Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[atobemaiko175]

Hi! I�m atobemaiko175 from Japan. I think that there are various superstitions in the world. For example, in Japan �If you whistle at night, thief will come�. It is warning to be quiet at night. And �If you lie down soon after eating, you will change into a cow�. Lying soon after eating is a bad manner in Japan, so it is warning to behave well. It is interested to me to know about superstitions in the world. What superstitions are there in your country? Please tell me!

[sourwine]

Hi,

in my country of origin (Germany) there are several superstitions which are not generally believed in but most people would know about them.

E.g. it is supposed to bring good luck if you touch a chimney sweeper and get some of his grime on your fingers. When you eat a carp dish at the 1st of January and keep one of its scales in your purse it will keep and increase your prosperity.

Negative superstitions are the black cat, which is supposed to bring bad luck if you see it cross the street. The black cat was known as a companion of witches in the middleage and people believed it is a personification of the devil).
You shouldn't walk below a ladder because it brings bad luck (I assume that one comes in for security reasons).

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve you shouldn't wash because then you would have the clothes hanging around to dry during that time and ghosts or demons could get caught in them and bring you bad luck or even death. I guess it meant in former times that the housewife would have some days "off" and would not have to wash.

It would be interesting to read about other countries and their superstitions.