Learn the superstitions about hiccups and a swallow's nest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Hi and welcome to Culture Class: Japanese Superstitions and Beliefs, Lesson 3. Hiccups and a Swallow's Nest. I'm Eric and I'm joined by Risa. |
| Risa: こんにちは！(konnichiwa!) Hi, I'm Risa. |
| THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS |
| Eric: In this lesson we’ll talk about two common superstitions in Japan. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s the superstition called in Japanese? |
| Risa: しゃっくり, (しゃっくり, Shakkuri). |
| Eric: Which literally means "Hiccups." Risa, can you repeat the Japanese phrase again? |
| Risa: [slow] しゃっくり [normal] しゃっくり |
| Eric: I get the hiccups pretty often. |
| Risa: Have you ever hiccuped 100 times in a row? |
| Eric: No, I don’t think so. |
| Risa: Good. In Japan, it's believed that if you hiccup 100 times in a row, you’ll die. |
| Eric: It's because if you hiccup so many times, it’s possible that you have some kind of illness. |
| Risa: Makes sense right? |
| Eric: Yeah, hiccuping that often is fairly unusual. |
| Eric: The second superstition is about good luck. What’s the superstition called in Japanese? |
| Risa: ツバメの巣, (ツバメのす, Tsubame no su). |
| Eric: Which literally means "swallow's nest." Let’s hear it again in Japanese. |
| Risa: [slow] ツバメの巣 [normal] ツバメの巣 |
| Eric: The house I grew up in had a swallow’s nest just under the edge of the roof. |
| Risa: Wow, you’re very lucky! In Japan, it's believed that houses where swallows come to make their nests will have good luck. |
| Eric: It's because swallows are considered very important to Japanese people. |
| Risa: They eat insects harmful to the rice fields. |
| Eric: So people thought that they would bring a good harvest. |
| Risa: And I think they’re very cute. |
Outro |
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| Eric: There you have it - two Japanese superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments! |
| Risa: またね！(matane!) |
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