Why you need to run from nuns and you shouldn't click scissors: Bad omens of different nations

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Friday the thirteenth, thanks to Hollywood, is considered a terribly bad day. Before acquaintance with European culture, the inhabitants of Russia were indifferent both to the thirteenth and to Friday - except that on Friday women were supposed to rest from handicrafts, and the Orthodox in general - to fast. Bad omens of the peoples of the world are not at all obliged to coincide and sometimes can seriously surprise a representative of another culture.

Russia and neighbors

The Russians and some of their neighbors in the country traditionally believe that sprinkling salt is a quarrel, putting on clothes inside out is a sign of beatings, meeting a woman with an empty bucket or a black cat is bad luck, and breaking a mirror is a very big trouble. The Russians also do not allow whistling in the room - there will be no money! Lithuanians are also against whistling in the house, but because devils flock to the whistle.

England

England has a long list of bad omens. Among the most famous are walking under the stairs, seeing a flying magpie or a bat, putting your newly purchased shoes on a table, or opening an umbrella outside, in the rain, and not at the door of a house. By the way, in the English-speaking culture, they also do not like black cats and breaking mirrors - the latter is considered the cause of seven years of failure.

Italy

Here, too, they do not really like birds - but any and only when they fly into the house. And also a bad omen - to meet a nun walking in your direction on the way. If you want the omen to not work - immediately grab something iron!

Asia

Some peoples of the Middle East have the opinion that clicking with scissors is a bad omen. In Egypt, it's better not even to put them open! And in the Far East, in some places, it is strictly not recommended to click with scissors not in vain - cutting nails - if it happens after sunset. The same ban exists in India.

In China, the number “four” is avoided in every possible way - it sounds almost like the word “death”. Sometimes this leads to embarrassment with foreigners - for example, when they are trying to find the fourth floor in the elevator. Some Arabs consider it a bad omen to kill a spider in a house. And in Vietnam, before an exam, test or important, similar to exams, in no case do they eat a banana - otherwise, failure is guaranteed!

Russian children, swinging their legs, were afraid that they were swinging damn little children - and those from the fact that they were being nursed grew and began to intrigue. In South Korea, children are also stopped if they start swinging their legs, but they explain that it is so easy to shake off their luck.

The Japanese try to avoid broken combs (they immediately throw them out), mirrors that are not curtained at night, direct the comb with the teeth towards themselves, sit on the same seat where the poor or unlucky person just sat, and take pictures of the three of us.

Czech

Here, jokingly or seriously, they call it a bad omen to mix different beer in one glass. Some people convince that troubles will come from this, others explain that such a mixture can cause, let's say, a conflict in the stomach, and this is the main trouble.

Greece

In this country, Tuesday is much more terrible than Friday, although in our time they are no longer afraid of him as they used to be two hundred years ago - when they were even afraid to shave so as not to inflict a mortal wound on themselves. But even now, if the thirteenth of the month falls on Tuesday, the Greeks feel uncomfortable.

Not very fond of Tuesday and many Latin Americans. This day is traditionally avoided to appoint weddings, project openings and the purchase of a car. And ideally, the popular belief recommends sitting at home at all - only, of course, no one listens to him for a long time.

Greek children also believe that at the same time saying a word is a quarrel, and they come up with rituals so that this omen does not work. For example, touching something red together. Other bad omens include killing a bat, meeting someone with bright blue eyes, or dropping a shoe soles on the floor.

Sweden

Swedes are careful not to put keys on the table. Probably, the fact is that once such a gesture was used as a sign of a prostitute, attracting clients - they say, there is where to go with me, so the rest stopped doing this so that there would be no misunderstanding. And then the custom went away, and the habit of not putting the keys on the table remained.

USA

Until now, in the northeast of the country, they worry if they happen to stumble. And before that, they always returned to the thing on which they stumbled, and stepped over it or bent over to touch it with their hand.

Germany

It was always not a very good omen here - however, as in Russia - to congratulate on something in advance, but on a birthday, and especially a child, and not an adult - even dangerous. You will definitely bring trouble on the kid!

France

The French are very afraid of stepping on the dog's poop with their right foot. After that, no luck. And if you think that the point is in a bad smell that will haunt a person for a long time, then no - to accidentally step into it with your left foot is just in time for good luck.

Latin America

In Brazil, it is considered a bad omen to drop a wallet: to large financial expenses or even an empty loss of money. In Haiti, girls are taught not to sweep at night and not move on their knees in any case - they say, you will force the death of their mother.

Sometimes signs revolve around crafts: Forgotten Russian professions: why children were afraid of chimney sweeps, and adults were distrustful of women.