Superstitions: funny, inexplicable, and totally cultural.
I thought of this subject today when my second and fifth grade science classes were told in no uncertain terms that sleeping at night in a room with plants will kill you. Seriously. Kill you. If that were true every flower-filled hospital room would be homicide of some sort, right? Anyway, the thought is that since plants release carbon dioxide at night, you're competing with the plants for oxygen - an epic battle which, according to the Spanish school system, you will lose. (Don't worry, myriad internet sources and common sense assure me that this is false.)
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| This is the English version of their textbook. Sorry for the subpar iPhoneography. |
Other Spanish superstitions that I know of: Tuesday the 13th is bad luck, not Friday. Salt shakers shouldn't be passed hand to hand, they should be placed on the table to be picked up. If you are sweeping and your broom hits the feet of someone who is currently single, they will never get married. Watermelon and alcohol are a lethal mix. And if that last one were true, we'd all be dead.
I haven't heard of any of these, but this reminded me of several of my friends who went to go teach English in Korea. Apparently there if you sleep in a room with a fan on, you will die. I don't even remember why now, but even Korean scientists believe in fan death.
ReplyDeleteHahha, watermelon and vodka a lethal mix? Pretty funny coming from the country that invented Sangria.
ReplyDeletejust so you know, sangria is not made of watermelon and wodka lady ;)
DeleteAhhh so that's why I'm still single and occasionally have problems with breathing at night.. pahhh allergies be damned!
ReplyDeleteThe woman I tutor never fails to remind me that I'll lose my money if I set my purse on the floor and therefore always provides an extra chair just for my purse). Actually, I think I've heard that in the U.S. too, but now I have to wonder if the money stolen from my wallet a few months ago was the result of this!
ReplyDeleteAlso, the students at my school think that the whistling knife-sharpening man that occasionally passes the school brings bad luck.
Oops, that anonymous comment was from me! Guess I haven't figured out commenting from my Kindle.
Deletehaha little girl from grosery store
DeleteApparently toasting with water is bad luck - brindar con agua da mala suerte. Now that's a superstition I can get behind!
ReplyDeleteI love that if you dare to walk barefoot in a house they tell you that you will catch cold, it is absolutely unacceptable to walk around without slippers or your street shoes
ReplyDeleteThese are all cracking me up. Although I suppose we have some cultural ones too - I really hate it when people open umbrellas inside!
ReplyDeleteOne of my good friends lived with a family in Sevilla and the senora of the house would never let them take showers after dinner because she said it would cause a heart attack. I also feel that there is a lot of superstitions about cold, like being the in the cold will definitely make you get a cold.
ReplyDeleteMy maternal grandparents are first generation Spanish immigrants. I've heard most of the superstitions above from them, and also:
ReplyDeletecrossing your silverware at the dinner table = bad luck
placing shoes on a table = bad luck
crickets = good luck, killing them is practically a sin
okay i'm a little late to the party, but i'm loving your blog and this post and just had to throw this one out there.
ReplyDeletethe spanish are super sun-conscious. they have no regard for their health when it comes to smoking, etc but when it comes to the sun and their children, it is a completely different story. little kids ALWAYS are covered by the umbrella that is conveniently attached to their stroller. they don hats, sit in the shade... and one time i watched a mother put pairs of underwear on her kids heads while we watched a parade because it appeared she'd forgetten their hats. hilarious.
I think I remember a spanish superstition where they say you should not comb your hair at night cause it would mean you would be marrying a stranger or foreigner. I don't really get what is the connection with it. Oh and I think I remember something about cutting nails at night would mean a death in the family.
ReplyDelete