Households and ordinary people
Grandmothers, parents and neighbours doing the small things: the knot, the salt, the red thread.
Households and ordinary people do most of the world's magic: the grandmother who ties a thread on a baby's wrist, the neighbour who throws salt, the shopkeeper who hangs a lemon and chillies, the family that burns incense before a photograph. These people are not specialists and often do not call it magic. This page looks at the domestic side of the subject, which is the commonest and least written about.
Everyday customs
Household practice is woven into daily life: sweeping at new year, a bead on a cradle, a horseshoe over a door, a charm in a car. It tends to be practical, brief and handed down within the family. Many people say they do it because their mother did, or to be safe. It rarely needs a priest, a text or a fee. The hands that do it are those of mothers and grandmothers, who also cook, clean and care, so the magic is part of the labour of the home.
Women and the home
Women are the principal keepers of household custom in many societies, as mothers, grandmothers and aunts. Their knowledge covers birth, child care, food, illness, marriage and death. That knowledge is often undervalued by the formal religion and by scholars, and was also the source of accusations in the witch trials, in which women who were midwives or healers were prominent. A household custom is learned by watching and may never be explained, since the practitioner does not see it as special.
Faith and the home
Religious leaders have seen household custom as faith, as superstition or as a nuisance. Reformers in Protestant Europe, Salafi Islam and some Hindu and Buddhist movements have told people to give up such practices. Many people keep them regardless. In the diaspora, the home customs are sometimes the part of heritage that lasts longest, and are carried to new countries in suitcases. In cities, small shrines, protective charms and everyday rituals often survive in apartments, taxis and shops.
Why scholars care
Anthropologists of everyday religion and folklorists record these customs as evidence of how people manage risk. They show how belief and practice differ, since people may say they do not believe and still knock on wood. Household magic is also the easiest to commercialise, in shops selling charms and kits that detach customs from their homes. A new student or visitor may find that families who say they do not believe still follow such customs carefully, and this gap is one of the more interesting findings.
Households and ordinary people on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚥馃嚤 MaliDogon religion
The traditional spiritual beliefs of the Dogon people of MaliTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚢馃嚜 Kenya and 1 moreMaasai religion
The spiritual beliefs of the semi-nomadic Maasai people of East AfricaTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreCowrie
A sea snail shell used as currency, divination tool, and charm across many culturesSubstance 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚫馃嚦 Senegal and 5 moreAncestor veneration
Rituals of respect and offerings for the dead across many culturesTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚡馃嚨 Japan and 1 moreAinu religion
The animist spiritual beliefs and ritual practices of the Ainu people of Japan and RussiaTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 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
馃嚮馃嚭 Vanuatu and 5 moreKava culture
A shared ritual across Oceania where a root brew marks ceremony, respect, and social gathering.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New Zealand and 5 moreTapu
A Polynesian concept of sacred restriction and spiritual prohibitionTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreDay of the DeadD铆a de los Muertos
A Mexican holiday honoring the dead with altars, food, and humor during Allhallowtide.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚡馃嚨 JapanMount Osore鎭愬北
A volcanic pilgrimage site in Japan believed to be a gateway to the underworldTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection 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
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreAncestor worship
Rites of respect for the dead that maintain family bonds and seek spiritual guidanceTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚞 MadagascarMalagasy mythology
The oral traditions and ancestral beliefs of the Malagasy people in MadagascarTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚤馃嚮 Latvia and 1 moreLatvian mythology
A collection of myths about gods, spirits, and the afterlife from the Baltic region.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New ZealandKarakia
M膩ori recitations used for spiritual guidance, protection, and formal greetingsTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaSmoking ceremony
A ritual using herbal smoke for cleansing and welcoming among Aboriginal AustraliansRite 路 Cleansing and purification 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚳馃嚘 South Africa and 1 moreSacred caves of the Basotho
Cave networks in South Africa and Lesotho used by the Basotho for ancestral rituals and healingTradition 路 Healing 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚛 Indonesia and 1 moreSandung
A house-shaped ossuary for the bones of the deceased among Dayak peoples in Borneo.Charm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚛 IndonesiaMarapu
Ancestral religion of Sumba and Flores in IndonesiaTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiChristian-Vodou
The blending of Haitian Vodou and Roman Catholicism into a single spiritual practiceTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚡馃嚨 JapanMagatama鍕剧帀
A curved Japanese bead used as jewelry, status symbol, and sacred object in Shinto.Charm 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreLock of hair
A piece of human hair kept for symbolic, sentimental, or superstitious reasons.Substance 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity 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
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sandung: Wibowo Djatmiko ( Wie146 ), 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
- Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
- Latvian mythology: Dezidor, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dogon religion: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kava culture: Jaejay77, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mount Osore: Douglas P Perkins ( Douglaspperkins ( talk )), CC BY 3.0, source
- Folk Catholicism: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Marapu: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Famadihana: Saveoursmile (Hery Zo Rakotondramanana), CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Magatama: Kakidai, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Smoking ceremony: Shillings1005, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lock of hair: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Maasai religion: Dr. Ond艡ej Havelka (cestovatel), CC BY 4.0, source
- Cowrie: NOAA (Photo Collection of Dr. James P. McVey, NOAA Sea Grant Program), Public domain, source
- Ancestor veneration: Thang Nguyen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ainu religion: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Cairn: Andrew Bossi, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Sacred caves of the Basotho: JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0, source