Learn the superstitions about black cats crossing your path and horseshoes above a doorway
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Hello and welcome to Culture Class: Russian Superstitions and Beliefs, Lesson 1 - Black Cats Crossing Your Path and Horseshoes Above a Doorway. I'm John and I'm joined by Karina. |
| Karina: Привет! (Privet!) I'm Karina. |
| THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS |
| John: In this lesson we will talk about two common superstitions in Russia. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s the superstition called in Russian? |
| Karina: чёрный кот перебежал дорогу, (chornyy kot perebezhal darogu). |
| John: Which literally means "black cat crossing your way." Karina, can you repeat the Russian phrase again? |
| Karina: [slow] чёрный кот перебежал дорогу [normal] чёрный кот перебежал дорогу |
| John: In Russia, it's believed that if a black cat runs across your way, you're going to have bad luck that day. |
| Karina: I think this a common superstition. |
| John: Yeah. When I was growing up in the States, I knew a kid who would go out of his way to avoid black cats. |
| Karina: Well you might see that in Russia, too. |
| John: This is because black cats are believed to be connected to mysterious and dark things. |
| Karina: Very spooky. |
| John: The second superstition is about good luck. What’s the superstition called in Russian? |
| Karina: подкова над входом, (patkova nat fkhodam). |
| John: Which literally means "horseshoe above the doorway." Let’s hear it in Russian again. |
| Karina: [slow] подкова над входом [normal] подкова над входом |
| John: Did you ever hang a horseshoe above your front door for good luck? |
| Karina: Yes! I actually still have one. |
| John: Why do you hang it above the doorway? |
| Karina: It’s believed that if you hang it inside the house, it’ll protect the people and the things inside. |
| John: And if you hang it from the outside, it’ll keep thieves and bad forces out of your house. |
| Karina: Which is good too. |
Outro |
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| John: There you have it - two Russian superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments! |
| Karina: Пока! (Poka!) |
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