Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

is a country full of many traditions, its

superstitions A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

not being far behind. The superstitions are believed to be based on myths,

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

fables Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral ...

traditions A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

, and

stories Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

. The exact origins remain unknown, as most of it was passed down orally through folk-tales. In Turkish culture, superstitions exist for numerous reasons. They are a form of grounding fear and

discipline Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on ot ...

. Superstitions also are believed in so that people may have a reason to feel protected. Like many beliefs, they are also put into place to explain a higher power and are believed to increase one's favor.

List

Black cat

If people in Turkey see a

black cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

, they immediately need to hold something black. Otherwise, it's thought to bring bad luck.

Broken mirror

Like in other cultures, there is a belief that breaking a mirror brings bad luck and seven years of unhappiness.

Chewing gum

According to Turkish legend, gum should not be chewed at night because it is believed that the person is chewing the flesh of the dead. According to the legend, gum chewed after dark transforms into the flesh of dead people.

Evil eye

The amulet called nazar is supposed to protect against the " evil eye", a superstition shared among several cultures. The

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...

is believed to arrive from any positive or negative energy directed towards someone. The effects can go as far are certain symptoms of illnesses, any sort of negative conflict, and even going to the extent of passing away. As a form of preventing these affects, it is believed that wearing the evil eye will grant protection to the wearer.

Knocking on wood

" Knocking on wood" is thought to ward off all evil energies. The

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

is completed when a person is talking about something positive that has happened in their life. The ritual is to pinch your right ear lobe and knock on wood twice, while saying

mashallah ''Mashallah'' ( ar, مَا شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ, '), also written Masha'Allah, Maşallah (Turkey and Azerbaijan), Masya Allah (Malaysia and Indonesia), Maschallah (Germany), and Mašallah ( Bosnia), is an Arabic phrase that is used to expre ...

. It is believed that this stops

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

from becoming aware of your

good fortune Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

Lead pouring

There is an old tradition of

molybdomancy Molybdomancy (from and -mancy) is a technique of divination using molten metal. Typically, molten lead or tin is dropped into water. It can be found as a tradition in various cultures, including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Ger ...

called "kurşun dökme" in Turkish (literally, "lead casting", "lead pouring") which is supposed to help with various spiritual problems, e.g. to combat the effects of the evil eye or to predict future. The rituals vary, but they involve pouring molten

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

into water. This tradition is known in other cultures around the world. Researchers from

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

performed a study of the effects of this tradition on the health of women. They reported risks of

antimony Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient time ...

poisoning and

lead poisoning Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. The brain is the most sensitive. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, inferti ...

."Kurşun döktürmenin inanılmaz zararı"
''

Milliyet ''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a Turkish daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. History and profile ''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 ...

'' (retrieved December 21, 2017)

Repeating statement

Turkish people believe that repeating something forty times can make the desired event happen.

Right hand and left hand

People in Turkey also believe that itching of the right hand means unexpected money inflow in the close future. Likewise, itching of the left hand means a possible loss of money.

Slippers

Inside a house, if slippers are upside down, it means that somebody will die at home.

References

{{Europe topic, Superstition in

Culture of Turkey