The Superstitions in Britain
There are many superstitions in Britain. But one of the most widely-held is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house. It will either bring misfortune to the person that opened it or to the household. The person who opens an umbrella in fine weather is very unpopular. It’s very unlucky to walk under a ladder. If you must pass under a ladder you can avoid bad luck by crossing your finger and keeping them crossed until you’ve seen a dog.
The number 13 is said to be unlucky for some. And when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, many of the people prefer to stay at home.
The worst misfortune that can befall you is breaking a mirror. That will bring you seven years of bad luck. This superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, because mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods. And at last there is a superstition of touching wood for luck. This measure is most often taken if you have said or done something wrong or stupid.
Related posts:
- My Favourite Writer (I. Turgenev) — Мой любимый писатель (И. Тургенев) I’m fond of reading. Usually I borrow books from the library, but I have a lot of them at home, too. I like to read books about famous people and...
- The Problem of Environmental Protection — Проблема защиты окружающей среды Environmental protection is the main problem facing humanity nowadays. The image of a sick planet has become firmly established in the public mind lately. Ten years ago the word ‘ecology’...
- My Friend — Моя подруга (1) I have a lot of friends. Most of them are my former schoolmates. But my bosom friend is Lena. She is 16. Lena isn’t very tall, but she is pretty...
- Places of Interest in New York — Интересные места Нью-Йорка Although New York is not the capital of the United States, it is the biggest and most important city and seaport of the country. New York is situated on the...
- The Tretyakov Gallery — Третьяковская галерея Moscow is replete with art galleries and museums. Yet there is one gallery that remains a symbol of Russian art. It is the world-famous Tretyakov Gallery. The founder of the...
- Ireland and the Continent At first glance, Ireland, an offshore island on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, remote, romantic and untrodden by the Roman legions, does not appear to be in the mainstream...
- Washington (2) Washington is the capital city of the United States. It is located on the north bank of the Potomac River. George Washington, the first President of the USA, after whom...
- Sport in My School If you want to keep fit you must go in for one kind of sport or another. Sport is an essential part of my daily life. Every morning all the...
- Generation Gap Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and is always true; it has never been...
- London — Лондон (2) As well as being the capital of England, London is the capital of the United Kingdom. London was founded by the Romans in 43 A. D. and was called Londinium....
- Russia (5) Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies about one-seventh part of dry land. It is situated in Europe and Asia. Its total area is over...
- New Year in the United States — Новый год в Соединенных Штатах In the United States, New Year’s Eve is a time for entertaining. Many people go to parties and masquerade balls, where, according to an old tradition, guests unmask at midnight....
- Space Exploration — Исследование космоса (2) Mankind always dreamed of overcoming gravitation and reaching other planets. But it was only in the 1960ies that this dream was to become reality. On the 12th of April 1961...
- Fireplaces In English homes, the fireplace has always been, until recent times, the focal point in the room. People may like to sit at a window on a summer day, but...
- London London is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, situated on both sides of the Thames River; it’s the political, financial, commercial, industrial, and cultural...
- San Francisco San Francisco is a special place, very different from most American cities. It lies on a small finger of land with the Pacific Ocean on one side and a huge...
- Almaty — Алматы Almaty was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1997. Now it is a big commercial and cultural center of the country. It is also the most developed and the...
- Travelling — Путешествия (3) If we are fond of travelling we see and learn all sorts of things we can never see or learn at home. Though we may read about them in books...
- Business Trips Never before in the history of the world have businessmen traveledas much as they do today. It is not surprising because we areliving in a world of growing international trade...
- Thomas More Thomas More came into great favour and made a rapid carrier as a statesmen, at the same time writing works of political, philosophical and historical character. His most famous book...
- Moscow theatres For decades Moscow has had a reputation as a city oftheatres. The birth plays of the historic «Bolshoy», «Maly» and»Moscow Art» theatres the city has been and steel is a...
- Nowadays USA — США в настоящее время Nowadays USA is world’s third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India). The total territory of the USA is 9,630,000 sq km. It...
- Minsk (2) Minsk is the capital of Belarus, an ancient and beautiful city with a long and exciting history. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1067 in connection with the battle...
- Wigs and Lawyers English legal dress has a long history. The introduction of wigs into polite society in the reign of Charles II (1660-85) was an innovation which could not be resisted. After...
- Gulliver’s Travels In 1726 Swift’s masterpiece «Gulliver’s Travels» appeared. This work made a great sensation in Ireland as well as in England, it equally strirred the interests of those in politics as...
- State System of Ukraine — Государственный строй Украины The government of Ukraine underwent rapid change in the early 1990s. The independence of Ukraine was pro claimed on the 24th of August, 1991. Its sovereignty is now recognized by...
- Деловые письма на английском языке Формат письма Деловое письмо должно быть напечатано общепринятым шрифтом, таким как Arial или Times New Roman. Не используйте рукописный шрифт. Не используйте других цветов, кроме черного и белого. Используйте абзац...
- At the doctor’s It is winter now and it is often cold. I really can’t stand the cold. So sometime ago I suddenly fell ill. I had a high temperature, a running nose...
- Reading in My Life Reading plays a very important role in the life of people. It educates a person, enriches his intellect. Books help to mould a person’s character, form his moral values. Besides,...
- My Plans for the Future — Мои планы на будущее (5) When you leave school you understand that the time to choose your future profession has come. It’s not an easy task to make the right choice of a job. I...
- My Working Day (5) I usually get up at 7 o’clock in the morning. I do my morning exercises, but not always, make my bed, wash and dress. Then I sit down to breakfast....
- Healthy Food All food is made up of nutrients which our bodies use. There are different kinds of nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Different kinds of food contain different nutrients....
- How do I Learn English Nowadays it’s very necessary to know a foreign language. Knowledge of foreign language helps us to develop friendship and understanding among people. The total number of languages in the world...
- The newspapers and its reader 1. Press is often called a mirror of current events. The informationwe get from newspapers and magazins helps us to know the life at homeand in other countries. The newspapers’...
- Sorochinsky Fair There is an old and very good tradition among the people in the Poltava Region to have a fair in the village of Velyky Sorochintsy. This Sorochinsky fair usually takes...
- Global Warming — Глобальное потепление Global warming is sometimes referred to as the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the absorption of energy radiated from the Earth’s surface by carbon dioxide and other gases in...
- Foreign Languages in Our Life Learning a foreign language is not an easy thing. It is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and efforts. Nowadays it is especially important to...
- Industry — Промышленность Iron ore is mined in Northamptonshire and Humberside. Cornwall is the only county in England that provides the nation with tin ore. Sand, gravel, widely available, provide raw materials for...
- The Hermitage One of the world-wide known museums is the Hermitage. The word «Hermitage» means «a place of solitude». This name was given in the XVIII century by Catherine П to her...
- The United Kingdom, the British Isles and England The United Kingdom (or Great Britain) is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands....