Superstitions: Tu Me Hiciste Brujeria

There is a story about my childhood that goes something like this. I am a baby and I am crying without consolation. In modern times, this would be considered colic. In the olden days, my mother was told that I had been given the evil eye. Whether it was done intentionally by a jealous friend, or unintentionally by a passerby that just had la mirada muy fuerte, or a strong gaze, is unbeknownst to me. The solution to my colic, err, evil eye, was to have someone rub an egg all over my body. The idea was that the egg would suck up the evil eye magic that was making me cry. After they had rubbed this salmonella covered egg all over my tiny baby body, they cracked the egg. The yolk was dirty, and so the magic had worked. I was evil eye free! After that my mother was advised to put a bracelet made of gold and red beads on me to prevent this from ever happening again.
 
Who was this person that performed the evil eye ritual, who knows? Was she paid? Most certainly but who knows how much? She must have been the town curandera or bruja, or witch doctor, or whatever you prefer. The point is that my mother believed so wholeheartedly as to put her baby in the hands of this “trusted” stranger?
 
Our lives are filled with so many superstitions. Even today, when we consider ourselves more educated because of the advancements in science and technology, we partake in superstitious rituals "just in case." These rituals are a way to make us feel like we have control over what is often times uncontrollable, like luck, love, and the opinion of others, to name a few.
 
What are some superstitions you grew up with?
Do you find that these superstitions are true or provide comfort or a sense of control? 
Are you passing down these superstitions to your kids?

Would love to hear from you!
XO,
​Wendy

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