Welcome to my presentation about Polish superstitions

Black Cat It is considered unlucky to see a black cat crossing the road, probably because the black cat was supposed to be a witch in disguise, or some kind of spy or her helper. It may therefore have been imagined to possess the same magical ability to cause harm.

Chimney Sweep It is widely believed that if you see a chimney-sweeper, you have to grab a button  until you see a man in glasses, then make a wish, and you will have good luck.

Coins If you are in interesting place, the legend says that if you throw a coin over your left shoulder, you will return to this place. Coins are thrown into fountains in many different places and people then make a wish.

Horseshoes The Polish good luck horseshoe is always nailed over a doorway open side down, so good fortune may flow down upon those who pass through whereas Brits see things differently and attach the horseshoe open end up so their luck “doesn’t run out.”

Ladder Polish people think that walking under a ladder leads to misery, probably because people used to use ladders to help a person who wanted to die. They hung themselves on it. People avoid walking under a ladder because it is a prediction of death.

Mirrors A long time ago people believed that the human soul lives in mirror.  When the mirror was destroyed, the soul could not return to the body. Now people believe that breaking the mirror will result in seven years of bad luck.

Numbers 7: Superstition of number 7 is very popular in Poland, but not unreasonably. In numerology number 7 is the number of power and perfection. 10: If you happen to forget something when leaving home and you have to go back to get it, you have to sit down for a moment and count to ten. 13: Polish people are very superstitious about the number 13, especially Friday the 13th, which is believed to bring bad luck. This originates from the fact that Judas was the thirteenth apostle in the Last Supper.

Pregnancy When a woman is pregnant she should not accept being a godmother for another child.

Salt If someone throws salt in your eye that person wants to protect you from misfortune, which are caused of spilt salt and that means the end of God’s care and the end of meeting your family and friends. If you spill salt you have to throw it over your left shoulder three times.

Storks There is of course the superstition about storks bringing babies. If a stork builds a nest in a household it is believed to bring its owner good luck and prosperity. Storks are also believed to protect a house from thunder strikes.

Thanks for watching my presentation. Merci = Thanks