Italian superstitions are often specialized by region. Still, concepts like luck—good or bad—and fear of dead spirits, were universal to the Italian peasant community.
To hear a cat sneeze was good luck for all who heard it. On the other hand, to have birds in the house was unlucky. Some people extended this ban to bird feathers as well—especially peacock feathers, because they appeared to have the “evil eye” on them.
The Evil Eye in Italian Superstition
The idea of “maloccio” (literally, evil eye) permeates Italian superstition. The hand sign of extending your pinkie and index finger, while keeping the others folded back, is supposed to ward off an evil spirit someone has cast on you. Wearing a tiny horn-shaped charm (the corno) around your neck is another way to eliminate evil curses.
Strangely, the evil spirit can be summoned by something as simple as a compliment. If someone tells you your baby is beautiful, the fates have been tempted. You must make the “horn” sign to protect your child. Did it work? Sprinkle drops of oil in a bowl of holy water. If the oil stays in drops, you’re okay. If the oil spreads out—big trouble. (To keep things interesting, some folks believe that if the oil stays in one blob, that is the evil eye.)
Superstition about Nuns
Superstitious Italians try to touch iron immediately after seeing a nun (unlucky), in order to preserve their good fortune. They may mutter, “Your nun!” at the next person they see, thereby passing on the bad luck to someone else.
The Sister Act, a modern-day Italian rap group led by Sister Alessandra Luna, is trying to change this belief. They’ve recorded a 12-track album titled “Your Nun!” featuring the cover song, “Your Nun! Touch Iron.”
Italian After-Death Rituals
After-death rituals are for keeping a dead person’s spirit from returning. A circuitous route is always taken by those carrying the coffin to the cemetery—and survivors madke sure to return home by another route. This is thought to confuse the dead. Salt is sometimes placed under the dead person’s head, to the same end.
Putting the deceased’s favorite items in the coffin is also believed to keep them from returning to retrieve their treasured possessions. If you forget an item, it is sometimes included in the next dead person’s casket—assuming that the first and the second will meet up in the hereafter.
To hear a cat sneeze was good luck for all who heard it. On the other hand, to have birds in the house was unlucky. Some people extended this ban to bird feathers as well—especially peacock feathers, because they appeared to have the “evil eye” on them.
The Evil Eye in Italian Superstition
The idea of “maloccio” (literally, evil eye) permeates Italian superstition. The hand sign of extending your pinkie and index finger, while keeping the others folded back, is supposed to ward off an evil spirit someone has cast on you. Wearing a tiny horn-shaped charm (the corno) around your neck is another way to eliminate evil curses.
Strangely, the evil spirit can be summoned by something as simple as a compliment. If someone tells you your baby is beautiful, the fates have been tempted. You must make the “horn” sign to protect your child. Did it work? Sprinkle drops of oil in a bowl of holy water. If the oil stays in drops, you’re okay. If the oil spreads out—big trouble. (To keep things interesting, some folks believe that if the oil stays in one blob, that is the evil eye.)
Superstition about Nuns
Superstitious Italians try to touch iron immediately after seeing a nun (unlucky), in order to preserve their good fortune. They may mutter, “Your nun!” at the next person they see, thereby passing on the bad luck to someone else.
The Sister Act, a modern-day Italian rap group led by Sister Alessandra Luna, is trying to change this belief. They’ve recorded a 12-track album titled “Your Nun!” featuring the cover song, “Your Nun! Touch Iron.”
Italian After-Death Rituals
After-death rituals are for keeping a dead person’s spirit from returning. A circuitous route is always taken by those carrying the coffin to the cemetery—and survivors madke sure to return home by another route. This is thought to confuse the dead. Salt is sometimes placed under the dead person’s head, to the same end.
Putting the deceased’s favorite items in the coffin is also believed to keep them from returning to retrieve their treasured possessions. If you forget an item, it is sometimes included in the next dead person’s casket—assuming that the first and the second will meet up in the hereafter.
Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article Italian Superstitions: The Evil Eye, Unlucky Nuns, and After-Death Rituals in Italian Culture is owned by . Permission to republish Italian Superstitions: The Evil Eye, Unlucky Nuns, and After-Death Rituals in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
