蜜芽传媒

Hello Li.

What a collection of amazing superstitions!,specially that about the bear, I thought that just in my country you could find, such a thing like using animals, in a weird way, to avoid ills. Here in Ecuador some people believe that if they kiss a donkey (in the lips!!!), they'll cure their coughing. About the cats, I believed black cats were considered of bad luck everywhere, they scare me anyway.

Someone told me, a long time ago, that the expression bless you! or Jesus! (used in countries like Spain, Argentina and Ecuador) had its origin in the flu epidemy on Spain (1918).If you sneezed on those days, you had a big reason to be worried!.

And about the numbers..sorry I know just the ones you wrote above.

Thank you, I enjoyed reading it.

PD: Did you noticed that the list have 7 superstitions? A superstition maybe?

Hello Li and Wilson,

You're quite right, superstitions are definitely interesting and amusing ingredients of a nation's or people's all-round picture. Here are the Austrian equivalents to the beliefs you mentioned:

The idea of the soul leaving our body upon sneezing is new to me, but I like that story very much. Hereabouts we say "Gesundheit" (health), which is not nearly as fancy and would not really count as a superstition I dare say.

We also knock on wood and shout with joy when we find a four-leaved clover. Black cats, alas, are considered to bring bad luck, especially when they cross your way from the left to the right. Calico cats (with patches of white, red and black fur) seem to be the ones to bring luck around here. (I personally favour black cats - I think they are particularly beautiful - I've always wanted to have one.)

I remember being troubled by whooping-cough when I was a child - and now I know why: Never ridden a bear nor kissed a donkey, and there's no appropriate "protective" measure I would know of in this country.

The story of the Tower and its ravens is quite well-known in Austria, too - at least among school children in whose English books it is invariably mentioned. Did you want to say it was eight ravens which are taken good care of? I do have my doubts though if the magic effect on the Crown can work if the ravens' wings have been tampered with... That's cheating, isn't it?

As for lucky numbers, 13 is deemed unlucky by my fellow Austrians, too. There are many conflicting opinions on the truly lucky numbers - that seems to be a highly personal matter nowadays.

What else? Well, it's considered to bring good luck if you meet a chimney sweeper - so among the little items (made of plastic or - much better - chocolate) people give to each other for New Year there are chimney sweepers, four-leaved clovers, little pigs (preferably with four-leaved clovers in their mouths), horseshoes, fly agarics (no idea why they are considered lucky) and coins.
So I must be off to check up on those toadstools now...

See you around,
Elisabeth

Hi Li and everybody,

What an interesting topic! How many superstitions which are similar to superstitions in our country! We are afraid of black cats. We believe if such a cat crosses our way (it doesn鈥檛 matter from the left to the right or on the contrary) we have to spit out thrice over the left shoulder or to change our rout.
If we discuss a plan which isn鈥檛 accomplished yet we knock on wood thrice in order not to frighten the good luck off. May be 3 is one of our favorite numbers. There is a proverb in Russian which has an equivalent in English: 鈥淎ll good things come in threes鈥�. And we dislike 13.
Concerning sneezing we simply say 鈥淏e healthy!鈥� It isn鈥檛 a superstition here as well as in Austria.
It鈥檚 deemed if you meet a woman carrying an empty bucket it鈥檚 a bad omen. If you find a horseshoe it鈥檚 a very good omen. In the country in old times people hung it on the wall above the door. It was something like a mascot. Not very long ago I was presented with a pendant shaped like a small horseshoe.
Besides many people have some peculiar superstitions about their occupation. E.g. among musicians it鈥檚 an omen of bad luck if you dropped a pile of sheet music. To avoid the failure you have to sit down on it even if your colleagues joke about it.)) Maybe anybody of our group will write about such funny habits.

All the best,
Tatiana

Hi Li ,
I think all country's people are little bit superstitious because of believing number as LUCKY and UNLUCKY, black cat ,touching Wood and believing on many things .

In my religion Islam , if anybody sneeze ,we also pray for them for same reason .we do so because our religion told us do so and it is not Superstition . We do it for our religion.

In Britain, most people are Christan. In both religion Christan and Islam many things are common . May be that rule ' Blessing when sneezing ' may be a common thing. We bless the person when they sneeze due to our religion command us to do so .

But in my country we do not believe on numbers , or animal that can be lucky or unlucky for us . But few people believe in some superstitious. Such as broom should not keep near door , If owl makes sound many times at that night , people think someone is going to die in neighbor .

About me I am not superstitious but sometime some older aged people bound to follow some Idiot things like SUPERSTITIOUS.

Take care Li
Bye

Dear Li and everybody,

I am very pleased to stick my note on 蜜芽传媒 Learning English Blog. Superstition is an interesting topic for me. I guess Chinese are the most superstitious about death. It is easy to rank top ten of the world.

In eastern culture is that sneeze would not bring bad luck to the others, we learned from western people to touch wood or knock on wood avoiding from bad luck. We also believed that black cats bring black luck against people. Numbers 4 is the worst no. to Chinese, they don't like 14, 24, as well. It is because 24 sounds easy to die or 14 definitely die. Perhaps, they dare to die鈥�. They don't like receive the gifts of clock. Imagined that no sons to visit them before their death. It is a pity that they are very afraid of those upset circumstance.

My lucky numbers are both 8 and 9. the number 8 sounds rich and number 9 implies long-lived.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Best Regards.

Jenny

HI LI!

I have just signed up and this is the first post I have read. I found it very interesting, I am from Mexico and I can say that people from my country are superticious, too. What you said about the cat and the number 13 is very similar to what people believe here. Here, going under a lader is also considered something that can bring bad luck, I have never seen a person doing it.

Greetings from Mexico
Ivonne

HI li!!!
In Spain there are many topic of supertions.
We say: In tuesday 13, you shouldn麓t get marry or ship.You stay at home is better
To walk below a ladder or pull the salt is bad luck.Also,if you break a mirrow,you will have seven years of bad luck.
If spilled salt is bad luck,but you can change your luck,if you throw some salt over your shoulder
see you soon
lia