Concetti Chiave
- In Britain, Friday the 13th is considered unlucky, whereas in some cultures, like in Argentina, Tuesday the 13th is the unlucky day.
- Seeing a black cat is considered good luck in Britain, contrary to some countries where it symbolizes bad luck.
- Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck; to counteract this, remove the mirror from the house without looking at it.
- Touching wood is a common practice to ward off bad luck when discussing positive events or hopes.
- British social norms value politeness, such as queuing patiently and using 'please' and 'thank you', while avoiding personal questions.
Superstitions in britain
Professor Angela Webster answers to your questions about British Culture.
Miriam Diaz from Cordoba in Argentina asks: "I recently discovered that Friday the 13th is unlucky in Britain. For us, it is Tuesday the 13th! What other superstitions are there in Britain?"
Professor Culture replies: well, thirteen is an unlucky number because it comes after 12 a very lucky number. A lot of buildings don’t have a 13th floor and some airplanes don’t have seats with number 13! Some other things which bring good or bad luck are:
* Black cats in Britain, to see a black cat brings good luck, but in some countries it brings bad luck.
* A broken mirror a broken mirror brings you bad luck for seven years. Take it out of the house and don’t look at it!
* Touching wood this doesn’t bring good luck but it stops bad luck. We do it when we are talking about good things. For example, we say, ‘I’m doing well at school, touch wood’.
* A rabbit’s foot this bring good luck but it is not very lucky for the rabbit!
* Spilling salt this bring bad luck. To stop the bad luck, throw some of it over your left shoulder and make a wish!
British formality and etiquette
Soffia Varga from Budapest in Hungary asks: "In books and films, British people are often very formal. Is this true?"
Professor Culture replies: no it’s not! In the past, British people were very formal but now they are more informal. However, some things are important:
* Wait in queues. British people get very angry when people ‘jump’ queues!
* Always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when you ask for and receive things.
* Don’t ask personal questions like ‘How much money do you earn?’ or ‘How old are you?’
Domande da interrogazione
- ¿Por qué el número trece se considera de mala suerte en Gran Bretaña?
- ¿Qué supersticiones británicas están relacionadas con la buena o mala suerte?
- ¿Es cierto que los británicos son muy formales?
El número trece se considera de mala suerte porque sigue al número doce, que es un número muy afortunado. Por esta razón, muchos edificios no tienen un piso 13 y algunos aviones no tienen asientos con el número 13.
Algunas supersticiones británicas incluyen que ver un gato negro trae buena suerte, un espejo roto trae mala suerte durante siete años, tocar madera detiene la mala suerte, una pata de conejo trae buena suerte, y derramar sal trae mala suerte, pero se puede contrarrestar tirando un poco sobre el hombro izquierdo.
No, en el pasado los británicos eran muy formales, pero ahora son más informales. Sin embargo, es importante hacer fila, decir 'por favor' y 'gracias', y evitar preguntas personales como '¿Cuánto dinero ganas?' o '¿Cuántos años tienes?'.
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