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Origin |
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New Orleans Cemeteries |
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Cajun spells |
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Storyteller Cabin |
Cajun Spells
Here are some Cajun superstitions and good gris-gris (that's "charms and spells" for you non-Cajuns):
Beware of sleeping in the moonlight. It will make you go moon mad.
To protect against the devil: Hang a mirror on your porch by the door. M'su Diable is very vain. He is so attracted to his own image that he can't move from the spot until the sun rises and he has to scat.
To protect against the Cajun loup garou (werewolf) : Lay 13 small objects such as pennies, beans, or broom straws by your doors. The werewolf is not too bright. She cannot count higher than 12. When she comes to the 13th object, she gets soooo confused and has to start over. The poor thing will be there counting all night until the dawn when she must flee the sun.
For good fortune: Never eat both ends of a loaf of bread before you've eaten the middle -- if you do, you'll have trouble making ends meet. Also, be sure to eat cooked cabbage (and lots of it) on New Years Day for good fortune in the coming days. And, like many Southerners, Cajuns also eat black eyed peas on the first to have good health in the New Year.
If a alligator crawls under your house, be extra careful - it could be a
warning of someone's impending death.
To find a treasure: The fifolet is an eerie burning light that is seen
often in the swamp, gently floating and beckoning all to follow. Some say it
is swamp gas. Some say it is a spirit which may or may not be evil. Treasure hunters believe that a fifolet will lead you to treasure. Just hide and watch to see if it hovers over a certain place. Come back in the daylight with a shovel and you may find a treasure. But beware -- many have tried to follow the fifolet, and few have returned.
Just for fun -- a love potion: Mix a little orange flower water, rose water, three small bottles of honey together. Add nine lumps of sugar on which the mans' and womans' initials have been scratched. Pour around the house of the intended love. Then, burn a pink candle for 9 days.
Finally, to ward off evil: Drill a hole in a dime and wear it about your neck under your clothing. You can also spit three times (this will ward off just about anybody!)
And -- never, never, never, try to make bad gris-gris (a bad spell on somebody). Remember, what goes around, comes around. The best revenge is to live a good, happy and long life!
Be sure to visit J.J.'s Web site at http://www.jjreneaux.com.
