Going forward each Tuesday there will be a Turkish tradition or fun fact that will come across on the blog to let you get more acquainted with Turkey!
The Turkish Evil Eye Pendant or the Nazar Boncugu, which literally means the “evil eye bead”, is actually a stone bead, which is worn to protect oneself from evil looks and spirits. The stone is an amalgamation of molten glass, iron, copper, water and salt. This particular combination of minerals and metals is believed to provide a shield from the forces of evil. It is believed that the Nazar Boncugu deflects the negative energy that is being directed towards a person onto itself, thus dispersing its powers. The evil eye pendant is attached to anything and everything that, it is felt, will attract envy and greed. You will find these all over the place in Turkey: from animals, to people, to houses, to possessions to ward off evil spirits and thoughts towards them. They place their trust in an amulet and a bead to protect them from evil, when in all reality it cannot do anything for them but act as a pretty decoration. The only true protection from evil is from God and by trusting in Him and accepting Him as their Savior. Our heart and desire is to take the truth of the Gospel to Turkey so they will see they do not need to trust in man made things for protection, but they can trust in God for protection.