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:00:00:00JackYou're listening to the A-Z English podcast.00:00:14JackWelcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and today I'm with my good friends saleme and may.00:00:22JackAnd 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.00:00:41JackSo in some cities, if you have like an older build.00:00:46JackThe 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.00:01:07JackAnd 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.00:01:24JackLock 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?00:01:44JackIn your in your countries that people.00:01:47JackEve 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?00:02:07JackThey can.00:02:07MayYou were mentioning about number you were mentioning about number just now?00:02:11MayUh, yes. It's uh for Chinese. So we believe that, uh, #4 is not a good.00:02:19MayNumber I mean when? Because when we translate?00:02:22MayNumber of four.00:02:23MayInto Chinese language. It also means die.00:02:28JackRight, number 44 means death in in Chinese, right?00:02:32MayYeah. 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.00:02:51MayOr maybe replace the number four with something like 3A?00:02:56MayAh, so yeah, something like 3A usually would be 3A.00:03:02JackYeah, 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.00:03:13JackLike they don't like the number four, yeah.00:03:15MayOhh OK, so well, we usually we don't put #4 uh, sorry three uh F but sometimes you see.00:03:24May3A.00:03:26MayOr maybe they went they put something. Yeah, or.00:03:29Jack3/8 and then 512-3315. OK.00:03:35JackRight.00:03:35MayYeah, 3A.00:03:37JackOK.00:03:37MaySo something else, as long as it.00:03:40MayIs not #4.00:03:43JackRight. Yeah, I think that's that's really common in Asia because that that we have that here.00:03:47JackToo in Korea?00:03:49JackThat the number four is is just don't talk about it. So what if you're born? What if your birthday is April 4th?00:03:58MayWe can order them.00:04:00JackIs that is.00:04:01JackThat 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.00:04:09MayNo, 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.00:04:27MayIn into the house. So some people believe.00:04:31MayUh, 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.00:04:43JackWhen you're bringing, like bad spirits into the.00:04:47MayYes, 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.00:04:55JackRight.00:05:02May1st 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.00:05:12JackYeah, 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.00:05:31JackI 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.00:05:51JackIn the house, right?00:05:52MaySleeping everywhere.00:05:53JackYeah, dripping everywhere. Exactly. OK, alright. Yeah.00:05:57MaySalima maybe she has any superstition, probably.00:06:00JackAny superstitions in Iran?00:06:02SalimehWhat 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.00:06:23SalimehNo. 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.00:06:42SalimehKind of thing.00:06:43SalimehI 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.00:07:00SalimehWell, 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.00:07:22SalimehYeah, this this.00:07:23SalimehIs, you know, they said recently? My sister told me so. Yeah, I know. So I don't know how they figured out. Yeah.00:07:27JackSo then the sound of an owl is.00:07:30발표자There you go.00:07:31JackYeah, I wonder.00:07:32JackWhy in some parts it's good luck in some parts it's bad luck. That's really interesting.00:07:38SalimehYou know, I I just asked, but you know, no answer. This is just the thing that we're learning from our parents, you know.00:07:45JackThis 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.00:08:00JackIt'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.00:08:20JackTo go under the ladder and so.00:08:24JackYou know, just like scaring children to to behave properly.00:08:29JackBy 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.00:08:46JackReally, you know.00:08:46SalimehEven 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.00:08:48JackYeah, go ahead.00:09:00SalimehNo, 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.00:09:19SalimehThe other day.00:09:21SalimehEven I don't believe that. I just follow it, you know, naturally.00:09:26JackWhen 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.00:09:38JackAlways 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.00:09:59JackThe crack, but just just in case, you know, like I love my mother. Uh, just in case I'm bringing some.00:10:06JackBad luck to her.00:10:07JackI just don't step on cracks when I'm walking on a sidewalk.00:10:12MayFunny, that's funny.00:10:13JackAll right. Well, listeners out there, let us know if there are.00:10:16JackAny superstitions from?00:10:17JackYour 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 [email protected]. You can join our WhatsApp group and our WeChat group and we will see you.00:10:32JackNext time. Thanks everybody. Bye bye.Podcast Website:https://atozenglishpodcast.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-superstitions-from-around-the-world/Social Media:WeChat: atozenglishpodcastFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/Tik Tok:@atozenglish1Instagram:@atozenglish22Twitter:@atozenglish22A to Z Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcastCheck out our You Tube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8ADonate to the show: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/9472af5c-8580-45e1-b0dd-ff211db08a90/donationsRobin and Jack started a new You Tube channel called English Word Master. 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