page_title: Evil eye
hierarchical_section_title: Evil eye
caption_attribution_description: Azərbaycanca: Göz muncuğu və ya Nəzər muncuğu English: Blue eyes, sold as protection against the evil eye. Ελληνικά: Ματόχαντρα, για προστασία από το κακό μάτι. Türkçe: Nazar boncuğu. Deutsch: Nazar - Blaues Auge, Blaue Perle, Nazar-Amulett oder Nazar-Perle. Magyar: Nazar, vagyis a szemmel verés ellen védő török amulett
context_page_description: The evil eye is a curse or legend believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when one is unaware. Many cultures believe that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury, while others believe it to be a kind of supernatural force that casts or reflects a malevolent gaze back-upon those who wish harm upon others. Talismans or amulets created to protect against the evil eye are also frequently called "evil eyes".
  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, but it is especially prominent in the Mediterranean and West Asia. The idea appears multiple times in Jewish rabbinic literature. It was a widely extended belief among many Mediterranean and Asian tribes and cultures.
context_section_description: The evil eye is a curse or legend believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, usually given to a person when one is unaware. Many cultures believe that receiving the evil eye will cause misfortune or injury, while others believe it to be a kind of supernatural force that casts or reflects a malevolent gaze back-upon those who wish harm upon others (especially innocents).  Talismans or amulets created to protect against the evil eye are also frequently called "evil eyes".
  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, but it is especially prominent in the Mediterranean and West Asia. The idea appears multiple times in Jewish rabbinic literature. 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, are a common sight across Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Brazil, Israel, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, parts of India,  Morocco, southern Spain, parts of Mexico, Malta, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, the Balkans, the Levant, Afghanistan, Syria, and Bahrain, and have become a popular choice of souvenir with tourists. Other popular amulets and talismans used to ward off the evil eye include the hamsa, while Italy (especially Southern Italy) employs a variety of other unique charms and gestures to defend against the evil eye, including the cornicello, the cimaruta, and the sign of the horns.
caption: Nazars, charms used to ward off the evil eye.
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