Colegiul Naional Mihail

Koglniceanu, Galai
LUCRARE PENTRU OBINEREA ATESTATULUI LA
LIMBA ENGLEZ
An colar: 2013-2014
Elev:Mitu Elena
Profesor coordonator:Diaconu Eleonora






LUCK, CHARMS AND SUPERTITIONS



















Table of contents















1. Introduction
Why did I choose to talk about British luck,charms and superstitions? Because I believe that
they are a good way of discovering people and they help you understand their beliefs,
behaviour and habits. With their help you can enter the British world and become a part of it
even though figuratively speaking.
Every nation has its own luck, charms, traditions and superstitions. So, the British couldnt
have been an exception. The British (also known as Britons, informally Brits or archaically
Britishers) are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, one of the Channel Islands,
or of one of the British overseas territories, and their descendants In a historical context, the
word is used to refer to the ancient Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain south
of the Forth British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which
are acquired through a variety of means including by birth in the UK and by descent from
British nationals.
The British are one of the people whose superstitions and traditions are known worldwide and
have become quite famous. Who hasnt heard about the tradition of drinking tea, about all the
traditions regarding the royal family, about Robin Hood or the Loch Ness monster, about
King Arthur and his knights, about Christmas customs, about Halloween or about St.
Valentines Day?
The British people are at the same time people who believe in superstitions and in the effect
that they have upon their lives. As a result, they dont leave their homes without, firstly,
making sure that the Universe is not against them and something bad may happen to them
during the day.
We can say that British superstitions and traditions are a way of living and they may apply to
each of us. They are for everyone no matter their origins, living conditions, social status or
culture.
1.1.The meaning of traditions and superstitions for British people
Superstition is a part of British culture today. Although superstition was more alive a hundred
years ago, there are still superstitious people around, both young and old. Some people
though, clame not to be superstitious, but it is still a part of them.
Superstition is a pretty slippery concept, and we need to examine what we mean by it. The
simple statement that a superstition is an irrational belief is quite adequate for most purposes,
as long as we don't enquire too closely into the meaning of the word 'irrational'. But not every
irrational belief gets labelled as superstition, so we need to look a bit closer. One of the key
characteristics of superstition is a belief in the existence of luck, as a real force in life, and that
luck can be predicted by signs, and can be controlled or influenced by particular actions or
words. Other key elements include a belief in fate, which again can be predicted and
manipulated, and a belief in fate, which again can only be described as magic - the idea that
people can be harmed or protected by spells, charms, amulets, curses, witchcraft, and so on.
Superstitions are also unofficial knowledge, in that they run counter to the official teachings
of religion, school, science, and government, and this is precisely why - even in the 21st
century - many of us like to hold onto a few, to show that we are not totally ruled by science
and hard fact.
But why were people so superstitious? It is usually assumed that superstition is the result of
fear and uncertainty - an attempt to control the parts of life that are in fact beyond our
understanding or control. This is largely true, and there is some evidence that superstition is
more prevalent in people involved in dangerous occupations, and increases in times of
particular uncertainty, such as during a war.
2.What do superstitions mean to the British?
Superstition is a part of British culture today. Although superstition was more alive a hundred
years ago, there are still superstitious people around, both young and old. Some people
though, clame not to be superstitious, but it is still a part of them.
All superstition has grown from something, there is no smoke withoout fire. Who was the first
one to decide that opening an umbrella in a house is bad luck? Who was the first to walk
under a ladder and suffer the consequenses? Who hung a horseshoe the wrong way up,
smashed a mirror and spilled the salt? Who first branded Friday 13th as a day on which luck
would run out?
Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth century life was hazardous, and the central feature
of day-to-day existence was a preoccupation with finding explanations for fortune and
misfortune. Religion, diseases and fire might have been the most essential elements in the
background of the beliefs of superstition. Even though we are not searching for the same
answers today superstition is still with us as a tradition.
The word 'Superstition' comes from the Latin 'super' which meansabove, and 'stare' which
means to stand. Those who survived in a battle were called 'superstitians', since they had
outlived their fellow warriors and therefore stood above them.
Every generation since the dawn of time has written off superstition as being nonsensical and
about to 'kick the bucket'. Yet taboos keep springing back to life. Why do primitive omens
survive in the Age of Science? Superstitions are many-sided: silly and serious, illogical and
practical, Pagan and Christian. The ancient omens once touched every aspect of daily life: in
the home; at birth, marriage & death; animals; and women in particular were the centre of
many home-spun rituals. Join Alec in a fun debate as we 'touch wood' and avoid ladders
during an exploration of how primitive rituals are passed on to the next generation. They are
the 'oldest beliefs in the world' and may well outlive the major religions of today.
2.1. A strong superstition
Of all birds it is probably the magpie that is most associated with superstitions. However,
most superstitions regarding magpies are based around just one bird. Throughout Britain it is
thought to be unlucky to see a lone magpie and there are a number of beliefs about what you
should do to prevent bad luck.
In most parts of the UK it is believed that you should salute the single magpie and say Good
morning Mr Magpie. How is your lady wife today? By acknowledging the magpie in this
way you are showing him proper respect in the hope that it will not pass mad fortune on to
you.
In Yorkshire magpies are associated with witchcraft and you should make a sign of the cross
to ward off evil. And in Scotland a single magpie seen near the window of a house is a sign of
impending death, possibly because magpies are believed to carry a drop of the devils blood
on his tongue or in another legend because he was the only bird that didnt sing or comfort
Jesus when he was crucified.
Other things you can do to prevent the bad luck a lone magpie may bring include doffing your
hat, spitting three times over your shoulder or even flapping your arms like wings and cawing
to imitate the magpie's missing mate.
As the well known rhyme "One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five
for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told." shows it is only seeing a lone
magpie that brings bad luck and groups of magpies are said to predict the future. There are
many different versions of this rhyme with some counting as high as 20 birds.
Like many other birds magpies mate for life and this may be the inspiration for this rhyme.
And in some parts of the world magpies are not associated with bad luck at all. In Korea a
popular magpie superstition has people believing that that the magpie can foretell when they
will have visitors in the future. In China it is believed that the magpies song will bring
happiness and good luck and in some parts of China the magpie is considered a sacred bird.
Although it is not known why magpies have become associated with bad luck magpies are
members of the crow family and like all crows have a reputation for liking shiny objects and
have the reputation of stealing jewellery. Rossini wrote a tragicomic opera entitled La Gazza
Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) about a French girl accused of theft who is tried, convicted and
executed. Later the true culprit is revealed to be a magpie and in remorse the town organises
an annual 'Mass Of The Magpies' to pray for the girl's soul.
Another reason for humans disliking magpies is that during breeding season they will
sometimes supplement their diet of grubs, berries and carrion with eggs and baby birds. They
have also been known to kill small pets such as guinea pigs. Studies have shown that magpies
raiding nests have no effect on the populations of songbirds of game birds.
Ensure that the breeding birds in your garden aren't disturbed by magpies by choosing a bird
box that keeps predators out.
2.2. Good luck or bad luck?
Good Luck

Lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats are featured on many good luck
greetings cards and birthday cards in England.
Lucky to touch wood .
Lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves.
A horseshoe over the door brings good luck. But the horse shoe needs to be the right way up.
The luck runs out of the horse shoe if it is upside down.
On the first day of the month it is lucky to say " white rabbits, white rabbits white rabbits,"
before uttering your first word of the day.
Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you're have good luck. Every leaf means a lucky
month next year.

Bad Luck

Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder
Seven years bad luck to break a mirror.
Unlucky to see one magpie, lucky to see two, etc..
Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to
counteract the bad luck.
Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.
The number thirteen is unlucky. Friday the thirteenth is a very unlucky day. Friday is
considered to be an unlucky day because Jesus was crucified on a Friday.
Unlucky to put new shoes on the table.
Unlucky to pass someone on the stairs.
2.3.Superstitions for everyone

There are many British superstitions and even those who think they are nonsense often follow
them just in case. A good example of this is it is bad luck to walk under a ladder, one could
say this makes practical sense.
Another common belief is that it is bad luck to break a mirror, particularly a rectangular one.
Equally it is bad luck to spill salt, to undo this you throw a pinch over your left shoulder.
A horseshoe over the front door brings good luck, but it has to be the right way up.
We touch; knock on wood, to make something come true.
Black cats that cross your path are lucky. To see one magpie is unlucky but to see two is
lucky. It is very unlucky to kill a robin. As long as there are ravens living at the tower of
London the royal family will survive.
If you drop a table knife expect a male visitor, if you drop a fork a female visitor.
Crossed cutlery on your plate and expect a quarrel. Leave a white tablecloth on a table
overnight and expect a death.
Bride and groom must not meet on the day of the wedding except at the alter. The bride
should never wear her complete outfit before the day, her outfit should consist of something
borrowed, something blue, something old and something new. The husband should carry his
new wife over the threshold of their home.
It is good luck to show a silver coin to the new moon and to give a baby silver for its
christening.
Children believe it is bad luck to step on the cracks in the pavement and to spit can avert bad
luck. Two people will spit in their hands and then shake hands to seal a bargain.
It is unlucky to open an umbrella indoors or to pass someone in the opposite direction on a
staircase.
Never sit 13 people at one table, in fact avoid the number 13, particularly Friday the 13th. 3
and 7 are often thought to be lucky numbers.
Festivals have many superstitions, Christmas trees, Yule logs, Christmas presents, decorations
and twelfth night. New Years Eve has first footing and spring cleaning. Easter has Easter
eggs, maypole dancing, May queens, etc.
Many people still wear good luck charms, a St Christopher medallion or a rabbits foot are the
most popular.
Certain classes of people, soldiers, sailors, airmen, actors and athletes have superstitions
unique to them. Actors will not mention Macbeth off stage and wish each other break a leg
before a performance.
Wishing wells still collect peoples coins and most people at sometime have searched for a 4-
leaf clover, or bought a bunch of lucky lavender from a gipsy.
There are many ideas about insects, particularly in the home. Black beetles are unlucky, bees
and ladybirds are lucky and must not be killed. A very small red spider is called a money
spider if you can get it to run across your palm you will receive money.
Food Superstitions

When finished eating a boiled egg, push the spoon through the bottom of the
empty shell to let the devil out
In Yorkshire, housewives used to believe that bread would not rise if there
was a corpse (dead body) in the vicinity, and to cut off both ends of the loaf
would make the Devil fly over the house!

Animal Superstitions

Animals feature a lot in our superstitions as they do in superstitions around the world.
One ancient British superstition holds that if a child rides on a bear's back it
will be protected from whooping-cough. (Bears used to roam Britain but
now they are not seen on our shores)
In some parts of the UK meeting two or three Ravens together is
considered really bad. One very English superstition concerns the tame
Ravens at the Tower of London. It is believed if they leave then the crown
of England will be lost.
It is said to be bad luck if you see bats flying and hear their cries. In the
middle ages it was believed that witches were closely associated with
bats.
If a sparrow enters a house it is an omen of death to one who
lives there. In some areas it is believed that to avoid ill luck any sparrow caught must
be immediately killed otherwise the person who caught it will die.
In some areas black rabbits are thought to host the souls of human
beings. White rabbits are said to be really witches and some believe
that saying 'White Rabbit' on the first day of each month brings luck. A common
lucky charm is a Rabbit's foot, but not for the rabbit.
It is thought very unlucky to have the feathers of a peacock within the
home or handle anything made with them. This is possibly because of the
eye shape present upon these feathers i.e. the Evil-Eye associated with
wickedness.

2.4. True or false superstitions?
Usually old ladies sang
"A whistling girl and a crowing hen
Make the devil dance in his den"
or other popular variation on the theme - "When a woman whistles, the devil dances," echoing
an age-old disapproval of an "unfeminine" habit.

They also greeted every event, change in the weather etc., with an appropriate rhyme, so
people have tried to recall as many as I can and write them down. Most of these rhymes are
very commonly known and many have a logical interpretation, so people have listed them as
"yes" - basically true - "no" - decidedly untrue - and "maybe" - either partly true, or who can
tell?
WEATHER LORE
Red sky at night, sailors' delight
Red sky in the morning - sailors take warning.
YES - basically true. The red of the sunset and sunrise is caused by moisture particles in the
atmosphere : British weather tends come in from the west on the prevailing winds, so the
moisture in a sunset sky is already well on its way and will pass over in the night, to the relief
of sailors (or shepherds, depending on how far from the sea you are!) Conversely, a red
morning sky is caused by moist air already well past and, given the frequency of change in the
British weather, a fine morning will give way to a wet and windy afternoon!
Rain before seven
Stopped by eleven
YES - similar to the red sky - given the size of the British Isles and the average wind speed,
weather systems usually take around four hours to pass through. So, if it's raining before
seven, the low pressure system causing the rain will have passed over in the next four hours.
St. Swithun's Day, if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain na mair;
St. Swithun's Day, if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain.
MAYBE - only partly true: St. Swithun was a ninth-century English monk and Bishop of
Winchester who died around 862 AD. According to legend, his last wish was that he could be
buried under the churchyard path, where everyone going to and from the church would walk
over his grave. The clergy did not think it was appropriate and soon removed his body and re-
buried him within the church, whereupon it began to pour with rain, day and night, until there
was serious danger of flooding. The rain did not stop until Swithun was buried outside once
more, according to his wishes. St. Swithun's Day is on July 15th, which is usually in a period
of reasonably settled weather, and if it is wet on St. Swithun's Day the chances are that we are
in for a long wet spell, and likewise a dry spell in the middle of July is likely to last - but forty
days of unbroken sunshine? In England? Never! (St. Swithun is the Patron Saint of drought
relief!)
When the swallows fly high
The weather will be dry.
YES - swallows live on a diet of insects, which they catch on the wing. In fine weather these
insects will be swept upwards by thermal currents, making the swallows fly higher in order to
catch them.
Oak before the Ash, then we'll only have a splash
Ash before the Oak, then we're sure to have a soak.
YES - don't ask me why, but this one does seem to be substantially true: I expect it's tied in to
rainfall and temperatures in spring being a predictor of summer weather. The Oak and the Ash
are two distictive trees of lowland Britain, and the rhyme refers to the order in which they
come into leaf. On the whole, we hope that the oak leaves will appear first!
A frond of seaweed hung outside will predict the weather.
YES - of course it will. If it's wet, it's raining, if it's dry, it isn't raining. In reality, a fresh frond
of seaweed is hygroscopic - it absorbs moisture out of the atmosphere. So, if the air is moist,
as before rain, the seaweed will feel damp and supple.
There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
MAYBE - but have you, or anyone you know, ever managed to get to the end of a rainbow?
Rainbows are caused by the refraction of sunlight by raindrops and occur when you stand
with your back to the sun, between the sun and the rain. As you move towards the rainbow, it
will always recede and you can never get to it - and when viewed from a plane, you will see
that a rainbow is in fact a perfect circle with no beginning and no end.


WILDLIFE LORE

The cuckoo sings in April,
The cuckoo sings in May,
The cuckoo sings in part of June and then she flies away.
NO - "she" doesn't sing at all. The familiar "cuckoo" call is made by the male bird, who,
typical of the male of the species, makes all the noise and fuss whilst his mate gets on quietly
with the business of laying her eggs in other birds' nests. Her call is a quiet gurgling noise,
much less commonly heard or recognised.
Cuckoos are migratory birds which very sensibly spend our winter in the South African
summer, returning each spring to breed. The "first cuckoo of spring" is a traditional subject
for letters to the Editor of local and national newspapers; usually, cuckoos are first heard in
March and they cease to sing by June although in fact they often stay around until August,
stocking up on insects and grubs before beginning their long flight south again.
In April, come she will;
In May she will stay;
In June she'll change her tune;
In July she will fly
In August, fly she must.
YES - apart from the proviso concerning him/her and the cuckoo's song mentioned above.
The last of the cuckoos will have arrived by April and in May their egg-laying exploits will be
in full swing. By June, the male cuckoo has ceased to look for a mate and stops calling,
allowing the different call of the female to be heard. A few cuckoos start their migratory flight
southwards at the end of July, especially if the weather is not too good, and they will all have
left by the end of August. Simon and Garfunkel adapted this old rhyme and set it to music, but
I don't think they were referring to a cuckoo in their version.
A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
YES - honey bees swarm when a new queen hatches and takes half of the hive's worker bees
off with her to found a new colony. This new beehive will need all of the summer to establish
itself and to build up sufficient food supplies to see it through the winter months. Thus, a
swarm which leaves the hive early in the year is likely to succeed and so is prized by
beekeepers.
You must always tell the bees if there has been a death in the family,
or else they will leave the hive and fly away.
NO - the bees cannot hear you. If you neglect your bees due to bereavement or some other
family upset, they may well take exception and leave and won't necessarily stay just because
you warned them in advance!
"Bicarbonate for Bees, Vinegar for Vasps."
YES and NO - a useful mnemonic when it comes to treating stings, the theory behind it being
that bee stings are acidic and wasps stings alkaline: this is an over-simplification as both have
complex venom. A paste of bicarbonate of soda will help cool the site of a sting, from either
species
Two swallows do not a summer make
YES - the swallow is a migratory bird which arrives in large numbers once the threat of really
cold weather has passed. They do not, however, all arrive at once, and occasionally a few
stragglers will arrive early or leave late.
If you kiss a toad it will turn into a handsome prince
NO - unforunately not, which is a pity because I don't mind toads. There is, however a great
deal of truth in the saying that you have to kiss an awful lot of toads before you find your
handsome prince.
3. Luck
3.1.The story of the broken mirror, the black cat
and lots of good luck.


Nikos was an ordinary man. Nothing particularly good ever happened to him, nothing
particularly bad ever happened to him. He went through life accepting the mixture of good
things and bad things that happen to everyone. He never looked for any explanation or reason
about why things happened just the way they did.
One thing, however, that Nikos absolutely did not believe in was superstition. He had no time
for superstition, no time at all. Nikos thought himself to be a very rational man, a man who
did not believe that his good luck or bad luck was in any way changed by black cats, walking
under ladders, spilling salt or opening umbrellas inside the house.
Nikos spent much of his time in the small taverna near where he lived. In the taverna he sat
drinking coffee and talking to his friends. Sometimes his friends played dice or cards.
Sometimes they played for money. Some of them made bets on horse races or football
matches. But Nikos never did. He didnt know much about sport, so he didnt think he could
predict the winners. And he absolutely didnt believe in chance or luck or superstition, like a
lot of his friends did.
One morning Nikos woke up and walked into the bathroom. He started to shave, as he did
every morning, but as he was shaving he noticed that the mirror on the bathroom wall wasnt
quite straight. He tried to move it to one side, to make it straighter, but as soon as he touched
it, the mirror fell off the wall and hit the floor with a huge crash. It broke into a thousand
pieces. Nikos knew that some people thought this was unlucky. Seven years bad luck they
said, when a mirror broke. But Nikos wasnt superstitious. Nikos wasnt superstitious at all.
He didnt care. He thought superstition was nonsense. He picked up the pieces of the mirror,
put them in the bin, and finished shaving without a mirror.
After that he went into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich to take to work for his lunch.
He cut two pieces of bread and put some cheese on them. Then he thought he needed some
salt. When he picked up the salt jar, it fell from his hand and broke on the floor. Salt was
everywhere. Some people, he knew, thought that this was also supposed to bring bad luck.
But Nikos didnt care. He didnt believe in superstitions.
He left the house and went to work. On his way to work he saw a black cat running away
from him. He didnt care. He wasnt superstitious. Some builders were working on a house
on his street. There was a ladder across the pavement. Nikos thought about walking around
the ladder, but he didnt care, he wasnt superstitious and didnt believe in superstitions, so he
walked right underneath the ladder.
Even though Nikos wasnt superstitious, he thought that something bad was certain to happen
to him today. He had broken a mirror, spilled some salt, walked under a ladder and seen a
black cat running away from him. He told everybody at worked what had happened.
Something bad will happen to you today! they all said. But nothing bad happened to him.
That evening, as usual, he went to the taverna. He told all his friends in the taverna that he
had broken a mirror, spilled the salt, seen a black cat running away from him and then walked
under a ladder. All his friends in the taverna moved away from him. Something bad will
happen to him, they all said, and we dont want to be near him when it happens!.
But nothing bad happened to Nikos all evening. He sat there, as normal, and everything was
normal. Nikos was waiting for something bad to happen to him. But it didnt.
Nikos, come and play cards with us! joked one of his friends. Im sure to win! Nikos
didnt usually play cards, but tonight he decided to. His friend put a large amount of money
on the table. His friend thought Nikos was going to lose. Nikos thought he was going to lose.
But it didnt happen like that.
Nikos won. Then he played another game, and he won that one too. Then somebody asked
him to play a game of dice, and Nikos won that as well. He won quite a lot of money. Go
on then Nikos his friends shouted, Use all the money you have won to buy some lottery
tickets! Nikos spent all the money he had won on lottery tickets. The draw for the lottery
was the next day.
The next day after work Nikos went to the tavern again. Everybody was watching the draw
for the lottery on TV. The first number came out, for the third prize. It was Nikos number.
Then the second number, for the second prize. It was another of Nikos tickets. Then the first
prize. It was Nikos number as well. He won all three of the big lottery prizes.
It was incredible. It seemed that all the things that people thought caused bad luck actually
brought him good luck.
The next day Nikos bought a book about superstitions from all over the world. When he had
read the book he decided to do everything that would bring him bad luck. He left empty
bottles on the table. He asked his wife to cut his hair for him. He accepted a box of knives as
a gift. He slept with his feet pointing towards the door. He sat on the corners of tables. He
put a candle in front of the mirror. He always left his hat on the bed. He always left his
wallet on the bed. He bought things in numbers of six, or thirteen. He crossed people on the
stairs. He got on a boat and whistled. And with everything he did, he got luckier and luckier.
He won the lottery again. He won the games of dice in the taverna every evening. The things
got crazier and crazier. He bought a black cat as a pet. He broke a few more mirrors, on
purpose. He didnt look people in the eye when they raised their glasses to him. He put
loaves of bread upside down on the table. He spilled salt. He spilled olive oil. He spilled
wine.
The more superstitious things he did, the luckier he became. He went in to the taverna and
started to tell all his friends what he thought.
You see! he told them. I was right all along! Superstition is nonsense! The more things I
do to break ridiculous superstitions, the more lucky I am!
But Nikos replied one of his friends, Dont you see that you are actually as superstitious as
we are? You are so careful to break superstitions, and this brings you luck. But you are only
lucky when you do these things. Your disbelief is actually a kind of belief!
Nikos thought hard about what his friend said. He had to admit that it was true. He was so
careful to break all the superstitions he could, that in some way he was actually observing
those superstitions.
The next day, he stopped spilling salt, chasing away black cats, walking under ladders, putting
up umbrellas in the house and breaking mirrors. He also stopped winning money on the
lottery. He started to lose at games of cards or dice.
He was a normal man again. Sometimes he was lucky, sometimes he wasnt. He didnt not
believe in superstitions any more, but he didnt believe in them either.
Nikos, said his friend to him, It was your belief in yourself that made you lucky. It was
your self-confidence that helped you, not superstitions.
Nikos listened to his friend and thought that he was right. But, however rational he still
believed himself to be, he always wondered what would have happened if he hadnt broken
that mirror...