Greeks see reemergence of evil eye
ATHENS, Greece — Stroll down Ifestou Street in the bustling Monastiraki market, and you’ll spy ropes of necklaces, bracelets and keychains bedecked with the mati, or “eye,” the distinctive talisman with concentric blue and white circles.
For years, tourists to Greece have snapped up the charms, these “all-seeing eyeballs,” which are supposed to help ward off the “evil eye.” The term refers to negative energy caused by another’s jealousy, which Greeks believe can cause minor troubles and even physical symptoms for the victim.
These days the symbol is popping up everywhere, from handmade soap to chic hotel lobbies. A Greek-language iPhone app promises the secret prayer to remove the evil eye. Vendors in the Monastiraki market say the merchandising trend has been growing during the past several years, but now it is sweeping up tourists and native Greeks alike.
The booming popularity appears to reflect a growing interest in
New Age spirituality as well as the psychological toll of Greece’s ongoing debt crisis.
Though the cerulean blue charm is still the most traditional, today you’ll find variations in pink and even multicolored bracelets for kids. The charms are most popular among Egyptians, Spaniards and American girls, sellers said.
Myrto Dafne’s family has run Duende souvenir shop on Ifestou Street since 1895. Their store has a modest display of mati keychains and medallions. Most tourists she encounters don’t know what the
symbol means.
Dafne tells them: “‘It’s superstitious, it’s supposed to bring luck.’” So they get excited about it.”
Secular concerns may partly explain the eye’s resurgence now. Since 2009, the Greek financial crisis has decimated the country’s economy. More than a quarter of its citizens are now unemployed, and half of Greek youth lack jobs.
In such times, people often turn to familiar traditions, such as the evil eye, for comfort.
“It’s part of this New Age thing, but also — I think there is some value to these practices. It sort of gives you a sense that you can somehow control the reasons that create
stress and anxiety,” said Nadina Christopoulou, a Greek anthropologist who runs a nonprofit organization for refugee women based in Athens.
References to the evil eye appear in the Bible and Sumerian texts, making the concept at least 5,000 years old. It is based on the notion of a limited amount of good in the world, and the idea that one person’s envy can deduct from another’s fortune.
Still prevalent in contemporary Mediterranean cultures such as Greece, belief in the evil eye is also common throughout India, Ireland, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
“It’s become such a huge industry. I was in a Greek town and I wanted to get a gift. Part of their packaging is, when they wrap the gift, they also tie a mati,” said Filio Kontrafouri, a GreekAmerican journalist who counts the evil eye as part of her heritage.
Though the Greek Orthodox Church considers the mati at odds with Christianity, many within the church accept the idea of an evil energy circulating among people, which may help explain the talisman’s enduring popularity in this highly religious country.
“Religion-wise, the blue eye does not mean anything. This is a cultural symbol,” said the Rev. Demetrios Nikou, high priest of the Cathedral of Athens.