Protective rites
The kajal dot on a child
A small black mark of kohl on the cheek, brow or foot, said to turn the evil eye away from a baby.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
In many South Asian homes a baby is given a small black dot of kajal, or kohl, on a cheek, the forehead or the sole of the foot. Names for it include kala tika, kaala teeka and dithaut. The custom is explained as a deliberate flaw, a blemish that makes a pretty child look less perfect and so less likely to draw an envious gaze.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Kajal (kohl)SubstanceThe black pigment for the mark.
- Lamp soot or gheeSubstanceThe older home base for the black.
- FingertipGestureThe mark is pressed on, not drawn.
- Evil-eye wordsWordA murmured phrase against envy.
- The childSpaceThe cheek, brow or sole of the foot.
- Substance
- Gesture
- Word
- Space
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather Prepare a small amount of black from a lamp or a trusted cosmetic. Step 2: Cleanse Wash and dress the baby before callers arrive. Step 3: Speak Murmur a phrase asking that no envious look harm the child. Step 4: Cast Press a dot onto the cheek, brow or sole of the foot. Step 5: Close Renew the mark after the bath or before outings.
Who does it and when
It is done by a mother or grandmother, often after a bath and before the child is shown to guests, and again at naming and first-outing celebrations. The black may be mixed at home from the soot of a ghee or oil lamp, or taken from a shop tube. Brides and performers are sometimes given a dot behind the ear for the same reason.
Care and questions
Some traditional kohl and cosmetic powders have been found to contain lead, and health agencies in several countries warn against putting them on babies or near the eyes. Many families now make the dot with a safe cosmetic or a mark of ash. Similar blemish charms are known in Turkey, Greece and the Arab world, which supports the view of anthropologists that fear of envy is widely shared and not tied to a single religion.
What it is for
- Protect a baby from the evil eye
- Mark a first outing or naming
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Kohl (The substance used.), Nazar (A wearable answer to the same fear.).
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source