Since childhood we have encountered various situations that our close ones try to "enchant". Some say a bad omen is when a black cat crosses our way, others grab their coats’ button when they see chimney-sweep. And regardless of education, position in life and financial status everyone "silently", in their own way, tries to "enchant reality” which gives them even slight influence on their destiny. In the end, whether we like it or not, we’re all superstitious.
 |
| http://khurki.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Superstitions-khurki.net_.jpg |
So, what should we beware of? Can we take superstitions as a harmless phenomenon or should we treat them with highest seriousness? May I present you just a few of them. In fact, it’ll be barely a glimpse. Well, let’s start.
- INK - the spill is considered to be a bad sign. Rarely used nowadays, mainly for fountain pens. If you don’t let it dry automatically but take care of its removal, this bad luck is dismissed.
 |
| http://www.fluentu.com/japanese/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/09/10-bizarre-japanese-superstition.jpg |
- COAL - if you see a piece of coal lying somewhere on the road, then you need to pick it up for good luck. It means success is coming.
- BED - its peak should face south because it makes us healthy. Setting it north exposes us to a variety of ailments. It is believed that the reversal of the mattress on Fridays or Sundays brings bad luck, the best day for such actions is Tuesday. In case of nightmares, turn the mattress twice, then place it in the "opposite" direction.
- FORK - two forks accidentally crossed portend future gossip and slander. Dropping means a woman walking all over you.
 |
| http://www.justbringthechocolate.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/bad-nun.jpg |
- NUN - her appearance evokes strong emotions. Some say that meeting a nun on the street brings bad luck. The fishermen who meet her before fishing stay in the port. Especially watching a nun’s back brings misfortune. If you spit while looking at a nun, you will dismiss bad luck. In contrast, meeting a group of three nuns is a very good omen.
- COOK - when cooking, the food should be stirred clockwise. Otherwise, it will be inedible.
- WHISTLE - raises many negative associations and prejudices. In the mine it is a bad omen (can bring disaster and the collapse of the ceiling). The same threat is in the mountains, because it is believed that it causes avalanches. A whistling sailor on board can summon the storm. Whistling in the theater is almost a crime and predicts a failure for a premiere or an unsuccessful play.
 |
| http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=5469702 |
- CIGARETTES - many people of the older generation know the saying that lighting more than two cigarettes with one matchstick brings misfortune. This superstition has its origins in front experiences and is linked with soldiers on a battlefield or in any other military action. The first light allows the shooters to locate the enemy, the second - to aim, and the third - shoot the target.
I didn't know about these superstitions. Especially weird is that one with nuns. I wonder who and why created this. I can catch on why some superstitions where created (like the CIGARETTES one), but for instance the one with a black cat crossing a path before you makes no sense for me.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about some of them either. Personally I don't believe in any bad omen, I think everybody has more or less control over the outcome of his life, and it was even proven that placebo is so strong effect that indeed most of the "bad luck" that happened e.g. during friday 13th happened in fact to people who believed it will.
ReplyDeleteConclusion? It can also work in terms of achieving things. If you want something badly, you get it.
DeletePropably the most funny thing about superstitions would be the stories behind them!(Specially this one whith the nun! xD ) Every one of it became one after some kind of situations! I heard about half of them in a list, but porpably no1 well know superstitions is a bird poo as a good luck? Can you agree? Who didnt heard about it? :)
ReplyDeleteHeard about it. Experienced it. Not a fan.
DeleteI didn't know about any of these superstitions. I know about black cat, walking under ladder and broken mirror. I never believed in superstitions.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion people believe in superstitions because they are afraid to live and daily defeats. They are trying to find the source of his failure in daily routine. People are afraid to take total responsibility for your life. This is the reason of silly superstitions.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I am not that into-superstitions kind of type but my family is, so I know some weird superstitions, you know like (my sister has it at her company) she has a painting of a jew that is counting his money, so the superstition is to put that painting upside down so his money will go to the owner's sack, it's like giving yourself a bit of luck :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway nice origins behind those superstitions, it now makes sense :)
Haha, my brother doing the same thing. He has a lot of ugly paintings of jews, because he believes that it bring him good luck in money.
DeleteThat's a good one! ;) Haven't heard of it.
DeleteLike others said I didn't know about some of these superstitions. Personally, I do not believe in any superstition.
ReplyDeleteAs I know most of the superstitions here, it's always funny for me to group up and go somewhere with people that believe in them. For example I knew some people that believed that walking under the voltage pole ended up with having bad luck or something like this. It was always fun to go there and forth under it and pull them with me. Their scared faces were totally priceless.
ReplyDeleteI do not belive in any superstitions but it's fun to read about them or watch other people obey them. The one with a nun is really something else. I can't imagine spitting while looking at anyone and spitting while looking at a nun sounds even more inappropriate.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletePersonality, I don't believe superstitions, because I think what is can afford it still happening, but some superstitions which somewhere in the past were invented, should not influence what will happen.
But, people believe in it.
I agree with Łukasz, it's all our mind who creates the 'bad luck' etc. Personally I don't believe in superstitions, moreover I find it extremaly stupid. I consider it as an easy explanation for one's mistakes. I didn't know most of the ones mentioned in the presentation, probably because I'm not really interested in such magical fate. Years ago, it was understandable to believe in such things, but now, it seriously doesn't make sense for me.
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of all it. (interesting but...)
I'm always laughing, when someone is afraid to walk under a ladder, or so.
Why? Because I don't believe that crap :)
And I know a person who is stopping when he see a black cat. He wait on the road, until someone else will goes ahead (then bad luck goes to that person).
Isn't that foolish?
About the black cat and someone else going ahead, that is because it is believed that when your pathway will cross cat's, YOU'RE DOOMED.
DeleteLike many others I didn't know about existence of those superstitions actually... Me as a person I'm not superstitious and I don't believe in that kind of imaginations... Every time when black cat crosses my road I really don't care abut that for example.
ReplyDeleteI think that superstitions are one of the worst elements of our cultures but, on the other hand, it's hard not to believe in some of them when everybody has told you to beware, e.g., of black cats since childhood. However, I try to get rid of some alarming thoughts when I happen to be within close distance from the thing, person or situation that is supposed to bring me bad luck. And most of the superstiitions presented in the article were unknown to me earlier;).
ReplyDeleteHaving same thing. :)
DeleteThere are many superstitions, which many people believe in. Fortunately, amount of those people is decreasing. I heard many times from my grandparents about different superstitions. My parents don't believe in so many of them, but they are tend to believe in some, like sitting when coming back for something they forgot. Usually superstitions exists to explain something that happen, blaming fate instead of admiting that we made a mistake.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it.
DeleteI do not believe in superstitions because they do not recognize such thing as luck. It seems to me that if a black cat crossed my way, it actually can happen something wrong, but only by our behavior (for example, because instead of being focused on what we do, we think still that something bad might become). And although I'm not superstitious, that when someone sneezes, I always say "bless you", and yet it also stemmed from some sort of superstition. And although I did not know many of these beliefs - I still stir the food clockwise automatically;)
ReplyDeleteMoreover, it could be like if you wouldn't know about the black cat superstition for example, nothing bad would happen to you because you wouldn't expect bad luck.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePersonally I don't belive in any of those, but there is something when I encounter such situations, perhaps it's because of others believing in them.
ReplyDeleteAbout cooking, fork and bed I heard something. But about cigarettes or nun I’ve never heard. I don’t believe in supersetitions and also I don’t understand people who believe in this. Maybe they’re afraid of life and next day. But supersetitions aren’t make our life luckier.
ReplyDelete