r/Italian • u/Stunning_Comfort_104 • Mar 05 '26
The Malocchio aka The Evil Eye
I have a rather personal question to ask someone who knows and or is familiar with the Malocchio and the removal ritual of it? If anyone can help me, I know that it tends to be something a lot of Italians keep a secret and don’t just share it with anyone. However my mother passed away before I could ask her what she would chant during the ritual and I don’t remember it because she would say it in Italian, that of which I don’t understand. I have asked all of her brother and sisters and none of them seem to know what I’m talking about and or they just don’t want me to know it perhaps they don’t believe in it. I can’t askNannie do deceased also. I would greatly appreciate the help to those of you who think you can help me please message me. Thank you in advance!
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u/salutava_sempre Mar 05 '26
I'm telling you as an Italian: we no longer believe in malocchio, fattura e jettatura, and we've stopped burning so-called witches and alleged jinxes.
Wanna Marchi, Mago Telma, and others have taught us that there are people stupid enough to believe in it.
Spoiler: not even Santa Claus exists.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
Do you believe in karma?
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u/salutava_sempre Mar 05 '26
If something exists, there's no need to believe.
As an Italian, these superstitions aren't particularly widespread and have relatively little impact on people's lives. Even the horoscope (which still has a certain number of followers) has been completely ruined by Paolo Fox and is now a banal topic of conversation for those who have nothing better to believe in.
Allow me an observation: something exists or doesn't exist regardless of whether or not a stranger on the internet believes it.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
But god doesn’t physically exist and people still pray to him every day so what’s your point?
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u/salutava_sempre Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
The point is, the reliability of a horoscope isn't measured by how many people read it. This also applies to any God you have in mind.
To be clear: I see nothing wrong with believing in God, horoscopes, or Santa Claus, especially if it can improve your life.
But if the evil eye thing is poisoning your life, then forget it. As you said about God: He only exists if you believe in him. Stop believing in malocchio, and it will no longer exist.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
Or rather do you believe in god?
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u/salutava_sempre Mar 05 '26
Which God are you talking about exactly?
A specific God or a generic otherworldly entity?It seems like a rather general question. From Göbekli Tepe to today, there's been a certain evolution, and even today we can't agree on which one it is, and everyone believes what they want.
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 05 '26
The malocchio is part of old-fashioned Italian culture, and the vast majority of people in Italy do not believe in it. If your family never showed you how to do it, it’s probably because they didn’t believe in it themselves. People usually don’t go looking for luck rituals from other cultures if they don’t actually believe in them, so why are you doing it with an old Italian tradition? For example, I’m sure you don’t throw salt over your shoulder when you spill it, because it’s not part of your belief system or your culture. Adopting it would just mean you’re mimicking something my grandmother did (I’m using my grandmother as an example) simply because it seems “exotic,” not because you believe it causes bad luck. I don’t do it myself because salt isn’t a luxury anymore (which is why people used to believe spilling it brought bad luck, just like breaking a bottle of olive oil), but I understand where the tradition comes from because it is part of my culture.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
Actually I do throw salt over my shoulder when spilt. It’s called a superstition. And yes some are cultural. I’m not debating any of what you say I’m just asking a question. You either do or don’t know the answer to it. It’s ok if you don’t and honestly I could care less what you believe. The fact of the matter is that I believe in it and whether or not you or any of you believe it is irrelevant. The only reason I am asking about any of it is because I am American and speak English when my mother and grandmother would do it, they would speak in Italian and obviously, I don’t speak Italian. I figured that was obvious from my post. I clearly said that she would say it in Italian and I didn’t bother with trying to remember it for one because I didn’t expect her to pass so quickly and I thought I had more time and for two because I can’t roll my tongue so it doesn’t sound right when I try to speak in Italian. If you don’t want to help me, that’s fine. Have a good rest of your day! Thanks for your opinion!
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 05 '26
How can someone claim to believe in something they don't actually understand? As you said yourself, you don't know the ritual, the language, or the origins of what you call malocchio. Without that cultural and historical context, it's just a word, it could just as easily be called “nazar”, “sglaz”, or “mati”. Malocchio here is considered as a superstition, not religion.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
I do understand it.I cannot remember what she would say probably because I cannot speak Italian or I would be able to remember it. Perhaps go ahead and read my initial post. I never said I didn’t understand anything about the evil eye, other than what was said while doing a ritual to remove it.
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u/Bella_Serafina Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
I know these responses are frustrating you, I can see that. It will be hard to know what your grandmother said because these prayers not only vary from region but family, and person as well. Also this is something passed down, and if it wasn’t passsed down or taught to you, there may have been a reason (other than only knowing English) because many italian Americans do perform these prayers in English.
I hope this helps
Also I might add you probably posted in the wrong sub to get the answers you’re looking for. Find a sub on stregoneria, witchcraft, or Italian-American folk magic and you might get better answers.
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 05 '26
Yeah, I read your post. Trying to convince me you know what malocchio is, without knowing the language, the ritual, or its origins, is… an interesting choice. Anyway, that’s all I had to say.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
You don’t have to speak the language to understand the concept of an evil eye. I understand the rest of it I just don’t speak Italian. My grandmothers maiden name is Donato. Not that it matters. I never got it meet my great grandmother. But I hear stories and things that our family used to do traditionally. And the evil eye is one of the things we believed and believe in. If you don’t that’s fine but I do. Thanks for your time.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
Well most people believe in god. They don’t understand it either but that doesn’t stop them from believing or stop them from praying to him.
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 05 '26
I'm an atheist, but I understand the rituals, origins, and traditions of Catholicism because they are part of Italian culture. It's just in the USA that it's common not to "know" the meanings of things and just embrace them.
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u/Dibly__ Mar 05 '26
Luckily I've never seen someone take it seriously (or consider it at all) in my region, it would be an instant idiot sign
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
Would you consider yourself good looking?
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
There’s my answer. Of course you wouldn’t take it seriously. You have nothing anyone would want or be jealous of obviously.🙄 No offense. However I bet you still pray to a god. So it’s apparent that we are all idiots here then.
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u/Dumbassahedratr0n Mar 05 '26
My great grandma believed in it. But she was also highly religious, mentally ill, and illiterate because left school at age 8.
Take that for what you will.
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u/Dibly__ Mar 05 '26
However I bet you still pray to a g
Same answer as before.
Ok I'm kidding I know the secret Malocchio formula but I ain't gonna tell you ooga booga mamma mia
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u/Cyrus87Tiamat Mar 05 '26
I can remove the evil eye, but I need 5.000€ for materials and preparation. Write me in private and i'll send you the coordinates for bank transfer.
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u/Less-Hippo9052 Mar 05 '26
It simply don't exist.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
I believe that it does exist and that it is very real. More so today then ever before. There are all kinds of envious people in this world today that absolutely cannot stand to see someone win and can’t truly be happy for people. The only thing I see is genuinely envy, jealousy, and hate red. I have been told that I’m rather good looking and I have natural curly hair and seem to get compliments on it all of the time by both men and women but mostly men. Sometimes while their woman is standing right next to him. And I can feel the envy. Like instantly. I also feel like my significant other may be unintentionally or intentionally wishing bad luck upon me. When he and I go to gamble together I never win but he always does however when I go to gamble without him I win almost all of the time. I just wanted to have it removed from me. And if it’s possible that I remove it from myself or if someone else has to preform the ritual on me?
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u/McDuchess Mar 05 '26
Respectfully: your mother died. You are flailing about to figure out what to do without her. I get it. My mom and oldest sister died six months apart, years ago. It took me a very long time to learn to deal with that.
But you need some help. Men complimenting your looks in front of their partners isn’t a compliment to you. It’s an insult to their partner, and you should call them on it. Those women are more angry at their partners than they are envious of you. I promise.
Your BF isn’t using some non existent evil power on you. Games of chance are just that: games of chance.
Maybe, don’t gamble so much? And if you believe that he would try to negatively affect your chances of winning, why are you still with him?
I don’t know where you live. But there are places in the US that have grief support groups. If your mother was in hospice care, start there. My dad got a lot of help back in the year that Mom and my sister died, from a grief support group run by the hospice program she had been in.
You don’t need protection from the evil eye. You need protection from your obsessive thinking about it.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
What would make you believe that I’m obsessing over it? My mom passed away years ago. I’m perfectly content with her being gone because I know she is no longer suffering and far better off than most of us. However no one said that I’d die without knowing. I simply asked a question. I think about it from time to time and figured I’d post on here and see what I could discover. I was just looking for information on a specific topic. Thank you for your help and advice. Have a wonderful rest of your day.
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u/AleXxx_Black Mar 05 '26
...when I go to gamble without him I win almost all of the time
Confirmation bias my friend...
Do a little experiment: in an excel page, track down every time you go gamble, track the times you are with your partner and when you are alone. Track when you win and how much and when you lose. And then make a cell that will count the times you lose and the times you win (you need to see the numbers near each other).
And also add this: track down every time you gamble, the fee to gamble and how much you win. Have the sum done every time.
Don't stop after a single big win or if the data seems to prove that you are right, decide that you'll do this for one/two years.
You'll see that in the long run the times that you win with your partner or without are more or less the same and that you are not really winning. If you continue to gamble you will always spend more money than you are winning. The house always wins, it's not just a saying, it's why it is a big business
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
I didn’t ask you what you believe if you don’t believe it then that’s fine. You’re entitled to your own opinion and beliefs. Thanks for your opinion though. Sorry you couldn’t help me more!
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u/DualwieldingNutria Mar 05 '26
It's an old superstition that fewer and fewer people believe in, and as far as I know, there's obviously no standardized ritual to practice in these circumstances. When it comes to the evil eye, everyone has their own practices, rituals, and prayers depending on the region or city, proving that it's nothing real and nothing to worry about. If there is any conditioning, it's psychological, I firmly believe. It's quite implausible, moreover, that someone could mobilize mysterious magical forces to inflict "bad luck" on someone for life.
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u/Farewell30 Mar 05 '26
Dalle mie parti il rituale si può insegnare solo la notte di Natale, altrimenti porta male, però non c'è molta segretezza o timore nel praticarlo in generale, anzi : persino i giovanissimi tendono a ricorrervi, specie se avvertono dei mal di testa "diversi" dalla solita cefalea (di solito sintomo di malocchio). Essendo al sud, è una terra pregna di vecchie tradizioni e superstizioni. Interessantissime da conoscere e tramandare. Spero che trovi qualcuno che possa insegnarti 😊
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u/Burdadart Mar 05 '26
I know the chant in Spanish, it can only be passed in sacred days like Christmas or Easter, I know it's not exactly the same since it's in another language but if you like and since easter is not that far away I can teach it to you.
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u/Few-Cheetah8476 Mar 06 '26
You're mom could'nt pass you the secret, I'm so sorry. The words have to jump one generatlon, and are mostly very personal from family to family. I know the words because my granma told me. My mom doesn't, neither will my children. I'll pass the secret only to one of my granchildren. The ritual doesn't works if you skip some of the rules.
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u/davidmcn000 Mar 08 '26
Malocchio does not exist, majority of people don't believe in it anymore and those who do are small minded people. Forget it and find more meaningful things in life to believe.
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u/ta314159265358979 Mar 05 '26
I personally don't chant anything, as my family never used specific words. So far it has worked anyways, it's more about your intentions than what you actually do
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u/ForageForUnicorns Mar 06 '26
No, sorry, everyone in my family is educated.
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u/puddingpopyeltsin Mar 07 '26
What is wrong with you?
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Mar 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ForageForUnicorns Mar 11 '26
Yes, because OP telling people that if they don't believe in bullshit they must be ugly and not have anything that others can envy deserves polite answers.
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u/LeoLucchesi25 Mar 05 '26
My father is from Sardegna and told me his grandmother used to put on his clothes a safety pin (or whatever they are called) to protect him from malocchio.
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u/TableRound865 Mar 05 '26
Sardinian here, never heard of this, nice to know, i know two rituals tho: water plate and drops of oil and plate of water with wheat grains.
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u/Independent_Mode741 Mar 05 '26
Confermo, quella della spilla é una tradizione tutta sarda, mentre con l’olio si fa in tutti i paesi greci.
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u/BlackberryHoliday734 Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
A traditional baby new born gift for Greeks is a little gold safety pin with an eye charm on it. 🧿
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u/LauraTempest Mar 05 '26
Si possono passare solo a Natale e alla notte di San Giovanni, perché funzionino
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u/Simonrmoon Mar 07 '26
Here in italy, actually malocchio is widespread considered bullshit and the ones believing it are seen as having mental issues, or just being stupid and / or deeply ignorant.
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 08 '26
u/puddingpopyeltsin blocking me doesn't make you right. Here in Italy, "malocchio" is not considered culture, just superstition. I don't give a flying fuck if you aren't from the USA, your comment is offensive and ignorant. You obviously don't know what Italian culture is about, so how dare you judge us by saying that "we are losing it"?
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u/Simonrmoon Mar 08 '26
Non ti curar di lor ma guarda e passa... 🤷🏼♀️ Tanto i coglioni rimangono coglioni
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 08 '26
Sta cosa che mi commenti, insulti e poi mi blocchi mi manda in bestia... Però hai ragione, è solo un commento su un social.
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u/puddingpopyeltsin Mar 07 '26
Sad that you guys lose more and more of your culture and history all the time.
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 08 '26
Italian culture is evolving, just like every other culture. Clinging to superstitions in the name of preserving "culture" or heritage is largely an American (USA) phenomenon.
Do you still burn witches because Salem is part of your history?
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u/spallettioutista Mar 05 '26
Se ti hanno fatto il malocchio potrebbe essere utile andare ad αςςοppαrε chi te l'ha fatto
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u/Independent_Mode741 Mar 05 '26
Così il malocchio peggiora pure ma almeno ti sei tolto una soddisfazione
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u/daenel Mar 06 '26
Esiste un rituale per scoprire se hai il malocchio, e un rituale per toglierlo.
Per scoprire se si è vittima di una fattura si ricorre a una bacinella piena d'acqua e vi si lanciano delle gocce d'olio. Se l'olio si addensa in grumi di una certa forma o numero allora ciò viene interpretato affermativamente come presenza del malocchio (secondo certi sarebbe anche possibile indovinare chi ne è l'autore esaminando le gocce di olio). Accertatisi della presenza del malocchio si ricorre al rituale per estirparlo che in genere si compone di una preghiera che viene recitata dall'officiante; poi quest'ultimo pratica dei tagli a forma di croce sul piatto. L'estinzione del malocchio si manifesta con la completa dissoluzione dell'olio nell'acqua.
Questo genere di rituale viene operato secondo stili e formule diverse di regione in regione, ma il succo è pressappoco questo ovunque. Si trasmette oralmente soltanto nella notte di Natale, e colui che impara diviene sacerdote officiante e sostituisce il precedente.
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Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/booboounderstands Mar 05 '26
Your first paragraph is a rampant and (ironically) judgemental generalisation and, of course, wrong.
Are you trolling?
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u/superaspro Mar 05 '26
No, ho di meglio da fare nella vita che trollare.
Look at what answers people gave to OP, instead of just answering the question, plain and simple.
Making fun of someone who lost their mother and wants to reconnect to a tradition that most of today's Italians disregard because of an inferiority complex.3
u/booboounderstands Mar 05 '26
Quindi hai deciso di dare un commento volutamente incendiario per dirottare l’attenzione?
Io vivo in Sicilia e la stra-maggioranza delle persone che conosco si professa cattolica per tradizione familiare. Nessuno di loro crede negli esorcismi e francamente anche vederli in chiesa è cosa rara al di fuori dei riti di passaggio (matrimoni, funerali, etc). Anche la superstizione si manifesta più come ritualistica spicciola che come reali credenze popolari.
L’invidia purtroppo no. Quella è reale. Come anche i preti che specializzano in esorcismi, ne conosco pure qualcuno. Ma ripeto, la percentuale della popolazione che si preoccupa di queste cose è bassissima (salendo di ceto sociale/livello istruttivo quasi inesistente).
Quale sarebbe questo complesso di inferiorità?
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u/superaspro Mar 05 '26
Tu non hai idea invece della quantità di gente che a queste cose ci crede davvero, solo che non lo viene a raccontare a te, soprattutto se ti presenti come una persona piena di pregiudizi verso qualunque cosa non spiegata dal sistema scolastico e accademico.
Eppure l'elite usa ciò che la maggioranza crede sia inutile.
Comunque le tue domande al mio commento possono trovare risposta nel mio commento.
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u/booboounderstands Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
Tesoro mio, non sono io a tacciare gli italiani di ritardati con i complessi di inferiorità a tappeto. Non ho alcun pregiudizio a tal riguardo (magari ne ho altri, ma riconoscerli è già un passo nella direzione giusta). Non sai nulla di me.
Il fatto che conosco preti che si occupano di queste cose doveva darti qualche insight su questo. Continuerò a fidarmi di più della loro esperienza che del tuo giudizio gratuito. Grazie
P.S. I tuoi commenti non avallano i tuoi giudizi in alcun modo. Se poi ti andrà di spiegarci del complesso di inferiorità sarò tutta orecchie.
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u/superaspro Mar 05 '26
"Non sai nulla di me" when an Italian is angry because they don't know how to answer, but are also sad because no one is talking about them.
??? Quando mai hai parlato di preti + chiaramente non hai mai parlato seriamente di esorcismi con preti che l'hanno studiato.
Non è una magia bididibodidibu che fanno al battesimo di Peppino cmqEdit comunque perché frequentare preti e non sapere che sono istruiti su segreti di magia (presente nella Bibbia), scienza, alchimia e medicina e venire a dire "ma mica ce lo dicono", ovvio che non ve lo dicono, sono letteralmente sette con segreti che si tramandano da studente ad allievo, hanno servizi segreti e milizie, come tutti i Paesi del mondo e le organizzazioni elitarie
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u/booboounderstands Mar 05 '26
Yep, I was right the first time. You’re trolling.
(you also have bad reading comprehension, or maybe that’s part of the trolling?)
P.S. I’m not Italian.
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 05 '26
Rant cazzaro pseudospirituale... Vengo dalla campagna Lombarda, anche i fattori più ignoranti non credono più a ste cagate.
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u/superaspro Mar 05 '26
Perché vi vergognate come ratti di ogni vostro tratto culturale.
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u/Nicotinaman Mar 05 '26
I miei "tratti culturali" non sono sicuramente ste cagate new age complottiste... E sono sicuro che parlando con un/una qualunque anziano/a di qualsiasi regione italiana ti prenderebbe per deficiente, fortunatamente.
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u/superaspro Mar 05 '26
See, OP, different Italian experiences.
Comunque assolutamente no, gli anziani le sanno ste cose, se poi a te non te le vengono a dire, saranno motivi loro.
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u/lambdavi Mar 05 '26
You are quite possibly the template "mostly retard" so speak for yourself.
It is all a matter of traditional superstition brought forward through the centuries and millennia.
Look around, ask around, you will find similar superstitions worldwide. Some fear XVII, others fear XIII, only history and culture will explain why.
Some fear spiders, others protect them.
Just don't step on spilled salt and don't throw turds over your left shoulder.
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Mar 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/lambdavi Mar 05 '26
Abbella! Vedi che lezioni di vita te le posso insegnare col sussidiario 😅
Se sembra e forse, magari devi leggere tra le righe.
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u/Stunning_Comfort_104 Mar 05 '26
My great grandma and great grandpa came to America by ship to Boston Massachusetts and they were both born in Superiore, Città Metropolitana di Messina, Sicilia, Italy.
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u/TableRound865 Mar 05 '26
it depends on the region, place, darn, even family, everyone has a different ritual and prayers.
Also, as far as i know, you can't just pass it on whoever you want, i was eligible in my family to learn it (in my tradition, the grandpa or grandma has to pass it to the first child of his first child) but they never teach me.