The Evil Eye

The evil eye is a look that is superstitiously believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck on the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. The term also refers to the power attributed to certain persons, of inflicting injury or bad luck by such an envious or ill-wishing look.

The "evil eye" is also known as "Mal de ojo."[1] Mediterranean cultures and many others around the world experience the concept of the "evil eye." The symptoms are dying, diarrhea, constant crying. It usually affects infants and children. However, adult females can also be affected.[2

In many Latin American countries, as a preventive method to avoid the evil eye, parents will tie a red ribbon around the child's wrist or ankle.
The psychodynamics of envy inflicts unspeakable suffering on the envious subject, and may be responsible for certain cases of hysterical blindness.[3]
The idea that the term denotes causes many cultures to pursue protective measures against it. The concept and its significance vary widely among different cultures. The idea appears several times in translations (Tirgumim) of the Old Testament.[4] It was a widely extended belief between many Mediterranean tribes and cultures: Classical Greece probably learned this belief from ancient Egypt, and later passed it to ancient Rome.[5][6]

Greece
The evil eye, known as μάτι (mati), "eye," as an apotropaic visual device, is known to have been a fixture in Greece dating back to at least the 6th century BC, when it commonly appeared on drinking vessels.[12] In Greece, the evil eye is cast away through the process of xematiasma (ξεμάτιασμα), whereby the "healer" silently recites a secret prayer passed over from an older relative of the opposite sex, usually a grandparent. Such prayers are revealed only under specific circumstances, for according to superstition those who reveal them indiscriminately lose their ability to cast off the evil eye. There are several regional versions of the prayer in question, a common one being: "Holy Virgin, Our Lady, if so and so is suffering of the evil eye release him/her of it" repeated three times. According to custom, if one is indeed afflicted with the evil eye, both victim and "healer" then start yawning profusely. The "healer" then performs the sign of the cross three times, and spits in the air three times.
Another "test" used to check if the evil eye was cast is that of the oil: under normal conditions, olive oil floats in water, as it is less dense than water. The test of the oil is performed by placing one drop of olive oil in a glass of water, typically holy water. If the drop floats, the test concludes there is no evil eye involved.
If the drop sinks, then it is asserted that the evil eye is cast indeed. An alternate form of the test is to place two drops of olive oil into a glass of water. If the drops remain separated, the test concludes there is no evil eye, but if they merge, there is. This is usually performed by an old lady, who is known for her healing, or a grandparent.
The Greek Fathers accepted the traditional belief in the evil eye but attributed it to the Devil and envy. In Greek theology the evil eye or vaskania (βασκανία) is considered harmful for the one whose envy inflicts it on others as well as for the sufferer. The Greek Church has an ancient prayer against vaskania from the Mega Hieron Syenekdymon book of prayers (Μέγαν Ιερόν Συνέκδημον).

Oral tradition in ancient Rome
According to Eugene Bahn and Margaret L. Bahn in their book A History of Oral Interpretation, "A very important function of spoken verse in ancient times was protection against the evil eye, and even in the present age there are countless jingles recited to prevent bad luck under certain circumstances." This originated as "devices for appeasing the jealousy of the spirits which hold sway over the destinies of mortals..."

Judaism
The evil eye is mentioned several times in the classic Pirkei Avot, Ethics of Our Fathers. In Chapter II, five disciples of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai give advice on how to follow the good path in life and avoid the bad. Rabbi Eliezer says an evil eye is worse than a bad friend, a bad neighbor, or an evil heart. Judaism believes that a "good eye" designates an attitude of good will and kindness towards others. Someone who has this attitude in life will rejoice when his fellow man prospers; he will wish everyone well. An "evil eye" denotes the opposite attitude. A man with "an evil eye" will not only feel no joy but experience actual distress when others prosper, and will rejoice when others suffer. A person of this character represents a great danger to our moral purity.[13] Many Jews avoid talking about valuable items they own, good luck that has come to them and, in particular, their children. If any of these are mentioned, the speaker and/or listener will say, 'bli ayin hara', or 'kanayna hara', meaning 'without an evil eye'. Jews go out of their way not to make others jealous.

India
In India the evil eye, called drishtidosham (literally "sight curse") or nazar, is removed through Aarti. The actual removal involves different means as per the subject involved. In case of removing human evil eye, a traditional Hindu ritual of holy flame (on a plate) is carried out in which the plate is moved in a circular motion around the person's face so as to absorb the evil effects. Sometimes people will also be asked to spit into a handful of chilies kept in that plate, which are then thrown into fire. If there is a lot of smoke, you were being ridiculous and no one evil-eyed you. If there is no smoke (the burning throat, burning eyes kind of smoke), you were evil-eyed and now it's all clear. For vehicles too, this process is followed with limes or lemons being used instead of chilies. These lemons are crushed by the vehicle and a new lemon is hung with chilies in a bead to ward off any future evil eyes. These can also be seen at shops and private homes, usually hanging at the doorways. Many Indian shop keepers also burn a piece of newspaper and then wielding it in a circular motion before the already locked shutter or gate, before they finally leave for home. The use of kumkum on cheeks of newly-weds or babies is also a method of thwarting the "evil eye." Toddlers and young children are traditionally regarded as perfect and are likely to attract the evil eye. Often mothers apply a spot of kohl on their children's cheeks or on the forehead to make the child imperfect and ward off evil eyes. A black cord is sometimes tied around the hip of young children for the same purpose. Sometimes shells or other amulets are attached to the cord.

Islam
It is tradition among many Muslims, that if a compliment is to be made, you are always supposed to say "Masha'Allah" (ما شاء الله) to ward off the evil eye and also (لا قوة إلا بالله; it literally means "It is as God has willed." It is a testimony from someone that he/she believes that either good or bad will only happen if God wants it to. Persian speakers in Afghanistan use the phrase "Nam-e Khoda" (translated, "The name of God") occasionally in place of "Mashallah," as well as another phrase with a similar purpose: "Chashmi bad dur" (translated, "May the evil eye be far") also used in Urdu. These phrases are found in Tajiki as well, but in a slightly different form. In addition to saying "Mashallah," there are duas (prayers or supplications) that are said to protect against the evil eye. In Islam, God is the only one who can protect against the evil eye. No object or symbol can.

Turkey

In Turkey, evil eye jewelry and other such trinkets are particularly common. The evil eye is also known as the Eye of Medusa. A nazar or evil eye stone (Turkish: nazar boncuğu) is an amulet that protects against the evil eye. Colorful beads, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and all manner of decoration may be adorned by this particularly popular symbol, and it is common to see it on almost anything, from babies, horses, doors to cars, cell phones, and even airplanes (see photograph of an airplane with a "nazar").

Bangladesh
In Bangladesh young children often have a large black dot drawn on one side of their foreheads in order to counter the evil eye. Young girls that are often praised for beauty get a dot drawn behind their earlobes with kohl so no one can see it. This keeps away the evil eye of men and other jealous people.

Iran and neighboring regions
In Iran, Iraq, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, the seeds of Aspand (Peganum harmala, also called Esfand, Espand, Esphand, and Harmal) are burned on charcoal,[14] where they explode with little popping noises, releasing a fragrant smoke that is wafted around the head of those afflicted by or exposed to the gaze of strangers. As this is done, an ancient Zoroastrian prayer is recited against Bla Band. This prayer is said by Muslims as well as by Zoroastrians in the region where Aspand is utilized against the evil eye. Some sources say that the popping of the seeds relates to the breaking of the curse or the popping of the evil eye itself (although this is not consistent with the idea that a particular person is casting the spell, since no one's eyes are expected to explode as a result of this ritual). In Iran at least, this ritual is sometimes performed in traditional restaurants, where customers are exposed to the eyes of strangers. Dried aspand capsules are also used for protection against the evil eye in parts of Turkey.

Tibet and Himalayan regions
In Tibet and surrounding areas Dzi beads are valued as a protection against the evil eye as well as lucky charms, depending on the design and the number of eyes. Ancient Dzi beads are amongst the most expensive beads known to man. Dzi stones may have made their first appearance between 2000 BC to 1000 BC, in ancient Tibet: a few hundred thousand were supposedly brought back by Tibetan soldiers from Bactria or ancient Tajikistan during a raid or later occupation. Fear of the evil eye was taken very seriously by these people, so whoever made the dzi created talismans with "eyes" on them as a "fight fire with fire" form of protection. Dzi were crafted by an unknown people using agate as the base stone and then decorated with lines and circles using unique ancient methods like darkening with plant sugars and heating as well as bleaching, and white line etching with ancient natron or other alkalines. Certain parts must have been left out by using either grease, clay, wax or similar—the actual ancient alchemic process can only be assumed. Two or tree types of dzi exist: those with etched lines and "eyes" and those with eyes formed naturally by the agates banding. Dzi are often barrel shaped, but can be coin shaped as in the case of natural agate Luk Mik.

Latin America
In Mexico and Central America, infants are considered at special risk for the evil eye (see mal de ojo, above) and are often given an amulet bracelet as protection, typically with an eye-like spot painted on the amulet. Another preventive measure is allowing admirers to touch the infant or child; in a similar manner, a person wearing an item of clothing that might induce envy may suggest to others that they touch it or some other way dispel envy.
One traditional cure in rural Mexico involves a curandero (folk healer) sweeping a raw chicken egg over the body of a victim to absorb the power of the person with the evil eye. The egg is later broken into a glass and examined (the shape of the yolk is thought to indicate whether the aggressor was a man or a woman). In the traditional Hispanic culture of the Southwestern United States and some parts of Mexico, an egg is passed over the patient and then broken into a bowl of water. This is then covered with a straw or palm cross and placed under the patient's head while he or she sleeps; alternatively, the egg may be passed over the patient in a cross-shaped pattern while saying the Lord's Prayer. The shape of the egg in the bowl is examined in the morning to assess success.[15]
In some parts of South America the act of Ojear which could be translated as to give someone the evil eye is an involuntary act. Someone may ojear babies, animals and inanimate objects just by staring and wanting them. This may produce illness, discomfort or possibly death on babies or animals and failures on inanimate objects like cars or houses. It's a common belief that since this is an involuntary act made by people with heavy look, the proper way of protection is by attaching a red ribbon to the animal, baby or object, in order to attract the gaze to the ribbon rather than to the object intended to be protected.[16]

Brazil
In Brazil, the equivalent for the evil eye is called olho gordo (loosely translated as "fat eye"). It is said that, when a person compliments something that someone else has, the owner should be cautious about who the other person is. That means, if the compliment is sincere, there's no harm done; if it's not, then the other person intends that thing to be either theirs or gone. Usually, it is believed that a future damage to the thing complimented comes from the envious person who complimented it. For example, Aaron goes to Barney's house and remarks that the flower vase on the table is beautiful. Two days later, Barney's flowers are dead—that would be due to the evil eye (olho gordo) Aaron gave it, because he wanted to have it or destroy it.

Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya
Amongst the Papua people of New Guinea Island, the evil eye is not called as such, but is referred to as sorcery. This can sometimes lead to atrocities against villagers or tribal warfare and raids. A shaman or medicine man is consulted if someone died, to find out if the cause of death was sorcery ( the evil eye). Other means, such as looking at the intestines of slaughtered animals are also employed by lay people to determine if sorcery has been the cause of death or disease. If confirmed, the person responsible may be killed and in the pre-Christian era, they were sometimes killed and ritually eaten.

United States
In 1946, the American magician Henri Gamache published a text called Terrors of the Evil Eye Exposed! (later reprinted as Protection against Evil), which offers directions to defend oneself against the evil eye. Gamache's work brought evil eye beliefs to the attention of African American voodoo practitioners in the Southern United States.

Egypt
The Eye of Horus – Horus was an ancient Egyptian sky god in the form of a falcon. The right eye represents a peregrine falcon's eye and the markings around it, that includes the "teardrop" marking sometimes found below the eye. The right eye of Horus is said to ward off the evil eye in the ancient Egyptian culture. In modern Egypt, Islamic charms and amulets such as the hamsa are used.

Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, its believed that anyone could give you the evil eye. Women occasionally spit to the ground when ever they admire a loved one in order not to give them the evil eye.

Surapadman (an asura) ravaged the earth and tormented its beings. It was realized by the gods that only the son born of Shiva could lead the gods to victory over Tarakasuran, Surapadman and their companions. They plotted with Kamadeva, to shoot a flower arrow at Shiva, as he sat in meditation, so as to make him fall in love with Parvati. When Kama aimed his arrow, Shiva opened his third eye and burned Kama to ashes instantly.

The sparks of the fiery seed of Shiva were unbearable; even the fire God Agni could not bear them; this fire was then transported by the river Ganga into the Saravana forest into a pond called the Saravana Poigai(located at mouths of river Ganga), where the sparks became six children. They were raised by the six Krittika or Kartika - the stars that make up the Pleiades, earning the name Karthikeya. Parvati combined these six babies into one with six faces, i.e. Shanmukha or Arumugan. Since he was born in the Saravana he was also called 'Saravanabhava