JSランゲージスクールブログ | Superstitions
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Since October is famous for Halloween, I want to spend the next few weeks talking about Halloween-themed topics. Since Halloween is also associated with the supernatural, today I would like to talk about some superstitions we have in the west. Since my family comes from an Irish background, a lot of the superstitions we have originate from Ireland or the UK.
The first superstition I want to talk about is spilling salt. In some cultures, spilling salt is very bad luck. It is associated with lies and evil. If you spill salt, you must take a small amount and throw it behind your left shoulder. This is because if you spill salt, a devil will come and the salt will blind it and make it go away.
There are also many things we believe bring bad luck. If a black cat crosses your path it is considered to be very bad luck. Many people in western countries don’t like buying black cats, so many black cats are stray. Also, walking under ladders is bad luck. If you break a mirror, you will have 7 years of bad luck too. The reason it is so long is because people used to believe that you could see your soul in your reflection. This means if you break a mirror, you will also break your soul.
One superstition that always scared me as a child involves rocking chairs. I haven’t seen many rocking chairs in Japan, but they are very common in the U.S. The superstition is if you rock an empty rocking chair (no one is sitting in it), then you are inviting spirits to come and sit down. These spirits could be nice or they might not be. This is an old Irish superstition.
I don’t know about many superstitions in Japan, but I would like to! If you know any good superstitions, please let me know!
