In Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the seeds of Aspand are burned on charcoal, where they explode with little popping noises, releasing a fragrant smoke that is wafted around the head of those afflicted by or exposed to the gaze of strangers. Some sources say that the popping of the seeds relates to the breaking of the curse or the popping of the evil eye itself.

Evil Eye – A Brief Summary

The evil eye is a belief that a person can harm you, your children, or your belongings simply by looking at them with envy and praising them. Jealousy, envy, or praise can inflict all kinds of misfortune. The penetrating look is believed to cause illness, injury, or death upon its intentional or unintentional target. Most common is the belief that the evil eye can cause things to whither away or dry up -- the loss of crops, drying up of milk in nursing mothers, impotency in men, and illness among children, are all commonly attributed to the evil eye.

The belief of the evil eye has no religious boundaries as it coexists with almost every religion from Christianity to Islam. It is in fact mentioned in the Old Testament and a big part of the Jewish folklore as well. Throughout history, the evil eye has affected the lives of many and has shaped many cultures in their beliefs and behavior. Baby clothes and cribs will feature an evil eye pin cars will have an evil eye hanging on the rear-view mirror while homes will have various forms of wall hanging evil eye throughout. Evil eye jewelry is a popular choice where an evil eye bracelet or an evil eye charm as an accessory might be enough to void off the effects of the evil eye around you. The object is to protect your loved ones or your possessions from the effects of the evil eye.

Today, belief in the evil eye is very much alive, especially so in Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, South America, and the Arab world. All these cultures have different names for the Evil Eye from "Mal Ojo" in Spanish to "Baskania" in Greek. Indians call it "Drishtidosham and the Arabs call it "Ayin Harsha”. Evil eye is also referred to as the Lucky eye perhaps to emphasize the positive effects of wearing a piece of evil eye jewelry where not only will it protect you from the onlookers but also bring you luck along the way.

Regardless of the word or phrase they use to refer to it, one thing is for certain. While there are many who insist the evil eye is nothing more than good old-fashioned superstition, to the believers of the evil eye its powers are nothing to be taken lightly.

For more information on the history of the evil eye as well as its importance on different cultures and religions, please visit our evil eye information page.