The A to Z English Podcast The A to Z English Podcast | Superstitions from around the world
In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Jack, Salimeh, and May talk about superstitions from their countries: USA, Iran, and Malaysia.
Transcript:
00:00:00
Jack
You're listening to the A-Z English podcast.
00:00:14
Jack
Welcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and today I'm with my good friends saleme and may.
00:00:22
Jack
And today I want to do a quick talk episode where we just really quickly talk about superstitions. And so let me give you an example from America. OK. So in America, we believe that the number 13 is an unlucky number.
00:00:41
Jack
So in some cities, if you have like an older build.
00:00:46
Jack
The building will go to floor 12 and then the next floor is 14. They just don't put the 13th floor. I mean the 14th floor is the 13th floor, but they've used the number 14 and just skip over 13 because we believe that that number is bad luck.
00:01:07
Jack
And there's other superstitions that are really common in American culture. For example, Black Cats are bad luck, never walk under a ladder. That'll give you bad.
00:01:24
Jack
Lock never open an umbrella inside a house. Always open the umbrella outside. If you open it inside, it will bring you bad luck. If you break a mirror it will give you 7 years of bad luck and I'm wondering, do you have any superstitions?
00:01:44
Jack
In your in your countries that people.
00:01:47
Jack
Eve and I'm wondering what they are, because I think every country, every culture, has its own. And so in the West, ours are like the number 13. Don't break a mirror, don't walk under a ladder, don't open an umbrella. Inside those kinds of things. So what do you guys have?
00:02:07
Jack
They can.
00:02:07
May
You were mentioning about number you were mentioning about number just now?
00:02:11
May
Uh, yes. It's uh for Chinese. So we believe that, uh, #4 is not a good.
00:02:19
May
Number I mean when? Because when we translate?
00:02:22
May
Number of four.
00:02:23
May
Into Chinese language. It also means die.
00:02:28
Jack
Right, number 44 means death in in Chinese, right?
00:02:32
May
Yeah. Yeah. So whenever like for, for instance, when we're when entering the OR going to the 4th floor, some anything to do with four. So usually they will remove the four.
00:02:51
May
Or maybe replace the number four with something like 3A?
00:02:56
May
Ah, so yeah, something like 3A usually would be 3A.
00:03:02
Jack
Yeah, yeah, that the same thing in Korea too. It goes like first it goes like in like a building on the elevator. It goes 123F.
00:03:13
Jack
Like they don't like the number four, yeah.
00:03:15
May
Ohh OK, so well, we usually we don't put #4 uh, sorry three uh F but sometimes you see.
00:03:24
May
3A.
00:03:26
May
Or maybe they went they put something. Yeah, or.
00:03:29
Jack
3/8 and then 512-3315. OK.
00:03:35
Jack
Right.
00:03:35
May
Yeah, 3A.
00:03:37
Jack
OK.
00:03:37
May
So something else, as long as it.
00:03:40
May
Is not #4.
00:03:43
Jack
Right. Yeah, I think that's that's really common in Asia because that that we have that here.
00:03:47
Jack
Too in Korea?
00:03:49
Jack
That the number four is is just don't talk about it. So what if you're born? What if your birthday is April 4th?
00:03:58
May
We can order them.
00:04:00
Jack
Is that is.
00:04:01
Jack
That just like devices like are the parents just like totally destroyed? If that happens like, you know, don't have this baby today, this month to the 4th month to the 4th day 2004, that would be terrible.
00:04:09
May
No, no, we can't change. Yeah. And another thing, don't bring the umbrella inside the house. I mean, I mean, close the umbrella close before bringing.
00:04:27
May
In into the house. So some people believe.
00:04:31
May
Uh, if we bring the umbrella or if if you open the umbrella inside the house, some other entity will follow us. So we that's why we close the umbrella.
00:04:43
Jack
When you're bringing, like bad spirits into the.
00:04:47
May
Yes, spirit or another creature. Life creatures created by the universe or God. So to be exact girls. Something like that. So we usually close the umbrella.
00:04:55
Jack
Right.
00:05:02
May
1st and then if the umbrella is that then we will open it inside the House again but not bring it from the House straight inside the house outside the House, in straight into the House.
00:05:12
Jack
Yeah, never. That's that's funny. Yeah, I think that's that's like a I think that's like a British influence in Malaysia maybe. Right. Because in in England that's that's a that's a a common superstition is never open an umbrella inside a house, you know. And I think that.
00:05:31
Jack
I think it's probably started a long time ago when people would like bring a wet umbrella inside, you know, and the water would get everywhere. So then somebody said, don't do that. Ghosts will come in, you know, or something. And so the kids are scared and they always close the umbrella outside. But it was really just to stop the water from getting.
00:05:51
Jack
In the house, right?
00:05:52
May
Sleeping everywhere.
00:05:53
Jack
Yeah, dripping everywhere. Exactly. OK, alright. Yeah.
00:05:57
May
Salima maybe she has any superstition, probably.
00:06:00
Jack
Any superstitions in Iran?
00:06:02
Salimeh
What I was thinking currently, uh, I don't remember any, uh, any of number that has bad luck for us. But we have something in my culture not for old year that when we say we want some numbers I don't know because my parents they they know the adult people know which numbers is not good for wedding.
00:06:23
Salimeh
No. Sounds like OK, 17 not good. Do that in 8-18 and I don't know why they do that you know. But I just know we cannot have, you know we have the certain days and numbers to do the like a wedding or ceremony. But the story the origin of this.
00:06:42
Salimeh
Kind of thing.
00:06:43
Salimeh
I have no idea. I have to, you know, ask my parents about this, you know and yeah. And and about the other thing because, you know, yesterday or two days ago, I was, I heard the sound of.
00:07:00
Salimeh
Well, in the outside, and my sister told me for some families that the album is good. You know, it's like a good luck. But for some of the families is the against. It's bad luck. But for us, apparently there is a good luck. So the sound of an owl. So this is good for us.
00:07:22
Salimeh
Yeah, this this.
00:07:23
Salimeh
Is, you know, they said recently? My sister told me so. Yeah, I know. So I don't know how they figured out. Yeah.
00:07:27
Jack
So then the sound of an owl is.
00:07:30
발표자
There you go.
00:07:31
Jack
Yeah, I wonder.
00:07:32
Jack
Why in some parts it's good luck in some parts it's bad luck. That's really interesting.
00:07:38
Salimeh
You know, I I just asked, but you know, no answer. This is just the thing that we're learning from our parents, you know.
00:07:45
Jack
This is The funny thing about superstitions is that I don't think we don't. You often don't know what the origin is, right? But I think I think a lot of the origin comes from like if you walk under a ladder.
00:08:00
Jack
It's dangerous, right? Someone, because if someone's working up on the ladder and they drop a hammer, it could fall on your head, or you could bump the ladder and you could knock it over. And so the person falls down. So instead of saying don't do that, it's dangerous. They just make up. Ohh, it's bad luck.
00:08:20
Jack
To go under the ladder and so.
00:08:24
Jack
You know, just like scaring children to to behave properly.
00:08:29
Jack
By making up these crazy stories that are that make no sense but they're. But if, if so many if it happens so many times, it's like it really becomes part of the the culture. Like people really believe this stuff. You know, there's one more that's.
00:08:46
Jack
Really, you know.
00:08:46
Salimeh
Even if yeah, even if we don't believe that, but I avoid doing that in that time. I mean about that Wednesday I remember my, you know, Mom was telling me that I don't know the exact name of you know the cutting.
00:08:48
Jack
Yeah, go ahead.
00:09:00
Salimeh
No, my mom telling us, don't do that on Wednesday. This is the padlock just Wednesday. I mean, you can do that every not Wednesday and even, OK, this is so for for me. So stupid. But still when I realized, OK, it's Wednesday so Oh no, don't do that. You can do in.
00:09:19
Salimeh
The other day.
00:09:21
Salimeh
Even I don't believe that. I just follow it, you know, naturally.
00:09:26
Jack
When we're when we're children, we had a we have a a saying we would say step on a crack break your mother's back. So if you're walking on a sidewalk, never step on the crack.
00:09:38
Jack
Always step on the clean part of the of the of the concrete or the sidewalk, and so even today when I'm walking on the street, I try not to step on the cracks. I try to step over the crack and it's so stupid like it's it's not gonna hurt my mother to if I stuff.
00:09:59
Jack
The crack, but just just in case, you know, like I love my mother. Uh, just in case I'm bringing some.
00:10:06
Jack
Bad luck to her.
00:10:07
Jack
I just don't step on cracks when I'm walking on a sidewalk.
00:10:12
May
Funny, that's funny.
00:10:13
Jack
All right. Well, listeners out there, let us know if there are.
00:10:16
Jack
Any superstitions from?
00:10:17
Jack
Your countries and you could share it with us on our website A-Z, englishpodcast.com or you can send us an e-mail at AZ englishpodcast@gmail.com. You can join our WhatsApp group and our WeChat group and we will see you.
00:10:32
Jack
Next time. Thanks everybody. Bye bye.
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