Pagan superstitions. Pagan rituals, signs and superstitions among modern Slavs

12 important and interesting Old Slavonic beliefs, signs and customs, illustrated with photographs. Many of these signs are not known to everyone, and many are simply undeservedly forgotten. And in vain, because it is in these simple rules, which our ancestors followed, contains the wisdom accumulated over centuries of observations, capable accessible language suggest how to behave in order to live in harmony with nature and yourself.

Damaging a man's beard or forcibly cutting it off in ancient times was considered the gravest crime against one's own ancient family and insult Heavenly Gods patrons of this Family.

The first silver spoons in Rus' were made in 998 by Vladimir Svyatoslavich for his squad at its request.

According to ancient Slavic teaching, wearing skirts and dresses restores connection with the energy of the family line through the female line.

Cossacks wore earrings in their ears for a reason. An earring in the left ear meant that the Cossack was only son in the family, and in the right - the last

Radinets - depicted on cradles and cradles. It is believed that Radinets gives small children joy and peace, and also protects them from the evil eye and ghosts.

In ancient Rus', a wreath was always the main decoration of girls and was a mandatory attribute during pagan holidays. Great hopes were placed on the wreath: depending on the girl’s wishes, the wreath was decorated with different flowers.

The ancient Slavs believed that one family with all its ancestral branches forms a huge family clan, united by one spiritual connection, one surname. And over time, this family begins to personify a single energy-informational space - an egregor.

Did you know how the Slavs differed between women's and men's belts? The difference was in the length: men's - single-row, women's - double-row (wound around the waist twice).

The ancient Slavs had a sign - to let in first new home cat. Because a cat is able to find the healthiest, most comfortable place in the home. They enter the house after the cat has settled down in this place. Usually a bed is placed there for the young, and after the birth of a child - a cradle.

IN Ancient Rus' there was a belief that evil spirits can affect any person if he is not protected by special amulets. The body is always protected by a shirt, a dress with protective symbols embroidered on them, bracelets on the wrists, necklaces on the neck, and a special bandage on the forehead.

Since ancient times, the Slavs have celebrated the change of seasons and the changing phases of the sun. Therefore, each season of the year was responsible for its own hypostasis of the Sun God. Between summer solstice And autumn equinox(from June 22 to September 23) they worshiped the sun-husband Dazhdbog (Kupayla).

The fern flower or Perun's color is able to protect its owner from all kinds of ailments, damage and the evil eye. The Slavs believed that the fern flower had a destructive effect on all dark forces without exception, therefore the owner of this artifact is impenetrable and invulnerable to evil. They looked for him on the night of Kupala and believed that he would be able to fulfill their most cherished desires.

The ancient Slavs gave great value objects and living beings that surrounded them.

Our ancestors deified nature, seeking to find in it protection and support in complex and harsh world. And with the help of signs and beliefs, they tried to protect themselves from everything frightening and inexplicable.

Many Slavic superstitions, signs and beliefs cannot be explained by logic or science, but, nevertheless, in the modern world people continue to follow them, keeping a piece of superstitious fear in their souls.

Slavic signs with explanations

When moving to a new house or apartment, you need to take an old broom with you. This Slavic belief is due to the fact that a Brownie can live under a broom and needs to be transported to a new place. This is also done to ensure that the discarded old broom is not stepped on and thus does not cause harm to the owners.

You cannot whistle in the house, otherwise there will be no money. In Rus', whistling was viewed negatively, since it was believed that whistling was a pastime for idle people. In addition, the sharp sound could frighten a pregnant woman or child. This sound was also associated with the whistle of the wind, which with its gusts could carry away property and money from the house.

Do not wash or sweep the floor immediately after departure from a guest's home or close relative, - there will be no way for him. According to legends, it was believed that this was the same as washing, sweeping, driving him out of the house.

If you forget something in someone else’s house, this is a sign that you will soon return there. This Slavic belief does not require any special explanation - if you forgot something, then willy-nilly you will have to return.

You cannot say hello and goodbye on the threshold - this portends a quarrel. This belief is explained by the fact that the ancient Slavs attached special meaning threshold in the house, considering it a mystical border between the outside world and the home.

A broom standing in the corner with the handle down protects against damage and the evil eye. This is how our ancestors called for help from the Brownie and showed their enemies at home that they were ready to sweep them out with the trash. There is another explanation for this superstition: a thrifty housewife always puts the broom with the handle down, because this way it will last longer.

Do not keep broken or cracked dishes in the house, is a sign of misfortune. Broken dishes, according to Slavic beliefs, can lead to discord in the family and disagreement between relatives. In addition, broken or cracked dishes are dangerous and can cause injury.

The doors began to creak - unfortunately. This superstition can be explained by the fact that front door– this is protection not only from strangers, but also an obstacle to evil spirits. That’s why our ancestors perceived its creaking as a kind of warning.

You can’t sit on the threshold - a sign of illness. This belief is easily explained: sitting on the threshold with open door, a person finds himself in a draft.

You can’t throw out trash after sunset, because there won’t be any money, and they might get stolen. The essence of this belief is associated with the fear of losing something in the dark, when evil spirits begin to dominate.

An unmarried girl sitting on the windowsill will not get married. The ancient Slavs believed that a girl should not expose herself. About the one who does nothing but look on the street, they said that she has only one thing on her mind - to look out for suitors and get acquainted with guys.

Signs of the ancient Slavs about home and family

You can't kiss heels small child- then the baby will go late and grow up capricious and spoiled.

In order for the birth to go smoothly and easily, the woman in labor needs to wear her husband’s shirt or jacket.

Meeting a woman with an empty bucket means failure and misfortune.

The candles that the newlyweds keep lit during the wedding predict who will live longer. The one whose candle burns longer and more evenly will outlive his spouse.

It is a bad omen to stick a knife into a loaf - to trouble.

Half-eaten bread and crumbs are not thrown away from the table. They must be given to the birds, otherwise hunger will settle in the house.

You can’t eat in front of a mirror and look into it after dark, otherwise your beauty will fade.

In the house where someone died, all mirrors must be covered with thick fabric so that the soul of the deceased does not return to the world of the living.

Forgotten Slavic signs

You cannot cut your hair during pregnancy, otherwise the baby will be stillborn. In the modern world, this Slavic sign exists in a different version. It is now believed that cutting your hair expectant mother“cuts” the baby’s happiness.

In a new house, the rooster is locked up on the first night. Today it is believed that it is enough to let a cat into a new home first.

If a brick falls out of the stove, this is a sign of bad things.

After moving to a new house, you cannot whitewash the ceilings for a whole year. In the modern world, this Slavic sign does not recommend repairing the ceiling until a year has passed since the housewarming.

The concepts of evil spirits and its various manifestations undoubtedly constitute the general background on which the largest mass of prejudices and superstitions existing among people rests. Everything that is more or less mysterious and that at the same time is in one way or another harmful to a person, people usually attribute to the action of some unclean spirit (since they all have their own special functions, or, more correctly, special areas of their actions), then still this does not destroy the general belief of a person that, in any case, this is the work of an “unclean” one.

However, it cannot be said that people attribute to evil spirits only manifestations that are harmful to people, causing harm to people. Although all unclean spirits, according to the concepts of the Slavs, are indeed evil creatures in themselves, sometimes they are patronizing to certain people they “like” and provide various services to their favorites in their material life. Not to mention the fact that there is a whole category of persons who are, as it were, intermediaries between people and unclean spirits and for whom these latter play an almost service role, fulfilling their various desires and whims, mostly aimed at the harm of other people. But besides these persons who are in constant communication With evil spirits, according to the concepts of people, and every person in general, it is possible to appease or appease an unclean spirit that is angry for some reason or to prevent this anger in advance. For this there are known rules and rituals that can be called in some way a demonological cult.

According to the Slavs, the origin of evil spirits is as follows: in the beginning there was God and only good angels. But one of them, nicknamed Satan, was filled with envy of God, and he himself wanted to be one. A struggle broke out between him and God, and it ended with God casting Satan into the mud (swamp), which is why Satan has since become known as Satanail. And his minions fell from the sky wherever they happened, and became goblins, water goblins, brownies and other evil spirits. Thus, unclean spirits have taken possession of certain areas, in which they are trying in every possible way to harm people.

Below will be presented various rituals of modern Slavs, shown in the example Surgut region.

a) Views modern people to various church holidays and accompanying customs and rituals

Christmas time, and especially New Year's Eve, is a time for young people to tell fortunes about their future fate. Let's consider the most important church holidays and periods, starting with Epiphany Christmas Eve.

Evening Epiphany Christmas Eve people call it “a terrible evening” and say that at this time one must be especially wary of evil spirits, which, as if alarmed by the upcoming blessing of water, begin to rush and rush everywhere. Therefore, upon coming from church, all windows and doors are covered with coal or chalk. And with the holy water brought from the church, having sprinkled the house, they certainly then sprinkle the cattle as well, because, according to legend, if you do not sprinkle the cattle and the fence with holy water, then that night the unclean one will torment the cattle “heavily” and tomorrow (on Epiphany morning) you will find it in soap and sweat. Along with the water, they also bring a candle from the church, which is dipped into the water while still in the church, and kept in the water all the time. This candle also has great protective power against unclean spirits.

Also on Epiphany Eve, people do their best to tell fortunes and try to predict the future.

On baptism, after the blessing of water, those who went to the Christmastide as mummers, bathe in the ice hole to wash away this sin, since dressing up by old people is considered a great sin.

The holiday following Epiphany is Carnival- farewell to winter, which is accompanied by a “coil” device ( ice mountain) for young people and horseback riding around the city, in the last three weeks by more respectable people. People bake pancakes and burn an effigy of Maslenitsa. And on the “forgiven” day (the last day of Maslenitsa) they go to “say goodbye” to their elders, as well as to the graves of relatives. After this ritual, Maslenitsa is considered over.

Coming Lent. Of all the days of fasting, the one that attracts the most attention is Maundy Thursday , which is accompanied by various rituals and signs that have an undoubted connection with evil spirits. For example, on Maundy Thursday, having gotten up early in the morning, after washing, etc., you should jump off three steps of the porch or jump over three thresholds “backward” (backward): you will be a light person all year, that is, you will not be sick all year.

Annunciation(March 25) is considered a major holiday. According to legends, on this day “a bird does not build a nest, a maiden does not braid her hair”... In the same way, sleeping with your wife on the Annunciation is considered a great sin. There were cases when priests imposed penance on a husband if a child was born on Christmas Day, since in this case they think that such a child was conceived on the Annunciation.

On the first day Easter, According to legend, the sun “plays” at sunrise - it increases and decreases. Many people allegedly saw this phenomenon. If a girl sleeps through Christ's Matins, this is a sign that she will get a bad husband. From the first day of Easter until the Ascension, Christ walks under the windows and listens to what they say about him. Therefore, spit out the window or pour anything there, even clean water, you can’t: you can pour water on Christ.

per day Ivana Kupala are going medicinal herbs, festivities and fortune telling are held.

b) Customs and rituals at birth and baptism and related superstitions and signs

Long before the onset of childbirth, women already take some precautions both to preserve their own lives during pregnancy and during childbirth, and, mainly, to keep their child safe. Pregnant women are prohibited from stepping over a shaft, golik or a dog, as well as “kicking” a dog - the child may develop a “coach,” that is, the child’s back will hurt and bend backwards. You should also not cross the legs of a pregnant woman; pregnant women should not sit on the threshold. You can't be pregnant with a dead man: the child will die in the womb, and you also can't be a matchmaker - for the same reason. A month or two before the birth, a grandmother is invited to “rule” the belly and monitor the normal course of pregnancy. When the time comes to give birth, first of all, the woman takes off the shirt she was wearing and puts on a clean one, then they comb her head and braid her hair, remove her earrings and rings, and take off her shoes. Then they light a candle in front of the icons, which burns all the time. As soon as the baby is born and the grandmother cleans up everything after the mother in labor, and the “place” (afterbirth) is wrapped in a rag with a piece of bread and buried in the ground underground, the grandmother goes to all her relatives and friends and invites them to the newborn “for a cup of tea.”

Until the child is baptized, the fire in the house cannot be extinguished, and the mother cannot turn away from the child to the other side. If a newborn child is worried, this is the work of an unclean spirit, which, according to people, often replaces children. In this case, it means that he replaced the calm one with the restless one.

When a child is baptized, they observe: if the child’s hair, cut by the priest and thrown into the font, sinks, the child will soon die, and if it floats to the top, it will live long. When a grandmother returns from church with her child after baptism, some relative of the newborn meets them at the threshold of the house and blesses the child with bread, after which she raises her hand with the bread up so that the grandmother and child pass under it. The edge of this bread is cut off and placed in a cradle: the child will be calmer and, in addition, the bread will protect him from various misfortunes.

c) Wedding customs and rituals

Arranging marriages is considered a matter for elders. As soon as the guy decides to get married or his relatives find it necessary to marry him in one way or another, a council of elders gathers. At this council the bride is chosen. Then, at the same council of elders, they choose a matchmaker.

From this moment, wedding rituals begin, which open with “matchmaking”, continue with a “date”, or “translations”, and a “bachelorette party” and end with a “feast”.

Before leaving for the crown, the bride and groom are blessed with bread and salt and an icon. The groom stands in the middle of the room, and his parents, first the father, followed by the mother, take one by one the icon from the table and bless the groom with it in the shape of a cross. They do the same with bread. Together with the groom's parents, his godparents - father and mother, each with their own icon - bless the groom. At the same time, the groom bows at their feet and kisses them. Then the groom goes to the bride. She has the same procedure for blessing, but not just the bride, but together with the groom. Then everyone goes to church. Ahead of the wedding train the bride is carrying a blessed icon. When the wedding candles are lit in the church, they notice whose candle burns the most will die first.

d) Customs and rituals in everyday life

· As soon as the built house is finally ready, a special day is appointed for the transition and guests are invited. At the same time, in the new upper rooms the floor is covered with hay, and candles are lit near the icons. Guests gather in the new house before the owners and wait for them. For some time, those gathered silently and with a solemn air sit and wait. Then the owners appear, and the owner carries bread with salt and an icon, and the hostess carries a cat, chicken and sauerkraut.

· When traveling somewhere, it is considered necessary to sit down short time, and on the day when someone is going away, they are not swept out of the hut until he has left and an hour or two has passed after his departure.

· During a fire, an icon is surrounded around a burning house, and a “cock’s egg” is thrown into the fire, which, according to legend, is carried by a rooster before its death.

· If a dog is lost, then you need to call its name up to three times through the chimney at the time when the first smoke comes out of the newly flooded stove, and the dog will appear.

· At midnight on Midsummer's Day, you need to get a completely black cat, boil it in a cauldron. When the cat is boiled to the bones, they begin to sort through all its bones in front of the mirror: they take a bone, wipe it with a towel, look through it in the mirror and put it aside. After some time, you will certainly reach such a bone that when you look in the mirror, you will see nothing - neither yourself nor the bone. This bone is taken: it has the property of hiding a person, like an invisibility cap.

· During a thunderstorm, they light candles near all the icons and pray to God, while they certainly close the chimney and drive cats and dogs out of the house, and they put stones on the windows and in the vents, because they think that through the stone they cannot enter the house “ Thunder Arrow."

e) Funeral rites and superstitions about the dead

· When a patient dies, they light a candle near the front icon, and place a cup of clean water on the table near the dying person’s bed.

· When a person dies, those passing by the house where he lies can easily notice how in the front corner of this house there is someone in white standing as if he is guarding someone... This is death waiting for its victim. Many say that they saw it “with their own eyes.”

· People are very afraid of the dead and, in order not to experience this fear, they use this technique: they take the deceased by the legs and say: “It’s not I, fear, who am afraid of you, but you, fear, be afraid of me,” and then they walk backwards to the threshold. After this, the deceased will no longer inspire fear.

· The inexperienced dead hears everything that happens or is said near him, and only when above him last time They sing eternal memory, lowering him into the grave, he loses all consciousness.

· If the coffin made for the deceased accidentally turns out to be long or if the coverlet turns out to be longer than the coffin, this serves bad omen: someone from the same house will die.

· When the deceased is taken out of the house, a stone is placed in the front corner where he lay.

· From the cemetery, everyone who accompanied the body of the deceased is usually invited to a special funeral meal, and the beggars are also called, who are given three alms, for example, three loaves, three pies, etc.

· On the day of the wake, they order a memorial service or mass, go to the graves and lament, and then call guests and beggars in the usual manner.

· To avoid longing for the dead, they take a pinch of sand from their graves and place it on their chest in their bosom.

· Widows are not supposed to wear earrings. As soon as the husband dies, the wife immediately takes off her earrings and rings.

· Regarding suicides, they say that a person never “chokes on himself” of his own free will: he is attacked by devils. But this can only happen when the person does not have a cross on his neck.

· If a dead person does not rot for a long time, they think that this is either a relic or a person cursed by his mother or God.

Signs, beliefs and superstitions surround a person from birth to death. All peoples of the world have many signs and beliefs, some of which are common to many countries. Slavic peoples remain very superstitious. All occasions and phenomena in life have their own signs. Our ancestors attached great importance to the phenomena of the world, noted all events, and on this basis signs and beliefs grew. Over the course of many centuries, our people have added new signs to their list and borrowed them from neighboring peoples. And by now the entire list of Slavic signs has become huge. But, unfortunately, many signs remained superstitions, some lost their meaning, etc. And naturally I would like to figure out which sign carries meaning and which is superstition.
This section will contain not only a list of the main signs, but also a detailed consideration of them. And also in the section there will be Slavic dream book. The section is based on the book by I. Pankeev “Secrets of Russian superstitions”. For those wishing to engage in independent research on this topic, I recommend the following books: V.I. Dal “On beliefs, superstitions and prejudices of the Russian people”; M. Zabylin "Russian people. Its customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry"; I.M. Snegirev “Russian common holidays and superstitious rituals”; I.P. Sakharov “Tales of the Russian People”; A.A.Korinfsky "People's Rus'".

Do you know why large number moles are considered good sign? Why can’t you step over a sitting person? Why can't you sew up your clothes? Why shouldn't you shake water off your hands that you just washed?

The observation is based on the functioning of the human body. When a person reads and thinks, blood rushes to the brain, providing it with oxygen. When a person eats, blood rushes to the stomach, since at this time it must ensure its normal functioning (therefore, after hearty lunch I really want to sleep). When a person reads while eating, the brain does not perceive what is read to its full potential, we do not remember what we read, we “jam” the memory.

“If after dinner the guests leave before the hostess removes the tablecloth from the table, the brides in this house will not get married.”

First of all, this applies to guests. It turns out that they only came to eat, and when everything is eaten, they immediately leave, although the rules of decency require thanking the hostess and communicating. They say it this way: a table is not a trough to eat and run away from.

But I think more deep meaning contained in this belief in relation to the hostess. If she is such that she only knows how to feed, and guests do not expect anything else in this house, or if she is so clumsy that she cannot remove the tablecloth from the table for two hours after dinner, then it is no wonder that suitors will avoid such a house. After all, like a mother, like a daughter.

“If you wash your hands, dry them, but don’t shake off the water, don’t breed devils.”

The ban goes back to an old legend about how the devil, who fell from the sky and was left alone, asked God for an army. God advised him to dip his hands in the water and shake it off - there will be as many devils as there are splashes. The everyday explanation is hygienic, and it is associated primarily with children: from the habit of not wiping wet hands, pimples appear, the skin cracks and itches.

“If a stye appears on your eye, you need to bring a fig to your eye and say: “Barley, barley, you have a fig on you: whatever you want, you can buy.” Buy yourself an ax and cut yourself across!”

As funny as it may seem, a fig accompanied by a conspiracy has long been considered a reliable talisman against evil spirits. Some believe that it is a matter of mini-warming with heat that comes from the hand. But the cookie “works” sometimes even without a conspiracy, it has been tested more than once. You fall asleep by rolling up the fig in front of the barley and it goes away quickly.

“If you don’t recognize a person you know, he might be rich.”

This belief is one of the so-called “deceptive” beliefs. When they wanted rich flax to grow, they sowed it naked: let the flax see that the sower doesn’t even have anything to wear, and therefore it will grow. They sowed grain from hand to mouth: let rye and wheat know that the peasant has nothing to eat, and therefore take pity.

To be deceived when meeting an acquaintance means to symbolically meet not one, but as if two, and therefore double his wealth.

“Until the hostess finishes her tea, it is not appropriate for guests to leave the house.”

This everyday belief echoes the belief about the tablecloth not being removed from the table. Both there and here: really, what’s the rush? While the guests drank and ate and had fun, the hostess looked after them and served them. And so, when everyone was already full and happy, she, poor fellow, sat down to drink a cup of tea and hear praise for her dishes - and instead the guests were getting ready to leave. Of course, it’s inappropriate to offend or upset the hostess.

“The knife is dull - the owner is stupid, the tablecloth is black - the hostess is stupid.”

Is any explanation needed here?

On Annunciation Day, girls are not allowed to braid their hair: they won’t have their own home. The key to the solution is in the proverb:

“On Annunciation, a bird does not build a nest, a maiden does not braid her hair.”

The cuckoo once violated this rule and was severely punished for it. She made a nest in Annunciation - and now all the mother cuckoos are paying for it, leaving eggs in other people's nests. The same thing can happen to a girl if she dares to do even such a small job as braiding her hair.

The belief is based on the highest veneration of one of the most solemn Christian holidays.

“It’s not good for a woman to be simple-haired.”

Only girls could go bare-haired (without a scarf or cap on their heads). Their hair was always neat: long hair braided in a braid. On the wedding day, the bridesmaids unraveled the girl’s braid with a ribbon, carefully combed her hair, braided it into two braids and placed them in a crown around her head.

Later, a woman could collect her hair not in braids, but in a bun, covered with a scarf or cap, primarily so that hair would not inadvertently get caught in it while cooking.

However, at home a woman could still afford to go bare-haired; when going out into the street, she certainly covered herself with a scarf, and in cold weather, with a shawl over the scarf. Scarves and shawls were traditionally beautiful, with a variety of patterns, woven or lace.

It was believed that a simple-haired woman did not like her own Guardian Angel and was deprived of his help and protection. In this way, the woman was encouraged to be neat and at the same time protected from unnecessary worries about her hair.

“If you leave your hair on the floor or scatter it around the yard, you’ll get a headache.”

The belief is associated with the cult of hair. They symbolized health and wealth. In addition, hair is part of you, and therefore you cannot throw it anywhere. From an everyday point of view we're talking about again about basic neatness.

“In the next world you will have to account for every hair.”

This and many other superstitions associated with hair can go back to totemism, that is, to the times of worship of hairy animals. But the explanation that boils down to intimidating sluts seems more realistic. on a similar occasion he ironically said: “Not a bad rule, otherwise, perhaps, there would be heaps of cut hair lying all over the hut and the yard.”

“There are a lot of moles on the body, especially ones that you can’t see, be happy.”

The belief is associated with popular ideas about damage. The gaze of a spiteful critic immediately falls on something unusual that attracts attention, and loses its power. Amulets and jewelry serve as artificial distractions, while moles serve as natural distractions.

On the other hand, moles attract the attention of the person himself and cause thoughts about his health (especially if they begin to change). You think less about moles that you yourself cannot see (on your back). For a suspicious person, this is also almost happiness - not to worry about thoughts about health.

“Don’t wash yourself or wash your hair before a long journey - you’ll avoid trouble.”

The recommendation may be aimed at preventing a person from catching a cold, since everything is done in a hurry before the road. This ban is also explained by the fact that a person washes away his homely, protective aura and appears unprotected among strangers.

Perhaps there is a reason for this, and that is why some people (even clean people) prefer to take a full shower only before going to bed, and wash only partially before leaving the house. And the advice to take a shower after going outside, after a crowded environment, to wash away negative energy is not without meaning.

“Don’t sew anything directly on yourself—you can sew up the memory.”

A belief based on the fact that something done in a hurry will not lead to success. In addition, having carelessly sewn something right on himself and remaining all day in these clothes, a person mentally returns to whether his clothes are in order, whether they look at him like a slob. In other words, he gets distracted from his work and doesn’t remember everything. Hence the threat to “sew up the memory.”

“Itchy in my ear - it’s going to rain.”

This sign can be considered true (unless, of course, we are talking about long-unwashed ears). Before the rain atmospheric pressure decreases, and the eardrum in the ear plays the same role as the membrane in the barometer; It bends a little and makes it itchy. By the way, this sign existed back in Ancient Rome and was called timutusaurium - “ringing in the ears.”

“When one praises bodily virtues (beauty, corpulence, health, etc.), one must spit through the left shoulder so as not to be jinxed.”

Now many are inclined to believe that the gaze is to some extent material, that is, it carries a certain energy. The evil eye is “black magnetism.” This belief is by no means only Russian - something similar existed in Ancient Rome. The Romans worshiped a deity named Fascinus, who supposedly protected people from the evil eye. Black eyes are considered especially dangerous.

To spit over your left shoulder in response to praise (of course, symbolically) means to express disbelief in them, not to take them into your soul. The nature of the evil eye was explained in the medieval "Hammer of the Witches". But modern researchers also attach considerable importance to this issue, “the main reason for the evil eye is the envious glances of others”; therefore, those most often affected are those who are in the public eye, people in public professions, for example, singers.

Probably, many people paid attention to the fact that such people, as a rule, wear excessively bright clothes and hang themselves abundantly with shiny jewelry. This reveals a latent desire to avoid the influence of the evil eye, because the public pays attention to the clothes, to the “amulets” of the idol and, thanks to this, does not damage him inner world, does not disturb its energy.

Sometimes they protect themselves with dark glasses, but this is not best way protection, since a person wearing dark glasses not on a sunny street or beach causes irritation in people and thereby provokes the evil eye.

“To sneeze is to confirm the veracity of the words just spoken.”

The compilers of the Encyclopedia of Superstitions write: “... one famous doctor authoritatively told us that at the moment of sneezing a person is closest to death.” Maybe this is the answer to the sign? Feeling the proximity of death, a person always becomes truthful. However for a long time There was also a custom of using snuff to specifically induce sneezing - for health.

“The hiccups overcome - it means someone is remembering.”

This is just one of the many beliefs associated with hiccups: they also say that someone is jealous, scolds, etc. Long-standing beliefs say that hiccups are a sign of a demon possessing a person. The idea that hiccups are connected to someone's memories seems as baseless to me as the idea of ​​sneezing.

“To step over someone’s outstretched legs is to interrupt his growth.”

If this happens, you must immediately step back. The meaning of the belief is the prohibition of “stopping”, symbolically violating integrity. From an everyday point of view, a very useful warning for the person sitting: in cramped spaces, do not stretch your legs, as this interferes with others.

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