Trolls: Superstitions

This is a lovely movie and both kids and adults enjoy it. I used this scene to talk about superstitions in a contextualized manner. I hope you like it. 

A superstition is a belief in something that is irrational, non-physical and does not follow the rules of science. It is often one action that leads to another without something directly linking the two. Superstition is often associated with luck. Superstitions differ among religions and cultures

Work in pairs:

Why do people believe in superstitions? What are some possible reasons for this behavior?

Are you superstitious? What are some of the superstitions you or your family members have?

Do you associate superstitions with religious beliefs? Explain it.

What are some popular superstitions in your country? 

Read the text about superstitions below. What do you agree and disagree with it? Share your ideas with a partner after you finish reading it.

People feel very desperate to find reasons for all the misfortunes they come across. Being superstitious helps them to hide their mistakes by blaming luck, which according to them no one can control except God. 

New studies have revealed that stress makes people not only believe in rituals but also in conspiracy theories and as a result, they are more likely to “see” things that actually do not exist.

Some more reasons which make people superstitious are as follows:

.... worrying about life

.... having a strong need of control

.... don't like ambiguity in their life 

Watch the movie segment and discuss with a partner the items below:

- Who is superstitious in the segment?

- What is the superstition? What are the consequences of the superstition?

- What do they do not to have misfortunes in life?

- How important is this superstition for that community?

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - TROLLS