Why Black Cat Means Bad Luck 为什么黑猫表示厄运

Today‘s lesson, we will talk about the English culture, and explain why black cat means bad luck.

Everyone knows that when a black cat crosses your path bad luck is sure to follow, but have you ever wondered how black cats got their dark reputation? Is it simply due to the color of their coat, or something more sinister?

所有人都知道当一只黑猫经过你的身边，厄运随后就会到，但你是否想过为什么黑猫会得到如此的坏名声呢?是否只是单单因为它的毛色呢?又或者是什么其他更不祥的原因呢?

Thousands of years ago, cats of all colors enjoyed the good life in ancient Egypt, where killing a cat came with a swift death sentence. A few millennia later, Christianity spread throughout Europe by overthrowing local pagan customs and traditions. This meant vilifying pagan symbols such as the Roman goddess Diana, as well as the cat — which became a pagan symbol thanks to its link to earlier gods and goddesses

数千年前，所有毛色的猫在古埃及都享受着滋润的生活，在这里杀死一只猫是会立刻被判死刑。几千年后，基督教传播至整个欧洲，他们推翻了当地的非基督教的习俗和传统。这意味着他们会诽谤中伤非基督教的象征，比如说罗马的月亮女神狄安娜，还有成为异教徒象征的猫，因为它们在早期和神相关联。

In 1233 AD, Pope Gregory IX put the final nail in the black cat coffin when he declared black cats to be an incarnation of the devil himself. Eager to prove their devotion, Christians began to round up black cats and burn them alive at village festivals to punish them for their devilish ways . It got so bad that by the 14th century, cats were nearly extinct in some parts of Europe.

在公元1233年，教皇格里高利九世宣称黑猫是恶魔的化身，这让黑猫永无翻身之日。渴望证明自己忠诚的基督徒们开始在乡村的节日上围捕黑猫然后活活将它们烧死来惩罚它们的魔鬼之道。事情变得很糟糕，以至于在14世纪的欧洲某些地方，猫几乎已经灭绝了。

Over the next few centuries, the idea that black cats were in league with the devil naturally led to a link between black cats and witches. Black cats, according to superstition, were believed to be witches in disguise. Others claimed that a black cat could eventually become a witch himself after serving as a witch’s familiar for seven years . By the time of the famous witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries, simply owning a black cat was enough to get a “witch” condemned to death

在接下来的几个世纪中，黑猫和魔鬼为伍这一概念自然导致它们和女巫产生了联系。根据迷信观念，人们认为黑猫是女巫的伪装。另外一些人则声称黑猫在作为至交侍奉女巫7年后最终也会变成一个女巫。在16世纪和17世纪著名的女巫审判的那段时间里，仅仅是拥有一只黑猫就足以“女巫罪”判处死刑。

Ironically enough, the black cat superstition lingers to this day, and has proven to bring nothing but bad luck for the black cats themselves. In a 2013 study at Colorado State University, researchers found that it takes four to six days longer for black shelter cats to be adopted than cats of any other color. This spells bad news for black cats, as around 70 percent of shelter cats are eventually euthanized. While researchers can’t say for sure why black cats are less attractive to potential pet owners, the myths surrounding black cats and bad luck could potentially play a role

讽刺的是，黑猫的迷信延续至今，而且可以证明的是黑猫除了会给自己带来霉运以外根本啥也带不来。在科罗拉多州立大学2013年的一项研究中，研究人员们发现在动物收容所里的黑猫要比其他毛色的猫多花4到6天的时间才能找到领养人。这对黑猫来说是个坏消息，因为在收容所里大约70%的猫最终都会被实施安乐死。虽然研究人员们无法确定黑猫对于想要养猫的人来说缺乏吸引力的原因，但是围绕着黑猫的传说和厄运可能是潜在地原因。