1. ELL 2035
Superstitions

2. Warmup Questions
1. Are you a superstitious person? Are there any superstitions (good or bad) which you believe in? 2. Do you know the origin of (Korean) superstitions? 3. Do you believe what fortune tellers or palm readers say? 4. What’s the difference between ‘I believe in…’ and ‘I believe…’?

3. Vocabulary 1. gullible 2. deceived / tricked / fooled
3. ripped (me) off
4. cynical
5. skeptical
6. a sucker
7. shaman
8. pulling (your) leg
9. an urban myth

4. Luck Good Luck Bad Luck finding a four leaf clover
wearing a rabbit’s foot
saying ‘bless you’ after someone sneezes
crossing your fingers
touching wood
an itchy palm
seeing a black cat
opening your umbrella indoors
walking under a ladder
Friday the 13th
spilling salt on the table
breaking a mirror

5. Friday the 13th

6. 13th
People think 13 is unlucky because Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus was the 13th disciple.
Loki was the 13th Norse God to join and ruin the party.
Many people think Jesus was crucified on Friday the 13th.
People also thought witches gathered in groups of 12 and the 13th member was the devil.
13 is an uneven number, disrupting 12.

7. Friday Friday was named after a female (Norse) god – Frigga’s Day.
Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday.
The floods happened on a Friday.
Jesus was crucified on a Friday.
A group of knights were arrested and killed on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307.

8. The Last Supper

9. Other Friday the 13th’s? Tuesday the 13th in Spain and Greek
Friday the 17th in Italy
(XVII = vixi = “you have lived” = you’re dead)
Triskaidekaphobia – fear of 13 (13공포증)
No 13th floor, no 13th aisle

12. “(God) Bless You”
When the plagues swept through Europe and people were getting sick and then soon dying people started saying “(God) bless you” after they sneezed.

13. Breaking a Mirror
Breaking glass will lead to 7 years of bad luck. This comes from long ago before mirrors when people looked at their reflection in water.
Any ripples in the water that would distort your image was seen as bad luck. Therefore breaking a mirror or destroying your image would also be seen as bad luck.

14. Touch Wood
Knocking on wood is good luck. This comes from when people thought God created everything in the world including trees.
Touching a tree would be like touching God and thus it was good to touch wood. This continues to today when people say “Knock on wood” or “Touch wood” referring to good luck.

16. Cross your fingers
Crossing your fingers also had a connection with Christianity. In the early days of Christianity Christians were persecuted by the Romans. To secretly know who was a Christian and who wasn’t crossing one’s fingers was used to distinguish between believers and non-believers.

17. Cross your fingers
Nowadays crossing your fingers can mean good luck or you can be safe from telling a lie. Therefore, may be lying to you with their fingers crossed.

18. an open umbrella indoors

19. walking under a ladder

20. Origins
1. What’s the origin of bad luck from opening an open umbrella inside?
2. What shape was considered sacred?
3. Why do you look at yourself in a bowl of water?
4. What God in Norse mythology caused trouble when he was the 13th guest?
5. What animal’s feces is considered lucky?
6. Finish this rhyme…Step on a crack…???
Victorian (19th Century) England
Dangerous umbrellas made of metal
the triangle, the pyramid
your future
Loki
a bird’s feces
…break your mother’s back.

21. Discussion 1. Do you know the origin of Korean superstitions?
2. Are any Western superstitions similar to Korean superstitions?
3. Are we a less superstitious society than we were in the past? In the future, will we be even less superstitious?