The evil eye is a curse believed to be cast
by a wicked glare, which is usually given to a person when they are unaware. It
is believed that certain people have such powerful feelings
of jealousy and envy, that when they looked on some beautiful object or
individual it brought destruction. Many cultures
believe that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury.
Charms or Talismans are created to
protect against the evil eye are also frequently called "evil eyes".
In the Orthodox
Church, the evil eye (Vaskania) is recognized as the jealousy and envy of some
people for things they do not possess, such as beauty, youth, courage or any
other blessing. The Church essentially rejected Vaskania as contradicting the
concept of divine providence. The prayers of the Church to avert the evil eye
are, however, a silent recognition of this phenomenon as a morbid feeling of
envy.
The general idea behind this concept is
when an admirer’s gaze remains focused on you for too long with jealousy that
they might send destructive energy. Any gender and eye color can cast evil
eye. As a preventive measure, different cultures have adopted rather
interesting superstitious ways: Some pinched buttocks,
some spitted out three times, some did carry on
phallus shaped amulets and some attached red ribbons to their loved ones hoping
the bright colour would distract evil eyes. It seems like almost no
civilisation was immune from the malicious gaze!
The idea expressed by the term causes many
different cultures to pursue protective measures against it. The concept and
its significance vary widely among different cultures, primarily
in West Asia. The idea appears several times in translations of
the Old Testament. It was a widely extended belief among many
Mediterranean and Asian tribes and cultures.
Charms and decorations with eye-like
symbols known as nazars, which are used to repel the evil eye is a common
sight across Greece, Turkey, Albania, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Morocco,
Southern Italy (Naples), the Levant, (large
area of Eastern Mediterranean)
and Afghanistan and have become a popular choice of souvenir
with tourists.
The "evil eye" is also known:
Arabic as ʿayn al-ḥasūd (eye of the envious)
Hebrew as ʿáyin hā-ráʿ
Kurdish çaw e zar (eye of evil/sickness)
Persian as chashm zakhm (eye-caused injury)
Turkish as kem göz (evil eyes)
Hindi the concept of evil eye is
referred to as “Drishti”.
Amharic buda
Greek as το μάτι (to máti)
Albanian as syni keq (or
"syri i keq")
Romanian as "deochi"
Spanish as mal de ojo
Italian as il malocchio
Portuguese mau-olhado ("act of giving an evil/sick look")
Swedish as "ge onda ögat" (to give an evil look)
Hawaiian it is known as "stink eye" or maka pilau meaning "rotten eyes".
Belief in the evil eye is found in
the Islamic doctrine, based upon the statement of
Prophet Muhammad, "The influence of an evil eye is a fact..."
[Sahih Muslim, Book 26, Number 5427]. Authentic practices of warding off
the evil eye are also commonly practiced by Muslims: rather
than directly expressing appreciation of, for example, a child's beauty,
it is customary to say Masha'Allah, that is, "God has willed it".
PRAYER
AGAINST THE EVIL EYE
Let us pray to the Lord
Lord have mercy
O Lord Our God, the King of the ages,
almighty and all powerful, who create and alter all things by your will alone;
who changed into dew the flames of the furnace in Babylon that had been heated
seven times more than usual, and preserved in safety your three holy youths;
the physican and healer of our souls; the security of those who hope in you; we
pray you and beseech you: Remove, drive away and banish every diabolical
activity, every satanic attack and every plot, evil curiousity and injury, and
the evil eye of mischievous and wicked
men from your servant (Name); and whether it was brought about by beauty, or
bravery, or happiness, or jealousy and envy, or evil eye, do you yourself, O
Lord who love mankind, stretch out your mighty hand and your powerful and lofty
arm, look down on this your creature and watch over him(her), and send him(her)
an angel of peace, a mighty guardian of soul and body, who will rebuke and
banish from him (her) every wicked intention, every spell and evil eye of
destructive and envious men; so that, guarded by You, your supplicant may sing
to You with thanksgiving: The Lord is my helper, and I shall not be afraid;
what can man do to me? And again: I shall fear no evil because You are with me.
For You are God my strength, the powerful ruler, the Prince of Peace, the
Father of the age to come. Yes, Lord, our God, spare your creature and save
your servant (Name) from every injury and brought about by the evil eye, and
keep him (her) safe above every ill. For your are our King and all things are
possible to Thee, O Lord. Therefore, we ascribe glory to the Father, and to the
Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.