Folk Ritual: Superstition – Evil Eye

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  1. Text: Perhaps the most iconic piece of folklore to emerge out of the Greek culture has been that of the Mati, otherwise known as the “evil eye”. The motif of the evil eye is world famous, a black pupil inside a white eye which is surrounding by another circle of royal blue. The belief about the evil eye is that it can be given to certain people as a consequence of their envy and jealousy onto them. This is where the idea of the “eye” comes from – as one person stares at another with negative connotations or emotions, they will potentially impart a curse of some kind onto them that will leave them sick. In order to deter this potential evil from other people, the Greeks actually hang the image of the evil eye around their homes, believing it will keep the dark spirits away. This is considered common practice in all Greek homes, a common folkloric concept that has not only been around for centuries but remains relevant in the culturre today.
  2. Informant’s Context: The presence of mati is very real. Mati comes from people being hateful – they will look at you and snare if they you look handsome or beautiful. They might gossip about you behind your back if they become jealous of you. You can tell if someone is jealous by how ticklish they are. If someone is very ticklish, they are jealous people. Mati isn’t always something that is given to people because they’re jealous though. Some people are just bad luck, they’re a jinx, even if they don’t mean pain by anyone. For example, they say that someone who has a unibrow, one eyebrow that connects, can give someone mati even if they don’t have jealousy. My husband would sometimes compliment people in passing, but because he had the unibrow he would give them mati. Not his fault. Once someone gets the mati though, they become very ill. They might have high fever, they might have migraines. Sometimes they go into shakes in their bed. To know for sure if one has mati, a test must be conducted called Xematiasma. This is when we take a glass of water and we say a prayer over the water. We then take multiple droplets of olive oil and put them into the water. If the olive oil rises to the top of the water, the person we are testing for mati does not have it. If the olive oil sinks or lowers, maybe disappearing in the water, then the person being tested definitely has it. Water and oil are supposed to separate – if this doesn’t occur, then its clear that the individual has been cursed. If they have mati, they must remove their clothes and put them in the wash, shower themselves and clean their bed sheets. They must wash the evil off themselves and get it out of everything around them. Once they’ve cleansed themselves and taken time to rest, the dark spirits will leave them. The only way someone can learn to perform the mati test is through ritual. I am the only one in my family who knows how to conduct it. I can only pass it onto a male member of my family on the Holy Thursday before Easter. It’s only at this time that I can teach the prayer that goes with the water and the way to apply the olive oil. I tried to pass it onto my grandson this year, but he wasn’t home for the Holy Thursday. If I passed it onto him, he would then only be able to pass it onto a female member of our family, also on the Holy Thursday before Easter. That’s how I was also taught these practices. My father taught me how to use the olive oil and water and what prayer to say alongside them.
  3. Collectors Interpretation: I believe the cultural and historical connotations behind the evil eye tradition are fascinating. So much of what the informant described is a folkloric metabolization of cultural concepts regarding envy, jealousy and vindictiveness. There has long been considered an issue of in-fighting in Greek culture, dating as far back as the Peloponnesian Wars that wreaked havoc on the nation. The evil eye is a manifestation of a culture that is deeply weary of spitefulness. As a piece of magical folklore, much of what the informant discussed about the mati lore is both homeopathic and contagious. The actual act of one person impressing the mati (evil spirits) onto another person by being jealous is clearly an example of contagious magic. Moreover, the ritual in which someone diagnoses mati through water and olive oil is an example of homeopathic magic. Not just that, but the concept of mati also implies that purity is necessary for health. In order to rid oneself of the dark spirits, they must clean themselves and everything they own, almost as if to say that jealousy, envy and spite are filthy qualities. It also implies that these hateful emotions can be spread. The deeper meaning behind this might be that misery loves company, and when one person hates another its easy for those ideas to proliferate amongst communities of people.

Fields

AGE: 85

Date_of_performance: May 5, 2025

Informant Name: Confidential (EZ)

Language: Greek/English

Nationality: Greek/Canadian

Occupation: Retired

Primary Language: Greek

Residence: Canada

Folk Ritual: Superstition – Kafemanteia

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  1. Text: In Greek culture, it is extremely common that people practice a superstitious form of fortune-telling known as Kafemanteia. The way it works is extremely simple. Firstly, Greek coffee is prepared, which is different from American coffee. This Greek drink is brewed in a briki (steel pot) but isn’t filtered, ultimately causing the grounds of the coffee to remain stuck to the bottom off the cup once you’ve finished drinking it. Once the drinking is done, the Greek places the saucer on top of the cup, makes a wish to themselves, then flips it over. While it’s flipped, the ground stuck at the bottom of the cup is forced to slide down, creating certain patterns. A reader than analyzes the symbols and interprets the future of the coffee drinker. The reading is often conducted by a normal Greek, even the drinker themselves, as the practice is so common, but oftentimes a studied reader is needed to interpret the sign at the cups bottom. That said, certain symbols mean different things about what is in store for the drinkers future – circles could mean something is completed or unified, numbers could reflect dates, direct lines imply a journey of some kind. There are a multitude of variations, but each of these reflect a fortune for the individual.
  2. Participants Context: This is a practice my mother used to engage in all the time. In fact she still does it to this day. My mother was from a small village in Greece – they weren’t educated or anything like that. They immigrated to Canada in the 60s, but these were the pieces of culture they brought with them. It might sound very cute and interesting, but I actually take it very seriously. I fully believe in it, totally. My grandmother was what was known as a kafetzou, she was fully capable of reading the fortune of any cup. She knew the different symbols, how they interrelated and what it reflected for your future. I don’t know them, all the signs, so sometimes I’ll put the symbol into ChatGPT and ask for its analysis. And then of course, my grandmothers mother before her practiced this way of fortune-telling, and so on and so forth. It almost feels partly religious to me, a way of talking to the Panagia (Virgin Mary) or perhaps other saints. That or perhaps it was something born during the Ottoman occupation – I think the wishful quality of it might’ve been something that Greeks developed during that period of darkness, when they were super restricted and were under this nasty regime. Greeks were looking for something hopeful.
  3. Collectors Interpretation: I personally believe this superstition emerged as a means of addressing anxiety, difficult questions and long-term planning. Kafemanteia in Greek culture is largely practiced in the company of other people. The actual act of drinking coffee at a cafe, like in many parts of Europe, is key to social life in Greece. Where in America people often take their coffee to go, Europeans, especially Greeks, actually make a point of drinking a single cup of coffee over the course of 2-3 hours. By creating a fortune-telling practice with coffee, Greeks give themselves the opportunity to discuss amongst others what might be in store for their futures, perhaps projecting their subconscious concerns onto the symbols of the ground coffee. It’s a practice that, perhaps through subconscious influence, allows Greeks to annex the anxieties that are plaguing them. In this way, the superstition is a very healthy practice. It’s clearly a form of social therapy that is intertwined with mythic and folkloric undertones. Sometimes discussing ones problems in the context of a greater divine spirit or supernatural force is comforting. It may even be a way to help make sense of the world when it seems to not be making sense at all. Additionally, I’ll note that this form of magic is clearly homeopathic – in order to achieve the outcome of the fortune, the Greek must drink the coffee, place the saucer over the cup, make a wish and then flip it, waiting for symbols to develop. Anecdotally, this is surely what I’ve observed by watching my family practice this fortune-telling. It’s an opportunity to address the problems of their future that they haven’t yet solved. Juxtaposing that hypothesis is the fact that it’s also an opportunity to manifest what good things people believe might be in store for their future. For example, if the coffee has numbers forming in it, that might mean the drinker has riches in their future. Ultimately, I believe that the value of Kafemanteia is rooted in community.

AGE: 53

Date_of_performance: May 5, 2025

Informant Name: Confidential KT

Language: English

Nationality: Canadian/Greek

Occupation: Lawyer

Primary Language: Greek

Borrowed Keys

Nationality: American/Mexican
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Covina, CA
Language: English/Spanish

TEXT: “When I was a lot younger, my grandfather passed away, and I was heartbroken. I tried not to remember him so I wouldn’t get sad and start crying, but when that wouldn’t work, my mom started a wholesome joke to keep his memory alive. Anytime someone would misplace something or lose it, she would say, “Abuelo probably borrowed it”. It was a little thing that meant a lot, since he would always misplace things or lose them and borrow other people’s instead. One morning, I was looking for my keys, since we needed to leave for a family dinner, and I couldn’t find them for the life of me. I looked all around my room and our house, but no luck. As I finished checking our kitchen and living room, I headed back up to my room in hopes of finding them, and there they were. My keys were sitting on my desk when I walked back in, and when I told my mom, she laughed and said, “Abuelo’s always around”.

CONTEXT: This short personal narrative describes the quiet impact of grief and the small, meaningful ways families keep loved ones present after they’ve passed. The narrator recalls the death of their grandfather during childhood and how that early loss brought emotional difficulty. In response, the narrator’s mother introduces a gentle family tradition: joking that “Abuelo probably borrowed it” whenever something goes missing. This phrase becomes a wholesome coping mechanism that transforms grief into connection.

ANALYSIS: This memorate serves as a wholesome example of how families create small traditions that keep the memory of loved ones alive. The informant’s family marked the moment of loss in a gentle way by saying something meaningful that offered a small comfort, “Abuelo probably borrowed it.” The missing keys provide a bit of mystery, but it’s less about animating the dead and more about how memory, love, and belief intersect and interact in daily life. The mom’s response is an indication of how this small ritual comforts the grieving family and allows the grandfather to still have a presence in the family narrative, even though he has passed.

Dahlias for Tía

Nationality: American/Mexican
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Covina, CA
Language: English/Spanish

TEXT: “My tia (aunt) had a thing for dahlia flowers. Whenever we would walk around together and see Dahlia flowers, she would stop, pick one, smell it, and put it in her hat. Her house in Puebla, Mexico, always smelled of flowers, and she would never hesitate to have a bouquet of dahlias and roses in her entrance way. If she were sitting on the couch watching the news or reading her favorite books, she would be tending to her garden in the backyard. She passed away 2 years ago, but last year for Día de los Muertos, we planted Dahlias in her honor. The thing with Dahlia’s is that they take a long time to bloom. They don’t bloom for at least 90 days after planting. It was still a little cold in Puebla when we planted them, but one morning, about a month after we planted them, my dad opened up the kitchen window, and the air was thick with their scent even though they shouldn’t have bloomed yet. The smell was so strong it felt like she was with us again.”


CONTEXT: This memorate of the dahlia flowers and his aunt was told to by B, in the context of a bigger conversation about family traditions and cultural practices related to memorializing the deceased. B connected it with their tía from Puebla, Mexico, who had a love for dahlia flowers, and that association became part of the family observance of Día de los Muertos. By planting dahlias in the tía’s honor, the family was creating a cultural tradition that added meaning to a person they lost, while performing a cultural practice and making it personal with the memory of that deceased person.

ANALYSIS: This is a good example of how Día de los Muertos provides families comfort and connection to their loved ones who have passed. The informant’s tía had a strong relationship with dahlias, so planting dahlias was associated with honoring her. The dahlias weren’t supposed to bloom yet, but the random nature of their blooming and the smell felt like a sign, a reminder of her presence. The story does not attempt to explain the moment so much as describe how it felt. In addition, it shows how cultural rituals, like Día de los Muertos, can keep the memory of others alive through symbols, emotions, and shared experiences.

Popocatépetl’s Smoke

Nationality: American/Mexican
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Covina, CA
Language: English/Spanish

TEXT: “When I was little, my Abuelita would point out the volcanoes in the city where she grew up, Puebla City, Mexico. She would tell me the story of two volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, the warrior and his sleeping princess.” She told me how the legend went, as they were once in love, but Iztaccíhuatl died before they could be together. In an attempt to honor her, Popocatépetl carried her to the mountains, and the gods turned them into volcanoes so they would be together forever. My abuelita believed that when Popocatépetl started smoking, it was him showing his love for the other mountain. The last time I was in Puebla, about 2 years ago, I looked up and the volcano was smoking.”

CONTEXT: This story is rooted in the traditional Mexican legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which is widely known in central Mexico, especially in and around Puebla. The legend has been passed down for generations and reflects indigenous beliefs about love, death, and the natural world. In the story, two volcanoes are said to be the transformed bodies of a warrior and a princess, symbolizing eternal love and loss. The narrator shares a personal memory of their abuelita recounting this tale during visits to Puebla City, tying folklore to family, place, and lived experience.

ANALYSIS: The narrative blends cultural tradition with personal memory, making the retelling more intimate and emotionally resonant. The grandmother serves as a cultural transmitter, passing on not just the legend but her interpretation—that the volcano’s smoke is an expression of love. This belief turns a natural phenomenon into a meaningful sign, demonstrating how folklore often helps people connect emotion and environment. The narrator’s final observation—seeing the volcano smoking years later—reaffirms the legend’s emotional power, suggesting that even in the face of loss, love can still be seen, felt, and remembered through nature.