Learn the superstitions about walking under ladders and making the horns gesture
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Hello and welcome to Culture Class: Italian Superstitions and Beliefs, Lesson 2 - Walking Under Ladders and the Horns Gesture. I'm Becky and I'm joined by Daniele. |
| Daniele: Ciao! Hi, I'm Daniele. |
| THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS |
| Becky: In this lesson, we’ll talk about two common superstitions in Italy. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s the superstition called in Italian? |
| Daniele: passare sotto una scala |
| Becky: Which literally means "walking under a ladder." Daniele, can you repeat the Italian phrase again? |
| Daniele: [slow] passare sotto una scala [normal] passare sotto una scala |
| Becky: In Italy, it's believed that walking under a ladder will bring you misfortune. |
| Daniele: Yes, that’s something I always try to avoid. |
| Becky: It's probably because, when leaned against a wall, the ladder, the wall, and the ground form a triangle, which is the symbol of the Holy Trinity. |
| Daniele: Yes, so walking through the triangle is considered akin to blasphemy. It will bring bad luck. |
| Becky: In America we have a similar superstition, but I never knew that it had a religious meaning. |
| Daniele: The more you know! |
| Becky: The second superstition is about good luck. What’s the superstition called in Italian? |
| Daniele: fare le corna |
| Becky: Which literally means "making the horns gesture." Let’s hear it in Italian again. |
| Daniele: [slow] fare le corna [normal] fare le corna |
| Becky: In Italy, it's believed that making a sign of horns with your fingers pointing down can ward off bad luck. |
| Daniele: True. The horns prevent or counteract bad luck. |
| Becky: Something similar to the English “touching wood.” |
| Daniele: Right. But actually Italians have their own version of “touching wood”: toccare ferro |
| Becky: Which means "touching iron." It seems like Italians have a superstition for any circumstance. |
| Daniele: Well, better safe than sorry! |
Outro |
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| Becky: There you have it - two Italian superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments! |
| Daniele: A presto! |
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