Spitting - Spitting As A Protection Against Evil

Spitting As A Protection Against Evil

In, it is customary for mothers to lightly spit at their children (usually to the side of the children rather than directly at them) to imply a sense of disparagement and imperfection that protects them from evil eye (or nazar). Excessive admiration, even from well-meaning people, is believed to attract the evil eye, so this is believed to protect children from nazar that could be caused by their own mothers' "excessive" love of them. Sometimes, this is also done with brides and others by their loved ones to protect them from nazar. Shopkeepers in the region will sometimes make a spitting gesture on the cash proceeds from the first sale of the day (called bohni), which is a custom believed to ward-off nazar from the business.

Such a habit also exists in some Eastern European countries like Romania, and Moldova, although it is no longer widely practiced. People would gently spit in the face of younger people (often younger relatives such as grandchildren or nephews) they admire in order to avoid deochi, an involuntary curse on the individual being admired or "strangely looked upon", which is claimed to be the cause of bad fortune and sometimes malaise or various illnesses. In Greece, it is customary to "spit" three times after making a compliment to someone, the spitting is done to protect from the evil eye. This applies to all people, it is not just between mothers and children. The spitting is light and from a distance, so it is not actual spitting on the face etc of the person - which if done is derogatory. This practice sometimes extends to spitting living plants and animals so as to protect them from sudden death or diseases, and spells which are claimed to break the curse of deochi exist.