they talk to you.
You are very superstitious and believe that tapping seven times on different surfaces (walls, windows, desks, etc) will bring you lots of good luck.	You strongly believe that if you see someone wearing glasses, you must try them on because this allows you to understand the person better. You will use any excuse to have a look though someone else’s glasses although occasionally you have to force the person to let you do this
You believe that it’s very unlucky to say words that are of more than three syllables. If you accidentally do this, you must to the YMCA actions to counteract the bad luck.	You believe that it’s very unlucky to be touched by another person. Whenever this happens, you must shout “GIB GOB GIB” as loudly as possible to scare away the bad luck.

Do you believe in superstitions? Do the quiz and you will see how superstitious you are.

1. Do you believe it is unlucky to walk under a ladder?
2. When you tell someone about something that you hope is going to happen, do you ever touch wood or cross your fingers, or do you feel a strong urge to do so?
3. Are you the slightest bit bothered by the number 13?
4. Have you got a lucky number?
5. Do you read your horoscope regularly?
6. Have you ever consulted a fortune teller, palmist, etc?
7. Have you ever thrown a coin into a wishing well?
8. Have you ever made a decision after consulting a deck of cards, playing patience, etc?
9. Is there a particular day of the week which is lucky or unlucky for you?
10. Have you ever changed your plans because of a dream?
11. Have you any kind of talisman or lucky object?
12. Do you believe in any other superstitious customs of your own country?

Now check your score: For every no: 0 For every yes: 2 For every doubtful answer: 1

Examples of superstitions vary greatly from one country to another:

• An example of a superstition that is commonly believed by the public is astrology.
• A gambler may credit a winning streak in poker to a lucky rabbit's foot or to sitting in a certain chair, rather than to skill or to the law of averages.
• In Afghanistan it is said that if you see a magpie sitting on a wall, a message will be coming for you.
• In India if someone sneezes while you are leaving your house then it is considered as bad luck. The person has to come back into the house wait for a few minutes and can go.
• In the Tampa, Florida area it has long been believed alligator sightings cause athlete’s foot.
• In China people say that one should not sweep or dust on New Year's Day lest good fortune also be swept away.
• An airline passenger might believe that it is a medal of St Christopher (traditional patron saint of travellers) that keeps him safe in the air, rather than the fact that airplanes statistically crash very rarely.
• Brides on their wedding day often do not see their groom until the ceremony, believing that to do so causes bad luck.
• Some people turn back from a journey if a black cat crosses their path, although, some European countries (eg Britain) believe it's lucky to see a black cat.
• Among African Americans it is considered unlucky to sweep someone with a broom while cleaning house.
• Many believe that if you can blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with one breath while making a silent wish, your wish will come true. Also, many people believe that if you cause the knife to touch the bottom of your birthday cake while making the first cut in the cake, your wish will not come true.
• Tetraphobia (the fear of the number 4) is widespread in Japan and China; the number's use is minimized or avoided where possible. This is because the word for 4 is homophonious with the word for death. Mobile numbers with 4 in them sell for less and some buildings even skip the level four, labeling it the 5th floor instead.
• Triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13, is common among those of European descent.
• Baseball superstitions are numerous.
• Some believe that if you see a magpie, you must salute it with the words: "Hello Mr. magpie, how's your wife and family" or bad luck will follow. Unless you see two magpies, which is good luck.
• It is also a common belief that breaking a mirror will bring 7 years of ill fortune.
• Some believe that walking under a ladder will bring bad luck.
• Opening an umbrella inside the house is purported to bring bad luck.
• Entering a house left leg first is sometimes thought to bring bad luck.
• In some countries an owl is a bad omen, in others it is a good sign maybe this is because owls make their sounds when a dangerous animal is near thus it is considered as a bad omen.
• Some people believe that if you give someone a handbag as a gift, you must place a coin in the handbag, otherwise the handbag will bring the recipient bad luck.
• Some people believe that it will bring bad luck if you give someone a knife as a gift, and to avoid the bad luck the recipient should exchange the knife for some money (even if it's just one coin), so that "technically" they "bought" the knife, rather than received it as a gift.
• In theatre and drama it is considered bad luck to say "Good luck." "Break a leg." is substituted.
• In many parts of Europe, "Break a leg" is substituted with the regional colloquialism for excrement. This is a tradition that dates back to times when horses were the primary means of travel, either directly or by carriage. When a spectacle had been well reviewed or advertised, there would be many horses in front of the theatre, and thus copious amounts of horse excrement.

Write what a good superstition is and what bad is

1. to spill salt is
2. to open an umbrella in the house is
3. a black cat crossing your path will bring –
4. the number 13 is
5. to meet or pass someone on the stairs is
6. a horseshoe over the door of a new house brings -
7. to take a last piece of bread on the plate is
8. a clover with 4 leaves brings
9. to put new shoes on the table is
10. to break a mirror is
11. Friday the 13^th brings –
12. White wedding –
13. If a baby is born on Christmas Day it will bring –
14. If you wear new shoes on Christmas it will bring you –

Superstitions

Make a list of superstitions that you know:

If you break a mirror, you will have 7 years of bad luck.

If you walk under a ladder, something bad will happen.

If you pull the bigger half of a wishbone, your wish will

come true.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

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