Superstitions - B2-C1

What are superstitions?

Are you superstitious?

doomed | folklore | insanity | misfortune | omen | restored

Look at the common superstitions

Do you know what they are about or where they come from?

Now read the article and check your answers. Ask about or look up any words you don’t know.

1. The date Friday the 13th is considered to bring bad luck, according to western superstition. But where does this strange belief come from? One theory states that it is a modern combination of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. Let’s take a look at other well-known superstitions thought to bring misfortune to the masses.

2. Breaking a mirror

According to this superstition, breaking a mirror will leave you doomed for seven years. The

generally accepted explanation is that the reflection in a mirror represents a soul, so damaging a mirror corrupts the soul of the one that broke it. Some believe that the reason for the seven years is that the Romans (who were the first glass mirror-makers) believed that life renewed itself after every seven years, so the soul wouldn’t be fully restored until the next seven-year cycle had passed.

3. Black cat

The belief surrounding the luck of black cats varies across the world, with some cultures believing them to be lucky and others a bad omen. The most widespread belief is that if a black cat crosses your path, you will suffer bad luck. Black cats have often been associated with witches and during the Middle Ages, these superstitions led people to kill black cats.

4. Walking under a ladder

This superstition is said to have originated from early Christian teachings – an object with three points represents the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A ladder leaning against a building was seen as a triangle, and to pass through this triangle by walking under the ladder was seen as breaking the Trinity, putting you in league with the devil. Of course it could simply be bad luck for you and the person at the top of the ladder if you accidentally knock it.

5. Umbrella indoors

This myth originates from the days when umbrellas were used mainly as protection against the sun in Ancient Egypt. To open one indoors would be an insult to the sun god (Ra) and invite his wrath on everyone in the household. Another legend surrounding the superstition is that it was invented specifically to cut down on the number of accidents. In 19th century England, the umbrella had pointy and dangerous metal spokes.

6. Full moon

Full moons are traditionally linked with insanity due to the folklore that madness can occur in cycles with the moon. It was thought that sleeping in direct moonlight caused madness or blindness and in Italy, France and Germany, it was said that a man could turn into a wolf if he, on a certain Wednesday or Friday, slept outside on a summer night with the full moon shining directly on him. Various facts have been claimed about the appearance of full moons. Police in Toledo, Ohio (US) claimed that crime rises by five percent during nights with a full moon and a study by a hospital in Bradford (England) found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon.

Adapted from The Independent, Friday 13 January 2012, by Laura Davis

Do you have the same superstitions in your country?

Are there any common superstitions in your country that are not mentioned in the article?

Study the following sentences from the text.

The date Friday the 13th is considered to bring bad luck.

This superstition is said to have originated from early Christian teachings.

These sentences have the same meaning as:

It is considered that the date Friday the 13th brings bad luck.

It is said that this superstition originated from early Christian teachings.

What do you notice about the two types of passive structures?

How can the sentences be rewritten in the active voice?

Find two examples of the second type of structure (‘It ...’) in Paragraph 6.

These types of passive structures are often used in reporting news.

They can be used with a number of other verbs, for example:

The suspect is believed to be hiding somewhere in South America.

It is believed that the suspect is hiding somewhere in South America.

The football player was alleged to have cheated during the match.

It was alleged that the football player had cheated during the match.

Rewrite the sentences below in another way, for example:

It is believed that Paul is in France.

Paul is believed to be in France.