CHAPTER VI

CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS

Belief in Superstitions — Divine and Satanic magic — Demons — A birthday — Naming the child — Women — Marriage and divorce — A wedding, the bride’s bath, fetching the bride, presents — “Ghrula,” customs of a widow — The Town Crier — Funerals — Cemeteries — Evil Eye, charms to avert the curse — A visit to a witch — Methods used to obtain a husband — Invoking demons — Discovering stolen property — Exposing a thief — Divination and fortune telling — Sacrificing a bull — The Pilgrimage, rolling the bangles, to ensure a safe journey — “Yom el Asher,” the children’s “Christmas” 207