What is 'NAZAR'?

 Nazar is a gaze which is believed to cause an accident or trouble by an animate or inanimate creature. It is believed that children, pregnant women, and animals affect the most. The other meaning in Turkish is ‘to look at anything with envy and affect it in a way that hurts’. Although this term is more associated with the gaze and eye which is accompanied by the feeling of jealousy, words of admiration and praise for any living thing or object were also seen within the scope of the Nazar in terms of their effect.

 Nazar is also known as ‘kem göz, şeytanın gözü’ in Turkish. The word ‘kem’ which its origin is Persian means ‘bad and evil’. The word ‘göz’ means ‘eye’. The word ‘kem göz’ is used as ‘malicious glance’ in society. Also in Arabic, ‘Nazar' means ‘gaze and look’. The origin of the belief of Nazar dates back to ancient times. This belief, which is seen in ancient Roman and Hellen civilization, also in Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu societies, has taken its place especially in indigenous and peasant societies and it has survived until today. It is believed that the Nazar of disabled persons who have body deformation, women who have no child, and old women is worse than the other people. In the past, it is believed that people looked with Nazar unintentionally in some societies. For instance, in Slavic folklore, there is a story which is about a father who was blind because of the fact that he had Nazar on his children. However; it is believed that people look with Nazar because of jealousy recently. Therefore, when goods or children are praised, some sentences like ‘god bless it, as god will, etc.’ are added to their customs. In Muslim societies, the word ‘mashallah’, which is similar, is used.

What is 'NAZAR'?

 As everyone knows, Nazar is a bad thing and people try to do something in order to protect themselves. The methods of being believed in protecting from Nazar differ from society to society. The most common method is to wear jewelry like an evil eye bead or carry prayer papers on it like amulets. An evil eye bead is an eye figure which is believed to prevent people from evil. In some regions of India, the couples who have married wear clothes of the opposite sex to protect themselves from Nazar. In some Asian societies, black paints are applied around the eyes of the children. In some Asian and African societies, it is believed that people are affected the most by Nazar while they are eating and the soul comes out of the body more easily when the mouth is open. For this reason, they eat only alone or with their relatives. In Islam, evil eye beads are believed by some societies and they are kept for both protection and decoration. However, most people don’t believe the effect of the evil eye beads. Evil eye beads are seen as superstition by the people whose religion is Islam. Even some people say that these beads lead to worse things like being haunted by the genies. There are some prayers to prevent Nazar in Qur'an-ı Kerim like the verses of ‘Nazar and In Yekad’. Muslims hung these verses on the entry of their house to protect themselves from Nazar.

What is 'NAZAR'?

 It is believed that some people have the power to rescue from the negative effects of Nazar. These people can hand over their power to other people when they get old, especially when they feel that they will die. This means ‘giving hand’. The success of banishing the Nazar is understood with the yawn of the person who is praying. The more and longer the person who is praying yawns, the more the person who is sitting against him or her looks with Nazar.

 In conclusion, Nazar is a belief which is believed as a bad thing by people. It is in almost all cultures in the world. If someone faces Nazar, he or she can suffer from something. That’s why some people who face Nazar try to have some items like an amulet, evil eye bead, the others have papers which contain prayers to protect themselves from the Nazar.