Protective rites
Nimbu-mirchi and nazar utarna
The lemon and green chillies on a thread over a shop door, and the wave of chillies and salt that takes off the evil eye.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
Across northern and western India, a lemon strung with seven green chillies hangs over shop doors, on lorries and at new houses. It is called nimbu-mirchi, and people say it keeps away the evil eye, nazar, which is the harm believed to come from an admiring or envious look. A related home custom, nazar utarna, is the removal of that harm from a person who has fallen ill or fretful after being much praised.
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
- LemonPlantOne lemon is the centre of the string.
- Green chilliesPlantTraditionally seven, pierced on the thread.
- Cotton threadToolJoins the lemon and chillies.
- Dried red chilliesPlantUsed in the hand wave of nazar utarna.
- SaltSubstanceTaken with the chillies to draw off the look.
- Lamp or small fireToolWhere the waved items are burned.
- Plant
- Tool
- Substance
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 Take a lemon and, in the usual custom, seven green chillies. Step 2: Bind String them on a thread and hang the string above the door or shop sign. Step 3: Light For nazar utarna, burn the waved chillies and salt in a small fire. Step 4: Speak Say a short protective phrase such as nazar na lage, may no evil eye fall. Step 5: Cleanse Replace the string when it dries, and discard the old one at a crossing or in running water.
The door charm
A popular explanation is that Alakshmi, the elder sister of the wealth goddess Lakshmi, is fond of sour and bitter tastes, so she is believed to be satisfied at the door and goes no further. The charm is usually renewed once a week, often on a Tuesday or Saturday, and the old one is thrown out at a crossing or into running water. Practice varies by town and family, and many people simply say it is what their shop has always done.
Removing the look
In nazar utarna a grandmother or mother passes a handful of dried red chillies, salt and mustard seed around the person, then burns them. Tradition holds that if the smoke does not sting, the eye was strong. Scholars treat the custom as a way for a family to name an anxiety and act on it together. Sensible families also send an unwell child to a doctor, and the custom is not offered as treatment.
What it is for
- Protect a shop, vehicle or home
- Ward the evil eye
- Relieve a child said to be overlooked
Who does it
Related entries
Evil eyeThe belief the charm answers.AlakshmiThe goddess said to be pleased by sour and pungent things.Also part of it, and being written: Nazar (The same belief in a bead form.).
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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