Skip to content

Stage magicFox Nation Docuseries Uses AI-Generated Imagery to Reanimate Harry Houdini FestivalsNovember 1, 2026 – FFRF Co-Sponsors Secular Day of the Dead Celebration (virtual)Stage magicHarry Houdini Returns 100 Years Later as an AI Recreation in Fox Nation's New Series Stage magicFox Nation to Debut AI-Generated ‘Houdini’ Series Tied to 100th Anniversary of Harry Houdini’s Death Stage magicFox Nation to Debut AI-Generated ‘Houdini’ Series Tied to 100th Anniversary of Harry Houdini’s Death Stage magicFox Nation to Debut AI-Generated ‘Houdini’ Series Tied to 100th Anniversary of Harry Houdini’s Death Living traditionsMexican principal questions progressive and shamanic content in public school materials Stage magicMaster illusionist Leon Etienne is bringing his Magic Rocks! show to The Grand at UW-Oshkosh FestivalsElgin's Day of the Dead walk is more than just a 5K MuseumsHans Baldung Grien Stage magicFox Nation Docuseries Uses AI-Generated Imagery to Reanimate Harry Houdini FestivalsNovember 1, 2026 – FFRF Co-Sponsors Secular Day of the Dead Celebration (virtual)Stage magicHarry Houdini Returns 100 Years Later as an AI Recreation in Fox Nation's New Series Stage magicFox Nation to Debut AI-Generated ‘Houdini’ Series Tied to 100th Anniversary of Harry Houdini’s Death Stage magicFox Nation to Debut AI-Generated ‘Houdini’ Series Tied to 100th Anniversary of Harry Houdini’s Death Stage magicFox Nation to Debut AI-Generated ‘Houdini’ Series Tied to 100th Anniversary of Harry Houdini’s Death Living traditionsMexican principal questions progressive and shamanic content in public school materials Stage magicMaster illusionist Leon Etienne is bringing his Magic Rocks! show to The Grand at UW-Oshkosh FestivalsElgin's Day of the Dead walk is more than just a 5K MuseumsHans Baldung Grien

EveryJaadu

Magic in North America

Hoodoo and conjure, Appalachian folk magic, Indigenous ceremony (some of it closed to outsiders), modern Paganism and the stage magic of Houdini to Las Vegas. 181 entries on EveryJaadu so far.

KindTradition Rite Charm Oracle Substance Being Figure Text Illusion Belief

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

BeliefHindu and Tantric Buddhist Jain Muslim and Sufi Jewish Christian Sikh Zoroastrian Shinto and Taoist Indigenous and shamanic African and Afro-diasporic Pagan and Neopagan Esoteric and occult Folk and village custom Secular and stage Other traditions

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇺🇸 United StatesPukwudgie A short forest spirit from Algonquian lore, known for mischief and danger.Being · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreLouisiana Voodoo An African diasporic religion practiced in Louisiana from the 18th to early 20th centuriesTradition · Healing · Protection Historical

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRabbit's foot A charm carried for luck, often linked to graveyards and strict folk rulesCharm · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreRainmaking rites Ceremonies performed to call rain through prayer, dance, or symbolic actsRite · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFriday the 13th A Western superstition marking a specific calendar date as unlucky.Belief · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMojo bag A cloth pouch holding charms for protection, luck, or love in the Hoodoo tradition.Charm · Protection · Healing Living

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau dåk A North American custom using a burrowing rodent to forecast the end of winterTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreOjibwe religion The traditional spiritual practices of the Ojibwe people of North AmericaTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreFortune-telling A practice of predicting future events or personal details through various methods and tools.Rite · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreAinu religion The animist spiritual beliefs and ritual practices of the Ainu people of Japan and RussiaTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇲🇽 MexicoAztec religion The polytheistic and monistic belief system of the Aztec Empire in central MexicoTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreBarnstar A painted or carved star used to decorate barns in parts of the United States and Canada.Charm · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Living

🇺🇸 United StatesCurse of the Bambino A sports superstition linking a long championship drought to a player saleBelief · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇺🇸 United StatesLemon pig A carved fruit figure made for amusement and later linked to New Year luckCharm · Luck and prosperity Living 🇦🇺 Australia and 2 moreTheatrical superstitions Beliefs and rituals among actors to avoid bad luck and ward off spiritsBelief · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreCurse of 1940 A superstition explaining a long championship drought for the New York RangersBelief · Luck and prosperity Historical 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreFinancial astrology A practice linking planetary positions to stock market trendsBelief · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Fading

🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreTooth fairy A childhood figure who exchanges lost baby teeth for gifts or coins.Figure · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNew Thought A spiritual philosophy linking mental states to physical health and prosperityTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreFearsome critters Tall tale animals from North American logging camps used to jest and explain the wild.Figure · Wonder and entertainment · Luck and prosperity Historical 🇺🇸 United StatesKushtakaKóoshdaa káa A shape-shifting creature from Tlingit mythology that can appear as an otter or human.Being · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary

🇨🇦 CanadaOak Island mystery A centuries-old legend of buried treasure and unexplained engineering on a Canadian island.Belief · Luck and prosperity Historical 🇺🇸 United StatesCurse of Rocky Colavito A baseball superstition linking a 1960 player trade to decades of team failureBelief · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreChain letterFukou no Tegami A message that demands copying and forwarding to avoid bad luck or gain fortuneBelief · Luck and prosperity · Cursing and harm Historical

🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreZombie walk A public gathering where people dress as zombies to walk through city streets for entertainment or charityIllusion · Wonder and entertainment · Luck and prosperity Living 🇺🇸 United StatesGonakadet A mythical sea creature of the Pacific Northwest believed to bring wealth and luck.Being · Luck and prosperity Legendary 🇺🇸 United StatesLaw of attraction A New Thought belief that focused thoughts draw matching experiences into lifeBelief · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United StatesMarmot Day An Alaskan holiday celebrating local marmots and frontier culture, replacing Groundhog Day.Tradition · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Living 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreAlaska Native religion Traditional spiritual practices of the Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut peoples of AlaskaTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Historical 🇺🇸 United StatesStamping A childhood gesture believed to capture luck from specific animals or objectsBelief · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇺🇸 United StatesQuviasukvikᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᕐᕕᒃ An Arctic festival marking the new year with sunrise rituals and community gatherings.Tradition · Luck and prosperity · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇺🇸 United StatesBaseball superstition Rituals and beliefs held by players and fans to influence game outcomesBelief · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Barnstar: Una Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Louisiana Voodoo: I cropped, original authors are Ridpath, John Clark, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Curse of the Bambino: National Photo Company, Public domain, source
Quviasukvik: Jodie Wilson, CC BY 2.0, source
Friday the 13th: Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, source
Baseball superstition: Johnmaxmena2, CC BY 4.0, source
Rabbit's foot: Sobebunny, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Rainmaking rites: SJasminum, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lemon pig: GenesisNZ, CC0, source
Curse of 1940: Trophy: Unknown Photo: Alexey Chernyadyev Derivative work: J . delanoy, CC BY 3.0, source
Tooth fairy: Eden, CC BY 2.0, source
New Thought: Nyttend, Public domain, source
Fearsome critters: Coert Du Bois, Public domain, source
Zombie walk: tangi bertin, CC BY 2.0, source
Mojo bag: Liza Khomenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
Oak Island mystery: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chain letter: Alpha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Marmot Day: Colin Canterbury/USFWS, Public domain, source
Ojibwe religion: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fortune-telling: Taras Shevchenko, Public domain, source
Ainu religion: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Aztec religion: Unknown author, Public domain, source

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.