Translation musings: turn around three times and spit…

Today is Friday 13th – a day associated with bad luck and (bad?) horror movies. In the 19th century, this particular superstition was documented in a biography of composer Gioachino Rossini, who regarded both Fridays and the number 13 as unlucky – as indeed did many Italians at that time. It turned out to be especially portent for poor old Gioachino, who died on Friday 13th November 1868. But where did it all start?

Let’s look at the number 13 first. In numerology, 12 pops up a lot and is considered to be divine – there are 12 months, 12 hours, 12 zodiac signs, 12 Apostles of Jesus, 12 successors of Muhammad, 12 gods of Olympus, the list goes on. The number 13, therefore, is considered a bit messy – irregular. An early superstition, which may’ve come from the Last Supper or possibly an earlier Norse myth, is that thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of them.

And what about the Friday bit? Again, it has a number of possible origins. It has been considered unlucky since at least the time of the Canterbury Tales (that Chaucer, again!) and many professions consider it a bad day to go on a journey, or start a new project. The crucifixion of Jesus, of course, is said to have taken place on a Friday. But this part of the story does seem to be a little more sketchy…

So, eventually the two superstitions joined forces and became one BIG superstition. This may’ve happened as recently as the 20th century, but who knows?! But at least we’ve got a name for it; in fact we’ve got two!

Friggatriskaidekaphobia – deriving from the Norse goddess Frigga (from which we get Friday) and triskaidekaphobia – the fear of the number thirteen.

Or , if you prefer the Greek version: paraskevidekatriaphobia – from Παρασκευή (or Paraskeví  – Friday), δεκατρείς (dekatreís – thirteen) and φοβία (phobía – fear).

So, enjoy your Friday 13th – but be sure to watch out for black cats under ladders.

Knocking on wood

This practice exists in a variety of cultures to avoid tempting fate (German: auf Holz klopfen; French: toucher du bois; Dutch: afkloppen; Polish: odpukać w niemalowane; Spanish: tocar madera; Bulgarian: чукам на дърво). Its origins are though to lies in pre-Christian beliefes. In UK schoolgrounds, you can often hear kids shouting “Touch wood!” when playing tag to signal they are safe from being tagged. Interestingly, in Germany, it’s common practice, in lectures or meetings for instance, to knock with your knuckles against the table to applaud someone rather than clap your hands, although this doesn’t have anything to do with superstition. 

Throwing salt over your shoulder

Salt was once an extremely valuable resource, notably due to its ability to preserve foodstuffs for lengthy periods before the days of refrigeration. Indeed the word salary derives from the Latin salarium, which referred to an allowance given to Roman soldiers to buy salt. Spilling this costly commodity was therefore though to be a bad omen. Throwing it over your shoulder, however, was said to reserve this bad luck. The trick is to throw over your left shoulder, as the devil was thought to be lurking on that side of you. This is deeply rooted in the association of humans having both an angel and devil sitting on their shoulders, and the latter sat on the left.

Walking under a ladder

This superstition, which again exists in numerous cultures, is likely one created to prevent from real-life danger. After all, it goes against pretty much every health and safety code in the book to saunter under a ladder in use. So if anything, this is just a good bit of common sense!

Crossing your fingers

In German, you push down your thumb(s) (den Daumen drücken) rather than cross your fingers to wish someone good luck. It’s the same in Bulgarian: Стискам палци (Stiskam paltsi, literally ‘squeeze thumbs’). Speaking of thumbs, in Japan people make the same hand gesture, tucking their thumbs inside their fists, when visiting cemeteries to protect their parents from death. This has its roots in the word oyayubi, which literally translates to parent finger.

All bad things come in fours

In the English language, there’s the saying all good things in threes, meaning if two good things happen, a third is sure to follow. If you take it up a number, however, then you’re at risk of bad luck, as the Chinese word for four (四) is incredibly similar in its pronunciation to the word for death. Indeed, hotels in China are known to omit the fourth floor, similar to how some US hotels skip the 13th floor in elevators. In Polish, meanwhile, misfortune comes in pairs: Nieszczęścia chodzą parami. Bulgarian is omniously vague: Бедата никога не идва сама (Bedata nikoga ne idva sama, trouble never comes alone).

Not-so-happy birthday

In Germany, it is considered to bring back luck to wish someone happy birthday before the big day. Yet in Chinese culture, quite the opposite is true and belated birthday wishes and celebrations are considered strictly taboo. In Poland, it’s not a question of birthdays, but wishing someone good luck before an exam is thought to bring back luck, as doing so brings about the opposite effect.

Place your shoes wisely!

It’s a widespread belief that putting your shoes on a table invites bad luck or even death. This superstition is thought to come from the UK and Ireland, but exists in other countries. In German, for example, there is the phrase Schuhe auf dem Tisch gibt Streit (Shoes on the table leads to arguments). We’re not sure about bad luck, but we’d certainly agree that putting your dirty footwear on the dinner table can lead to a quarrel!

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