清明你會(huì)為了好運(yùn)氣做一些迷信的事情嗎？

There is something comforting about any system that provides quick answers to difficult problems, helpful tips about how to live one's life or even a quick look into the future. This is why nearly every human culture has developed rituals, beliefs in omens and supernatural beings, and magical and religious practices.
任何一個(gè)體系，如果它能為難題提供解決的捷徑，為生活提供有用的指南，甚至能夠大致預(yù)見未來，就能給人以安慰。這就是為什么幾乎每一種已知的人類文化都衍生出了各種儀式、對(duì)先兆和超自然力量的信仰，以及法術(shù)和宗教習(xí)俗。

A report from India last winter shows just how far people will go in following superstitious beliefs. A 33-year-old Indian man by the name of P.Selvakumar said that he was "cursed". Shortly after killing two dogs 15 years earlier, he had mysteriously become paralysed and had partly lost his hearing.
去年冬天，印度的一則新聞?wù)f明人們究竟可以迷信到何種程度。一位名叫P·塞爾瓦庫瑪?shù)?3歲印度男子聲稱自己被“詛咒”了。他在15年前殺害兩只狗之后不久就不可思議地癱瘓了，此外還喪失了部分聽力。

Unable to regain his health through conventional remedies, Selvakumar asked an astrologer for help. He was advised that he could remove the curse by marrying a female dog. The wedding actually took place at a Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu state, with the dog bride wearing an orange sari and flowers.
在無法通過傳統(tǒng)治療康復(fù)的情況下，塞爾瓦庫瑪向一位占星家求救。他得到的建議是：迎娶一條母狗就能解除詛咒。這場婚禮當(dāng)真在泰米爾納德邦的一處印度教寺廟內(nèi)舉行了，那位狗新娘身披橙色莎麗和鮮花。

How open are you to superstitious thinking? Do you avoid walking under ladders because you think it's unlucky? Would you ever have an operation on Friday the 13th? Do you say "Bless you!" when someone sneezes? Many superstitons are such a part of our culture, traditions and language that we hardly notice them any more.
你又有多迷信呢？你會(huì)因?yàn)楹ε露蜻\(yùn)而避免從梯子下走過么？你會(huì)選擇在13號(hào)的星期五那天進(jìn)行手術(shù)么？當(dāng)有人打噴嚏時(shí)，你會(huì)說“保佑你！”么？許多迷信已經(jīng)成為了我們的文化、傳統(tǒng)和語言的組成部分，幾乎不再為人所特別注意了。

The history of superstitious pratices can often help to explain them. In the old days, before the invention of the gallows, criminals were hanged from the top rung of a ladder. They died, but their spirits were believed to remain underneath. That's why, in the English-speaking world, it's thought to be bad luck to wander under an open ladder--in other words, through the evil spirits. We rationalize walking around ladders as a way to avoid being hit on the head by falling objects, even though stepping out into a busy street can be far more dangerous.

迷信風(fēng)俗的歷史往往可以用來解釋它本身。從前，在絞刑架還沒有發(fā)明之前，罪犯是站在梯子的頂端被吊死的。他們死了，但是人們相信他們的靈魂仍舊在梯子下游蕩。這就是為什么在英語國家中從一架打開的梯子下走過——換句話說，也就是從惡靈之間穿過——被認(rèn)為是件倒霉事。我們?yōu)槔@著梯子走的行為找借口，說這是為了避免被高空墜落物砸到腦袋，不過跨入車水馬龍的大街也許更加危險(xiǎn)吧。

Here's a tip: should you ever find you've walked under a ladder, you can undo the bad luck by walking backwards beneath the ladder or by crossing your fingers until you see a dog.

告訴你一個(gè)小竅門：萬一你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己從一架梯子底下穿了過去，你可以選擇倒退回去，或者食指交叉直到遇見一只狗，這樣就能消解厄運(yùn)。

We don't really believe in superstitions, do we? Still, there's no harm in respecting traditions, just in case. If you do respect them, you'll find yourself in good company.
我們并非真的相信迷信，是吧？不過，尊重傳統(tǒng)，以防萬一總是沒錯(cuò)的。如果你確實(shí)尊重習(xí)俗，就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己在這方面并不孤立。

Niels Bohr, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist, surprised his colleagues by hanging a horseshoe on the wall of his office. When asked if he really believed that it would bring him good luck, he said, "I am told that it works even if you don't believe in it."

諾貝爾獎(jiǎng)獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)?、科學(xué)家尼爾斯·波爾就把一塊馬蹄鐵掛在辦公室的墻壁上，此舉令他的同事們相當(dāng)吃驚。當(dāng)問及他是否真的相信這會(huì)給他帶來好運(yùn)時(shí)，他回答說：“我聽說，即使你不相信這個(gè)，這么做也一樣靈驗(yàn)。”