The EVIL eye

[Monica Bhide]

Okay -- so my friend called last night. She wanted to make sure that I had hung a lemon along with some dried chilies at the entrance of our house. "It will keep the house safe from the evil eye"... hmmmm!

My hubby's grandmother, when she visits, does something similar as well. She willhold dried red chilies in her hand and then wave it over our son's head to ward of evil.....

I have wondered what the significance of those foods is...

Do you have tales likes these? Do you know where these traditions stem from?

What about other cultures? Do you have something similar? (Garlic keeps vampires away??)

[Monica Bhide]

What no stories here... come on!

[Anna N]

If you spill salt then you must pick some up and toss it over your LEFT shoulder lest you give the Devil a doorway to your soul. (I don't believe in the Devil and I'm skeptical about my soul but I ALWAYS DO THIS.)

[Monica Bhide]

Anna - I do this too come to think of it. i dont know where I picked it up from

[Peppertrail]

I remember some older women in my village do the same as your husband’s grandmother. They will hold seven (I don’t know the significance of seven) dried red chilies and a teaspoon of mustard seeds in their hands and then wave it over children’s heads seven times to ward off evil eyes. They always did this just before sunset. Then they would throw it all into a wood burning stove. They say that when the mustard seeds splutter, instead of their nutty aroma, they will produce a foul smell - the smell of burning evil eyes.

[bague25]

I remember some older women in my village do the same as your husband’s grandmother. They will hold seven (I don’t know the significance of seven) dried red chilies and a teaspoon of mustard seeds in their hands and then wave it over children’s heads seven times to ward off evil eyes. They always did this just before sunset. Then they would throw it all into a wood burning stove. They say that when the mustard seeds splutter, instead of their nutty aroma, they will produce a foul smell - the smell of burning evil eyes.

Grandma would add a tiny piece of alum to the mixture, which would explode when in the fire and surely touch the evil eye.

[DonRocks]

If you spill salt then you must pick some up and toss it over your LEFT shoulder lest you give the Devil a doorway to your soul.

Oh no! My entire life I've been tossing it over my right shoulder!

This explains much.

[bleudauvergne]

I have always always tossed salt over my left shoulder, not only when I spill it, but even when I have a little extra. Never knowing all of the missed possibilites, which I have learned from Anna N. It has kept me pure in any case.

With regards to garlic, vampires, peppers and the evil eye, I understand and yet I do not. There must have been an instinctive reason why I was drying the peppers in the kitchen.

[Monica Bhide]

I am sure there are other stories here.. what other things do we all do?

I remember that my grandmother would hang onions on the walls and tell me it keeps the evil spirits out.. granddad swore it was to keep the wall lizards away......

[mongo_jones]

If you spill salt then you must pick some up and toss it over your LEFT shoulder lest you give the Devil a doorway to your soul. (I don't believe in the Devil and I'm skeptical about my soul but I ALWAYS DO THIS.)

hey, we hindus don't need to worry about the devil. he only has power over those of the judeo-christian variety.