Italian Superstitions

Italian Superstitions PDF Author: Andrea Malossini
Publisher: Andrea Malossini
ISBN: 889084583X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 231

Get Book Here

Book Description
We are all superstitious, even those who affirm the opposite. Superstition is natural, it resides in all of us: it represents the human answer to rare, singular, and mysterious phenomena. All that cannot be explained or resolved in a logical manner disturbs the human spirit, promoting many to devise remedies that, while irrational, can restore hope and security. It is fear, therefore, that generates, feeds, and preserves superstition. Not surprisingly, religion with its dogmas, natural phenomena with its mysteries, and life’s cycle with its uncertainties, have always been a source of superstitious beliefs. Andrea Malossini’s book – which collects over one thousand superstitious – reports, in an orderly manner, Italian superstitious beliefs along with a brief description of their origin and mening.The intent is to give the reader an idea of ​​Italian superstitions, in a smooth and easy way, hoping, thanks to the suggestion in the titles, to arouse curiosity. This small book is therefore not necessarily devoted to superstitious people, but to all of those who, perhaps out of habit, want to know why, when they see an upside down piece of bread on the table, they turn it over, or why, not being happy to have spilled some oil, they also throw a handful of salt over their shoulder. Author A firmly convinced rationalist and agnostic, Andrea Malossini is not superstitious and does not believe in the absurd and irrational rites suggested by superstitions. Luckily, he was born on a Thursday, of an even year, of a non-leap year, and apprentice on a Wednesday, therefore, undoubtedly, born under the best omens. Maybe for this reason- and for his inexhaustible curiosity towards the things that appear to the many as strange, mysterious and incomprehensible- he has been studying, collecting and writing for many years on topics regarding superstition and witchcraft without the fear of being charmed by them. Among the very few superstitions that he grants himself- more to keep family-peace than anything else- there are the never upside-down bread on the table and never place the hat on the bed rules. On the subject of popular traditions he cooperated with several newspapers and periodicals. He was the author of the moon weekly almanac on the Sunday television program “Linea Verde” broadcasted on Rai Uno; today he is the author and voice of the weekly column “Lune e Cieli” broadcasted live on the Television station TeleSanterno- Odeon TV. He published over ten books for the publishing company Garzanti , A.Vallardi e Area51 Publishing, among which: “Manuale di stregoneria” (Witchcraft Manual), “Le ricette delle streghe” (Witches Recipes), “Breve storia delle streghe” Witches: a brief history), “Dizionario delle superstizioni italiane” (Dicionary of Italian superstitions), “Gli unti del Signore” (God’s Anointed), “Dizionario dei Santi patroni”(Dictionary of Patron Saints).

Italian Superstitions

Italian Superstitions PDF Author: Andrea Malossini
Publisher: Andrea Malossini
ISBN: 889084583X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 231

Get Book Here

Book Description
We are all superstitious, even those who affirm the opposite. Superstition is natural, it resides in all of us: it represents the human answer to rare, singular, and mysterious phenomena. All that cannot be explained or resolved in a logical manner disturbs the human spirit, promoting many to devise remedies that, while irrational, can restore hope and security. It is fear, therefore, that generates, feeds, and preserves superstition. Not surprisingly, religion with its dogmas, natural phenomena with its mysteries, and life’s cycle with its uncertainties, have always been a source of superstitious beliefs. Andrea Malossini’s book – which collects over one thousand superstitious – reports, in an orderly manner, Italian superstitious beliefs along with a brief description of their origin and mening.The intent is to give the reader an idea of ​​Italian superstitions, in a smooth and easy way, hoping, thanks to the suggestion in the titles, to arouse curiosity. This small book is therefore not necessarily devoted to superstitious people, but to all of those who, perhaps out of habit, want to know why, when they see an upside down piece of bread on the table, they turn it over, or why, not being happy to have spilled some oil, they also throw a handful of salt over their shoulder. Author A firmly convinced rationalist and agnostic, Andrea Malossini is not superstitious and does not believe in the absurd and irrational rites suggested by superstitions. Luckily, he was born on a Thursday, of an even year, of a non-leap year, and apprentice on a Wednesday, therefore, undoubtedly, born under the best omens. Maybe for this reason- and for his inexhaustible curiosity towards the things that appear to the many as strange, mysterious and incomprehensible- he has been studying, collecting and writing for many years on topics regarding superstition and witchcraft without the fear of being charmed by them. Among the very few superstitions that he grants himself- more to keep family-peace than anything else- there are the never upside-down bread on the table and never place the hat on the bed rules. On the subject of popular traditions he cooperated with several newspapers and periodicals. He was the author of the moon weekly almanac on the Sunday television program “Linea Verde” broadcasted on Rai Uno; today he is the author and voice of the weekly column “Lune e Cieli” broadcasted live on the Television station TeleSanterno- Odeon TV. He published over ten books for the publishing company Garzanti , A.Vallardi e Area51 Publishing, among which: “Manuale di stregoneria” (Witchcraft Manual), “Le ricette delle streghe” (Witches Recipes), “Breve storia delle streghe” Witches: a brief history), “Dizionario delle superstizioni italiane” (Dicionary of Italian superstitions), “Gli unti del Signore” (God’s Anointed), “Dizionario dei Santi patroni”(Dictionary of Patron Saints).

Inventing Superstition

Inventing Superstition PDF Author: Dale B. Martin
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674040694
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Roman author Pliny the Younger characterizes Christianity as “contagious superstition”; two centuries later the Christian writer Eusebius vigorously denounces Greek and Roman religions as vain and impotent “superstitions.” The term of abuse is the same, yet the two writers suggest entirely different things by “superstition.” Dale Martin provides the first detailed genealogy of the idea of superstition, its history over eight centuries, from classical Greece to the Christianized Roman Empire of the fourth century C.E. With illuminating reference to the writings of philosophers, historians, and medical teachers he demonstrates that the concept of superstition was invented by Greek intellectuals to condemn popular religious practices and beliefs, especially the belief that gods or other superhuman beings would harm people or cause disease. Tracing the social, political, and cultural influences that informed classical thinking about piety and superstition, nature and the divine, Inventing Superstition exposes the manipulation of the label of superstition in arguments between Greek and Roman intellectuals on the one hand and Christians on the other, and the purposeful alteration of the idea by Neoplatonic philosophers and Christian apologists in late antiquity. Inventing Superstition weaves a powerfully coherent argument that will transform our understanding of religion in Greek and Roman culture and the wider ancient Mediterranean world.

Superstitious Regimes

Superstitious Regimes PDF Author: Rebecca Nodostup
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 1684174953
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 490

Get Book Here

Book Description
"We live in a world shaped by secularism—the separation of numinous power from political authority and religion from the political, social, and economic realms of public life. Not only has progress toward modernity often been equated with secularization, but when religion is admitted into modernity, it has been distinguished from superstition. That such ideas are continually contested does not undercut their extraordinary influence. These divisions underpin this investigation of the role of religion in the construction of modernity and political power during the Nanjing Decade (1927–1937) of Nationalist rule in China. This book explores the modern recategorization of religious practices and people and examines how state power affected the religious lives and physical order of local communities. It also looks at how politicians conceived of their own ritual role in an era when authority was meant to derive from popular sovereignty. The claims of secular nationalism and mobilizational politics prompted the Nationalists to conceive of the world of religious association as a dangerous realm of “superstition” that would destroy the nation. This is the first “superstitious regime” of the book’s title. It also convinced them that national feeling and faith in the party-state would replace those ties—the second “superstitious regime.”"

Italian Folk Magic

Italian Folk Magic PDF Author: Mary-Grace Fahrun
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN: 1633410552
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this fascinating journey through the magical, folkloric, and healing traditions of Italy the reader learns uniquely Italian methods of magical protection and divination and spells for love, sex, control, and revenge. "Mary-Grace Fahrun's Italian Folk Magic is an intimate journey into the heart of Italian folk magical practices as they are lived every day. Having grown up in an extended Italian family in North America and Italy, the author presents us with the stories, characters, saints, charms, and prayers that form the core of folk religion, setting them in context in an authentic, down-to-earth, and humorous voice. A delight to read!"—Sabina Magliocco, Professor of Anthropology, University of British Columbia Italian Folk Magiccontains: magical and religious rituals prayers divination techniques crafting blessing rituals witchcraft The author also explores the evil eye, known as malocchio in Italian, explaining what it is, where it comes from, and, crucially, how to get rid of it. This book can help Italians regain their magical heritage, but Italian folk magic is a beautiful, powerful, and effective magical tradition that is accessible to anyone who wants to learn it.

Ancient legends, Mystic Charms & Superstitions of Ireland

Ancient legends, Mystic Charms & Superstitions of Ireland PDF Author: Lady Wilde
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 437

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Ancient legends, Mystic Charms & Superstitions of Ireland" by Lady Wilde (the pen-name for Jane Wilde) is perhaps one of the best compilations of Irish lore ever published. Yet, it was almost lost to time. Ireland is a country full of myths and magic, and Wilde has managed to write an engaging and yet still succinct summary of the most important aspects of it. With a culture as rich as that of the Irish, it's a truly remarkable feat to be able to have it all at one's fingertips the way it is thanks to Lady Wilde's work.

Ancient legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland

Ancient legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland PDF Author: Lady Wilde
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 3387078196
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 705

Get Book Here

Book Description
Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland PDF Author: Francesca Wilde
Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
ISBN: 3849623696
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 550

Get Book Here

Book Description
Many of the Irish legends, superstitions, and ancient charms now collected were obtained chiefly from oral communications made by the peasantry themselves, either in Irish or in the Irish-English which preserves so much of the expressive idiom of the antique tongue. These narrations were taken down by competent persons skilled in both languages, and as far as possible in the very words of the narrator; so that much of the primitive simplicity of the style has been retained, while the legends have a peculiar and special value as coming direct from the national heart.

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland PDF Author: Lady Wilde
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Folklore
Languages : en
Pages : 392

Get Book Here

Book Description


Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland With Sketches of the Irish Past

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland With Sketches of the Irish Past PDF Author: Jane Francesca Agnes Wilde
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
ISBN: 1613102291
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 659

Get Book Here

Book Description
The ancient legends of all nations of the world, on which from age to age the generations of man have been nurtured, bear so striking a resemblance to each other that we are led to believe there was once a period when the whole human family was of one creed and one language. But with increasing numbers came the necessity of dispersion; and that ceaseless migration was commenced of the tribes of the earth from the Eastern cradle of their race which has now continued for thousands of years with undiminished activity. From the beautiful Eden-land at the head of the Persian Gulf, where creeds and culture rose to life, the first migrations emanated, and were naturally directed along the line of the great rivers, by the Euphrates and the Tigris and southward by the Nile; and there the first mighty cities of the world were built, and the first mighty kingdoms of the East began to send out colonies to take possession of the unknown silent world around them. From Persia, Assyria, and Egypt, to Greece and the Isles of the Sea, went forth the wandering tribes, carrying with them, as signs of their origin, broken fragments of the primal creed, and broken idioms of the primal tongue—those early pages in the history of the human race, eternal and indestructible, which hundreds of centuries have not been able to obliterate from the mind of man. But as the early tribes diverged from the central parent stock, the creed and the language began to assume new forms, according as new habits of life and modes of thought were developed amongst the wandering people, by the influence of climate and the contemplation of new and striking natural phenomena in the lands where they found a resting-place or a home. Still, amongst all nations a basis remained of the primal creed and language, easily to be traced through all the mutations caused by circumstances in human thought, either by higher culture or by the debasement to which both language and symbols are subjected amongst rude and illiterate tribes. To reconstruct the primal creed and language of humanity from these scattered and broken fragments, is the task which is now exciting so keenly the energies of the ardent and learned ethnographers of Europe; as yet, indeed, with but small success as regards language, for not more, perhaps, than twenty words which the philologists consider may have belonged to the original tongue have been discovered; that is, certain objects or ideas are found represented in all languages by the same words, and therefore the philologist concludes that these words must have been associated with the ideas from the earliest dawn of language; and as the words express chiefly the relations of the human family to each other, they remained fixed in the minds of the wandering tribes, untouched and unchanged by all the diversities of their subsequent experience of life. Meanwhile, in Europe there is diligent study of the ancient myths, legends, and traditions of the world, in order to extract from them that information respecting the early modes of thought prevalent amongst the primitive race, and also the lines of the first migrations, which no other monuments of antiquity are so well able to give. Traditions, like rays of light, take their colour from the medium through which they pass; but the scientific mythographic student knows how to eliminate the accidental addition from the true primal basis, which remains fixed and unchangeable; and from the numerous myths and legends of the nations of the earth, which bear so striking a conformity to each other that they point to a common origin, he will be able to reconstruct the first articles of belief in the creed of humanity, and to pronounce almost with certainty upon the primal source of the lines of human life that now traverse the globe in all directions. This source of all life, creed, and culture now on earth, there is no reason to doubt, will be found in Iran, or Persia as we call it, and in the ancient legends and language of the great Iranian people, the head and noblest type of the Aryan races. Endowed with splendid physical beauty, noble intellect, and a rich musical language, the Iranians had also a lofty sense of the relation between man and the spiritual world. They admitted no idols into their temples; their God was the One Supreme Creator and Upholder of all things, whose symbol was the sun and the pure, elemental fire. But as the world grew older and more wicked the pure primal doctrines were obscured by human fancies, the symbol came to be worshipped in place of the God, and the debased idolatries of Babylon, Assyria, and the Canaanite nations were the result. Egypt—grave, wise, learned, mournful Egypt—retained most of the primal truth; but truth was held by the priests as too precious for the crowd, and so they preserved it carefully for themselves and their own caste. They alone knew the ancient and cryptic meaning of the symbols; the people were allowed only to see the outward and visible sign.

Given Away, a Sicilian Upbringing

Given Away, a Sicilian Upbringing PDF Author: Marianna Randazzo
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781492859246
Category : Families
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
This title is now retired. In this original novel, based on a true story, Marianna Randazzo introduces readers to Tina, a four-year-old child in Sicily, 1935 and her sister Lena. Tina reluctantly walks away from her loving family, with a great-aunt for a vacation and spends the next eight years of her life absent from their lives. Newly released, (2017) Given Away. The Rest of the Story is the complete, expanded and illustrated edition of Given Away: A Sicilian Upbringing. ( Idea Press; Revised ed. k 2017) Two books in one! It is available on Amazon and in bookstores. Marianna Randazzo is the winner of the NYS Order Sons of Italy Literary Award, 2016.