Superstitions1 in Britain 英国的迷信

景一

◆General Superstitions◆

◆一般的迷信◆

◇Good Luck

Lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats are featured on many good luck greetings cards and birthday cards in England.

Lucky to touch wood. People touch or knock on wood， to make something come true.

Lucky to find a clover2 plant with four leaves.

A horseshoe over the door brings good luck. But the horseshoe needs to be the right way up. The luck runs out of the horseshoe if it is upside down. Horseshoes are generally a sign of good luck and feature on many good luck cards.

On the first day of the month it is lucky to say “white rabbits， white rabbits， white rabbits” before uttering your first word of the day.

Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you will have good luck. Every leaf means a lucky month next year.

Cut your hair when the moon is waxing3 and you will have good luck.

Putting money in the pocket of new clothes brings good luck.

◇关于好运

遇到一只黑猫会带来好运。在英国，黑猫经常出现在好运贺卡和生日贺卡上。

碰触木头会带来好运。为了心想事成，人们会碰触或者敲敲木头。

找到四片叶子的三叶草会带来好运。

挂在门上的马蹄铁会带来好运，但马蹄铁必须是正确的方向朝上。如果马蹄铁放倒过来，好运气就没了。马蹄铁通常是好运的标志，在许多好运贺卡上都能看到它。

在某个月的第一天，在说出你当天的第一句话之前，念“白兔，白兔，白兔”会带来好运。

接住秋天的落叶会给你带来好运。每一片叶子都意味着来年一个月的好运。

在月亮渐圆时剪头发会给你带来好运。

把钱放在新衣服的口袋里会带来好运。

◇Bad Luck

Its unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.

Seven years bad luck to break a mirror. The superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times， when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.

Unlucky to see one magpie4， lucky to see two.

Unlucky to spill salt. If you do， you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract5 the bad luck.

Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.

The number thirteen is unlucky. Friday the thirteenth is a very unlucky day. Friday is considered to be an unlucky day because Jesus was crucified6 on a Friday.

Unlucky to put new shoes on the table.

Unlucky to pass someone on the stairs.

◇關于厄运

从梯子下面走过会带来厄运。

打破一面镜子会带来七年的坏运气。该迷信应该起源于古代，那时镜子被认为是神灵的用具。

遇见一只喜鹊意味着不幸，但遇见两只喜鹊就走运了。

弄撒了盐不吉利。如果你弄撒了盐，必须把它扔到肩膀后以抵消厄运。

在屋里打伞是不吉利的。

数字13是不吉利的。恰逢星期五的13号是非常不吉利的一天。人们认为星期五不吉利，是因为耶稣是在星期五被钉死的。

把新鞋放在桌子上会带来不幸。

在楼梯上超过别人会招致厄运。

◆Animal Superstitions◆

◆动物迷信◆

Animals feature a lot in British superstitions as they do in superstitions around the world.

One ancient British superstition holds that if a child rides on a bears back it will be protected from whooping-cough7. （Bears used to roam8 Britain but now they are not seen.）

In some parts of the UK， meeting two or three ravens9 together is considered really bad. One very English superstition concerns the tame ravens at the Tower of London. It is believed if they leave then the crown of England will be lost.

It is said to be bad luck if you see bats flying and hear their cries. In the middle ages it was believed that witches were closely associated with bats.

If a sparrow10 enters a house it is an omen11 of death to one of the people who live there. In some areas it is believed that to avoid bad luck， any sparrow caught must be immediately killed otherwise the person who caught it will die.

In some areas black rabbits are thought to host the souls of human beings. White rabbits are said to be really witches and some believe that saying “white rabbit” on the first day of each month brings luck. A common lucky charm is a rabbits foot， but not for the rabbit.

It is thought very unlucky to have the feathers of a peacock12 within the home or handle anything made with them. This is possibly because of the eye shape present upon these feathers， the evil-eye associated with wickedness.

和在世界各地的迷信中一样，动物在英国的迷信中也占据了主要位置。

有一个古老的英国迷信认为，如果一个孩子骑在熊的背上，他将受到保护，不会得百日咳。（过去熊常在英国游荡，但现在很难再看到它们。）

在英国的一些地方，遇到两只或三只乌鸦在一起是非常糟糕的。有一个典型的英国迷信和伦敦塔上驯服的乌鸦有关。人们认为，如果它们离开伦敦塔，那么英国就会灭亡。

据说，如果你看到蝙蝠在飞，并听到它们的叫声，就会倒霉。在中世紀，人们认为女巫与蝙蝠有着密切的联系。

如果一只麻雀飞进了一所房子，这预示着住在房子里的某一个人会死去。在一些地区，人们相信，为了避免厄运，必须立即杀死被抓住的麻雀，否则抓住麻雀的人将会死去。

在某些地区，黑兔子被认为是人类灵魂的寄主。据说白兔是真正的女巫，有些人认为在每个月的第一天喊“白兔”会带来好运。兔子脚是常见的吉祥物，但对于兔子来说，一点也不吉利。

人们认为把孔雀的羽毛放在家里或接触用它们做的任何东西都是非常不吉利的。这可能是因为这些羽毛上的眼睛形状，被看作是与邪恶有关的恶魔之眼。

◆Food Superstitions◆

◆食物迷信◆

When finished eating a boiled egg， push the spoon through the bottom of the empty shell to let the devil out.

In Yorkshire， housewives used to believe that bread would not rise if there was a dead body around， and to cut off both ends of the loaf would make the devil fly over the house！

吃完煮熟的鸡蛋后，要用勺子戳穿空蛋壳的底部，让魔鬼出来。

在约克郡，家庭主妇们过去相信，如果附近有尸体，面包就不会涨起来，而把面包的两头切掉，会让魔鬼飞到房子的上空！

◆Table Superstitions◆

◆餐桌迷信◆

If you drop a table knife expect a male visitor， if you drop a fork a female visitor.

Crossed cutlery13 on your plate and expect a quarrel.

Leave a white tablecloth on a table overnight and expect a death.

如果餐刀掉到地上，你会有男客人到访;如果餐叉掉到地上，你就会有女客人到访。

把刀叉放在盘子里，会发生争吵。

把一块白桌布整晚留在桌子上，会带来死亡。

◆Wedding Superstitions◆

◆婚礼迷信◆

Bride14 and groom15 must not meet on the day of the wedding except at the altar16.

The bride should never wear her complete wedding clothes before the day.

For good luck the bride should wear“something borrowed， something blue， something old and something new”.

The husband should carry his new wife over the threshold17 of their home.

除在圣坛外，新郎新娘不得在婚礼当天见面。

新娘不应该在结婚当天之前穿上完整的婚纱。

为了有好运气，新娘的穿着应该“有借、有蓝、有旧、有新”。

丈夫应该把他的新婚妻子抱进家门。

【Notes】

1. superstition [     ] n. 迷信

2. clover [     ] n. 三叶草;苜蓿 3. wax [     ] vi. 月亮渐满;增大

4. magpie [     ] n. 鹊，喜鹊 5. counteract [     ] vt. 抵消;中和

6. crucify [     ] vt. 折磨;十字架上钉死

7. whooping-cough [     ] 百日咳 8. roam [     ] vi. 漫步;流浪

9. raven [     ] n. 大乌鸦 10. sparrow [     ] n. 麻雀

11. omen [     ] n. 预兆;征兆 12. peacock [     ] n. 孔雀

13. cutlery [     ] n. 餐具 14. bride [     ] n. 新娘

15. groom [     ] n. 新郎 16. altar [     ] n. 圣壇;圣餐台

17. threshold [     ] n. 入口;门槛