A beautiful flash of brilliant cobalt blue caught my eye in the Saturday sunlight. I picked up the Turkish handmade object and the seller grimaced, “I don’t know what that is…” she trailed off. I laughed at her expression, explaining that the solid piece of art glass, with its distinctive design of contrasting concentric circles in white, pale blue and black, was an ancient amulet.
The eye-shaped or oculiform symbol that I purchased in a favourite colour at an animal charity sale, is known as a “nazar,” derived from the Arabic for sight and related concepts like providence and point-of-view. It has remained unchanged for thousands of years and continues to be popular as a traditional form of protection against the “evil eye” in a range of countries including from within Asia, to the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
Guyanese designate it “najar” or “bad eye,” Trinidadians term it “maljo” after the Spanish “mal de ojo,” and Brazilians describe it as “mal-olhado” the “act of giving a nasty look” or “olho gordo” casting a “fat” or “gluttonous eye” like those who are envious or jealous whether over prosperous plants, plentiful plaudits, prime property, political and Parliamentary power or projected oil wealth.
Careful Jews refrain from praising their valuables and whisper about those stricken souls who experience actual distress when others prosper and rejoice when they suffer. For the Greeks it is “mati,” while the Ethiopians conceal a charm, known as a “kitab” against the “buda.” Spitting three times or pretending to, can be just as good, according to the Romans who call their custom “despuere malum,” to expectorate evil.
We give vulnerable newborns slender strings of dark thread or tiny black cloth bands to wear on the tiny wrists, and watchful relatives who can afford it purchase gift bangles alternately strung with gold or the precautionary blue or black beads against the dreaded “buri nazar.” This custom plus the wearing of kohl and related cleansing practices were brought by our Indian indentured ancestors, so we continue to place a small black dot, “kala tikka” or “nazar ka teeka” on the foreheads of children, or half-hidden in the hair and even on the soles of feet, still believing that a deliberate imperfection is necessary for preservation and growth.
Puerto Ricans and Cubans fasten on their babies special “azabache” bracelets made of gold and a black or red coral piece in the form of a fist, to shield them from the withering consequences of excessive admiration whether from proud parents or strangers. The “cornuto” “corno” and “cornicello” are Italian equivalents of a horn-styled pendant made from precious metals. Only macho males sport “corno” or “horn,” and a related phrase is the “mano cornuta” or “horned hand,” a rude gesture to indicate that a man has been cuckolded and therefore “wears the horns.”
This is similar to the Trinidadian use of the word, as in the Mighty Shadow’s classic “Yuh Lookin Fuh Horn,” where he quizzed a young man who wanted to marry, “You working? No. You joking? No. You stealing? No. You dealing? No.” Shadow bluntly concluded, “Somebody will horn you” because “You don’t have a pay day” declaring, “I wish you luck, Without money to buy honey, You’re headin’ for misery, She want hairdo and callaloo, And you ent have nothing…”
If the “horns” are pointing down, that is considered a superstitious sign, similar to “touching wood” in places such as Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The knowing Romans, given their long-lasting engineering marvels prefer “tocca ferro” or to “touch iron” rather than to tempt fate and termites. Egyptians ensure they “hold the wood,” Bulgarians politely “knock,” Russians revert to the unpainted version and some Turks thoughtfully tug one earlobe.
A Latin American variant requires that the chosen wooden article to lack legs ruling out most intact tropical furniture, even as the Norwegians go out of their way to “knock on the table” which usually was made of pine. Unsurprisingly, since the 18th century, the Americans chose to stay close to the Second Amendment of their Constitution to bear arms, and ram the wooden stock of their muzzle-loading rifles to settle the powder charge.
In Denmark, the famous, old, luxury Hotel d’Angleterre lacks a Room 13. Fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia for Frigg is the Norse goddess whom the day is named after, and triskaidekaphobia means the fear of 13. But the deliberate Danes favour both the odds and the odd saying “syv, ni, tretten” for 7, 9, 13, believing the mix of magic lucky and unlucky digits would help avoid jinxing themselves when stating good news. Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s Liberal Party are probably singing the numbers early, albeit pounding wood and yelling timber, having won the European Parliament elections, taking five seats following a record voter turnout of 66%, even as the Eurosceptic Danish People’s Party lost around two-thirds of their support. Unlike us caught in the legal crossfire from the December 21, 2018 motion of no confidence and the wait on the Caribbean Court of Justice to confirm what is a majority, Danish voters happily return to the polls next month for parliamentary elections. One sneeze is good luck for the Danes, two consecutive sneezes mean courting and a kiss is coming, but beware if the expulsion is while tying shoes.
Affected Pakistanis take no chances, resorting to reading the last three chapters of their Holy Book even as some adopt the “taawiz” as a talisman. My elderly Hindu mother wore the little silver locket known as a “tabeej” in Guyana, usually containing verses from the Quran or other Islamic prayers, even as she conducted private protective rituals such as “ouchay” and “jharay” at the first sign of sickness or listlessness. Five or seven pieces of coconut/cocoyea broom, bird peppers, the skin of garlic and onions, and salt were among the ingredients passed over an affected child as certain prayers and mantras were recited, with the entire lot burnt to ashes.
I thought of “nazar” and our different beliefs, reading the recent media reports of the Regional Development Officer, Mahbood Rahman, 69, who admitted posting an obeah-linked photo of his sister-in-law on social media, and allegedly acted with intent to ruin her reputation and corrupt public morals. The Court heard that last February the woman, Famadia Rahman was at her Kingston residence, when she was alerted to a Facebook page connected to Rahman which had a photo containing a scandalous representation of her.
Upon making her report against Mr Rahman, the woman explained that she was married to his late brother, and her husband was the legal owner of lot ‘M’ Plantation Le Destin, East Bank Essequibo. She mentioned that since the death of her husband, she and Mr Rahman have had an ongoing battle regarding who is the owner of the willed property. The officer was released on $20,000 cash bail.
I plan to pin my newfound “nazar” on the front door to help chase away the neighbour’s giant jet-black cat that strolls across the grass unconcerned, sipping from the bird bath and glancing at me in disdain.
ID recalls monkeying with the bright red and black “jumbie” beads of her youth and being puzzled over the blue “milk of magnesia” bottles that were attached to the fences of sprawling properties.
