🇹🇷 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: NazarHealing, luck and protection
People everywhere have made charms, rites and habits to keep harm away and bring good fortune.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for the curious, the homesick and the hosts.
People everywhere have made charms, rites and habits to keep harm away and bring good fortune. A red thread round the wrist, an evil-eye bead, a horseshoe over the door, a lucky coin, a herb bundle burned for blessing, a prayer said when a child sneezes: these are small, everyday customs, handed down in families. Many are tied to the care of the sick in traditional healing, and are described here as traditions that people keep, not as medical advice. They show how communities have always sought comfort, protection and hope, and how a symbol can steady the mind in uncertain times.
What it is for
Luck and protection customs speak to the fears and hopes that everyone has: health, safe journeys, good harvests, a baby born well and a house free of trouble. A charm gives a sense of control over what cannot be controlled. Traditional healing, which includes herbs, prayers, massage and ritual, is part of the wider heritage of a community and is often practised alongside modern medicine. This page describes such customs as tradition and does not offer medical advice. For any health concern, please see a qualified doctor.
Common elements across cultures
Common protective objects include beads and amulets, knots and threads, horseshoes, mirrors, bells and iron. Colours matter: red and blue ward off harm in many places, and white is for purity. Plants such as garlic, rue, neem, sage and mistletoe are hung, burned or worn. Words also protect, in prayers, verses, spells, blessings and the habit of saying "touch wood" or "bless you". Many rites are done at the turn of the year, at births, at weddings and at times of illness, and special people, such as healers, shamans or priests, may be called on.
Food, dress and music
Foods linked to luck are widespread: noodles for long life, lentils and grapes at the new year, round fruits, fish, sweet rice and red eggs. Some are medicinal in tradition, such as ginger tea, turmeric milk, chicken soup and herbal broths. Protective dress includes amulet bracelets, tattoos, talismans sewn into clothes and white or red cloth. Music and rhythm are used in healing ceremonies from Africa to the Americas, where drums, songs and dance are believed to help a person recover and make a community whole.
How it is changing
Some protective customs have become fashion, with evil-eye jewellery and crystals popular worldwide. Traditional medicine is studied by researchers, and ministries in many countries support the training of practitioners. Health authorities warn that some remedies are not safe and that serious illness should be treated by trained doctors. Many families hold both views at once, keeping a charm on the baby's wrist and taking the baby to the clinic. Respect for the tradition and for modern medicine is the sensible meeting point.
Healing, luck and protection around the world
🇬🇷 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 eye🇮🇳 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 battu🇨🇳 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 shui🇯🇵 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: Omamori🇹🇭 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 houseTraditions to start with
Evil eyeA widespread protective belief.
OmamoriJapanese amulets from shrines.
Feng shuiThe art of placing things for harmony.Also part of it, and being written: Hamsa (The hand of Fatima.), Smudging (Native American cleansing with herbs.), Curandero (Latin American traditional healers.), Rongoā (Maori traditional healing.), Superstition (Everyday customs of luck.).
Questions people ask
Is this medical advice?
No. These are customs and traditions, described as the people who keep them describe them. For any health problem, please consult a qualified doctor.
Why is the evil eye so widespread?
Envy and its fear seem to appear in all societies, and a simple charm gives a way to answer them. The belief is documented from ancient Greece and Mesopotamia and now appears across Europe, Asia and Africa.
Why are some colours protective?
Red is the colour of blood and life in many cultures, and blue is linked to the sky and water. The meanings differ, and a colour that is lucky in one place may be mournful in another.
Do people use charms alongside modern medicine?
Very often. Many families keep a traditional protection and also use doctors, and see the two as serving different needs.
What is smudging?
A sacred practice among many First Nations and Native American peoples of burning herbs such as sage, cedar and sweetgrass for cleansing and prayer. It is a living ceremony, and visitors are asked to respect it.
About 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.
Healing, luck and protection on EveryParampara
The traditions written up so far, best known first.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇧🇪 Binche, BelgiumGillesGille
Costumed carnival figures of Binche and surrounding Belgian townsFestival
🇦🇹 Salzburg, Austria and 5 morePerchta
A midwinter Alpine figure who checks spinning and tests good behaviourFolklore
🇧🇩 Dhaka, Bangladesh and 1 moreBaul traditionবাউল
A Bengali devotional minstrel path uniting mystic poetry, music and dancePerformance
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreMaypole
A tall wooden pole, garlanded and danced around, raised at May Day, Whitsun or MidsummerFestival
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreMartenitsaмартеница
Red and white yarn dolls worn from 1 March until spring shows itselfFestival
🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandShamrockseamróg
A small three-leaved clover, worn in Ireland on St Patrick's Day as a national emblemFolklore
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 4 moreKukeriкукери (kukeri)
Masked and belled figures who tour Bulgarian villages at New Year to drive off harmSpiritual
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 moreZaduszkiZaduszki, Dzień Zaduszny
A Polish day of prayer for the dead on 2 November, kept with candles at the gravesSpiritual
🇮🇩 Uluwatu, IndonesiaKecakᬓᬾᬘᬓ᭄ (Balinese), Tari Kecak (Indonesian)
A circle of men chanting chak as they dance the Ramayana epic in BaliPerformance
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 1 moreBaba MartaБаба Марта
A Bulgarian day on 1 March, when red and white martenitsi are given and wornFestival
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreMoon rabbit月兔
A hare seen in the Moon's dark patches, pounding rice cakes or the elixir of lifeFolklore
🇬🇹 GuatemalaWorry dollMuñecas quitapenas
Hand-made dolls from highland Guatemala that children tell their worries to at nightFolklore
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreKallikantzarosκαλικάντζαρος
A malevolent goblin of Greek and Balkan folklore, active in the Christmas season.Folklore
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 morePolterabend
Guests smash porcelain the night before a wedding to wish the couple luckRite of passage
🇱🇰 Sri LankaSanni Yakuma
A Sinhalese rite where masked dancers summon eighteen illness demons and banish themSpiritual
🇯🇵 Takasaki, JapanDaruma doll達磨 (daruma)
A round Japanese wishing doll: fill one eye to set a goal, the other to mark it done.Folklore
🇰🇷 South KoreaJwibullori쥐불놀이
A Korean New Year game of whirling fire-cans to clear fields and wish good luckGame
🇬🇹 Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala and 3 moreMaximón
A folk saint of the Guatemalan highlands, asked for health, crops and protectionFolklore
🇩🇰 Denmark and 3 moreNissenisse (Danish, Norwegian); tomte (Swedish); tonttu (Finnish)
A small farm spirit of Nordic folklore, given porridge at midwinterFolklore
🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan and 2 moreManeki-neko招き猫
A lucky cat figurine, paw raised, kept by shop doors and in homes across JapanFolklore
🇬🇷 Greece and 4 moreVasilopitaΒασιλόπιτα
A New Year bread or cake with a coin baked inside, shared out slice by sliceTable custom · Sweets given and shared
🇺🇦 Kyiv, Ukraine and 1 moreUkrainian embroideryвишивка (vyshyvka)
A stitched folk art of Ukraine, worked into shirts, cloths and church furnishingsCraft
🇨🇳 Meizhou Island, China and 5 moreMazu媽祖
A sea goddess of the Chinese coast, asked for calm water and a safe returnSpiritual
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreEvil eye
A belief in harm cast by envious glares, met with protective charms and spoken blessingsFolklore
🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandBarmbrackbairín breac
A sweet Irish fruit loaf with charms baked in, eaten at Halloween and on New Year's EveTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇦🇱 Albania and 3 moreXhubleta
A rippling bell-shaped skirt made by Albanian women of the northern highlandsDress
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea and 5 moreCouvade
Childbirth rituals where fathers take to bed and mimic the labor of childbirthRite of passage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreShoe throwing
The act of hurling footwear for sport, wedding luck, protest or overhead display.Folklore
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreKoledariколядники
A Slavic winter caroling custom of visiting homes with songs, masks and blessingsFestival
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreIncubationἐγκοίμησις
The sacred practice of sleeping in holy shrines to seek divine healing and dreamsSpiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreKiddush Levanahקידוש לבנה
A Jewish ritual service held after the new moon to bless God for the lunar cycle and seek protection.Spiritual
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreNeed-fire
A ritual fire kindled by friction to ward off cattle plague, disease and harmFolklore
🇵🇱 Poland and 6 morePolaznik
The first visitor to cross the threshold at Christmas, read as a sign of the year to comeFolklore
🇹🇭 Dan Sai, ThailandPhi Ta Khonผีตาโขน
A three-day festival in Dan Sai, north-east Thailand, of ghost masks and merit-makingFestival
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 morePodłaźniczka
A decorated evergreen branch hung over the Christmas Eve table in Poland and SlovakiaFestival
🇪🇸 SpainThe Water of LifeL'aigua de vida
A Catalan folk tale of a quest for magic water, a fragrant branch and a talking birdPerformance
🇷🇺 RussiaBlack wedding
A traditional Jewish crisis wedding held in a cemetery to ward off diseaseSpiritual
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreRussian superstitions
Everyday omens, etiquette rules, and household rituals observed across RussiaFolklore
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQimen Dunjia奇門遁甲
A classical Chinese divination system that maps time, space, and strategySpiritual
🇨🇳 Ziyang, China and 1 moreThree Corpses三尸
A Daoist belief in three inner parasites that cause illness and cut life shortFolklore
🇨🇳 ChinaChinese herbology中藥學
The traditional Chinese system of preparing and prescribing herbal and natural remediesCraft
🇨🇳 ChinaSanfutie三伏贴
A seasonal Chinese medicine practice applying herbal patches during peak summer heatSeasonal
🇨🇳 ChinaSymbolic stars神煞
Helpful and harmful influences read from the Chinese calendar's stems and branchesFolklore
🇬🇧 Torry, United KingdomUnspoken Water
A Scottish healing custom in which water was fetched in silence and given to the sickFolklore
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaZangfu臟腑 (simplified 脏腑; zàngfǔ)
A Chinese medicine view of organs as networks of qi, blood and five phasesFolklore
🇨🇳 ChinaTui na推拿
A traditional Chinese hands-on therapy using pushing, grasping, and acupressure pointsFolklore
🇯🇵 JapanTairyō-bata大漁旗
Traditional Japanese flags flown by fishing boats to celebrate a bountiful catchFestival
🇨🇳 Beijing, ChinaZangfu脏腑
A traditional Chinese model of internal organs as paired networks of energy and functionFolklore
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- The Water of Life: Internet Archive Book Images, CC0, source
- Chinese herbology: Vberger, Public domain, source
- Russian superstitions: Сергей Чеботарёв, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Carnival of Binche: Marie-Claire, CC BY 3.0, source
- Perchta: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Baul tradition: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Feng shui: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Maypole: Uploaded by Mikael Häggström, CC0, source
- Martenitsa: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Omamori: Leongboy1, Public domain, source
- Shamrock: Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kukeri: Nenko Lazarov, CC BY 2.5, source
- Zaduszki: Ivan Mrkvička, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kecak: Rollan Budi, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Moon rabbit: An artist, Public domain, source
- Worry doll: Leena, CC BY 3.0, source
- Zangfu: Foristslow, CC BY 4.0, source
- Kallikantzaros: Katolophyromai, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Polterabend: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sanni Yakuma: Michael Gunther, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Daruma doll: Crisco 1492, Public domain, source
- Jwibullori: KOREA.NET, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Maximón: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
- Nisse: AlphaZeta, CC0, source
- Maneki-neko: Su--May, CC BY 2.0, source
- Vasilopita: Μυρμηγκάκι, Public domain, source
- Rushnyk: Pavlo Boyko, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mazu: Prince Roy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Barmbrack: Solo Beckett, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Xhubleta: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Three Corpses: Michał Boym, Public domain, source
- Polaznik: Carlton Alfred Smith, Public domain, source
- Phi Ta Khon: E.D.W., Public domain, source
- Podłaźniczka: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Shoe throwing: Zarateman, CC0, source
- Koledari: Mikhail Germashev, Public domain, source
- Kiddush Levanah: Wacław Koniuszko, Public domain, source
- Need-fire: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Tairyō-bata: Wiki4423, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black wedding: American Colony Photo Department, Public domain, source