Tag Archives: Arab custom

Nazar (Blue Evil Eye)

Nationality: American
Age: 50
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Dallas, Texas
Language: Arabic/English

Title: نَظَر‎

Romanization: Nazar

English Translation: sight, surveillance, attention

Context: The nazar, or evil eye is a deeply rooted folk belief that has been passed down through generations in many cultures. When I was younger, I saw it as a real force, something that could cause harm if you weren’t careful. People around me treated it seriously, using folk objects like the blue eye amulet. This is why we say Mashallah after complimenting someone, as we don’t want to place any bad or envious energy on them.
As a folk object, the nazar charm functions as a physical object that embodies cultural beliefs and practices. The evil eye charms are commonly worn as jewelry, displayed in homes, or placed in cars to provide protection. Even though they are small, their presence carries deep symbolic meaning. They serve as a constant reminder of the belief that unseen forces, like envy or negative energy, can influence our lives.
Beyond the object itself, the belief in the evil eye is reinforced through folk narratives, stories of sudden misfortunes blamed on envious glances, or tales of people who used protective symbols to escape harm. These stories serve as cautionary tales, warning people to be mindful of their successes and to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves. As I got older, I stopped believing in the nazar in the same way. Even though I don’t personally believe in it anymore, I still respect its role culturally as a symbol of how people use objects to explain and control the uncertainties of life.”

Analysis: The nazar boncuk, or evil eye charm, is a classic example of a folk object a tangible representation of a widespread belief system that transcends generations and geographical boundaries. It exists as a material expression of the folk belief in the nazar, or evil eye, which is found in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and even Latin American cultures.

As a folk object, the nazar serves a protective function. People wear it as jewelry, hang it in their homes, place it on newborns, or even attach it to animals and possessions to shield them from harm. The object’s blue color and eye-like shape are significant, blue is traditionally seen as a protective color in many cultures, and the eye shape is thought to reflect or “block” harmful gazes. These characteristics demonstrate how folk objects often incorporate symbolic imagery to reinforce their purpose.

Beyond its protective role, the nazar also functions as a marker of identity and tradition. Its widespread use connects individuals to their cultural heritage, making it an object that carries both personal and communal meaning. Even people who may not strongly believe in the evil eye still wear or display the charm as a nod to their cultural roots.

Like many folk objects, the nazar has evolved over time. Traditionally made of glass and handcrafted, modern versions are now mass-produced in different styles, including bracelets, necklaces, keychains, and even phone accessories. Despite these adaptations, the nazar still carries its original protective symbolism, showing how folk objects can maintain cultural significance even when their form changes.

The nazar is deeply embedded in folklore, not only as a physical object but as part of a larger belief system that includes folk narratives, superstitions, and rituals. The act of saying Mashallah after a compliment or tying a black thread on a baby’s wrist are examples of verbal and customary folklore that work alongside the nazar charm to reinforce protection against the evil eye.

Photo of Nazar:

Ramadan and the Ritual Celebration of Eid Alfutr

Nationality: Arab
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: March 20, 2017
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English

Note: The form of this submission includes the dialogue between the informant and I before the cutoff (as you’ll see if you scroll down), as well as my own thoughts and other notes on the piece after the cutoff. The italics within the dialogue between the informant and I (before the cutoff) is where and what kind of direction I offered the informant whilst collecting. 

Informant’s Background:

I’m from Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia.

Piece:

Ramadan is like a whole month where everyone just, they fast from like very early in the morning ‘til like early in the evening. So from, from the sunrise to sunset basically. And they fast from like eating – they don’t eat anything, they don’t drink anything. And it’s a very like spiritual month where you just have like a lot of like, you know, religious tv shows and songs and stuff like that.

And then, after the month is over- the first day of the following month- it’s like Christmas in Christianity, So it’s like a big event where everybody is celebrating the end of the month and uh, I think it’s very interesting because every family basically like… wait you’re a vegetarian right? So this is not happiness for you. Every family has to kill a sheep, just like one sheep, and it has a spiritual meaning and it’s like a sacrifice you do to God to show that you’re grateful that the month is over, that you’re alive and doing well, and just thankful for that month.

And your family particularly partake in this?

All families do, and what they do is that they take the, okay it’s like one animal that’s killed. Most people do it at home, you bring the animal alive and kill it. Which is kind of… as kids, you would see that and were just kind of shocked (ha ha). It happens every year. Sometimes you’re allowed to buy the animal and take it to a butcher shop or something like that and they would of the you know, the rest of the work. Then the meat is divided into three portions- one third goes to family itself, another third to neighbors and relatives, and you know other people around the neighborhood, and the third portion goes to poor people, you know people who can’t buy an animal or can’t do that. So… yeah I think that’s the biggest celebration maybe.

When you guys take the meat, how do you package it? And do you have a physical hand in distributing the meat to poor people? 

It’s cut and put into bags, and like freezers and stuff like that. And I remember when I was a kid, my mom would give me like a bunch of bags and she would say “go to that neighbor” or “that house and knock on the door and give them this meat.” And then my dad would take the rest and he would go to like poor neighborhoods and distribute the meat to the poor people there. Nowadays, even butcher shops will do that- they will give the family their portion and do the rest of it- distribute it to the poor people so that you have a more convenient ways of doing it.

Piece Background Information:

Informant already mentioned within their piece that they learned and practice Ramadan, as well as the ritual celebration of Eid Alfutr, due to the influence of his culture, parents, family, and school.

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Context of Performance:

In person, during the day, in the informant’s apartment adjacent to USC’s campus in Los Angeles.

Thoughts on Piece: 

Ramadan is celebrated in the ninth month of Islamic calendar, which sees each month’s beginning at the sighting of the full moon, thus making it an Earth cycle ritual. By fasting everyday from sunrise to sunset, Muslims and those partaking in this tradition are reminded of the suffering of the less fortunate in the world. This fasting emphasizes the Muslim ideal of strengthening their connection with Allah through exercising self control, thereby cleansing their minds, bodies, and spirits and also lends itself to this informant’s other accounts such as not believing in wearing a physical/tangible object for protection against the evil eye and instead focusing on the mind (see: The Evil/Bad Eye and Arab Folk Beliefs on Protection Against It).

I also found it interesting that the informant noted how the whole process of butchering the sacrifice and splitting up the portions of the meat has become a lot easier- butchers will handle not only the butchering, but the distribution as well. On the one hand, this probably gives more incentive to partake in the tradition each year, as it makes the ritual much simpler, but it is also important to note that it is as a result of modernity.