SUPERTITIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND RUSSIA Исследовательский проект SUPERTITIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND RUSSIA Выполнил ученик 5 в класса МБОУ лицей №4 г. Данков Кривошеев Тимур Руководитель проекта учитель английского языка Ростова Оксана Евгеньевна

The aim: Tasks: Hypothesis: to improve students’ cultural background concerning British and Russian superstitions. Tasks: to study the literature on the subject; to find out the origin of superstitions and their causes; to compare the signs of Good luck and Bad luck in British and Russian cultures: to make a conclusion about their similarities and differences . Hypothesis: if we compare British and Russian superstitions, we will find out differences and similarities between two cultures.

The etymology of the word superstition What is Superstition? A belief that certain events or things will bring good or bad luck. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) The etymology of the word superstition from Latin superstitio(n-), from super- 'over' + stare 'to stand’. It can be interpreted as «standing over a thing in amazement or awe».

Sources of superstitions: The historical superstitions (superstitions of ancestors); The pagan rites and traditions, legends (the worship of idols); The fear of unknown; The fear of death; The fear to get a curse, evil eye, illness, etc.

British superstitions

Good Luck Black cats Knocking on wood Four-leaf clovers Catching falling leaves in autumn A horseshoe over the door A ladybird A cuckoo Wearing a charm Putting money in the pocket Crossing fingers Saying “God bless you” after a sneeze White rabbits

Bad Luck The Number 13 Walking under a ladder Breaking a mirror Spilling salt Opening an umbrella inside Stepping on shadow Putting new shoes on the table Bats Ravens A sparrow

Russian superstitions

Signs of Good Luck Breaking a glass Standing between people with the same names A lucky coin A New Year’s wish Sleeping in a new place Sitting before a journey Crossing fingers Knocking on wood A ladybird A cuckoo Saying “Keep well” after a sneeze

Signs of Bad Luck Black cats A broken mirror Number 13 Spilling salt Spitting on or touching wood Sitting at the corner of the table An empty bucket The threshold of a house Whistling at home

Similarities The number 13 is unlucky. It is the most common superstition. Devil’s dozen is equal to 13. Friday the thirteenth is a very unlucky day. Friday is considered to be unlucky because Jesus was crucified on Friday.

A broken mirror The English believe if you break a mirror, you will have 7 years of unhappy life. In Scotland a broken mirror means ill health for 7 years. In Russia it is believed to be a prediction of trouble. It is thought if someone breaks a mirror, evil spirits will pursue him.

Spilling salt Many years ago salt was very valuable, so spilling such a precious product could have easily lead to a quarrel among relatives.

A sparrow If a sparrow enters a house, it is an omen of trouble (even death) to one who lives there.

Stepping on shadow You should not step on shadow. In ancient times it was believed that the shadow was the soul of a man, and the attack on the soul was not good.

Walking under a ladder You shouldn’t walk under a ladder for safety’s sake. It is thought that because it has three sides, the triangle symbolizes the Holy Trinity, and “breaking” it is bad luck.

A horseshoe over the door A horseshoe over the door brings good luck. The devil appeared at the door of a blacksmith. He agreed to remove a shoe from his hoof if he would promise never to enter a place where a horseshoe would be hung over the door.

A ladybird Children in the UK say so: «Ladybird, fly to the sky, give me a happy time». There is a theory that a ladybird is the mediator between God and a man.

Knocking on wood The British believed that good spirits lived in trees, so by knocking on something wooden, a person was calling on the spirits for protection. The Russians are afraid of putting the evil eye on any good event or any compliment, and will touch wood so as not to suffer misfortune.

Crossing your fingers There is a theory that crossed fingers were used as a gesture to ward off witches and other evil spirits.

A spider In Britain people think if you see a small spider, you will get a lot of money. In Russia they say that you should not kill a spider.

Wedding If you marry in Lend, you will live to repent.

Saying «God bless you» after a sneeze It is thought that the soul escapes the body during a sneeze and the heart stops as well. Therefore, saying “God bless you” was a way of welcoming the person back to life.

Differences One very English superstition concerns the tame ravens at the Tower of London. It is believed if they leave it, then the crown of England will be lost. Since ancient times many omens about ravens exist in Russia. It is traditionally thought that ravens are ominous birds connected to evil.

Opening an umbrella inside According to the superstition, bad luck will “rain” on you if you open an umbrella indoors. It means 21 days of bad luck in Britain, tears and crying in Russia.

Mending your clothes If you mend your clothes on your back, you will leave much money to lack. In Russia – you will lose your memory.

Wearing charms In Britain the foot of rabbit is believed to bring good luck, prevent illness and ward off evil. The rabbit is a symbol of kindness, comfort and protection. Bear’s claw is a lucky talisman in Russia. The bear is the king of forest. Evil spirits are afraid of him.

A cuckoo Cuckoos begin to sing in the middle of April. At this time you need to keep the silver coin in your hand. Then the whole year will be happy. If a Russian hears it in the forest, he will ask «Cuckoo, Cuckoo, how many years will I live?» And then he will count how many times the bird cuckoos.

A black cat The most famous bad luck sign is when a black cat crosses the way. Some Russians will either change directions or wait until somebody else first crosses the cat’s path. Cats are mystical animals in general and black cats are associated with dark magic.

A black cat Lucky to meet a black cat in Britain. Most British keep black cats as pets.

Scratching the left hand In Britain if you scratch the left hand, it means to lose money. In Russia it promises a big wealth.

Some other superstitions

White rabbits 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.

Four-Leaf Clovers It is lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves. The legend says that when Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden, Eve snatched a four-leaf clover as a remembrance of her days in Paradise.

Catching falling leaves in autumn In Britain if you catch falling leaves in autumn, you will have good luck. Every leaf means a lucky month next year.

Sleeping in a new place In Russia if you sleep at a new place and you are a girl, you are to say “sleeping in a new place, may I see my groom in dreams tonight”. People believe that dreams from Thursday to Friday night are forecasting future.

Breaking glass When something breaks (glasses in particular), any Russian will say «it’s for good luck”. A deliberately breaking glass at weddings is a tradition in many religions.

Sitting before a journey Everyone in the house has to sit down before a long journey. This is a Russian omen for a safe journey. It is very useful, because it helps people to calm down after the chaos and remember whether they have forgotten to pack anything.

A lucky coin Russian students have a lucky coin in their shoes when passing exams.

Standing between two people with the same names If you are standing between two people with the same names , you can make a wish and it will come true.

A New Year’s wish You have to make a wish when raising a glass of champagne when kuranty ring 12 times and your wish will come true next year. Some people even write down their wish, burn the paper and drink a glass of champagne with ashes while kuranty ring.

An empty bucket Russians believe if you meet a woman carrying an empty bucket, you won’t have a good day.

Whistling at home There are some things that you are not supposed to do like whistling at home. If you do that , you will whistle all the money away.

The threshold of a house . You must not stand on the threshold of a house, you must not talk across it or hand anything across it. The ancient Slavs believed the threshold was a place where demons dwelled (You should put one foot across it).

Mirrors If you forget something at home and return to collect it, you will have to look in the mirror on the way out not to attract bad luck.

Do you know what superstition is?

Do you believe in good luck and bad luck signs?

Do you know English superstitions?

Do you know Russian superstitions?

The most popular superstitions among our students 1. A New Year’s Wish (86%) 2. Whistling at home (79%) 3. A horseshoe over the door (75%) 4. The threshold of a house (72%) 5. Touching wood (72%) 6. Black cats (64%) 7. Sitting before a journey (61%) 8. Crossing fingers (57%) 9. Standing between people with the same names (54%) 10. Mending your clothes (54%)

Conclusion Superstitions play some roles in people’s life and people still believe in good luck and bad luck. Despite the fact that Russian culture is very diverse to English one and the countries have passed different historical paths, many omens and superstitions match. But at the same time, there are some differences between them. Knowledge of all these similarities and differences raises students’ interest in culture, folklore, traditions of Russia and Great Britain, helps to understand a country and its history better, enrich own outlook.