Romanian "Deochi" - [de'oky]

There is a strange belief among some Romanians. It's quite difficult to explain, because it has no certain conections with evil forces or demons or religion, or whatever. It simply comes from other human beings. In only a few words, it's like this: a beautiful girl (any person) walks peaceful and she feels the eyes of someone watching her. She gets sick (she gets "deochi" ), and to cure the sick, one needs to make some simple ritual. The ritual could involve a pray (Our Father, maybe), and also lighting matches, and putting them into water, in order to drink this water aftwards. To avoid "deochi" someone needs to wear something red, to spit in her breast, or if someone wants to avoid putting a "deochi" into someone, he/she needs to pretend to spit on the (beautiful) subject, and to say something like: let it be for not getting "deochi". Not all people could put "deochi" into other people, they must have some special features, or maybe have been refused to suck at his/her mother breast. Never heard of it in any other country. ("Ptiu, Ptiu, sa nu te deochi" ).

Hi WlmShk

There is almost the same belief in Corsica, where it is called "l'occhju". Here in Corsica it is said to be given by people who are jealous.

A Signadora is a healer of the occhju. First she drops oil onto water to see the pattern made by the oil. This will indicate whether her "patient" has received the evil eye (occhju). If it is the case, she will recite secret prayers to heal the person.

Children that have not yet been baptised have to be specially protected. If someone makes a compliment about the beauty of such a baby, they must spit and point their index and little finger forward (this is called "making horns", a bit like crossing one's finger for good luck.

Animals can and are also healed by the same traditional methods.

Bises
Tantine

Hahaha, this is exactly what I was preparing to make a topic about. It is neither strange nor rare at all WlmShk. This also exists all around the Balkans and in Turkey as well. In Turkey they call it "nazir".

In Greece we call it "bad eye". It applies for anything pretty. Whenever you see a newborn child for the first time, or a horse/car that you like, or simply want to emphasize your compliment towards a friend (because it is not really the best way to compliment someone you are flirting :P), you pretend that you spit and make a distinctive sound. In the old days they used to actyally spit!!

The basic ritual of the healing is the same as Tantine describes, but there are some details and variations, sometimes simply invented by a housewife.

Of course, just like all traditions, it is being put aside by the youth, but even though I am a teenager I like to keep to it and when I feel sick with no reason I ask my grandmother to perform the ritual for me