๐ฎ๐ณ India
A black dot, kajal, is put on a baby's cheek to turn away the evil eye, and lemons and chillies are hung on a string above shop doors. Ayurveda, an old system of care, is widely used as a tradition.
Read: Nazar battuHealing, luck and protection: compared across 18 places
The same idea in 18 places, grouped by region. Each entry is a short portrait; follow the link for the full tradition.
South Asia 1Southeast Asia 1East Asia 2Central Asia and the Caucasus 1Middle East 2North Africa 1Sub-Saharan Africa 2Europe 3North America 2Latin America and the Caribbean 2Oceania 1
South Asia
Southeast Asia
๐น๐ญ Thailand
Monks give sacred white threads, sai sin, tied round the wrist for blessing, and people wear Buddhist amulets, phra khruang, believed to protect them. Spirit houses stand in gardens.
Read: Spirit houseEast Asia
๐จ๐ณ China
Red is the colour of luck and protection, and red envelopes, red knots and red underwear in a zodiac year are common customs. Feng shui arranges the home, and traditional Chinese medicine remains a living practice.
Read: Feng shui๐ฏ๐ต Japan
Omamori are small amulets from shrines, sold for safe travel, success in exams and health. Maneki-neko, the beckoning cat, brings luck to shops, and a daruma doll is painted with one eye when a goal is set.
Read: OmamoriCentral Asia and the Caucasus
๐ฐ๐ฟ Kazakhstan
Kazakh and Kyrgyz healers called baksy use drum, song and the smoke of burning juniper to cleanse a home and drive off illness. Families also burn juniper at the door before a wedding or a birth.
Baksy, being writtenMiddle East
๐น๐ท Turkey
The nazar boncugu, a blue glass bead with an eye, hangs in houses, on cars and on babies' clothes to turn aside envy. It is also given as a gift to new neighbours.
Read: Nazar๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel
The hamsa hand is popular among Jewish and Muslim families, a red string from Rachel's Tomb is worn on the wrist, and a mezuzah is fixed to the door post as a sign of protection. Many families also tie a red string to a baby's cot and bless the child on the eighth day.
Read: MezuzahNorth Africa
๐ฒ๐ฆ Morocco
The hand of Fatima, the khamsa, is a protective symbol on doors and necklaces, and families burn bukhoor, incense, for blessing. Henna is used for luck at celebrations.
Hamsa, being writtenSub-Saharan Africa
๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria
Yoruba healers use herbs and divination through Ifa, and many people wear protective bracelets. A prayer or a call on the ancestors often accompanies the treatment.
Ifรก, being written๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa
Sangomas, traditional healers, are called to their work in dreams, and train for years. They use bones for divination, herbs and ritual dance, and are consulted for both health and family matters.
Read: Southern African traditional healingEurope
๐ฌ๐ท Greece
The mati, or evil eye, is guarded against by a blue bead, a clove of garlic and the habit of spitting lightly three times, ftou ftou ftou, after a compliment. Many Greeks also make the sign of the cross three times and say a prayer when someone is thought to have been touched by the eye.
Read: Evil eye๐ฎ๐ช Ireland
Holy wells, such as St. Brigid's, draw visitors who leave rags or coins, and a St. Brigid's cross made of rushes hangs over the door for protection on 1 February.
Read: Brigid's cross๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom
Touching wood, a horseshoe over the door, a rabbit's foot and the blessing "bless you" after a sneeze are everyday habits. Many people still avoid walking under ladders and meeting black cats.
Superstition, being writtenNorth America
๐บ๐ธ United States
Navajo and Pueblo peoples hold healing ceremonies, such as the Navajo Blessingway, and burn sage and sweetgrass in smudging. A four-leaf clover, lucky pennies and knock on wood are popular.
Smudging, being written๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico
Curanderos and curanderas use herbs, prayer and the limpia, a cleansing with an egg or a bunch of herbs. A child is given a red bracelet to ward off mal de ojo, the evil eye.
Curandero, being writtenLatin America and the Caribbean
๐ง๐ท Brazil
Fitas do Senhor do Bonfim are coloured ribbons tied on the wrist in Salvador with three wishes, to be fulfilled when the ribbon falls off. Afro-Brazilian faiths use baths, herbs and offerings.
Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Salvador, being written๐ต๐ช Peru
Andean healers make an offering, a despacho, to the mountains and Pachamama, with coca leaves and sweets, and the rite of the cuy, guinea pig, is used in traditional diagnosis. Healers also work with the San Pedro cactus in some regions.
Curandero, being writtenOceania
๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand
Rongoa Maori is the traditional healing of Maori, using plants such as kawakawa and mamaku, along with touch and karakia prayers. It is recognised and supported alongside modern health care.
Rongoฤ, being writtenAbout this page
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.