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.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreWitch bottle
A container filled with personal items and sharp objects to trap harmful magicCharm 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
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
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreMaypoleMaibaum
A tall wooden pole raised for European spring festivals, accompanied by dance and celebration.Tradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Love and attraction 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
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreBonfire
A large outdoor fire used in seasonal festivals and religious feasts across many culturesRite 路 Cleansing and purification 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 5 moreSlavic religion
The pre-Christian beliefs of the Slavic peoples before their conversion to Christianity.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Revived
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 3 moreSilver bullet
A folk weapon for monsters and a metaphor for simple solutionsCharm 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 4 moreMummers' play
A folk drama featuring a fight and a resurrection, performed by amateur troupes in the British Isles.Rite 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 morePrecious coral
A marine skeleton harvested for jewelry and worn as a protective charm in several culturesSubstance 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreKrampus
A horned Alpine figure who punishes misbehaving children on KrampusnachtFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 5 moreAmber
Fossilized tree resin used in jewelry and folk healing traditionsSubstance 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 2 moreLibation
The ritual pouring of liquid as an offering to spirits or the deadRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreFirst-footciad-chuairt
The first visitor on New Year's Day, believed to set the household's fortune for the year aheadTradition 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 4 moreCorn dolly
A woven straw figure made from the last sheaf of a European harvest to house the crop spirit.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 2 moreCaul
A birth membrane kept as a talisman for luck and protection from drowningCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreKnocking on wood
A gesture of tapping wood to ward off bad luck or prevent tempting fateBelief 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreRowancaorann
A Northern Hemisphere tree believed to ward off witches and protect travellers.Substance 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 5 moreBay Laurel未维蠁谓畏
An aromatic Mediterranean plant used in cooking and as a symbol of victory and purification.Substance 路 Protection 路 Cleansing and purification Living
馃嚠馃嚫 Iceland and 1 moreHidden-folkhulduf贸lk
Supernatural beings in Nordic folklore who live in a parallel world within the landscape.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 5 moreMidsummerJ膩艈i; Jonin臈s; Jaanip盲ev; Enyovden; Litha; Juhannus
A summer solstice festival marked by bonfires, maypole dancing, and feasting across Europe.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 7 moreWalpurgis NightWalpurgisnacht
A spring vigil marking the eve of Saint Walpurga's feast day with bonfires and student festivalsRite 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreHalloween
A Christian vigil on 31 October for the dead, now marked by costumes and carved vegetablesRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandBlarney StoneCloch na Blarnan
A limestone block in an Irish castle kissed for the gift of eloquenceCharm 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 4 moreNeed-fireNotfeuer
A ritual fire lit by friction to protect livestock and people from disease and witchcraftRite 路 Protection 路 Cleansing and purification Historical
馃嚨馃嚬 Portugal and 5 moreCocoCoca
A monster used to frighten children into obedience across the Iberian world and Latin America.Figure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 1 moreKnocker
A mine spirit of Cornwall and Devon that warns of danger and plays tricks on workersBeing 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomHob
A small household spirit of Northern England and the Anglo-Scottish border.Being 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreBogeyman
A mythical creature used across cultures to frighten children into obedienceFigure 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 5 moreSpodomancy
Divination by reading omens in ashes, soot, and cindersOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomMari LwydY Fari Lwyd
A Welsh winter custom featuring a horse skull carried through villages for song and hospitality.Rite 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomEvil eye bead (sample)Nazar boncu臒u
A blue glass bead hung to turn aside envy.Charm 路 Protection Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomWitch bottle (sample)
A stoppered bottle set out against curses.Charm 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 2 moreBulla
A round Roman amulet given to freeborn boys as a mark of status and protectionCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyBadaliscBadalisch
A mythical goat-headed creature from the Italian Alps, captured and mocked during Epiphany celebrations.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚟馃嚭 HungaryCurse of TuranTur谩ni 谩tok
A Hungarian belief that a historic spell causes national misfortune and personal despairBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreHercules' ClubHerkuleskeule
A club-shaped amulet worn in the Roman Empire and by Germanic peoples as a protective charm.Charm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 2 moreLecanomancy
Divination using a dish or bowl of water to read the futureOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandStatue rubbing
A tourist custom of touching statues to attract luck, love, or a return visit.Belief 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 1 moreOomancy
Divination by eggs, reading shapes and signs to foresee events or diagnose spiritual statesOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalySmorfia
A Neapolitan dream book that turns visions into lottery numbersOracle 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomFumsup
A small figurine charm believed to bring good luck, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Charm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreEaster Bunny
A German folkloric hare that judges children and delivers colored eggs for EasterBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚫馃嚠 Slovenia and 5 moreVesna袙械褋薪邪
A Slavic personification of spring and youth, known in myth and languageFigure 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 4 moreFiery serpents芯谐薪械薪薪褘泄 蟹屑械泄
A pan-Slavic spirit of fire and wind, seen as a demon or a household helperBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚨馃嚤 Poland and 3 moreStrzyga
A female demon in Polish folklore, linked to owls and vampiric traitsBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceGello螕蔚位位蠋
A Greek demon of infancy and a class of beings blamed for infant death.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreElwetritschElwedritsch
A chicken-like creature from German folklore that tames the fear of sleep paralysisBeing 路 Protection Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 7 moreOgnyena Maria袨谐薪械薪邪 袦邪褉懈褬邪
A Slavic fire goddess linked to lightning, rain, and seasonal fire bansFigure 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ognyena Maria: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Krampus: Naturpuur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Amber: uploaded with permission, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Libation: Arkady Zarubin ( 袗褉泻邪写懈泄 袟邪褉褍斜懈薪 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bulla: Anonymous ( Category:Etruscans ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Badalisc: Luca Giarelli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Amniomancy: JC Brand, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Oomancy: Rollcloud, CC BY 3.0, source
- Corn dolly: Renata ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Knocking on wood: The White House, Public domain, source
- Rowan: Taken by me, Jonik , on August 25, 2004., CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bay Laurel: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, source
- Hidden-folk: Schorle, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Midsummer: Kora27, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Walpurgis Night: Luis Ricardo Falero, Public domain, source
- Halloween: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Blarney Stone: Srleffler, Public domain, source
- Need-fire: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Coco: Francisco de Goya, CC0, source
- Hob: Jo Turner, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bogeyman: Francisco Goya, Public domain, source
- Spodomancy: Tim1965, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hercules' Club: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mari Lwyd: Thomas Christopher Evans (Cadrawd), Public domain, source
- Lecanomancy: Author Robert Burns Translator Alexander Smith Illustrator C. A. Vande, Public domain, source
- Statue rubbing: Matthias Rosenkranz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Easter Bunny: Dr. Bernd Gross, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vesna: Viktor Vasnetsov, Public domain, source
- Strzyga: Filip Gutowski, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gello: Filippino Lippi, Public domain, source
- Elwetritsch: AnRo0002, CC0, source
- Witch bottle: British Museum, Daniel Pett, 2004-10-25 15:27:22, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Straw bear: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Maypole: Uploaded by Mikael H盲ggstr枚m, CC0, source
- Cairn: Andrew Bossi, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Bonfire: S Marshall, CC BY 3.0, source
- Slavic religion: Alphonse Mucha, Public domain, source
- Silver bullet: Smithsonian Institution, CC0, source
- Mummers' play: Aladjov, CC BY 3.0, source
- Precious coral: G茅ry PARENT, CC BY-SA 3.0, source