Superstitions, Cheshm-Nazar, and the Evil Eye in Persian

I got a new car last year. A nice one. Before I could even post a photo, my mom called from Tehran: ماشالله بگو! (mâshâllâh begu!. "say mâshâllâh!"). Not congratulations. Not "how's the mileage." The first priority was protecting me from the evil eye.

I'm a grown man living in Milan. I have a university education. I still say ماشالله every time something good happens to me. That's how deep this stuff goes.

Persian is stuffed with superstitious phrases that Iranians use daily, often without thinking about it. If you're learning Farsi, you need to know these phrases not because you need to believe in the evil eye, but because Iranians will say them around you constantly, and you'll be lost without them.

چشم نظر (Cheshm-Nazar). The Evil Eye

The core belief: when someone looks at you or your possessions with envy (even unconsciously), bad things happen. This is چشم نظر. cheshm nazar. literally "eye-glance." It's also called simply چشم (cheshm, eye) or نظر (nazar, glance).

This isn't uniquely Iranian. the evil eye exists across Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. But Iranians have built an entire linguistic defense system around it.

The Defense Phrases

ماشالله. mâshâllâh. "God has willed it". THE primary anti-evil-eye phrase. You say it when complimenting anything: a baby, a house, someone's health, a plate of food. Skipping ماشالله when admiring something is practically aggressive.

چشم نخوره. cheshm nakhore. "may the evil eye not strike". said after mentioning anything good. Got a promotion? چشم نخوره. Kids are healthy? چشم نخوره. Business is doing well? چشم نخوره. you say it reflexively.

بزنم به تخته. bezanam be takhte. "let me knock on wood". the Persian equivalent of knocking on wood, said (and often physically enacted) after any positive statement to prevent jinxing it. Iranians will literally look around for wood to knock on.

خدا نکنه. khodâ nakone. "God forbid". said before or after mentioning anything bad. خدا نکنه مریض بشی (khodâ nakone mariz beshi, "God forbid you get sick"). Even hypothetical bad scenarios need this disclaimer.

به به به. bah bah bah. an expression of admiration that functions partly as a protective phrase. by praising openly and generously, you're signaling that your admiration is pure (not envious).

اسفند دود کردن (Burning Esfand). The Smoke Shield

اسفند (esfand) is wild rue seed, and اسفند دود کردن (esfand dud kardan, burning esfand) is the most common physical ritual against the evil eye. You put esfand seeds on hot coals or a pan, and as they crackle and smoke, you circle the smoke around the person or object being protected.

The crackle is important. Iranians say the louder the esfand crackles, the more evil eye energy it's absorbing and destroying. My grandmother would burn esfand when guests left, to purify the house of any envy they might have brought.

اسفند دود کن. esfand dud kon. "burn esfand" (imperative)

اسفندت کنم. esfandat konam. "let me do esfand for you". said when someone shares good news or when a child looks especially cute (i.e., vulnerable to cheshm)

While you'll find esfand in every traditional Iranian household, this ritual is also common in Afghan and Kurdish cultures. In Iran, even non-religious families keep esfand in the kitchen. It's cultural muscle memory.

نمک و خرافات (Salt and Other Daily Superstitions)

Beyond the evil eye, Persian daily life is riddled with superstitious phrases and practices:

Salt

نمک نریز. namak nariz. "don't spill salt". spilling salt means a fight is coming. If you spill it, you should immediately throw some over your left shoulder.

نمک‌گیر شدن. namakgir shodan. "to be caught by someone's salt". meaning you've eaten someone's food and therefore owe them loyalty. نمک‌شناسی (namak-shenâsi, "knowing salt") means being grateful and loyal to those who've fed you. Being نمکنشناس (namak-nashenâs, "salt-ignorant"). ungrateful. is one of the worst insults in Persian.

Scissors and Mirrors

قیچی رو باز نذار. qeychi ro bâz nazâr. "don't leave scissors open". open scissors in the house cause fights between family members.

آینه شکستن. âyne shekastan. "breaking a mirror". seven years of bad luck, just like in Western culture, but in Iran it's specifically tied to بدشانسی (bad-shânsi, bad luck) and sometimes to family discord.

Shoes and Brooms

کفش رو برعکس نذار. kafsh ro bar'aks nazâr. "don't put shoes upside down". overturned shoes bring death or disaster. My mom will cross a room to flip an overturned shoe.

شب جارو نزن. shab jâru nazan. "don't sweep at night". sweeping after dark sweeps away your fortune and blessings.

Numbers and Days

سیزده (sizdah, thirteen) is unlucky, just like in the West. The Iranian holiday سیزده بدر (sizdah bedar, the thirteenth day of Nowruz) is literally about getting out of the house to avoid the bad luck of the thirteenth day. People spend the whole day in nature. parks, riversides, mountains.

سه‌شنبه (seshanbeh, Tuesday) is considered unlucky for starting new things. Don't sign contracts, start journeys, or begin new projects on Tuesday if your Iranian friends have any say in it.

چشم‌بند و نظربند (Protective Objects)

Superstitious language connects to physical objects you'll see everywhere in Iranian homes, cars, and businesses:

نظر or چشم‌بند. nazar or cheshm-band. the blue eye bead (the round blue-and-white glass amulet). You'll see it hanging from rearview mirrors, pinned to babies' clothes, and mounted above shop entrances.

انگشتر عقیق. angoshtar-e aqiq. an agate ring, traditionally believed to protect the wearer. Many Iranian men wear a red or brown agate ring on their right hand.

دعا. do'â. a written prayer or Quran verse, often sealed in a small metal case and pinned to clothing or hung in cars. The person who writes it is a دعانویس (do'ânevis, prayer-writer), and yes, people still visit them.

The Language of Jinxing and Un-Jinxing

One of the most practical things for Farsi learners: Iranians constantly manage the supernatural in conversation. Here's the pattern:

Something good → immediately protect it: "My son got into university." → الهی ماشالله، چشم نخوره (elâhi mâshâllâh, cheshm nakhore)

Something bad (even hypothetical) → immediately disclaim: "What if we get lost?" → خدا نکنه (khodâ nakone)

Complimenting someone → add protection: "Your baby is beautiful." → ماشالله ماشالله (mâshâllâh mâshâllâh). and you'd better say it, or the parents will think your compliment is actually an evil eye attack.

This isn't optional social protocol. If you compliment an Iranian's child and don't say ماشالله, expect an awkward silence. Among traditional families, expect genuine concern.

Why This Matters for Comprehension

You might think: "I'm learning Farsi to order food and have conversations, not to ward off evil spirits." Fair enough. But here's the thing. these phrases appear in everyday Persian with the same frequency as "please" and "thank you" in English.

Watch any Iranian movie. Listen to any podcast. Sit in any Iranian living room. You'll hear ماشالله, خدا نکنه, بزنم به تخته, and چشم نخوره within the first ten minutes. If you don't know what they mean, you're missing a layer of every conversation.

The Persian humor post covers how Iranians joke about these superstitions. because they absolutely do, even while observing them.

And check out the social customs hub for more on the cultural behaviors that shape how Iranians communicate.

FAQ

These superstitious phrases pop up in every Persian conversation. ZabanYar teaches you the real phrases Iranians use daily. including the cultural context that textbooks skip.

Want to practice understanding natural Farsi conversation, superstitions and all? I teach one-on-one on Preply. let's make your Persian sound like it comes from a real Iranian household.

For more on Iranian cultural concepts that shape everyday language, explore Yalda Night traditions and why "I" sounds arrogant in Farsi.

Get it wrong and the worst that happens is a warm laugh and a story they’ll tell for years. Get it right — refuse the tea twice, accept on the third — and you’ll watch a face open up. You didn’t just speak Persian. You played the game.