posted
I have just heard this and please forgive me if it seems like im a bit gobsmacked by it.
If a woman is pregnant she doesnt tell anyone incase someone who cant have kids looks at her she will lose the baby and the woman who cant have kids will get pregnant?
When the baby is born (provided she hasnt lost it by being looked at by someone who cant have kids) they cant leave the house for 40 days incase someone looks at them who cant have kids which will make thier milk dry up instantly?
Smucks you had a baby here, were you told this or is it just Upper Egypt??
Im off to find a pregnant woman to look at
I wonder if I look at someone who is pregnant and I get pregnant because of this, do I need a man to help or does it happen instantly without one?
posted
Yip this is true! I had my baby boy in Cairo in 1999, came out of hospital, had all the family in our home for 7 days and no-one was allowed to see the baby until after 7 days, in case of teh evil eye! At that time, people try to see if you can breast feed etc.... Also people can be jealous of you. On the 7th day we had a open house and party. We killed 2 sheep and gave the meat to the neighbours and anyone passing to celebrate the birth. Its called Sabhour (apologies if its not spelt correctly. Great time was had by all, and then was I glad when after 8 days everyone left and it was just me and baby! I am not superstitious, however i have known a family memeber to allow someone in her home during the 7 days, and then could not breast feed after that.....evil eye!
Posts: 288 | From: UK | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
'evil eye' i heard that so much. When i had my children, if a friend or neighbour came to the flat i would have to take the baby to another room - incase of the evil eye!
Ayisha ' i think' you need a man to help you get pregnant - i'm just sumizing not to sure though
I wonder if your baby would look like the pregnants womens hubby? you would want to check him out first of course! Posts: 895 | Registered: Sep 2007
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TL grandkids are better believe me! I dont think I would be brave enough to have a child here, I die enough in summer without being pregnant through it
-------------------- If you don't learn from your mistakes, there's no sense making them. Posts: 15090 | From: http://www.egyptalk.com/forum/ | Registered: Jul 2004
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I let everyone and their dog see the baby immediately and days after the birth and I'm nursing to this day. Anyone who believes that crap should be ceremoniously taken to the town square, blindfolded and shot. You should not reproduce anyway. Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
you guys ever hear the one where someone will come up to you and tell you that the baby is ugly - on purpose - so as to scare away the evil eye?? or dispel jealousy. or some such stupid thing.
and it aint all upper egypt thing. ran into it in my family - and they ain't from upper egypt - at least not for a few generations, and are educated, and a bunch of doctors are in the family,and they STILL believe this crap. Posts: 1103 | From: 6th of October | Registered: Jun 2007
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posted
you got NO chance of the fairy tales stopping!
You obviously not heard of why a man has got acne, or spots on his face ??
(one reason why my husband spends hours a week face packing & cleansing is NOT to get any spots ! he even tries to avoid talking to a man in public who has spots on his face !)
Or, if a man has got bad stomach pain its the "willy worms" that got in & everyone knows what a dirty boy he has been
Once he came to uk for 6 month holiday. he wanted a new phone, but said if he got it, the evil eye would destroy it. I laughed & made him buy it. when we got back to Egypt we went to coffee shop, & a guy we dont like came to admire his phone which was lying on the table when my husband went to order. He came back, sat down & his new phone jumped off the table onto the floor & broke!! I never lived that one down.
Posts: 319 | From: egypt/uk | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
I haven't heard that Ayisha but I have been told that if a pregnant woman looks at someone a lot the baby will resemble that person. Not sure how that happens.
I've also heard of ppl dressing up their baby boys as girls to prevent the evil eye.
Posts: 2735 | From: my desk | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by With a name like Smuckers:
I let everyone and their dog see the baby immediately and days after the birth and I'm nursing to this day.
Thats obviously because you're American smucks, it seems it doesnt work on Americans OR no one looked at the baby who couldnt have one themselves Posts: 15090 | From: http://www.egyptalk.com/forum/ | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
me 2 was amazed that about it here. course I was very naive - believing that Egypt was a muslim country also...lol boy oh boy...was I wrong, huh?
Posts: 1103 | From: 6th of October | Registered: Jun 2007
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posted
I guess Egyptians must think it really strange when they go to the West and are told not to walk under ladders, or on the cracks in the pavement/sidewalk, or to put their baby teeth under the pillow, or to throw salt over their shoulder if they spill it, or not to go out on Friday 13th, or that black cats are lucky and they should touch wood for luck, although they would probably agree that it's bad luck to put shoes on the table
But what about if the fob watch hung over a pregnant woman's stomach goes backwards and forwards, it will be a boy, but if it goes round and round it will be a girl; or babies born with big ears will be generous; and a baby born with open hands and out-stretched fingers will be prosperous; or you shouldn't bring a pram/pushchair into a house without a baby in it?
Come on folks, there are superstitions everywhere, and if you are mixing with village people, of course they will believe them more. It's just that their superstitions are new to you.
Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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quote:Originally posted by newcomer: babies born with big ears will be generous;
So that's why I'm so bloody generous
Anyway to answer Ayisha's question, I have never personally experienced any of this stuff either with my family or friends. All our babies were pararded around when they were born.
The only thing I know is that Egyptian women are scared of loosing the baby because of the "evil eye" but the obssesion with the eye is in everything not just babies.
Posts: 4446 | From: Egyptian in Sydney | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Oh I remembered another thing. If a woman craves something and doesn't get it, then the baby will be born with a birthmark in the shape of that craving ie an apple or date or whatever.
Posts: 4446 | From: Egyptian in Sydney | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:Originally posted by * 7ayat *: Oh I remembered another thing. If a woman craves something and doesn't get it, then the baby will be born with a birthmark in the shape of that craving ie an apple or date or whatever.
That sounds a wonderful way for women to get their own way when the cravings hit...I wonder many times it can work Posts: 4576 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Oops, my last boy still has a birthmark on his hip - and it looks so hot! Wonder now what I was craving!! Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Although I didn't deliver my daughter in Egypt, we did travel to Egypt shortly after the birth and I had to hear a bunch of nonsensical theories as to why she was no longer with us.
My husband sent her photos back to the family under the express conditions that nobody outside of the immediate family was allowed to look at them, for fear of the evil eye. I had her death explained to me by one relative as being because someone in the village somehow heard about her and envied us. They didn't even see my baby but the good old evil eye was being blamed...
Not quite an old wives tale, but my MIL infuriated me by saying that my baby had died because I used a computer too much when I was pregnant and it infected my body. WTF?! Posts: 463 | From: Other side of nowhere | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
GOI, you are so strong in dealing with such a painful issue. I don't know how I would feel. My best wishes to you and and your husband and don't let anyone blame you, don't listen to all this crap. Unbelievable!
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Did you hear the one about - if you have twins, then at night their souls enter cats so you must never kill a cat at night because it might have the soul of a baby twin in it!!!!!
My Upper Egy Ex (Qena area) told me that one and he said it was definately true, he'd seen it with his own eyes - a man in his town had twins and one night someone tried to kill a cat and the man said 'no don't do that, it has the soul of one of my twins in it' - therefore it must be true. I did suggest that maybe the man didn't want the cat to be killed ... but no. (one of several reasons I decided that there was no future for me and him!)
Posts: 5593 | From: Egypt | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by newcomer: I guess Egyptians must think it really strange when they go to the West and are told not to walk under ladders, or on the cracks in the pavement/sidewalk, or to put their baby teeth under the pillow, or to throw salt over their shoulder if they spill it, or not to go out on Friday 13th, or that black cats are lucky and they should touch wood for luck, although they would probably agree that it's bad luck to put shoes on the table
But what about if the fob watch hung over a pregnant woman's stomach goes backwards and forwards, it will be a boy, but if it goes round and round it will be a girl; or babies born with big ears will be generous; and a baby born with open hands and out-stretched fingers will be prosperous; or you shouldn't bring a pram/pushchair into a house without a baby in it?
Come on folks, there are superstitions everywhere, and if you are mixing with village people, of course they will believe them more. It's just that their superstitions are new to you.
The difference is (at least in the states) that people pretty much think you are WEIRD if you still REALLY believe that stuff over the age of 12.
Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
LOL well, you got me there, although I've never been to a small village in the hickland boonies (although the movie DELIVERANCE does come to mind). Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
I heard the one about cats and twins too oldbag, they swear its true
I asked hubby about the baby things last night though, he gave me a look that said 'are you mad?' and said 'thats all up to the God!'
Alhamdulillah
-------------------- If you don't learn from your mistakes, there's no sense making them. Posts: 15090 | From: http://www.egyptalk.com/forum/ | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Originally posted by * 7ayat *: Oh I remembered another thing. If a woman craves something and doesn't get it, then the baby will be born with a birthmark in the shape of that craving ie an apple or date or whatever. --------------------------------------------
hahaha i heard that one
I did 'use' this one though Posts: 895 | Registered: Sep 2007
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