решебник.рф ГДЗ по английскому языку 11 Класс класс упражнение - 7 р. Luck
Some Russian people are very superstitious. Some of their superstitions are the same as in other countries, such as black cats being very unlucky, while others are peculiar just to Russia. Who would imagine that it’s unlucky to give yellow flowers or an odd number of flowers?
Most of these weird superstitions come from folk stories or fairy tales. They are related to the pagan belief that there are spirits that live in woodlands, rivers, farmyards and houses. The house spirit is called Domovoy and he is supposed to live in the front doorway. There are many superstitions related to him, including the one that says it’s bad luck to shake hands or kiss through a doorway because it will offend him.
Superstitious Russians are firm believers in knocking on wood and spitting to ward off bad luck and evil spirits. If anyone makes a comment hinting about something bad or unpleasant that might happen, some Russians believe that they are inviting bad luck and will rush to find some wood to knock on to counteract it. They may also spit over their left shoulder three times. They sometimes also do this if they receive a compliment in order to keep away the evil eye and avoid a change in their luck.
Apart from strange ways of avoiding bad luck, some of the things Russians believe to bring good luck are just as odd. For example, seeing a pig on the street is considered to be very good luck. Although that is quite rare these days!
- Are you superstitious?
- Which superstitions do you believe in?
Collect information about superstitions from another country and write an article about them.
- While I’m not very superstitious myself, I do understand why people follow these traditions — they often come from a desire to feel more control over life’s uncertainties. Some Russian beliefs seem unusual to outsiders, like avoiding yellow flowers or odd numbers of flowers (which are only for funerals), or being careful about doorways because of the Domovoy spirit. The practice of knocking on wood or spitting over the shoulder to avoid bad luck shows how ancient traditions survive in everyday life.
- Looking at other countries, Japan has equally interesting superstitions. Many Japanese believe it’s bad luck to stick chopsticks upright in rice (this resembles funeral rituals), or to cut nails at night (it might bring early death). They consider the number four unlucky because it sounds like the word for “death”. For good luck, Japanese people buy omamori (small amulets) from temples or make wishes at shrines. Some even believe a cat’s raised paw brings good fortune — which is why you see so many “lucky cat” figurines in shops.