Superstitions, beliefs and customs across cultures

Alexander Crespo Paunero Koyelia Sirkar Maria Toner Oana Popescu

Group Members

SUPERSTITIONS

近义词： folklore; old wives' tale; tradition; blind faith; blind worship

(English – Chinese Dictionary)

Superstitions have their roots centuries ago, when our ancestors tried to explain mysterious circumstances, preserve traditions or share tacit knowledge.

MONEY

Romanian Chinese

Lucky

To feel itchy on the left hand (you will receive money soon)Throw coins into fountains

To spend 88, 99 or 66 $Right eye blinking (you will receive money)

Unlucky

To spend money on Mondays or on 1st of JanuaryTo wear a wallet with no money in itTo feel itchy on your right hand

To avoid to spend 44 $

Left eye blinking (money loss)

Romanian Chinese

Lucky

Horses, especially white ones, are creatures of magic and luck. The spider is considered the messenger of eventsWhite cat is sign of luck

DragonPigTigerBat

UnluckyBlack cat is the symbol of evil and should be avoided Crow

ANIMALS

Indian Chinese Romanian

Lucky Red Red, White Red, White

Unlucky White Black Black

COLOURS

COLOURS

Molière (Jean Baptiste de Poquelin) died in the scene wearing yellow clothes. Since then, yellow is also the colour of bad luck for the actors in western countries.

Yellow is associated to the sulfur of the Hell by christian tradition. In the 13th century the Pope Innocent III banned this colour from the Catholic liturgy.

Indian Chinese Romanian Spanish

Lucky 7 8 7 -

Unlucky 8 4 13 13

NUMBERS

NUMBERS

13 and 666 represent the numbers of the bad luck in Christian cultures.In particular Friday the 13th is believed to be the day of the bad luck in many countries.

Indian Chinese & Romanian

Spanish & Irish

-Sneezing before starting something important is a bad omen.

-Someone is talking about the “sneezer”.

-Soul tries to escape the body- “Bless you”, “Jesus”

ACTIONS

Indian Chinese

If a dog howls at night it is a bad omen.

(Same)

A cat crossing the road is considered unlucky.

In China the older and uglier a cat is, the luckier it is.

EVENTS

Indian Chinese

A the time of Vidayi (leaving the house after marriage) the girl throws rice and other grains and her brothers and everybody else in the house catches it in some cloth it symbolises the girl’s wish that even after she leaves the house, her family should have sufficient and should remain prosperous.

Throwing rice confetti at the newlyweds will bring them prosperity all their life.

If it rains during the wedding, it means prosperity and happiness for the newlyweds. (Monsoon weddings)

(Same)

WEDDING

Paganism

Christianity

Irish Mythology

Learnt Observation

Irish Superstitions

IRISH AND CHINESE SUPERSTITIONSNewgrange 3200 BC

Book of Invasions 11th Century

God

Son of God

Holy Spirit

YinFemalewater

YangMaleFire

Christianity Taoism

Tao Hua Yuan“Peach Blossom Spring”

Tír na nÓg“Land of the Youth”

Pre Tang Dynasty(pre- 618)

Tao Qian

11th Century

Book of Invasions

Ireland China

Peaches: longevity & prosperity

Peach Blossom Festival (Spring)

Leprechauns – Luprachán:guarding treasure

Lughnasadh festival (Aug)

IMPLICATIONS• Superstitions means to believe in spite of evidence or without

evidence; to believe that the world is governed by chance or caprice; to disregard the true relation between cause and effect; to put thought, intention and design back of nature; to believe in force apart from substance, or in substance apart from force; to believe in miracles, spells and charms, in dreams and prophecies; to believe in the supernatural. Thousands of persons believe in lucky and unlucky days, numbers, signs and jewels (Ingersoll, 2010).

References• MacMillan Dictionary• Oxford Dictionary• English – Chinese Dictionary• Ingersoll – 2010• Understanding South Asian culture compiled by Caritas Youth and Community

Service• Sources of Chinese tradition by W.M.Theodore De Bary , Wing-tsit Chan, Chester Tan• Hindu manners , customs and ceremonies by Abbe J.A. Dubosis• Indian Civilazation , the Formative period by S.C.Malik• India-An illustrated history by Prem Kishore and Anuradha Kishore Ganpati• Irish language and culture by Francesca Coles• www.irishcultureandcustoms.com• www.triskelle.eu/history• www.chinatownconnection.com

QUESTIONS