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.
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAluxaluxo'ob
A small Maya spirit believed to guard fields and cause mischief if offended.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 morePachamama
The Andean mother goddess of space-time and the earthBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚬 GuatemalaMaxim贸nRi Laj Mam
A Maya folk saint and trickster deity venerated in the Guatemalan HighlandsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 3 moreFolk saint
Unofficially recognized holy figures venerated by local communities for intercession and miraclesBelief 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilMacumba
A term for Afro-Brazilian spiritual practices, often carrying negative connotations of sorceryBelief 路 Healing 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
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
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 5 moreGauchito Gil
A folk saint from Argentina who protects the poor and outcastsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 MexicoCalavera
A sugar or clay skull used in Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations.Charm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚙馃嚧 BoliviaThe Witches' MarketMercado de las Brujas
A La Paz market where Aymara women and yatiri sell ritual items for Pachamama offeringsTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Protection Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreSupay
An Andean spirit of the underworld who balances life and death forcesBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreQuyllurit'iQoyllur Rit'i
A syncretic Andean pilgrimage celebrating the Pleiades and the Lord of Star SnowTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreMapuche religion
The traditional spiritual practice of the Mapuche people of Chile and ArgentinaTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚬 Guatemala and 1 moreMaya calendar
A system of timekeeping used by ancient and modern Maya communities to track days, years, and historical cycles.Tradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreSanta MuerteNuestra Se帽ora de la Santa Muerte
A female skeletal folk saint in Mexico and the Americas, worshipped for protection, healing, and safe passage.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 2 moreSan La Muerte
A skeletal folk saint venerated in South America for protection and favorsTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚙馃嚧 Bolivia and 1 moreEkekoIqiqu
An Andean deity of abundance and prosperity, central to the Alasitas festival.Being 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 morePalo Santo
Aromatic wood used in South American ritual cleansing and folk medicineSubstance 路 Cleansing and purification 路 Healing Living
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiErzulie脠zili
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou representing love, beauty, and protective fury.Being 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 1 moreHaitian Vodou in CubaVod煤 Haitiano
A Caribbean religious tradition brought by migrants and maintained in eastern CubaTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican RepublicAnaisa Pye
A Dominican loa of love and wealth, linked to Saint Anne.Being 路 Love and attraction 路 Luck and prosperity 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
馃嚮馃嚜 VenezuelaDjucu
A warm sea nut used as a lucky charm in the CaribbeanCharm 路 Luck and prosperity Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Alux: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Pachamama: Penarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maxim贸n: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
- Folk saint: Sergio Serrano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Haitian Vodou in Cuba: Dr. Anthony R. Picciolo, NOAA NODC, Public domain, source
- Quyllurit'i: AgainErick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mapuche religion: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Maya calendar: MBisanz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Santa Muerte: Not home, Public domain, source
- Haitian Carnival: User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ekeko: Ciudades, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Palo Santo: Haplochromis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Erzulie: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Calavera: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- The Witches' Market: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, source