Folk and village custom: magic in this belief world
Rural and household beliefs that belong to no single organised religion.
Folk and village custom is the large body of belief and practice that belongs to no organised religion: the charm against the evil eye, the cure for warts, the fairy hawthorn, the household spirit, the lucky day. It is passed within families and communities and exists in every society. This page looks at how it is kept, who keeps it, and why it is both valued and dismissed. It is also called popular religion, vernacular religion or lived religion by scholars.
Keepers and settings
Keepers are often older women, farmers, midwives, shepherds and craftsmen. Settings are the house, field, well, crossroads and church porch. European cunning folk offered help for fees and kept charms and books. In many Asian and African villages the specialist is a healer, a diviner or a spirit medium working beside religion. The same grandmother may light a candle at church, tie a thread on a child and say a charm for a burn, and see no conflict between them.
Names and labels
The same thing carries many names: the evil eye is the nazar, mal de ojo and ayin hara. Folklorists collected such customs from the nineteenth century, sometimes as relics of a vanished past and sometimes as living culture. The label folk also marks class, since the term often implies rural, poor or uneducated, a bias that modern scholars try to avoid. Where the village has a wise woman or a bone-setter, the community knows what to ask of her and what she will refuse to do.
Religion, state and reform
Churches, mosques and temples have absorbed, tolerated and condemned folk practice in turn. States have banned it as backward: Chinese campaigns against superstition in the twentieth century closed local temples and shrines, and Soviet policy targeted village healers. At times governments have turned to it as national heritage, as in revived festivals across Europe and Asia. Historians and folklorists note that it often keeps old customs alive within newer religions, such as lighting fires at midsummer within Christian saints' days.
Change and commerce
Urban life and migration thin out folk knowledge, while heritage projects and the internet gather it. Customs reappear as products, such as protective charms in shops and festival tourism. Some folk practice carries harm: village accusation of witchcraft, treatments that delay medical care, and fees charged to relieve fear. Illness needs real medical care. In places with active heritage movements, folk custom has become a source of pride, and young people record songs and cures from grandparents before they are lost.
Folk and village custom on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 3 moreCaribbean folklore
The blended tales and spirits of the Caribbean islandsTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 4 moreMay Day
A European spring festival marking the start of summer with flowers, poles and fire.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreWheel of the Year
An annual cycle of eight seasonal festivals observed by modern pagans.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreStraw bearStrohb盲r
A carnival figure wrapped in straw that visits homes for gifts and marks the turning of seasons.Tradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreCairn
A human-made stack of stones used as a marker, memorial, or religious symbol across many cultures.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚚馃嚤 ChileChilean mythology
The myths and legends of Chile, blending indigenous roots with colonial influences.Tradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 3 moreSandpainting
A ritual art of pouring colored sand to create temporary images for healing or spiritual teachingTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAlebrije
Brightly painted Mexican sculptures of fantastical creatures, made from paper or woodTradition 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚡馃嚨 Japan and 2 moreTanabata銇熴仾銇般仧 (涓冨)
A Japanese celebration of star-crossed lovers and written wishesTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptSham Ennessim卮賲 丕賱賳爻賷賲
An Egyptian spring holiday marked by picnics, colored eggs, and salted fishTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 1 moreFolklore of RomaniaFolclorul rom芒nesc
The traditional stories, music and customs of the Romanian peopleTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainFolklore of Spain
The oral traditions, legends, and folktales of the Iberian PeninsulaTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚚馃嚳 Czech RepublicCzech folklore
The folk traditions of the Czech people, from seasonal rites to music and craft.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomCornish mythology
The folk tales and legends of Cornwall, shared with Brittany and Wales.Tradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreTrick-or-treating
A Halloween custom where costumed visitors ask for treats from homesTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚚馃嚧 ColombiaColombian folklore
Beliefs and legends passed down through generations in ColombiaTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreSaturnalia
An ancient Roman winter festival of role reversal and feasting in honor of SaturnTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesHex sign
Pennsylvania Dutch barn symbols that range from folk art to talismansCharm 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 4 moreR茅veillon
A long Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner held to stay awake until morningTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚥馃嚘 Morocco and 1 moreGnawa music诃賿賳丕賵丞 or 賰賿賳丕賵丞
Moroccan ritual music blending West African heritage with Islamic practice for healing and tranceTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚚馃嚦 China and 1 moreLuoshu Square娲涙浉
An ancient Chinese three-by-three magic square linked to geomancy and numerologyTradition 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 1 moreBarnstar
A painted or carved star used to decorate barns in parts of the United States and Canada.Charm 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreNeoshamanism
A modern spiritual movement adapting shamanic techniques for Western seekers outside their traditional cultures.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 5 moreBullroarer
A wooden slat on a string that produces a roaring sound for ritual and communication.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiHaitian CarnivalKanaval
A major Caribbean festival of music, dance, and satire leading to Mardi Gras in HaitiTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesMarmot Day
An Alaskan holiday celebrating local marmots and frontier culture, replacing Groundhog Day.Tradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Barnstar: Una Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Neoshamanism: Carptrash, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sandpainting: Mnolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Alebrije: Luisalvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tanabata: Laika ac, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sham Ennessim: Ikonact, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Folklore of Romania: TwoWings, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Folklore of Spain: Mikipons, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cornish mythology: waterborough, Public domain, source
- Czech folklore: Biser Todorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Trick-or-treating: Toyah Anette B, Public domain, source
- Colombian folklore: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Saturnalia: Themadchopper, Antoine-Fran莽ois Callet, CC0, source
- Hex sign: Smallbones, CC0, source
- Haitian Carnival: User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marmot Day: Colin Canterbury/USFWS, Public domain, source
- Gnawa music: Lucyin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Luoshu Square: An unknown Tibetan artist, Public domain, source
- May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wheel of the Year: Sunblade1500, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Straw bear: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cairn: Andrew Bossi, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Caribbean folklore: Biblioteca Juvenil Mayaguez ( talk 路 contribs ), CC BY-SA 4.0, source