« Friday the
13th »
For a superstition, the anxiety of Friday the 13th seems openly fresh, dating back
to the late 1800s. Friday has long been considered an unlucky day (according to
Christian tradition, Jesus died on a Friday), and 13 has an extended history as
an unlucky number.
According to the
Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, about 17
million people fear Friday the 13th. Many may fall prey to the human mind's
desire to associate thoughts and symbols with events.
"If anything bad
happens to you on Friday the 13th, the two will be
forever associated in your mind," said Thomas Gilovich, a psychologist at
Cornell University. "All those uneventful days in which the 13th fell on a
Friday will be ignored."
«
Careful with that mirror »
According to folklore, breaking a mirror is a surefire
way to condemnation yourself to seven years of imperfect luck. The belief seems
to proceed from the reliance that mirrors don't just reflect your image; they
hold bits of your soul. That belief led people in the ancient days of the American South to cover mirrors in a
house when someone died, lest their soul be trapped inside.
Ø Halloween
Superstitions
Halloween is a time when common superstitions, folklore, myths and omens seem to carry more weight, due to a thinning of the wall between the physical and supernatural worlds. Below are some common Halloween superstitions.
Halloween is a time when common superstitions, folklore, myths and omens seem to carry more weight, due to a thinning of the wall between the physical and supernatural worlds. Below are some common Halloween superstitions.
Bats: If you
see bats flying around your house on Halloween - inside or out- it
is a sign of ghosts and spirits nearby.
Candle snuffing: If a
candle lighted as part of a ceremony blows out, it is a sign that evil spirits
are nearby.
Cemeteries: If
you hold your breath while you drive by a cemetery, evil spirits can't enter
your body. When passing a graveyard or a house where someone has
died, turn your pockets inside out to make sure you don't bring home ghost in
your pocket. There is an old superstition that says the body which
is put in the first grave dug in a new graveyard is always claimed by the
devil.
Coffins: It is said that anyone who lies in a coffin,
even for fun, is inviting death, and that no item of clothing belonging to a
living person should ever be placed on a corpse when it is placed in a coffin,
for as it rots in the grave so will the rightful owner decline towards death.
Crossroads: If you go to a crossroads at Halloween and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months.
Crossroads: If you go to a crossroads at Halloween and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months.
Footsteps: If you hear foot steps behind you on
this night, don't look back. It may be the dead following you. Turning back
could mean that you will soon join the dead.
Ghosts: If you see a ghost, walk around it
nine times, and it will disappear.
Halloween birthdays: Children
born on Halloween are said to have the gift of second sight, which includes the
power to ward off evil spirits.
Jack O Lanterns: A burning
candle inside a jack-o-lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits and demons at
bay.
Owls: Many people used to believe that owls swooped
down to eat the souls of the dying. If they heard an owl hooting, they would
become frightened. A common remedy was thought to be turning your pockets
inside out and you would be safe.
Spiders: If you see a spider on Halloween night, it means
that the spirit of a dead loved one is watching over you.
Tolling bells: It is said that if you ring
bells on Halloween, it will chase away evil spirits.
Warding off Spirits: You
should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before
sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits.
Wind: On Halloween Night, it is believed that those
people who are destined to die within a year will hear a sigh that is carried
by the wind which blows over the feet of the dead.
Witches: Put your clothes on inside out and walk
backwards on Halloween night to meet a witch.
3-Superstition and Coincidence in the US
On Rome News-Tribune newspaper ,there was an article writen by Sara Brennan
on Tuesday Avril 9,2002 including a big
and bad event occured in the US which confused
sara brennan and made her sink into the analysis of that event from the
percpective of superstition and coincidence .The event is the attack of 11 septembre , there was a big question is it
a superstition or was it planned ? the question burning on everyone’s mind
. so, many things involving the attacks have added up to the number 11 that is
must be more than just a coincidence. For example this simplest one is that the
attack and high-jackings happened on sept,11, but they get much more
complicated . septembre 11 is the 245 day of the year and 2+4+5 =11, on flight 11 there were 92
people and 9+2=11 . Also there were 65 people on flight 77 and 6+5=11, not to
mention that the two towers standing
together looks like the number 11.
Many of the people and things involved in Tuesday’s attack have names that
added up to 11, Newyork city and Afghanistan both added up to 11, « Trade
center » and « the pentagon » each have 11 letters in
their names, George W.Bush, Colin Powell and Ramzi Yousef the leader in the 1993 attack on the towers
all have 11 letters in their names also. So, the number 11 seemed as an unlucky
number which was present in an unbelieveble way in the attack of 11 septembre
the views are deffirent some of people consider it as a coincidence and others
as a superstition.
Brabara Wallace daughter of Mr and Mrs Gilbert Wallace of 1026 Emerson
avenue cares so little for superstition that she is celebrating her thirteenth
birthday on the day of Friday the thirteenth with 13candles on her birthday
cake, she smashed a mirrror while standing under an opened umbrella in her home stating : «
we are not superstitious, poslively not, we do not believe in good luck, good
or bad, or in Friday the thirteenth it is just a coincidence that we managed to
fall over a chair while groping for the light switch this morning » ,
« we are not superstitious absolutely not we have no faith in rabbit feet
, lucky charmson four-leaf clovers it is just a coincidence that the closet
door was opened and knocked us silly this morning », « we are not
superstitious of course not we have no compunction in spilling salt, opening an
umbrella in the house , walking around with black cat , it is just a
coincidence that we ran out of gasoline while driving to work this
morning ». finishing by saying « we are not superstitious ,naturally
not, but about one more coincidence we will believe we are haunted ». this
article was written by Jim Hoagland , published by The Dessert News in Salt
lake city Ultah,on Friday March,13,
1942.
Superstion in education
According To Stuart Vyse As someone
who regularly teaches the psychology student’s most feared course,
psychological statistics (known widely as “sadistics”), he is keenly aware of the anxiety that examinations
can bring. In the hours before an exam, particularly the first exam of the
semester, he receive more calls from students than at any other time of the
year. A diverse array of maladies of varying degrees of credibility emerge just
in time to forestall the dreaded event. Personal, family, and cohort
emergencies suddenly appear, and he is forced to listen to stories he would
rather not hear. Both vomiting and crying are not unusual before, during, or
after an exam, and in one case a student had an epileptic seizure.
According to the statistics in his book « believing in magic the
psychology of superstition » College students are not famous for their
superstitions. In fact, conventional wisdom suggests that the highly educated
should be more skeptical than their less learned peers. Yet superstition is
frequently associated with fear of failure, and when it comes to examinations,
many college students are genuinely fearful. In a fascinating investigation of
exam-related superstitions..
As part of a larger study of college life, sociologists Daniel and Cheryl
Albas gathered data over 13 years from more than 300 students at the University
of Manitoba. Students filled out standardized questionnaires and recorded
descriptions of relevant thoughts, sentiments, and behavior in examination
logs. In addition, the investigators observed students in a number of
locations, on and off campus, and conducted many formal and informal
interviews. Based on this information, the Albases estimated that from 20 to 33
percent of their students used magic, primarily to bring on good luck rather
than to stave off bad. They discovered that student’s exam-related
superstitions fell into two broad categories: the use of magical objects and
the practice of special rituals. The Albases enumerated too many examples to
present here, but a selection of beliefs and behaviors will help to give us a
flavor of this subculture.
One of the most popular student superstitions involved clothing, and, with
some exceptions, the predominant practice was "dressing
down." Old sweatshirts were quite popular. One science student always
wore an old scarf that he claimed "carries parts of my brain in
it." Some students dressed up, however, and a young man who always
wore a three-piece suit admitted, "It’s not a very logical thing to wear
to an exam because it’s hot and restricting." Yet he maintained the
belief that his suit improved his performance.
Several students reported that they used special pens with which they had
written previous successful exams. Such pens were thought to improve
performance; having to take an exam without one’s special pen would be cause
for concern. An advertisement in a student newspaper read as follows:
Help! I've lost my silver
Cross pen. Deep psychological and sentimental value; never written an exam
without it. Lost last Friday. If found contact Anna …
Typically, textbooks cannot be used during an exam. At the University of
Manitoba, students stacked books around the perimeter of the examination room
or under their desks. Nevertheless, several students reported that being able
to see their books during an exam improved their performance: "summaries
come up through the covers."
Some students used more common talismans, such as rabbit’s feet, dice, and
coins, as well as teddy bears and other cuddly toys. In this category the
Albases reported one particularly unusual case. A young male student would not
take an exam unless he had "found" a coin, which he interpreted
as a sign of good luck. As a result, he would search for a coin on the day of
an exam, often wasting precious study time "scrounging around bus
stops" until he was successful—even at the risk of being late to the
exam.
Of the individual-centered superstitious or magical acts aimed at bringing
good luck, the overwhelming favorite was prayer. The Albases reported that even
some nonreligious students prayed prior to exams. However, some observed
secular rituals. For example, students reported knocking on the exam room door
three times before entering, stepping over the threshold of the exam room with
their right foot, or circling the exam building—regardless of the weather
conditions. Another popular practice was listening to a "lucky
song" or tape. One student said she played the song "Money
Changes Everything" on the drive to school; another listened to
Martin Luther King’s "I have a dream" speech before every exam.
It is clear that this kind of behavior is not unique to Manitoba. I have
observed similar superstitions among my own students, and at Harvard
University, where students are presumably very intelligent, rubbing the foot of
the statue of John Harvard is considered good luck.
Superstition in Sport
Sport is an integral part of popular culture. A country's great sports help
shape its heritage and sense of national identity. In the United States, some
believe that baseball is the premier American sport. Many writers, including
several of our finest novelists, have described the game with religious
reverence. Others contend that football or basketball is the true American sport.
But most would agree that sport is truly American.
The popularity of sport combined with the fact that its participants are a
traditionally superstitious group make athletes, particularly professional
athletes, the most famous of all superstitious people. Journalists have
delighted in revealing the curious habits of the heroes of the playing field.
Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly forced himself to vomit before every
game, a habit he had practiced since high school. NBA star Chuck Persons used
to eat two candy bars before every game: two KitKats, two Snickers, or one of
each. Former New York Mets pitcher Turk Wendell, named the most superstitious
athlete of all time byMen’s Fitness magazine, would brush his teeth
between innings. Wayne (The Great One) Gretzky, former star of the New York
Rangers hockey team, always tucked the right side of his jersey behind his hip
pads.
Uncertainty is an integral part of most sports. In basketball, the best
professional players make only half their shots from the field. Quarterbacks in
the National Football League complete, on average, only 61 percent of their
passes. Because the motivation to win or perform well is quite strong, it
is not surprising that athletes resort to magic in an attempt to alter these
percentages. Interestingly, superstitions within a particular sport are
generally restricted to the least-certain activities. George Gmelch, an
anthropologist and former professional baseball player, noted that the most
capricious parts of the game are batting and pitching. Because winning depends
on scoring more runs than the opposing team, a pitcher can perform very well
and yet lose the game, or can give up several runs and win. A great pitch can
be hit out of the park, and a bad one can become a crucial third strike. In
batting, a 30 percent success rate makes one a “premier player,” whereas 26
percent is only average. In contrast, fielding is a more reliable
enterprise. Infielders have approximately three seconds to prepare for a ball
hit toward them, and outfielders have even more time. Few things can intervene
to alter the ball’s trajectory from bat to glove. As a result, when the ball is
hit toward a fielder, the player successfully catches it or throws the batter
out an average of 97 percent of the time. In the “safer waters” of the playing
field, there is little need for magic.
Most superstitious beliefs in sport involve
either personal superstitions aimed at improving individual performance or
group superstitions
directed toward team success.
Although many of the magical beliefs held by athletes are purely
individual, the world of sport is also famous for its group or team
superstitions. In baseball, it is widely believed that, if a pitcher has held
the opposing team hitless, it is bad luck to mention the
"no-hitter" in the dugout during the game. Some say the best way
to avoid "jinxing" the pitcher is to stay away from him
altogether and keep quiet. The Connecticut College women’s basketball team has
a group practice that is believed to bring good luck: when they join hands
before the start of a game, the players break out of the huddle with a shout of
"Together!" This cheer is never used at the beginning of the
second half or at any other point in a game, and new players must be educated
in its use when they join the team.
Finally, Gregory and Petrie discovered a unique aspect of superstition in
the game of hockey. Most superstitious beliefs in sport involve either personal
superstitions aimed at improving individual performance or group superstitions
directed toward team success. All players participate equally and no one is
singled out—except in hockey. Success in ice hockey is highly dependent on the
performance of a single player: the goalie. The hockey goalie’s sole function
is to minimize the opposing team’s score by stopping or deflecting every shot
the opposing team makes into the goal. It is a very difficult position to play,
and a talented goalie is a highly valued member of the team. Not surprisingly,
Gregory and Petrie found that a great number of hockey superstitions involved
the goalie. For example, players often believe it is important to let the
goalie go out on the ice first, and many players slap the goalie’s pads for
luck. Like the no-hitter in baseball, team members avoid mentioning a shutout
to the goalie before the end of the game.
Superstition andGamblers
Most games of chance are just that. Their outcomes are random events,
completely out of the player’s control. The lottery player cannot will a
"lucky number" to come up; the roulette player has no power over
the spinning ball. Nevertheless, many gamblers act as though they were playing
games of skill. In some games, such as blackjack and draw poker, the player
uses a strategy to decide when it is best to draw a card and when it is not.
Furthermore, by understanding the odds, one can become a skillful bettor. But
most gambling games do not involve skill.
Historically, many gamblers have put
faith in "luck" and the belief that chance events are, to some
extent, under their control. In 1711, The Spectator published
accounts of the "lucky numbers" used by British lottery players.
One individual played the number 1711 because it was the current year; another
played 134 because it was the minority vote on an important bill in the House
of Commons. Today similar beliefs are found in various "systems"—some
published in popular books—for winning the lottery or betting on horse races,
as well as in many personal and social superstitions of the gambling
subculture.
Each of these groups confronts a situation in
which a particular outcome is both uncertain and highly valued, and each
appears to have made superstition an integral part of its activities.
There have been several studies of magical belief among modern gamblers,
including investigations of bingo, poker, and roulette players, but the most
revealing of these is a study of craps players published by sociologist James
Henslin in 1967. (Craps is a wagering game played with dice.) Like Malinowski,
Henslin used the method of participant observation, spending as much time as
possible with a group of St. Louis cab drivers, both on and off duty. He soon
discovered that the drivers frequently played craps in the early-morning hours
between shifts.
Craps is a game of pure chance. There is no skill involved in throwing
dice. The movements of the clicking, tumbling cubes conform only to the laws of
physics and probability, and as long as the dice are not weighted or rigged,
every throw is a random event. Nevertheless, Henslin found that these taxi-drivers-turned-crapshooters
employed a number of strategies that they believed increased their chances of
winning.
Typically the shooter hopes to roll a particular number—a 7 or 11 on the
first roll, one’s point on subsequent rolls. The most popular theory of
dice-throwing holds that the number rolled is positively correlated with the
velocity of the throw. A soft touch brings a low number; a hard throw brings a
high one. Other methods of “controlling” the dice include taking one’s time
between rolls and “talking to the dice.” This last strategy is often employed
at the moment the dice are released, when one shouts out the desired number.
Another common method of controlling the dice is to snap one’s fingers.
Shooters often snap their fingers as the dice are thrown or as they bounce off
the backboard. (Typically the dice are thrown on a flat surface, and the
shooter is required to roll them in such a way
that they bounce against a wall
or some other backboard.) Henslin found that some of the drivers were extremely
ritualistic in their finger-snapping and that, when a die would spin before
falling to rest, a special form of the finger-snapping ritual often emerged:
It sometimes happens that,
after the dice are cast, one will spin like a top on one of its corners. When
this happens, the shooter will frequently point with his index finger close to
the die, wait until the die has slowed down, and, just as it begins to fall to
rest from the spin, loudly snap his finger against his thumb in an effort to
control the resultant point.
Finally, Henslin’s cab drivers espoused the belief that successful shooting
required confidence. As a result, they frequently expressed great certainty
about their ability to roll the points they wanted. For example, as they rolled
the dice, players would often say, "There’s a seven!" Once
established, confidence had to be maintained, so players who were betting with
the shooter often urged him not to "get shook." To retain
control over the dice, the shooter had to "take it easy" and
"take his time." Henslin pointed out that this view of
confidence is very similar to one frequently promoted in competitive sports.
Athletes are told not to "get shook," because a lack of
confidence would interfere with their self-control and ability to concentrate.
Of course, this theory might be valid for a skillful activity, such as
basketball or baseball, but it has no relevance for games of chance.
Other beliefs surrounded the treatment of the dice. Dropping the dice was
seen as a bad omen, but rubbing the dice was thought to improve one’s luck.
Often players would rub the dice against the playing surface, and in some cases
they would rub them on another player. One shooter rubbed the dice under the
chin of the player who was betting against him.
In addition to magical shooting techniques, players employed a number of
betting methods to control the dice. It was commonly believed that the shooter
could increase the chances of rolling his point if he raised his bet. In one
case, a player had rolled several times without hitting his point. After adding
a few dollars to his bet, another player remarked, "He’ll make it now. He
put more money on it."
Henslin’s craps players, like athletes and exam-takers, represent a
subculture rich in magical thinking. Each of these groups confronts a situation
in which a particular outcome is both uncertain and highly valued, and each
appears to have made superstition an integral part of its activities.
Superstition and religion
Superstition and religion have been always intermixed. In the United state
,the eradication of a desease through “ faith healing” is linked to the fanatic
Christian groups ( stuart Vyse, 1997, 2014).
Any religion has a a superstition with in it, a belief which has no
rational ground. During the last century Christians has been relying on the
irrational. So, scholars have been trying to make faith more intellectually
respectable to eradicate it from superstition ( Rev William , 1976).
Though Rev William agreement with what happened in recent decades in
christian theology he has always an objection within him he considers weeding
out superstition as an important component which has been lost. Superstition
alone as an end in itself is misleading but it can also lead to something
beyond itself. When a woman was healed just because she touched the hem of
jesus’s garment, there was no magical power which make her feeling fine in his
cloth but it was her faith. Perhaps the woman acted out of superstition but her
cure was beyond superstition and beyong reason as well, it was not something rational.
Rev William is persuaded that the reason why people leave chrisianity is
because it does not keep a space for things beyong reason the need of
superstition has been necessary but the result has been dissapointed. People
are in need to religion, jesus thaught : take your mind seriously and develop
your intellect ti its full potential; then let you intuition, your imagination,
your faith, lead on to the further ranges of life and love.
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