So what does the evil eye mean?

The evil eye, known as “mati” (μάτι) in Greek culture, is a curse thought to be given by a malicious glare that can cause bad luck or loss. You may have heard someone giving you the "evil eye" from across the room - and many people around the world believe this to be more then just a saying.

People can knowingly wish negative thoughts on you, but the power of the eye is that some people unknowingly and innocently cast the curse on others. That's why it's important to wear an evil eye somewhere on your body to ward off this curse and protect yourself throughout the day.

What are the origins of the evil eye?

So what's the history of the evil eye in our history? It actually goes pretty far back. From as far back as 3,000 BC the idea permeated through ancient culture. If someone was jealous of another because of their social status or what they owned, the evil eye could be cast on them out of pure envy, leaving the receiver with misfortune.

To avoid this look, the ancient peoples began wearing amulets or jewelry with the evil eye symbol incorporated into them. If you wore this, the evil look would be reflected back to the person that was casting it.

You can find the evil eye mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman texts, and even famous literary works like the Bible, the Koran, and even Shakespeare's plays. Across all of the world's many cultures, over 40% of them believe in some form of the evil eye, according to folklorist John Roberts (1976).

Before science was able to explain many misfortunes like bad luck, ill health, an accident, or environmental woes like a drought or disease, many people attributed these harmful situations to a curse. The evil eye was a common answer to the question "why do bad things happen to good people?"

How do you protect yourself from the evil eye?

We can protect ourselves from the evil eye in many ways - with prayer, by exclaiming “ftou!” 3 times (yes, you've seen this in My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and, of course, wearing the evil eye symbol on our body.

When a person wears or carries an evil eye with them, it guards against misfortune happening in one's life. The evil eye brings good luck and protects you from any ill-will that could otherwise have a negative effect on your well-being or your life in general.

While the most traditional evil eye symbol is a sapphire or cobalt blue hue, evil eye charms in different colours hold different meaning.

What do the evil eye charm colors mean?

In Greece and many other cultures that believe in the evil eye, the most popular colour is a deep blue, just like the Greek seas. This sapphire or cobalt blue is the classic interpretation, but over the years many other colors have come to symbolize different meanings. Below are some of the most popular colors and what they mean.

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Orange

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Dark Blue

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Light Blue

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Dark Green