Counter-magic and uncrossing
Malocchio removal with oil and water
The Italian rite of dropping oil into water to find and lift the evil eye, often passed on at Christmas.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
Malocchio, the evil eye, is the belief that envious looks can cause headache, bad luck or sickness. In southern Italy a person who knows the rite lifts it by dropping olive oil into a bowl of water and reading how the drops behave. The rite is taught by an older relative, traditionally on Christmas Eve, and the words are kept private.
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
- Bowl of waterObjectThe reading dish.
- Olive oilSubstanceDropped in by the practitioner.
- Whispered prayerWordLearned privately.
- CornicelloObjectA red horn worn for protection.
- The sign of the crossGestureMade over the person.
- Object
- Substance
- Word
- Gesture
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 A relative who knows the rite is asked. Step 2: Cleanse A bowl of water is set out and a person sits close. Step 3: Cast Drops of oil are dropped on the water. Step 4: Read The shape of the oil is read as a sign of the eye. Step 5: Speak The prayer is said in a whisper. Step 6: Close The water is thrown away, often out of the door.
Reading the oil
If the oil spreads in a certain way, the practitioner says that the eye is present. The meaning of the shape of the oil is part of what is taught within families. The prayer, often Catholic in form, is whispered.
Protections
Against the eye people wear a red horn, cornicello, or a hand with the fingers in a fig sign. Many cultures share the belief under other names, such as nazar in Turkey, mal de ojo in Spain and Latin America, and ayin hara in Hebrew.
Church and health
Some priests accept it and others oppose it. Headaches and illness have causes that need a clinician, and the rite is a cultural comfort rather than medicine.
What it is for
- Lifting the evil eye
- Protection from envy
- Easing a headache or bad luck
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Malocchio (The Italian form.), Cornicello (The red horn charm.).
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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