Superstitious Belifes

Olga Stremilova

Group 3

Year 5

Essay 1

Superstitions beliefs of different cultures.

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. It is the belief that certain events bring good or bad luck which cannot be explained by reason or science. In short, superstition means blind belief. Superstition is a worldwide phenomenon. People in every country believe in one or the other superstition. Superstitions have come down to us from ancient times. Primitive people were ignorant about the wonders of science. They were at the mercy of natural elements. They did not understand the causes of physical changes taking place around them.

There are certain common superstitions which are shared by all the people in the world. Belief in spirits, ghosts and witches, the cries of certain birds like owl and ravens and mewing of cats are superstitions followed all over the globe.

Superstitions centering around the black cat are some of the most well known and popular superstitions today. It is interesting, though, because the good or bad luck they possess is dependent on where you live in the world. In Britain and Japan, having a black cat cross your path, is considered good luck, whereas, if you live in the USA or several European countries, it is bad luck to have a black cat walk by.

The hooting of an owl and the howling of a dog are considered to be signs of death and danger. Contracting chickenpox is considered to be the anger of a goddess. So, the goddess is appeased with offerings. When people build a new house or if it is a beautiful house, they hang an earthen pot with an ugly face painted on it on the facade of their house. Owners of new vehicles hang women's braids at the back of their vehicles to wards off evil eyes.

Some superstitions are supposed to bring good luck or happiness. If...