06 June 2018

Superstition and Magic in Slovenia





Date of Issue : 25 May 2018



Slovenia Post issued a set of  five stamps on 25 May 2018 featuring popular superstitions and magic in Slovenia. The stamps feature Witches, black cats, protection of newborn babies, divination, St John's wreath.


One activity that is popular in Slovenia is weaving of St John's wreaths ,which are hung on front doors in Karst villages on Mid summer Night or St John's Eve in order to protect individual houses and the people in them from everything evil and bring good luck.This practice, which is carried out every year,is today listed in the register of intangible cultural heritage.

Many magical actions are also related to the protection of new born children. The most popular one was protection by means of a pentagram or "incubupaw" carved or painted on to the side of the child's cradle. Perhaps, the most popular are osuperstition in Slovenia relates to belief in witches,i.e. fabulous or demonic beings, or ttrusipeoplwho were able tcast spells,telfortune,prophesy and even heal.

Popular superstitions are associated with animals .A typical example of the latter is the black cat, which is generally held to bring bad luck. Today this phenomenon is present even in car culture ,and a black cat that crosses the street in front of a car is believed to signify something bad, in other words an accident.

Predicting good and bad news ,actions,events and destinies is the stuff of      divination and fortune-telling of many different kinds, including reading coffee rounds. In 19th century special books explaining the symbols created by coffee were written In Slovenia.



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