Now as I recall my grandmother with her neighbor and my wife also have some rituals of their own. Folk magic accompanies every culture and even melting of Marzanna is in a kind of intentional procedure. At one bad time in my life when a certain person took me into so-called turmoil in order to undo what had practically destroyed my life she told me to throw lighted lighters into a bowl of water, and in total from that moment I changed my attitude to such procedures dramatically because it was before the rituals that completely changed my thinking, but it caused me a huge shock that as an engineer I saw the lighters drowning in water, and not just one. Another one was during a ritual to drive out evil entities in the house when I saw that a dry empty bottle that had been standing on the shelf for two years and nothing had ever happened began to evaporate inside, meaning it became steamy.

@pjangi You're right, melting Marzanna is also a kind of folk magic, a symbolic farewell to winter and hello to spring. Many of our customs have roots in ancient beliefs and practices.

Oh, summoning rain with poppies? I have to admit, it's very interesting. And what did it look like ritual? Where did you get the belief that it works? I have always been fascinated by ancient folk beliefs and "magical" practices. In my family, too, there was a way to ward off storms. I remember my great-grandmother putting a knife stuck in bread on the windowsill during a storm. She said it would scare away the lightning 😉 I wonder how many more such forgotten rituals and beliefs related to the weather exist. Maybe any of you have heard of similar practices? I'd love to learn more!

@Sauwak, that knife in bread is an interesting custom! I once read that the knife symbolizes fire and the bread symbolizes earth. Stabbing the knife into the bread was supposed to symbolically "ground" the lightning, or energy from heaven. As for the poppy, it @Arkania is correct that it was often accompanied by incantations. Poppy symbolized abundance and fertility, so in folk magic it was used in rituals to ensure fertility.

And have you perhaps heard of spells for finding doom? I remember my grandmother had a way of doing it, but I don't remember the details....

@nastie There are quite a few of them, and many of them originate from folk magic. I remember my grandmother always telling me to stand in the corner of the room and stomp my left foot three times, repeating: "Devil, devil, give me (the name of the doom) and I will give you a penny." Then you had to throw some small money behind you 😉 Apparently it works!

@kapturek I wonder if this "devil" is the same one we ask for help in other spells, or some other, smaller "guardian of doom"? 🤔 I once heard about a ritual with a key. You had to hang the key on the thumb of your right hand, swing it around and repeat the names of the saints until the key itself "pointed" in the direction of where to look for doom.

@czulu It's interesting what you say about this "devil". In folk magic, the motif of making deals with demons or other inferior beings is common. In exchange for a small sacrifice, they were supposed to help in everyday matters. As for the key, it is often used in various divination practices, not only for finding doom. It symbolizes discovery, the opening of what is hidden.

Or have any of you encountered spells or rituals related to love? I know that in folk magic there were many ways to attract affection or regain a loved one. I would love to read about your experiences!!! 🙂

@simma Oh yes, love spells! ❤️ They have always fascinated me. I once read about an old custom of chamomile divination. One had to pick a chamomile flower and tear off one petal at a time, repeating: "He loves, he doesn't love, he loves...". The last petal was supposed to give the answer. Have any of you tried this method?

@leonora Chamomile divination is a classic 😊 I remember doing it with my girlfriends at school. But in folk magic there were also more "advanced" love rituals. For example, carrying a dried mandrake root with you was supposed to attract love. Or burning a red candle with the name of a loved one engraved on it.