In today’s podcast, you’ll learn about superstitions around the world. Some bring good luck and some bring bad. Do you believe in superstitions? Do we believe in them?

Voice message from Julia
C2 Proficiency exam
She’s been hitting the books!
English Expressions that could be rude or impolite: https://inglespodcast.com/498
Politeness and intonation go hand in hand
Intonation in English: https://inglespodcast.com/268
How To Improve Your English Pronunciation with Hadar Shemesh: https://inglespodcast.com/474

Superstitions that bring bad luck
Don’t open an umbrella in the house.
Don’t put keys on the table.
Breaking a mirror – causes seven years of bad luck.
Spilling salt – is unlucky; to reverse it, you should throw a pinch over your left shoulder.
Friday the 13th – considered an unlucky day.
Giving someone white flowers as a gift in China is highly offensive, as white flowers are associated with death and funerals.
Putting new shoes on the table – brings bad luck.
Walking under a ladder
Whistling at night in Korea is avoided as they think it may attract bad spirits to your presence. In Lithuania, for the same reason, they never whistle indoors at any time.
Number 33 (Naples – age Jesus died)
13- bad number for a dinner party (Italy) Some buildings don’t have a 13th floor, or room 13! In Japan, instead of 13, it’s number 4.
In Sweden and, unbelievably, Ireland too, some believe that killing a spider will bring on rain or a storm. Somebody somewhere in Ireland is killing a lot of spiders, judging by the weather!
Lighting a third cigarette from the same flame (First World War)
In parts of Brazil, pointing at stars is thought to produce warts on your fingers.
Stepping on the cracks on the pavement is said to bring back luck.

Superstitions that bring good luck
When a bird poops on you. – good luck as it’s a rare event. Origin: Russia.
Touching wood (or knocking on wood) – to avoid tempting fate or to keep good luck going. (probably Pagan – from trees)
Horseshoes – hung upside down to keep good luck from spilling out.
Crossing your fingers – for good luck or to hope for a positive outcome.
Blowing out birthday candles in one breath – means your wish will come true.
Seeing a robin – is believed to bring good luck or even be a message from a deceased loved one.
Brides wearing a certain mixture of items of clothing on their wedding day is said to bring good luck: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”
Throwing coins into a wishing well or fountain – to make a wish come true.
Finding a four-leaf clover – is a rare sign of good luck.
Carrying a rabbit’s foot – as a charm for good fortune.
Saying “bless you” when someone sneezes – to protect them from evil spirits (a very old superstition).
Seeing the numbers 11:11 (often a time on digital clock)

Superstitions that bring good or bad luck
Seeing a single magpie – is bad luck; some people say: “Hello Mr Magpie, how’s your wife?” to ward off misfortune. But seeing more than one could be good luck: “One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, and seven for a story never to be told.”
Black cats crossing your path – can bring good or bad luck depending on the region.
In Germany, you must look at every person in the eye when toasting with a drink to give good luck and avoid bad luck
Itchy palms – right hand means money is coming, left hand means you’ll lose money.
See a penny pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck! See a penny, let it lie, all day long your luck will die.
In Spain, toasting with the word “Salud” is good luck only if you’re drinking alcohol. It’s bad luck if you’re drinking other drinks.

Discussion
Do you actively look for signs in your daily life about how your day might go?
Do you think modern society is becoming more or less superstitious? Are more and more people turning away from established science? What factors do you think influence this trend?

…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. Are you superstitious? Are there any superstitions that we forgot to mention in this podcast?
Send us a voice message. https://www.speakpipe.com/inglespodcast
Send us an email with a comment or question to [email protected] or [email protected]

If you’re a Spanish speaker and you want to improve your English with free and paid resources, visit the mansioningles website at mansioningles.com and for paid products you can browse the online store at https://store.mansioningles.net/

Thank you to our Patreon supporters. Join our Patreon program and you get instant access to the transcriptions of this podcast and live Zoom chats so that you can practice speaking. https://www.patreon.com/inglespodcast

Welcome to our new Patreon supporters who have joined us this month:
Dani Puche
Marcia da Rocha
Juan
Pipo

If you enjoyed this podcast, please tell your friends.

The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’