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October 13, 2008 8:55:34 AM CDT

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Olympic Omens Worry Superstitious Chinese

Posted Jun 21, 08 11:11 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – Superstitious beliefs the Communists once tried to stamp out have been making a comeback in China, the Christian Science Monitor reports, especially in this troubled Olympic year. The Games are set to begin on August 8, as 8 sounds like fortune in Mandarin, making 8/8/8 an especially lucky date, but the country has been anything but lucky in recent months.

An alleged curse of the five Olympic mascots has been the subject of much speculation.  One cuddly character is an antelope from Tibet, rocked by riots in March. Another is a panda, native to earthquake-hit Sichuan. A swallow resembles a kite from Shandong, site of a deadly train crash. A flame is associated with the troubled Olympic torch run. The fifth is a fish, and with the worst floods in 50 years having forced over a million from their homes last week, some soothsayers say the curse is complete.

Source Christian Science Monitor

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"There is heavy rain for two days and no sign it will stop," wrote one blogger in flood-hit southern China. "Now the curse of the final 'fish' has been proved correct."   (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
Superstitious Chinese have been speculating about a curse of the five Olympic mascots.   ((c) Tama Leaver)
Some people in China have found unsettling links between the 5 Olympic mascots and a series of disasters to strike the country this year.   (Getty Images)
A troubled torch run, Tibetan riots, the deadliest train crash in decades, the Sichuan earthquake, a freezing winter, and now floods have have hit China in 2008.   (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
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China  • 2008 Beijing Olympics  • Chinese  • superstition  • mascot


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