A blog for my students and all English learners.

It deals with various everyday issues, news, curiosities

and things that arouse my interest every day.

piątek, 13 lipca 2012

It's Friday 13th!

Friday 13th is considered as an unlucky day in many Western countries. The superstition exists in such European countries as Poland, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Austria, but also in Philippines, Brazil and Canada. What's interesting in Greece, Spain and Romania it is Tuesday 13th that is believed to be a bad luck day. The Italians consider Friday 17th an unlucky day. The origines of this superstition are not clear, nonetheless they  mostly have religious background (e.g. Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper, Jusus was crucified on Friday). A fear of Friday 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia.

A few other British superstitions:

meeting a black cat brings ....luck (!)
Black cats are featured on good luck greetings cards and birthday cards.

Black cat brings luck!

We touch or knock on wood to make sth come true.

It is lucky to find a four-leaved clover.

White heather is lucky.

A horseshoe over the door brings good luck.

To catch falling leaves in Autumn will bring you luck.

It is unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.

Breaking a mirror will bring you seven years of bad luck.

It is considered unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract the bad luck.

It is unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.

Passing someone on the stairs brings bad luck.

It is considered unlucky to have the feathers of a peacock at home.

Peacock feathers

If you drop a knife, expect a male visitor; if you drop a fork, a female visitor.


superstition  - przesąd
superstitious - przesądny
lucky - mający/przynoszący szczęście (antonym - unlucky)
luck - szczęście
bad luck - nieszczęście
to try one's luck - spróbować szczęścia
bad luck! - co za pech!
just my luck - takie to już moje szczęście
to be down on one's luck - mieć złą passę
good luck! - powodzenia!
it's the luck of the draw - to kwestia szczęścia
my luck's in! - dzisiaj mam szczęście!


Source of the photos: the Internet

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