Pupil’s project “Superstitions of different countries"

Pupil’s project “Superstitions of different countries”

Made by Milena Muradjan/

Why do we choose this theme?

• At our English lessons we speak about different superstitions and omens.
• The knowledge of superstitions and omens expands our notion about the country and allows to understand its history and customs of the people.
• We’d like to know if the pupils of our school believe in superstitions and omens or not.
• We’ve read a lot of materials in the Internet.

The aim of the project:

• To get acquainted with superstitions and omens of the different countries.
• To find out the number of pupils who trust in superstitions and omens.
• To improve our English.
• To practice in English grammar and translation.

Superstitions

Tasks of the project:

• To define the words “superstition” and “omen”.
• To make a list of superstitions and omens in the different countries.
• To find similar omens in the different countries.
• To sum up about the role of superstitions and omens in people’s life and the culture of the country.

What does it mean “superstition” and “omen”?

Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any physical process linking the two events, such as astrology, omens, witchcraft, etc., that contradicts natural science.

Omen is an event regarded as a portent of good or evil.

• There are a lot of different superstitions and omens in every culture. But some of them are similar.
• In every country you can find the superstitions about money, good or bad luck, weather, holidays.

Money superstitions

Money is the most important part of comfortable life. But it is not always explainable why one person has to work hard to earn them and the other hasn’t. Perhaps this injustice became the main reason of formation of some money superstitions.

Bags can’t be put on a

floor – money won’t be (Spain)

Money superstitions

The coin which you found

should be kept it will

bring good luck (Italy)

If you always pick up burnt matches instead of leaving them laying you will find money (England)

USA

• If you put a spider in your

pocket the money

will be there.

• If to spit for example on

money , in the future

you can get even

more.

Money Superstitions

• If you scratch your left hand, you will give money away (Britain)

Luck Superstitions Black cats bring good luck (England, Scotland)

  Clover is a small plant. Usually it has three leaves, but a few have four. A clover with four leaves brings good luck (Britain)

On the first day of the month it's lucky to say "White rabbits".

Luck Superstitions

Catch falling leaves in autumn and you'll have good luck (Britain)

• Never open an umbrella in the house. That's very bad luck (Italy, Britain)

Unusual superstitions of different countries.

England Put the onion under your pillow at night before St. Thomas and see your future husband in a dream.

Scotland

• If the soup pops out of hand it is not good.
• Before the wedding, the bride must go swimming in the mud and then she will have a happy family life.

Survey among pupils

• We conducted a survey

among students and have

found out that: 39% of the pupils believe

in superstitions, 36% of them do not believe in superstitions and 35% do not know.

• 24% of the pupils have an amulet and 76% of the pupils don’t have it.
• Are superstitions truth or fairy-tales? 21% of students answered that it is fairy-tale and 79% of students that it is truth.

Conclusions

Superstitions and omens are argued about for a long time. And people of absolutely different professions, different characters and temperaments debate about it.

But this is your own affair to believe in them or not.

Conclusions

On the one hand superstitions and omens make our life more various, on the other hand they can complicate our way of life. That’s why you should be sensible and don’t let the superstitions to rule over you.

Sources:

https://www.google.ru

http://www.cherniy-kot.ru

http://ru.wikipedia.org

http://www.yandex.ru

http://svadba.passion.ru

www. study.ru

Oxford American Dictionary

Thank you