Choose one superstition or ritual from our society, and then:
a. Explain what it is and why people follow it.
b. Explain your opinion about this ritual.
As always, your response must be approximately two paragraphs. Proofread your work before you post it. DO NOT repeat your classmates' ideas!
All responses are due by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10th.
One ritual that is very popular in our Society is Christmas. This is considered by most as the best Holiday of the year, but for the wrong reason. People love this holiday so much simply because of all the free gifts, and hey, who doesn’t like free stuff! Another reason Christmas can be good is because every year it brings together family and friends, and personally, I don’t see my family too much outside of the Holidays.
ReplyDeleteOf course, these are all good things, but I think that the Christmas Holidays have been blown way out of proportion. What Christmas was originally about is the birth of Jesus. Many other things, related and non-related, are now becoming associated with this holiday: Santa Claus, a good addition to this holiday because it gives children someone to looking forward to “seeing”. Decorating the tree is another fun thing for kids to look forward to. These are examples of Christmas cheer, things that Christmas SHOULD be about, but there are two HUGE parts of Christmas that I think have been blown completely out of proportion, and that is gift giving, and advertising. Advertising uses Christmas simply as a way to make more money by making you feel as if you need to go out and buy certain things for friends and family, and honestly, who likes seeing Christmas Trees being sold in October? This has become so common that it is not even being questioned anymore. Society is just so used to it that they don’t even stop to question why, kind of like in "Lottery". In this short story, no one questions why they are offering this human sacrifice, they just do it, which is exactly what society is going through every December.
Baseball players are known for being very superstitious and having many rituals. It can be anything from what they do during the game to what they eat the night before. I am very superstitious when it comes to baseball and I have a few rituals of my own. My personal ritual is what I wear during the game, what I do right before the game and how I warm up. People follow their own rituals because they believe in good luck. Once something good happens to them they don’t want it to change so they keep doing the same thing over and over so the luck stays with them.
ReplyDeleteI do not think this is stupid because I participate in superstitions and rituals for my sport. I think that it helps me because if I can take the same approach to the field every time I will be successful. I do think that some peoples’ rituals are a little out of hand and just crazy. When a ritual is used inside a sport I don’t think it is that crazy but outside a sport in everyday life it gets a tad bit strange.
One of the most famous superstitions of all time is Friday the 13th. For years and years, Friday the 13th is believed to be the most unluckiest day of the year. It is also demonstarted throughout our society as well. For example, more than 80% of hotels do NOT have a 13th floor, many airport gates skip the 13th gate, airplanes have no 13th aisle, some hotels and hospitals reguarly have no room number 13. Those are just a few examples of how seriously our society takes Friday the 13th.
ReplyDeleteI actually do believe in Friday the 13th a good amount because I had an experience that is very ironic. My birthday is February 13th, and for my 13th birthday, it was on a Friday which was strange already. While I was shooting hoops, my sister was riding back home onto her scooter, and all of a sudden come out of no where and ran me over with her scooter. I instantly thought to myself, "Wow, Friday the 13th huh?" So my opinion on Friday the 13th is that I believe in it a good amount ever since that happened to me. I think our society takes it a little too far with skipping the number 13 into airports, hotels, and hospitals. But I certainly do not blame them because you never know what might happen.
There is a superstition of throwing salt over your shoulder that has been around since biblical times. The idea is that if you spill salt you are supposed to take a pinch of the spilled salt with your right hand and throw it over your left shoulder. The reason that people started doing this is because a very very long time ago salt was considered a delicacy and even used as currency in some areas, therefore if it was spilled it was almost an act of evil. Another fact about back in this time is that many people thought that the left side of anything was considered the evil side and the right side was considered the good side. This is probably because many people associate the devil with being on the left side of the straight and narrow path. Throwing salt over your left shoulder is just a way to “blind” the devil when he tries to sneak up on your left side to punish you for spilling the salt.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I think that this superstition is completely silly especially in today’s society. Maybe in biblical times it was a big deal when salt was spilled but today salt is worth next to nothing, so if it is spilled, odds are you will not be haunted by the devil or taken to hell right then and there, or whatever thing these ancient peoples thought might happen. Even if spilling salt was actually considered and evil doing, I don’t really think that a pinch of salt over your left shoulder could stop the devil in his tracks. However I think that people still do it today for the excitement that the superstition brings along with it.
In different societies, different superstitions exist. In Korea, the number 4 is considered very satanic and evil. The number is pronounced the same way as death in Korea, so people did not like to pronounce it out. Also, the number is not used in the buildings, people do not form a group in 4, and alphabet F is used to replace the number. Some people believe in this superstition if they were involved in a bad situation including number 4. People who got in car accidents on the 4th of a month can be examples of those who believe in the superstition.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not believe in any of the superstitions, and I think the number 4 thing is very stupid as well. I could understand that it is not too pleasing that the number and death pronounce the same, but it is just how it is. There's nothing wrong about it. However, I do understand why building are constructed without fourth floor and people put F instead 4. It is for providing people with secure feelings because when we are in a building, unconsciously we feel fear that the building might collapse or break down. So, people still put F instead of 4 to calm people down unconsciously.
There are so many rituals that take place in today's society including the tooth fairy, or eating a large amount of food on Mardi Gras.Most rituals take place after ceremonies of big events and holidays. Another ritual that is done is that every fourth of July is Fireworks. This is done to remember and celebrate our country's independence.
ReplyDeleteFireworks are so neat to watch and are fun for the family, when watching in a distance. I believe that they are great for expressing the occasion. The beauty of the fireworks shows are gratitude towards our liberty. Also it represents the rockets red glare and the bombs bursting in the night so we remember all those men and women who fought for our country's independence. It puts in perspective that our country would not be free without those men. that is why the celebration of fourth of July with fireworks is a great ritual.