Folklore of Kürse Village (4): Superstitions and Folk Meteorology

B. Superstitions

Among the people, there are certain phrases that slip out in everyday life without one even realising it. In truth, even the educated classes cannot escape these thoughtless utterances, which reflect a belief or idea. However, whilst these phrases are merely casual remarks spoken offhand amongst the educated, they sometimes take the form of a belief amongst the general public. Undoubtedly, the majority of what we are attempting to describe here is not actually believed. Some of these, in my opinion, are beliefs originally uttered for the sake of children’s upbringing, which have subsequently been passed down by word of mouth. In this section, I shall endeavour to convey such beliefs as they exist in the village. I shall present these beliefs or sayings as follows:

• Anyone who walks past an unswept dining area will turn into a bear.
• If a broom is thrown behind someone going hunting, it brings good luck.
• If a hare crosses in front of a cart carrying livestock to the field, it brings bad luck and the cart will overturn.
• If a woman crosses in front of an ox-drawn cart, the cart will overturn.
• If a mother is given an egg at the first house she visits whilst taking her newborn child, the child will be as well-nourished as an egg.
• If hot water is poured over the mother’s feet in the first house she visits with her child, her milk will flow abundantly.
• If the head of a deceased person is facing to the right at the time of death, it means another death will occur in that household in the near future.
• Every house has a snake and a rat.
• If someone eats from a pot or frying pan, it will snow on their wedding day.
• A person who eats from the lid of a pot will have their fortune blocked.
• Anyone who washes their face with the leftover water from the deceased’s funeral ritual will see the deceased frequently in their dreams.
• When someone dies in the village, all the water in the houses must be poured out, because Azrael has washed his sword in that water.
• If a small child drags their foot, their mother or father will die.
• It is not good to sleep with one’s hands tucked between one’s legs; it brings bad luck.
• A mother must not weep for her deceased young child. For if she does, a stream will form in the afterlife from her flowing tears, separating the mother and child so that they cannot be reunited.
• A woman who has lost a young child does not apply henna on the evening of the festival. This is because the child comes that evening to kiss his mother’s hand. If the child sees his mother’s hands bound, he leaves without exchanging festival greetings.
• If you go to the toilet immediately after putting on a new dress, that dress will wear out quickly.
• If a young girl whose hands sweat profusely wipes her hands on her fiancé’s handkerchief, her hands will stop sweating.
• A person who is afraid when entering the house from outside at night will, upon crossing the threshold, turn back and bark like a dog three times; they will then no longer be afraid. This is because it is said that a person’s lower self (nefs) causes fear; and as the human nefs is said to take the form of a dog, behaving in this way is said to allow one to overcome the nefs.
• Stepping on the threshold of a door is a sin, just like stepping on the Qur’an.
• A person who sits on the threshold or on a bare floor inside the house will be slandered.
• A person who jumps over a water carrier (a device used to carry and transport water vessels) will develop a boil on their groin.
• It is said that if a woman, at the dinner table, places a full bowl on top of an empty one without first removing the empty one, her husband will remarry.
• It is not good to cut one’s nails at night.
• A dog’s howling is not considered a good omen. If a dog howls towards the ground, it brings bad luck.
• A donkey with a black nose is considered a bad omen.
• If a small piece of food falls from one’s mouth whilst eating, a guest will arrive.
• If a child who has started walking tries to crawl again, a guest will come to that house.
• An owl’s hoot is a bad omen. It is a sign that a funeral is imminent.
• If a person who sees an owl calls it an ‘owl’, the owl will reply, ‘Faint and fall to the ground’. If one calls it the ‘bird of desire’, the owl will reply, ‘May your wishes come true’. That is why one must call the owl the ‘bird of desire’ so that it does not bring bad luck.
• If a cockerel crows at the front door, a guest will arrive.
• If a magpie calls, a letter or a guest will arrive.
• Water will spring from the grave of anyone who urinates in water.
• When a woman who has recently given birth goes to the fountain for the first time, she must take salt in both hands and throw it into the water. If she does not, the devil will strike her.
• It is believed that if someone jumps over a small child, the child will remain short.
• Any work begun on a Tuesday will come to a standstill.
• It is not good to change the bed linen on a Tuesday. Washing clothes on a Tuesday is considered bad luck for some women. Clothes are not washed on a Wednesday; because on Wednesdays the Zamzam Well overflows, and if the washing water ‘mixes with the Zamzam water’, it is a sin.
• It is not good to plaster on a Friday. It is also not good to sweep the garden on a Friday.
• It is not good to bake bread in the oven for three Fridays in a row or to do the washing for three Fridays in a row.
• On Saturdays, stakes must not be driven into the ground, for the world’s stake was also driven into the ground on a Saturday.
• One must not cut one’s nails on Saturdays or Sundays.
• On a Saturday, one must not comb or wash one’s hair. Even deer are not shaken on that day, lest their fur fall out.
• Anyone who washes clothes on a Sunday will be stripped of their possessions. Anyone who washes their body, however, will be stripped of their life.
• Clothes worn for the first time on a Wednesday will catch fire.
• Twelve days before Hıdırellez, the ‘intermediate days’ begin. If plaster is applied during the ‘in-between days’, it will not rain. During the ‘in-between days’, soil must not be brought into the house from outside. If plastering is carried out on these days, a snake will enter the house. When plastering is carried out during the ‘in-between days’, the blossoms of a fruit tree must be hung in the house. If this is not done, the devil will enter the house.
• If a new oven is built during the ‘interval days’, it will not rain. (For this reason, it is said that in the past, ovens built during the ‘interval days’ were secretly demolished by neighbours.)
• Anyone who does not recite the Basmala when going to bed at night will not find peace.
• If someone leaves half a slice of bread on their plate at mealtimes, the devil will frighten them in their dreams that night.
• When getting up in the morning, one must get up from the right-hand side; otherwise, things will go wrong that day.
• If a tear or hole is mended whilst the garment is still being worn, the person’s mind will be ‘sewn up’. For this reason, a matchstick, stick or similar object is placed in the mouth of anyone having a tear or hole mended whilst the garment is still on.
• Anyone who eats whilst reading has also ‘eaten their wits’. For this reason, one must not eat anything whilst reading.
• Killing a snake is a good deed, but the person who kills it cannot enter Paradise. (Because the Prophet said, ‘The one who kills a snake earns a good deed but cannot enter Paradise.’)
• Eating blackberries is a sin. This is because, whilst the Prophet was performing ablutions to go to Friday prayers, a blackberry twig became caught on his foot; it scraped his skin, causing it to bleed, and the Prophet missed Friday prayers. Upon this, the Prophet said, ‘May those of my ummah who eat you never enter my Paradise.’ (This rumour is widespread amongst children. It was presumably circulated to prevent children from tearing their clothes whilst trying to eat blackberries.)
• There is also a rumour concerning a cat:

One day, whilst the Prophet (Muhammad) was praying, a snake came and coiled up in front of him. The Prophet was about to prostrate but could not. Just then, a cat came along, took the snake away, and the Prophet was able to complete his prayer. After the prayer, the Prophet stroked the cat’s back and said, ‘May your back never touch the ground.’ That is why, no matter how high a cat falls from, it always lands on its four paws.

• If a young girl can light a fire quickly, her sweetheart will be handsome.
• Even if a snake’s head is crushed, its tail remains alive. A snake’s tail will not die until night falls and it has seen the stars.
• A weasel must not be killed. If it is killed, its mate will poison the food.
• A girl sitting on the doorstep will remain at the door.
• When thunder rumbles, one must not carry iron tools such as a pocket knife or a knife in one’s pocket, for iron attracts lightning.
• If thunder begins whilst ploughing with an animal, work is paused and the iron of the plough or harrow is left driven into the ground. This is because, should lightning strike, it will strike the iron, ensuring that the lightning is conducted into the ground.
• A woman’s cut hair must not be thrown away or burnt; it is a sin. This is because, as a person will be resurrected in the afterlife with their hair, the cut hair must be placed in the grave.
• A person wearing a blue bead is not affected by the evil eye.
• Those who suffer hardship in this world will find comfort in the hereafter.
• Hot water and ash must not be thrown onto the rubbish tip after sunset. This is because fairies gather at rubbish tips at that time of day. If the rubbish thrown there lands on the fairies, a person may be struck by a bolt of lightning.
• A black sheep is not milked at the very front or very back of the flock.
• The exact number of the flock must not be revealed to a stranger. If it is, the flock will be struck by the evil eye.
• Milk is not given to others in the late afternoon. If it is necessary to give it, a pinch of salt is added to the milk. Otherwise, the animal may be struck by the evil eye.
• Eggs must not be given to others for hatching chicks. If they are, the giver’s hens will not hatch chicks.
• If a person with sore eyes eats black chicken, it will do them good.
• One must not whistle at night. If one does, demons will gather around the person.
• A person’s ears will ring if their name is mentioned anywhere.
• It is not good to find fault with a meal. As the food is being served, the person is already trembling, thinking, ‘They’ll find fault with it’.
• It is a sin to eat as the sun sets. If one does, they will fall into poverty.
• The fortune of anyone who eats whilst the sun is setting will turn sour.
• On Fridays, no work is to be done between the call to prayer and the adhan. Any work done at that time will always go awry.
• One must not spit in the toilet. If one does, the devil collects that spit and puts it in a bottle; at the moment of one’s death, he brings that phlegm and asks, ‘Shall I give you some water?’
• When the storks first arrive, the person who first spots a stork in the sky will have good fortune that year, whilst the one who sees it on the ground will have bad luck.
• You must not add yeast to bread dough after the sun has set. If you do, you must sprinkle a little salt on top.
• If the palm of your right hand itches, it means money is coming; if the palm of your left hand itches, it means money is going out.
• If your right ear rings, it is a good sign; if your left ear rings, bad news is on the way.
• A person whose foot itches will soon set off on a journey.
• It is a sin to paint, as on the Day of Judgement, one will be compelled to breathe life into the portrait.
• It is not good to sleep under a fig tree; the devil will strike you.
• It is not good to stand under an eave.
• Anyone who loses their shoes in a dream will lose a loved one.
• A person who sees a buffalo in a dream will encounter some misfortune.
• Anyone who sees an egg in a dream will get into a fight.
• You must not stand under a pear tree whilst it is thundering; you will be struck by lightning.
• You must not stand under an eave whilst the sky is thundering; you will be struck by lightning.
• Seeing a dead person in a dream is a sign of life; a guest will arrive.
• Anyone who does not say ‘Bismillah’ before going to bed will be frightened in their dream.
• In the Hereafter, the tongue of a liar will be pulled out from the back of their neck.
• A woman who has gone astray will have her breasts seared with red-hot iron in the Hereafter.
• Whoever does not pray in this world will pray on a red-hot griddle in the Hereafter.
• If a person who sees a beautiful child or animal does not say ‘Mashallah’, the child or animal will be struck by the evil eye.
• A person who sees the Prophet in their dream will go to Paradise.
• Anyone who sees themselves flying in a dream will be cleansed of their sins.
• One should not say “off” when feeling bored. Because “off” is the name of the devil. The devil immediately stands over the person’s head.
• Fifty-two days after a person’s death, their flesh and bones separate from one another. For this reason, a Mevlid is recited and prayers are offered in the deceased’s home on that night. (Today, this tradition is known as the ‘fifty-two Mevlid’.)
• It is beneficial to feed a child who wets the bed at night some rat meat.
• It is said to be beneficial to feed a newborn puppy to someone at risk of contracting tuberculosis.
• It is not good to yawn or stretch in the presence of another person. The weight of the person who yawns or stretches is transferred to the other person.
• When making a bed, it is necessary to sweep the area, even if it is already clean. If breadcrumbs remain under the bed, they will frighten the person sleeping there.
• It is a sin to drop pomegranate seeds on the ground, as the pomegranate is the fruit of paradise.
• When the husband of a deceased woman remarries, water is poured onto her grave with a jug for three mornings. If the water is not poured, it is believed that the woman’s grave will catch fire.
• One must not say ‘I’ll finish it tomorrow’ about a task left half-done. If one does, something will go wrong and the task will not be completed. For this reason, one must say ‘God willing, I’ll finish it tomorrow’.
• If a child does not walk even though it is time to do so, on a Friday, between the call to prayer (sela) and the adhan, the child—who is the mother’s firstborn—is held under the armpits and rocked three times whilst saying, “Let the sela sway… (the child’s name is spoken) let them stand up,” and the child will walk.
• A mother-in-law takes a liking to anyone who arrives whilst a meal is being eaten.
• It is not good to let a cat lie beside you whilst you are sleeping; the cat steals a person’s soul.
• If one eats from a dish whilst it is still cooking, the dish’s blessing is lost.
• If a broom is left unfinished whilst being made, one will suffer from a headache.
• If a tortoise is turned upside down, it will rain.
• A person’s height increases during the April rains.
• A year with many snakes brings a bountiful harvest.
• If a snake is turned upside down or thrown onto a tree after being killed, it will rain.
• If a rider is ambushed by enemies, the horse will sense the ambush and refuse to go in that direction. The horse must not be forced.
• If a head of garlic, a small tortoise shell or an evil-eye bead is tied to one of the eaves of a newly built house, that house will be protected from all kinds of accidents and dangers.
• The evil eye of a blue-eyed person is believed to be potent.
• If wheat is thrown onto the bride’s carriage as she leaves her father’s house, it is considered a sign of good luck. This is because wheat brings prosperity.
• If it rains whilst the bride’s carriage is approaching, it is said that ‘the bride has arrived with her blessings’.
• Once the ashure has cooked, if a tray is placed upside down over it to trap the steam and the steam is then applied to the eyes, the eyes will remain free from pain.

Part III: Folk Meteorology

There are various traditional interpretations and beliefs regarding weather forecasting amongst the people. These interpretations are derived either from the natural environment or from the behaviour of animals. The most common predictions are as follows:

• Animals sense when it is going to rain. Sheep, in particular, tend to graze more rapidly before rain falls.
• Just before it rains, sheep shake themselves. This is called ‘the sheep’s bell ringing’. When the sheep all ring their bells together, it rains.
• If sheep start grazing very vigorously in the evening, there will be a frost that night.
• If the crescent moon’s tips point upwards, that month will be dry and there will be no rain. If the tips point downwards, that month will be rainy.
• If the sky is clear but the stars appear pale, it will rain within a few days.
• If there are many bright stars in the sky, there will be a frost.
• If there is an abundance of fruit on trees such as wild pear, hawthorn and acorns, the winter of that year will be very severe.
• The hotter August is, the colder January will be.
• The hotter July is, the colder February will be. (In other words, the months preceding August in summer are inversely proportional to the months following January in winter.)
• If ant nests are surrounded by earth, it will rain soon.
• If earthworms start to crawl on the surface of the soil, it will rain.
• If stream frogs croak in unison, it will rain.
• When winter is on its way (the weather is set to turn), birds sense it too and cling closely to the ground.
• If white clouds line up at regular intervals in the sky, it will rain soon.
• The weather changes from above first. If the north-easterly wind is blowing but the clouds are moving in the opposite direction, rain will follow the strong wind.

All episodes of the series

1. Foreword and Introduction to the Village
2. Customs Relating to Birth and Children
3. Folk Medicine
4. Superstitions and Folk Meteorology
5. Proverbs, Blessings and Curses
6. Folk Songs, Lamentations and Nursery Rhymes
7. Legends and Riddles
8. Fairy Tales
9. Rhymes and Ramadan Rhymes

Traditions and Customs page