What Turkish Superstitions Look Like in Daily Life
Turkish superstitions are less a rulebook than a set of small habits woven into daily life. Examples include a blue bead by the door, a quick “maşallah” after good news, or water poured behind a departing car. I grew up in Turkey, and many of the beliefs below were part of my family’s routine. Others I only heard from neighbours or found in documented folklore. I keep the two separate, because not every Turkish person believes these things, and practice varies widely by generation, region and family.
Nazar: The Belief I Saw Most Often
Nazar is the evil-eye belief: the idea that envy or excessive admiration, intended or not, can bring harm. The nazar boncuğu is the protective bead or talisman, usually blue glass with an eye-like design. The İzmir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism offers background on the bead, and a 2026 academic review examines evil-eye beliefs in Anatolia.
My family genuinely believed in nazar. A large nazar boncuğu hung at our home entrance. It wasn’t sacred to us. It was a cultural object that made the house feel reassuring and safe. My father always hung a small one from the car’s rear-view mirror. Nobody thought a bigger bead gave more protection.
My Father’s Nazar Story
Elders in my family often warned against announcing plans too widely, because other people’s envy or attention could attract nazar. My father once mentioned at the coffeehouse that he planned to buy a van for the family dairy. Later, a tyre failed in an unusually remote place, and he saw it as nazar. That is his interpretation, not proof, but it shows how the belief helps people make sense of bad luck.
Why People Say “Maşallah” and “Nazar Değmesin”
In my family and social circle, these phrases followed almost any good news: a newborn baby, exam success or a new achievement. “Maşallah” expresses admiration. “Nazar değmesin” means roughly “may the evil eye not touch it.” Saying either signals that your praise carries no envy. If you are a visitor shown a new baby, “maşallah” is a warm, welcome response.
Ear Pull, Kissing Sound, Knock on Wood
I repeatedly saw people pull an earlobe, make a small kissing sound, then knock on wood after a worrying remark or after praising someone. In my experience it was especially common among women, though I wouldn’t claim everyone does it. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s superstition compilation separately records knocking on wood three times as a way of warding off evil, which helps show that this is not only a memory from my own family circle.
Turkish Superstitions I Saw in My Family
Pouring Water Behind a Traveller
When someone left on a journey, my family and close circle poured water behind them. For us, it expressed a wish that the road would be as open and trouble-free as flowing water, and that the traveller would return safely. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also records pouring water behind a person who sets out as a Turkish folk belief. My personal impression is that some younger people care less about this custom now, so I would describe it as a living tradition with a noticeable generational difference rather than something every household still does.
Not Cutting Nails at Night
My mother repeatedly told me not to cut my nails at night because it brings bad luck. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s superstition list also records the rule that nails should not be cut at night.
My grandfather gave me a very different explanation when I was a child. He said that before electric lighting, families relied on candles or gas lamps, so trimming nails in dim light could easily cause an injury. In his view, a practical warning may have turned into a superstition over time. I have always found that explanation plausible, but it was my grandfather’s interpretation, not a documented historical origin.
Chewing Gum at Night
I heard this one from an older neighbour, not from my immediate family. The saying was that chewing gum after dark was like chewing the flesh of the dead. It sounded strange to me even as a child, and it was never part of our household routine. The same belief is also recorded in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s superstition compilation, so it belongs in documented folklore even though I personally associate it much more with older people than with everyday life today.
Slippers and Shoes
My mother and aunt cared about slippers and shoes being upright, paired and neatly aligned. A shoe or slipper left upside down was something to fix immediately. The Ministry’s list also records upside-down slippers and shoes as a bad sign. In my family, the emphasis was less on explaining exactly what would happen and more on the instinctive feeling that footwear should be set right.
Itchy Palms and Money
The itchy-palm belief was familiar in my circle. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, an itchy left palm means you will receive money, while an itchy right palm means you will spend it. Some websites reverse this.
Broken Glass and “Nazar Çıktı”
In my family and social circle, a broken glass or plate could be followed by the phrase “nazar çıktı” — roughly, “the evil eye has gone out.” Instead of treating the breakage only as bad luck, people sometimes reframed it as if something negative had been released.
I also saw a more public version of this several times in Aydın. When a glass or bottle broke in some venues I visited, the room briefly broke into applause, with people joking or commenting that the nazar had come out. I would not present that as a rule across Turkey, but it is a good example of how an old belief can survive as a social reflex, a joke and a genuine superstition at the same time.
Are Turkish Superstitions Still Common Today?
In my own experience, nazar-related habits are still the easiest to recognize: nazar boncuğu in homes and cars, “maşallah” after good news, and small gestures meant to avoid tempting bad luck. Other customs feel more generational. Pouring water behind a traveller, avoiding nail-cutting at night or worrying about an upside-down slipper were stronger in the generation above me than among many younger people I know.
That does not mean the beliefs have disappeared. Sometimes they survive as sincere belief, sometimes as family habit, and sometimes as humour. That mixture is why Turkish superstitions are better understood through context than through a simple list of “things Turks believe.”
If you are interested in other everyday social customs in Turkey, my guides to Turkish dining etiquette and tipping in Turkey cover two other areas where context matters more than rigid rules.
Older and Regional Folklore
Some beliefs feel much more like older or regional folklore than part of my everyday life. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s compilation, for example, records a black cat crossing someone’s path as an ill omen. I knew of that idea growing up, but it was never a major concern in my own younger-generation circle. Regional, family and generational differences matter.
FAQ
Do all Turkish people believe in nazar?
No. Belief varies by person, family, generation and region. In my own family, nazar was taken seriously, but I have also known people who treat the same customs as habit, humour or decoration.
What is the difference between nazar and nazar boncuğu?
Nazar is the belief in harmful effects associated with an envious or admiring gaze. A nazar boncuğu is the familiar eye-shaped bead used as a protective symbol against that belief. The İzmir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism documents the continuing craft tradition behind these glass beads in the region.
Why do people say “maşallah” after good news?
In my family and social circle, “maşallah” was a natural response to a baby, an exam result, a new achievement or something beautiful. It expressed admiration while also acknowledging the cultural concern about nazar.
Is pouring water behind a traveller really a Turkish custom?
It was common in my family and close circle, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism also records water being poured behind a person who sets out. I would still describe its current use as varying by household and generation.
Sources and Further Reading
In Short
Nazar is the superstition I encountered most often growing up, but Turkish folk beliefs are not a single national rulebook. They change across families, regions and generations, and the most useful way to understand them is to separate documented folklore from what people actually practice in daily life.
Fascinating! I grew up with many of the same superstitions.