@@s0ci4l.rej3ct_ davvero? sorry, solo che anche parlando con un po’ di streghe qui tra il centro e il nord mi hanno detto che non avevano mai sentito la parola… sai dirmi di più?
@@s0ci4l.rej3ct_ la stregheria non esiste in italia se si parla di pratiche popolari. La stregheria è una forma di neopaganesimo, completamente diversa dalla magia tradizionale
I'm quite sure that stregheria as a term is an american invention, but the practice of witchcraft (=stregoneria) exist and it takes different names in every region, often with a bad meaning, regardless of their intent. Some don't even like calling themselves a "strega". Despite the romanticization of the character, living a life as a strega was not easy and probably not even chosen as a lifestyle. Since B.C.E. in all Mediterranean these people, mostly women, were marginalized. People asked their help in secret, then disregarded them. A term that I heard quite often in the South is "maciara" or "masciara", meaning strega, maga, fattucchiera! Also said in a joking way (only within the family!) when someone dress long flowing ethnic clothes with long hair, jewels and ...uhm...headscarves 😆 Another local term for witch is "janara". In everyday language strega and stregoneria have a bad meaning in Italian. When said to a woman it means either ugly or old or just nasty personality regardless of age.
unfortunately there is also a racial bias about fortune telling (sagae, pronounced sa-ga-ay, Latin-derived) and spells, especially love spells to unite unwanting people (on the basis that they will want🙃) or break relationships. It is said that gypsy women are experts in this. Gypsies came to Italy and Western countries and Egypt in their long diaspora from India. The track to Italy was passing through the Balkans, Romania and Albany. They formally accepted the religion that was dominant in each country, while keeping their ancient practices and traditions. Some of these practices mingled with local folk magick, so sometimes you could have an impression that you are fed Italian folk magick when it is Indian in origin, which is very fascinating as it all probably dates way back to long time ago Indo-European culture and the Dravidic culture. But as I said there was a strong racial bias, so up until relatively modern times also the Italian word for gypsy "zingara" sometimes pronounced tzincara in south-eastern dialects is a derogatory term for a woman who practices exoterism and dressed as said above. In the area of Naples there was a strong influence from ancient Jewish colonies who also brought their share of magick. Some say that around 1/4 of people from Naples have Jewish ancestory. In that area the word "ebreo" at some point became sort of insult. I know, it is not nice, but things got better in time 😉 just a little note more: stregoneria is pronounced with the main accent on the "i" not on the second "e"🙂
@@13.tsuki_ alla fine mi ero sbagliata io, la stregheria è una pratica italo-americana, invece la stregoneria è una pratica italiana e i folklori sono diversi da regione a regione
So ppl who live in North America should learn abt (not necessarily practice) native practices, ppl with Slavic heritage should learn about Slavic practices, ppl who are surrounded by hellenists should learn about Hellenism. I am not a hellenist but I feel the need to learn a basic understanding because of the witch community & my best friend is a hellenist. I am a Metis folk Catholic but since I live on native land & Metis came from native/cree I am learning about native/cree practices. Same way I believe all Christians should learn about modern Judaism but mostly Judaism before Jesus. Sorry idk why I'm writing such a long, tangentially related comment lol
I'm Italian and have always been interested in Italian folk magic, even though I still have to start reasearching and learning😅 this video is very useful to get started
Frankie, Dr. Angela Pucca ("Angela's Symposium" on TH-cam) has a doctoral thesis on contemporary practice on Italy, and is a valuable academic to look to for Italian magic- AND the academic study of magic in general. I think you'll really enjoy her work!
I live in southern Brazil and although my ancestry is mostly Spanish, indigenous and Portuguese, here we have lots of Italian, German and European (in general) colonies. This makes Brazilian folk magick a lot like a "fruit salad" (as we say here), so when you grow in a little town in my state, you will probably learn lots of Italian, german, spanish, portuguese, indigenous and more folk magick, all mixed up. We don't really separate practice from where they came, because all in all everything is magick and people help each other for such a long time, there are some practices we don't even know de origins anymore 🤷🏻♀️
This is such a valid point. Sometimes I think it can be too easy to say a particular cultural folk practice is closed off to others from outside. But this doesn’t take into account cultures like yours - where they have such a rich history of cultures blending, that it’s almost impossible to exclude them from practicing certain folk magic. I hope that makes sense, I’m not always great at translating thoughts into actual words.
yes!! and the huge influence of african practices too (especially seen when wearing all white in the new years and jumping 7 waves, things like that). if you try to research figas, an italian protectice amulet, youre going to find a candomble website explaining how they use it in their tradition. i do feel like in the end brazilian folk magic is its own thing!
I'm not Italian but love the connection between Italian Catholism and folk magic. Amazing video. Thank you Frankie for helping learn about the Italian culture. I'm learning a lot about Irish and Scottish folk magic too. ❤
As a fellow Italian American trying to reconnect my ancestral traditions as well, I loved this video. Grimassi was the first resource that came up for me and I remember reading Italian Witchcraft and thinking it was interesting, but it wasn't adding up with the little I already knew about Italian folk magic from my grandparents and other relatives. And his works are so different from the other resources I've found since reading his, but this video certainly fills in some of the blanks I still had regarding all that, so I appreciated that. Italian Folk Magic by Mary-Grace Fahrun has been the resource that's resonated the most with me thus far, but I definitely still have a lot left to learn.
I finally listened to Grimassi's Italian Witchcraft on Audible and thought it seemed off too. I'm going to tr ake another look at some of his sources instead.
I'm half Italian but am estranged from my Italian relatives and my father was brought up in Australia, where his parents tried to anglicise him to fit in here. Virtually nothing has been passed down. Thank you so much for this! It's so helpful with connecting to my herritage.
My Italian family heritage traces back to Reggio Di Calabria, very far back, furthest back I could date was 16th century. Dukes and Duchesse’s, that seem to have worked close with King Ferdinand II, though there were a few queens. Thanks for posting this! I’m an anthropologist myself, so I find this fascinating.
I hate this gatekeeping attitude. Saying people should just stick to their ancestral magical traditions is incredibly narrow minded, especially considering how much overlap and influence there was in European magic over the centuries. The roma and their magical traditions alone swept across Europe and got adopted by the locals everywhere. Does this mean nobody can do tarot readings but people from romani descent? Not everyone has the privilege to know what their magical tradition is, especially because in most families witchcraft was demonised. I'm lucky enough that the women in my family (we're from the west of Ireland) use prayers, saints and amulets to do what js essentially magic (although they'd be mortified if they heard you calling it that) and those traditions have been passed down, but I know how lucky I am and that most other people don't have that ancestral connection. I would happily share my family traditions with anyone, no matter where their ancestors are from. I will admit that some workings are connected to the land on which it is practiced, but that means I would not dream of practicing them anywhere but I Ireland. And this means that, even if you are irish, it would be silly to do such a working anywhere else in the world. Don't mix up geographical location and ancestral line with magical tradition.
@@popito8366 my family are Irish catholics from a remote community in the west of Ireland. There is a lot of praying to saints and various rituals for various ailments. There are prayers that are passed down to the matriarch of the family once the previous one dies.
I love learning about other cultures like this. While I have no known Italian ancestors, I find different folk magics interesting just to see the variations. There are 2 different heritages I’m certain of for me: Hungarian and indigenous Canadian. I don’t know what tribe my great grandmother was from as she’s half, but she unfortunately passed a few years ago
This was fantastic, thank you! I’m researching deeper into my Italian ancestry and have a deep desire to connect and discover what life was like in the area where some of my family is from.
You didn't go into the fact that Grimassi is himself an initiate in a family tradition of Italian Witchcraft. He never denies combining what he learned from his family with the modern Wicca he learned in the 60s/70s in California. I am an initiate into a tradition with Aradian roots as well. It was common with the emergence of Wicca in the 60s and 70s for family hereditary traditions to look at the practices of Wicca and see the resemblance and also very common for those family traditions to then incorporate some wiccan practices. It was also pretty common in order to keep the hereditary family traditions alive and going to initiate non family members eventually and incorporate non traditional materials. Many Wiccans flocked to this experience because Wicca resembled these family traditions except they had legitimate claims to antiquity and passed down power and knowledge. Hence the influx of not only Wiccan practices into traditional Italian Witchcraft but also members of Wicca being initiated into fam trads. It's all about similarity and preservation. Noticeably different from Wicca is the Italian Witchcraft belief that you can add to the traditional practices given to you but you may never fully get rid of the initial foundation practices. The family traditions were preserved and over time wiccan and other pagan and magical influences started to be incorporated into the traditional teachings especially when the transition began initiating non family members into fam trades in order to preserve the tradition. I can tell you the material I was taught by my tradition when I started studying it nearly 30years ago has been greatly added to and is not the same material I learned. But in no way does Grimassi by adding Wiccan elements negate the validity of his knowledge and initiation in Italian Witchcraft. It proves his love for it and want to preserve it for future generations. The entire reason most mainstream religions are failing and dwindling in membership is because they refuse to change with the times and offer practitioners something valid for the time in which they live. Witchcraft thankfully survives through growth and adaptation.
I love the thorough breakdown and all the sources. This was an amazing help to sorting through all the different branxhes of italian (or italian-inspired) folk magic.
I've only recently started looking into this. As my mum side is from Italy and my dad English (live in UK). But only really knew my Italian family. My grandma and sister always did tarot cards and there whole family is 15 mins away from lake Nemi, where I visit my family there since I was born . Only finding out that Diana was massively worshipped there in the past. Over the last 6 months I've been feeling a massive pull to Diana but keep coming back to her for years now.
I’m not an Italian folk witch or even Italian, nor do I plan to read more deeply into it; however, this video was immensely educational and I loved it so much!
THANK YOU for this video. It’s so challenging to find information that isn’t fictional history. I have no way to contact my family in Italy now that my dad and grandparents are gone. I had pretty much given up. Now I suddenly have a paper and a new book to find! This is amazing
THANK YOU for saying Appalachia correct! lol so many people say it incorrectly and it makes me cringe. I feel like a lot of folk practitioners write us Appalachian folk practitioners off because they view us as “hillbillies” so they don’t care to learn about us or even how to say it correctly. your mention of us was so brief but it still made me happy ❤
I'm not Italian but I am Catholic, so this info def helps me figure out sources to look up in order to better incorporate witchcraft into my Catholicism. Thank you so much!
Here to learn as much as possible about all practices, religion, beliefs, and traditional crafts. Simply because I'm seeking my true path. I've been practicing some, but I seem to still be missing a lot. So if you see me like a bunch of videos, just learning. I finally came out to my friends and family as both pagan and a witch. So now I'm stepping into my journey openly ,with both feet, barefooted. I appreciate your content and am grateful I can witness the information. Thank you for that.
I remember my grandmother used to do this thing on me whenever I was sick. She would put a bowl Of water on my head. She would light a cotton ball.Throw it in the Is bowl of water And quickly place a glass over it... She used to do a lot Of stuff like this , but unfortunately she is no longer around for me to ask. I still have no idea what all that was for. We were born in Siracusa sicily
This is a brilliant and intelligent video thank you! I'm just starting to connect with my ancestor's practices starting with my Danish heritage. Happy learning everyone ✨
Very excited to grill my nonna and nonno tomorrow about any practices that show any connections to italian folk magic. Both being from Abruzzo it was so promising to find the cover photo of the book you showed in the video (the things we do) from Abruzzo and realising that I can reconnect to my catholicism in a way that makes sense ancestrally
I'm an Italian/Sicilian (Family from both) and I had no idea this existed until recently. There were a lot of weird little things my family would do growing up that I really thought were common place for Italian families but it turns out they're based off of folk magic. I'm super interested in learning more!
This is really interesting to learn about. I've been learning Braucherei, as much as I can anyways, which is Pa Dutch folk magic/ritual traditions. In it, you see a distinction between Braucherei and Hexerei get drawn up, where Braucherei (also Brauche) is opposed to Hexerei, which is specifically harmful malicious magic sometimes thought to be done for profit. (it's highly frowned upon to charge money for doing Braucherei) They're not separate traditions or anything, it's less a practical distinction and more a social one. Hexerei is whatever a Hex is suspected of doing, and a Hex was usually just some person that was blamed for bad things happening, or a more general boogyman type thing in which case one could replace witch with demon and the meaning is more or less the same (and Hexe were often thought to do their work specifically through demons, so the categories can overlap significantly) Generally major economic woes or health issues (especially ones that doctors at the time weren't terribly good at helping with) were or could be blamed on Hexe (the plural of Hex), which in a traditionally rural agrarian setting was often stuff like the horse not eating, the cow not giving milk properly, or what's called Rotlaafe. Rotlaafe, literally something like the Running Red, is a spreading skin infection that inflames the skin, reddening it, and, back before antibiotics, killed a lot of people, especially children. Also ergot poisoning Braucherei is the more general term, which is carried out by its etymology. Related to "brauche" and "Gebrauch" (to need, from earlier meaning of to use, and custom, as in a custom), it literally just means something like "the (ritual) traditions of the Pa Dutch" If I could draw a diagram it'd be a large circle labeled Braucherei with a smaller dotted circle or otherwise marked as nebulous inside it labeled Hexerei. [small note] I wrote up a huge comment for the sake of being thorough, which might potentially be A Bit Much (tm), if so I'm sorry. I'm going to post it in chunks attached to this one
Like you said in the video where you mention that knowledge of folk magic is widespread and diffused throughout the rural populous, it is/was very similar among the Pennsylvania Dutch, to this day many people have stories of wart cures that their grandparents did. Wart cures in particular have stuck around the longest for many families. Braucherei wasn't something that was marked by specialists doing it, but by just everyday people. This is part of why Brauche is more than just healing rituals, there's a lot of other stuff like using fasnacht grease to bless tools to use in the fields for good yields and to keep pests down or sticking good friday eggs in the attic to protect the house from lightning or fires that goes beyond healing that everyday people did and continue to do to this day that can be thought of as Braucherei. That being said, there were specialists that were called Braucher or Braucheren (feminine suffix). There's often this idea that some people are just better at different things, so if one person is really good at healing they might have people come to them specifically, when people bring gifts like money or food these people can become more or less fulltime specialists. Receiving payment for Brauche is highly frowned upon, as that was associated with Hexerei, something to be avoided, and there's often this idea that doing Braucherei is essentially God's work and that it's God doing the healing not the Braucher who is only serving as their hands, where taking payment for it is essentially taking credit where undue. Braucherei is very, v e r y, Christian and though the Pa Dutch are mainly protestant there's an interesting survival of folk catholic elements in Braucherei, and in fact many materials published during colonial times for Catholics in German speaking Europe crossed the pond to be printed in Pennsylvania for the Pa Dutch, things like books of saints, marian stuff, etc. (Mary pops up so much, and while I can't find it now, I did once find a 19th century newspaper joke of a Pa Dutch man taunting a Lutheran pastor for not knowing who Mary was, which was amusing) Though it's often changed by the Protestant Reformation, one interesting thing is less relying on a priest to bless water and more on special holy days where the rain and dew would be made holy by the nature of the day. #2
Braucherei was often passed down through family lines, but also through teachers and apprentices. Usually the teacher had to specifically be the opposite gender of the student, so a woman would teach a man, a man would teach a woman (practitioners in modern witchy spaces are unlikely to have been traditionally taught, like me for example, but one modernisation of this that I've seen is that the teacher just has to have a different gender identity than the student rather than being exclusively binary) When passed down through family lines, it was often a grandparent who taught, so a grandmother might teach a grandson, a grandfather might a granddaughter. A lot of the familiar titles you used in the video when talking about passing folk magic down through family lines were specifically female, like mother and grandmother, so I guess that's a thing in Italian folk magic, but it really isn't in Braucherei at all. The only main exceptions really is that sometimes a father would pass Braucherei directly to his son, often a firstborn, or when the correct genders just weren't applicable, where the Braucherei might be 'taught' to a doll or chair with the door ajar where the child could overhear. #3
Stregheria reminds me a bit of Urglaawe, which essentially is a kind of Heathenry that takes inspiration from Pa Dutch culture and Braucherei. Personally, it's not my thing. It's continental heathenry in a kinda skin deep way, misses out on a lot of goddesses which I find disappointing, and you can really tell that its creator, Robert Schreiwer likely started in Norse heathenry before sorta kinda moving to continental. Which while valid, isn't as rigorous as I'd like. The main thing is that the take Urglaawe has on Pa Dutch culture and Braucherei is very very similar to how you described the basic MO of Stregheria, although instead of framing it as being an unbroken tradition of authentic paganism/witchcraft it's framed as though there were actual traditional practitioners who syncretised pagan elements, often significantly downplaying the christian nature of Braucherei and overinflating any supposed pagan remnants. If there were practitioners who did so they'd be doing it from the perspective of modern neopaganism likely from the 60's~70's onward, which while valid enough isn't historical and is disingenuous to portray it as such, which is part of why I dislike it. It's fine and valid to be Urglaawer if it works for somebody, but the general framing you see in it isn't to my tastes, besides the fact that it's inherently related to the Troth, whom I dislike. Both in the past and in the modern day, opinions vary about whether or not one needs to be Christian to do Brauche or have Brauche done to you, but regardless the Christian nature of Braucherei is just fundamental in a way that is impossible to remove. Sure there could be some elements that potentially stem from earlier forms of paganism, but I think this is hugely overblown and most of what we see in Brauche is just what has naturally grown over time, which happened to be in a Christian setting. This is part of why I go with being Christeopagan myself. #4
For whether or not Braucherei is closed, I personally say fuck no. Many people have used Braucherei, not just the Pa Dutch. Yes it comes from the Pa Dutch, but groups of people aren't set in stone and the boundaries blur and shift, and there's plenty of mixing back and forth where stuff is shared. A lot of stuff that comes from the pa Dutch would go on later to influence other forms of American folk magic, like the Long Lost Friend, while things like witch bottles might have come from Appalachian folk magic or are cognate practices. I don't think anybody needs any particular reason or tie-in to learn Braucherei. Being interested enough in it to learn is interest enough in my book, nothing else is much my concern. The idea of anything like this being closed I honestly just find distasteful. That being said, just because something is open doesn't mean people shouldn't still be respectful. You can learn about and of something while still being respectful in much the way that you can have that familial tie-in and still be disrespectful to the tradition. For example there's a bit of a taboo against writing down what you've learnt from your teacher. So if you find a teacher, and don't have their explicit permission, you shouldn't write anything down in such a way that it might become publicly available (whether or not you can take notes to aid memory depends on the teacher). #5
Before this gets too longer (I know the length is already rather extreme, I'm sorry in advance, I wanted to be thorough), some notes on language and a book recommendation. The Pa Dutch are split into two main groups, the sectarians or plain folk (anabaptists like the Amish or Mennonites) and the non-sectarians or church folk (also called the Fancy Dutch or Gay Dutch, the last of which I adore) who are the Lutherans and Reformed of the pa Dutch, once the large majority (early days of the pa Dutch were about 94 percent Lutheran/reformed, 5 percent anabaptist, and 1 percent practicing Catholic. Nowadays over half of the Pa Dutch are anabaptists, as their numbers have rapidly increased over the last century. The Pa Dutch began to face increasing amounts of anti-German sentiment and pressure to assimilate culturally and linguistically from about the Civil War onwards, ramping up to extremes during the World Wars. Obviously not nearly as much as Japanese Americans during that time, who were targeted much much more heavily and also faced the compounding problem of racism. That pressure has done a world of hurt to the state of the language, which is currently dying out among the Fancy Dutch. The Fancy Dutch are the ones who traditionally practiced Braucherei; though it's not a 100 percent thing, the Amish and Mennonites generally had overall negative views on Braucherei and didn't practice it. #6
You mentioned Portugal! I'm a first generation Portuguese (Azorean) American, who was raised in the folk traditions of São Jorge/ Açores. Just happy to have the Old Country mentioned in a folk magic video.
You always have the very best earrings, I’m amazed Thanks for going over this in such detail, I really appreciate the information. as someone who’s always known more about my Italian heritage but never incorporated it into my practice before it was a very good resource to start
Honestly folk magic is just super interesting- regardless of where it’s from - and I really like researching it. But in saying that, I stick to British folk magic for my own practice cause that’s where the ancestors are from
This was a really fun video to watch! I enjoyed the more academic tone of the video. I'm not personally involved in any Italian practices, but I love hearing about other practices and history.
SPOT ON!! As a 3rd generation Hoodoo Practitionier I give the same response....Technically Hoodoo is open BUT it's power is passd Ancestrally -through the descendants of slaves! If a person is NOT from that cultural background it seems very strange to me that they would try to practice something that they are just not a true "conduit" for. Does that mean a person cannot utilize some of the aspects of Hoodoo like dressing a candle or using graveyard dirt -no! But to call oneself a "Rootworker" when this person has NO blood or culture connection to the people is like...you get the side eye. Every culture has FOLK MAGIC and people can surely appreciate others cultures "magic" but I think they should first desire their OWN. BTW I LUV ITALIAN FOLK MAGIC! But as a African Amerian I would Neva think I could practicie it having no connection to the wonderful Italian people. Blessings!
That was so well explained, she should have just said that, straight to the point. I’m Sicilian 100% but am fascinated with creoles and “root work” however staying in my lane 😊
Fantastic video! My mom is from Spain, but my dad is 1/2 Italian. My Nona was 100% 1st generation Italian. I haven't been able to find anything on Spanish folk magic/practices as the catholic church destroyed it all or killed the folks who practiced. So have been thinking about looking into Italian practices, although I don't know my much about my family there or even the culture, except for the giant family gatherings and meals for special occasions and holidays. 😊
I'm italian American but my family lived in yugoslavia for the past few generations. But my cousins are friuan and I grew up going to our pignarûl each year
I know this is sort of random, but in the beginning I heard you talking about mentors. I was wondering if you could expand on the topic. Also I know this wasn't your usually video format, but I really enjoyed watching this type of video as well and wouldn't mind see these types of videos as well. Have a great day Frankie!
So. I've been finally tied to read through Italian Witchcraft by Grimassi today and decided it isn't for me. I listened to it on audible because it is free with my subscription level. I noted some sources to go take a look at myself from the bibliography, but gave up on the book halfway through. Im looking at it as a lesson that you can still find helpful things, even when deciding a book isn't for me.
Im first generation Sicilian American and I dont agree with the comment "just because you are not from Italy you can't practice and achieve good results from Sicilian or Italian folk magic. Why? Well because for one I am a middle aged practitioner of magic and I have utilized ritual and spell craft from many different countries and I take what works and cast aside what doesn't. The folk magic of Sicilians for example call on the petitioning of saints within the region, we use herbs, oil and prayer to cure sickness and bless babies and crops. My aunts live on the east coast of the US and they still petition the same saints from Sicily where they were born and they add new ones that suit their need. There is no reason that a Sicilian Folk Practice won't work for you if your faith and intention are very present. Maybe in the last life, you were Sicilian or Italian and you have a calling to practice this type of tradition. Maybe you find Sicilian or Italian folk magic perfect for what you are needing in a specific time of your life and the practice truly resonates. I have even utilized standard celtic practices and they are wonderful and suit my needs especially during holidays like Samhain because in Italy we dont have this holiday we have Carnivale. So dont pigeon hold yourselves, practice, practice, practice! Blessed be. :) Lovely video and very thought provoking. This young lady is quite researched and I do enjoy her videos.
what I find very astounding about itlay, and especially south italy and Sicily, in the middle ages there was almost no witch hunt in italy. there are a few documented cases in northern italy, but the more south you go, the less hunt was there. Althoug Sicily was, and still is, full of Streghe. Italian people didnt fear Streghe
Unfortunately I really missed out in my Italian family. My mom's Nonna died when I was really little and she was kinda the last in our family originally from Palermo. I don't think they practiced but I wish I'd had the chance to talk to her. My Nonno talks a little about living through the "hippie years" as he calls it but he doesn't talk much about beliefs or practices.
I am not an italian, but for some reason, lots of italian concerts are central in my life, currently. I am an opera singer, I venerate and work alot with the goddess, Diana and her related spirits; like Lucifer, Aradia and the forest nymphes
For me it's hard because I'm a mutt. I have Italian but a bit on both sides. My great grandma who I was raised around was of Italian ancestry but born in Dominican republic so she was raised Spanish and very religious. But my dads technically Dominican and Spaniard. My mom is Honduran but she said her grandfather on both sides were Italian and Spaniard. Her grandma who was married to an Italian was said to be a Catholic witch. On my dad side his father was known for being a not so good person, who practiced Santeria. I did a DNA test on 23&me and it found I have Greek in me too, which makes sense because of the history between Italy and greece. I do have Spaniard on both sides, I also have a pinch of indigenous on my mom's Honduran side and African on my dad's Dominican side. I've always felt like I don't really fit in anywhere really due to being a mutt lol. So it's like I'd like to practice folk magic of some sort, but I can't really fit in anywhere. I am a Hellenic polytheist witch and I've always been drawn to witchcraft since I was a child.
I can not tell you how happy I am that I stumbled across your channel! I am Sicilian & Mexican and I very much am on a journey to connect with the folk magic of my ancestors. I do not have any contact with my Sicilian family (my father cut us off when I was young because he is very very stubborn) and I was raised on "Default Mode" and so very seperated from my heritage save for some Mexican traditions. Your academic approach is exactly my approach to this and omg Gramassi's book was my first attempt to learn and I am so very glad to hear the truth of it!! Thank you for your channel!! Thank you for the work you do from one chaotic Auntie to another!
I love the fact that you can separate being catholic while still finding the craft within the lines that are so blurred for us Italians. I too, am on a journey to do just that. With that said do you then follow both Stregoneria and Benedicaria and just leave out the catholic practices that can be intertwined with Benedicaria? I rather enjoy watching your channel and learning what I can from your videos. Thanks for taking the time to share with us all the things you find. Can you do a video on what saints are considered old pagan gods to our Italian ancestors? I am just starting to learn about Gods/Goddess Deity's..
I recently found out that I have Italian ancestry but it’s from northern Italy…do you have any books or websites you would recommend for that area?? Around Milan?
Lol I didnt know taumaturgo was dumping on grimassi in his book 😂 thanks for the rant, I was looking forward to it. Personally when I started researching and I could only find grimassi I was very annoyed because that whole thing with diana and the devil(basically) having a dougther sounded a lot like christian fanfiction, like it felt too much “christian lense” to be an actual not only pre christian but pre roman ethruscan thing even! So yeah I never read it because that made me a bit uncomfortable so I had no idea what else he was saying 😬 but maybe all the enphasis on how genuine the practice was could have been a push from the publishers or something… idk but it does not matter I’m so glad you are spreading the word that it’s just not the same and people who did not know can now decide with knowledge
If my dads Italian can I still do it? My moms native and my dads Italian. I grew up around his side of the family. My nonno and Nonna lived next door my whole childhood. I miss them both so much.
Both parents are from Italy ,,one from sicily the other from Arellano (near Naples)! My grandmother used to talk about fairies,,,but my father forbid my gran other talking about such things,,,,, ! Because,,,,,we’re Americans now ! Ive been a witch for over 25 years but don’t know that much about Italian witchcraft,,from what I do know,,,it doesn’t seem that much different from what I’ve been doing ! ALSO,,,,can you show how you tie your scarf and where to get them ! Thx
Hi Frankie! I am an Italian male witch but I’ve never ever practised or studied Italian Folk magic. I’ve been practise witchcraft for over a year now and looking at different paths like Wicca but nothing resonates with me… I’ve brought a book that talks about the rituals done in the Italian countryside and I fell in love with it so I am 90% positive that I would love to study it properly HOWEVER I do not want to get involved with Christianity as I grew up in that community and it does not resonate with me AT ALL… what would you suggest?
Fellow Italian practitioner here! I grew up in southern Italy, near Napoli in a very Christian environment that didn't feel good. So I focused on traditional Italian herbal practice, connected to the plants available in the area and to the folklore. Is it possible to practice folk magic not connected to Christianity, also because in Italy we had various influences and pagan religion before Christianity was "created"
I find it.odd how.everyone still doubts Grimassis genuiness even.after Sabine Maggliochi interviewed him and his mother and confirmed they practiced a hereditary form of Italian.folk magic-learn to think for yourself people!
Personally from someone that has a lot of European ancestry Italian Folk Magic calls out to me personally (I am Italian with Basilicata roots) but I wouldn’t shy away from Celtic or German. Personally everywhere folk magic exist if someone isn’t Italian they can look at their own heritage and ancestry but if they like maybe learn about Italian folk magic and have some knowledge of different kinds of folk magic and traditions. I don’t mind that personally but to me is it a closed practice yes and no.
hey Frankie! wondering if you have any sources/information you could point me to regarding folk practices in Spain? been having a hard time with my search in that area. thank you for your videos and all you share with us here ♡
Same here. Seems all the information was destroyed by the catholic church. Best I could find is there is Celtic influence (Celtiberian), and the Basque region still has practices that were not lost. My family is from Andalusia area and I haven't been able to find anything about it.
You should look into the work of Jose Leitao. He's more Iberian peninsula and Portugal but there is some crossover. Look at the catalogue of Hadean Press and Scarlet Imprint as well.
The crossroads thing is Itallian in origin? What are some Italian and Itallian Ameican influences on African American folk magic? What are some influences on Itallian American folk magic from African American folk magic?
The crossroads thing is probably not of Italian origin, but there are similar references to Faust, coming from Germani/French cultures. Chances are high that she is Italian-American, which means she is American, meaning expressions like "crossroads" are just part of her vernacular, not anything particularly literal. For instance, many Americans use the expression "man" when talking to someone casually. This derives from African American English; African American men were so often referred to as "boy" that they started using the expression "man" toward one another. This permeated throughout American culture.
For anyone interested there are actually a lot of sources on these topics that explain things without even a HINT of racism (OR ethnic/nationalism, though this creator is clearly American)... Even open minded priests who are actually formerly educated. You do NOT have to "think" about why you're not sticking to your own kind.
I would say that yes Christians weren't constantly persecuted, it happened in fits and bouts, but that's like saying well we didn't kill your community EVERY DAY so give us that credit. The Roman imperial cult was in power and persecuted Christians, on specific deity holidays, in pretty awful ways. Sorry to burst your bubble.
YES I was trying to find a comment about this but no one seemed to notice or know about this! The amount of saints who are martyrs is astonishing, anyone with just a little bit of research into catholicism would notice. I'm not talking about some random martyr with dubious historical references two thousand years ago. Yes, catholics have and had huge powers that have destroyed many lives in a couple thousand years but that doesn't erase the amount of catholic martyrs?? I'm honestly quite disappointed.
Can we talk about how Frankie appropriates from other cultures but then goes on a 5-minute long rant about how if you are not Italian-American you shouldn't do this magic?
There's also sooo much racism in some parts of Benedicaria. The open antisemitism is almost as bad if not worse than it is with racist Norse Pagans. Vito, who influenced the dude who's book they're citing here, is SUPER racist. Like swastika racist. I used to practice explicitly non-racist Benedicaria as a Catholic but I've gone Norse Pagan since. While I'm part Italian, it shouldn't matter any more than my ancestry does for Norse Paganism as long as one is actually respectful. Maybe someone non-Italian wants to learn because they're Catholic and don't want to appropriate from other Catholic cultures that would be more racist for them to do so? I suppose there's also the Irish but as someone who is also part Irish I don't see the difference. Italy and Rome are the home of the Catholic Church, so it makes sense that that's where people's minds would go. Edit: TH-cam kept eating my comments when I tried to post receipts, but SicilianCunningCraft on tumblr has the ones for Vito on his Benedicaria tag, and Jason Spadafore, who wrote The Things We Do under a pen name, is a friend of Vito's, as you'll find out if you google the two names together - it'll take you right to them openly admitting it and to sending book drafts to each other on Facebook. (Also apologies that this and another reply had incorrect pronouns at first. >.< )
Yep. She is just another twenty something hipster posing as someone wise beyond her years. She herself is not authentic but presents herself as an authority. Since it’s something not widely known about she can insert herself and put her own spin on other peoples very real spiritual practices. Big Dunning Kruger + a dash of narcissism = most of witchtok.
@@doran-of-the-north5435 wow. You have zero clue what you’re talking about regarding Benedicaria, Vito or anyone else. Do you even realize how you sound, just making a claim someone is “like swastika racist” while providing zero proof? I know personally you can not provide such proof because your claim is false. But I guess you just go ahead and keep shit talking the elders who paved the way and shared their culture, something you can’t even understand.
@@haruki456 I wouldn’t pretend to know what gender she claims to be. That’s not what I’m talking about here and I’m not going to be reprimanded for not knowing something by a stranger. Furthermore, your comment just illustrates the narcissistic tendencies are real here. Good luck to you with all that.
Benedicaria has nothing to do with hexing people; of course you can twist it but it’s got no ill intentions at all. It’s all about healing, protection and love.
Usually love your videos... But the part about christians being persecuted is very painful to watch and hear. Just look into a *few* catholic saints who've been martyrs in the last, idk, five centuries (you don't even have to go way back to ancient Rome to find them, and some of them even have photos because they were pretty recent). Just because the Catholic Church has been a horror to human history and has utterly destroyed life on Earth in many ways, doesn't erase the amount of catholic folk who were murdered for their faith. Sorry to burst your bubble.
What if the Deities and tales call to you and you see their reflections all around?? I've seen what looked like genetic evidence of a significant population tie between Gaels and a region in Italy or nearby in the Mediterranean, but it seems it was disappeared off the internet. .
I have a percebtage of italian in me. Will italian witchcraft work for me its nkt a high percentage but i do have some italian blood in me. The reason i want tovprqctice is because i feeling a drawing power to it. My goal is to learn this craft and to pass it down ro my son or daughter.
A lot of Italian witches know the history of the Pict people bringing their culture over and incorporating it into practice, have you done research on this? Here is a great video of some explaining, th-cam.com/video/pwedRgSecRw/w-d-xo.html
Stregheria is most definitely American/Italian American - I don’t actually identify as someone in stregheria & I don’t know many Italian-Americans who practice folk magic who do!!! I think the Catholic elements of the folk magic found often in Benedicaria have been Americanized, but my understanding is that it stems from the older roots of Italian folk magic heavily syncretized with Catholicism
@@ChaoticWitchAunt and that's 100% fair! I just see too many americans with italian descendants saying us what we are. If you don't we appreciate absolutely the mix between the two cultures! The limit is simple: you are american and I'm european. If you respect this you are welcome. Really sounds obvious... on Reddit an italo american blocked me because I told him he is american and not italian and to stop to teach italian grammar bad. If stregheria would be a simple mix it is 100% accepted and also we absolutely help you to improve your practice... with this limit of not labeling you italian, who is based on basic respect. But descendants are something you can absolutely use and you can absolutely talk about your grandma. Just learn Italia had change a lot. That's why we all italians are tell you "thanks" sounds obvious? Isn't! I don't understand why some italo americans should pretend to be italian (would be like we pretend to be italian😐) but you aren't so is 100%!
Jesus loves you so much Frankie. Only He can give you true peace and salvation. Not Diana, or Hades, or familiar spirits or plants. Jesus is the Only Way, the Truth and the Life, dear sister. And He loves you unconditionally.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
hi frankieeeee
@@s0ci4l.rej3ct_ davvero? sorry, solo che anche parlando con un po’ di streghe qui tra il centro e il nord mi hanno detto che non avevano mai sentito la parola… sai dirmi di più?
@@s0ci4l.rej3ct_ la stregheria non esiste in italia se si parla di pratiche popolari. La stregheria è una forma di neopaganesimo, completamente diversa dalla magia tradizionale
I'm quite sure that stregheria as a term is an american invention, but the practice of witchcraft (=stregoneria) exist and it takes different names in every region, often with a bad meaning, regardless of their intent.
Some don't even like calling themselves a "strega".
Despite the romanticization of the character, living a life as a strega was not easy and probably not even chosen as a lifestyle.
Since B.C.E. in all Mediterranean these people, mostly women, were marginalized.
People asked their help in secret, then disregarded them.
A term that I heard quite often in the South is "maciara" or "masciara", meaning strega, maga, fattucchiera! Also said in a joking way (only within the family!) when someone dress long flowing ethnic clothes with long hair, jewels and ...uhm...headscarves 😆
Another local term for witch is "janara".
In everyday language strega and stregoneria have a bad meaning in Italian.
When said to a woman it means either ugly or old or just nasty personality regardless of age.
unfortunately there is also a racial bias about fortune telling (sagae, pronounced sa-ga-ay, Latin-derived) and spells, especially love spells to unite unwanting people (on the basis that they will want🙃) or break relationships. It is said that gypsy women are experts in this.
Gypsies came to Italy and Western countries and Egypt in their long diaspora from India. The track to Italy was passing through the Balkans, Romania and Albany. They formally accepted the religion that was dominant in each country, while keeping their ancient practices and traditions. Some of these practices mingled with local folk magick, so sometimes you could have an impression that you are fed Italian folk magick when it is Indian in origin, which is very fascinating as it all probably dates way back to long time ago Indo-European culture and the Dravidic culture.
But as I said there was a strong racial bias, so up until relatively modern times also the Italian word for gypsy "zingara" sometimes pronounced tzincara in south-eastern dialects is a derogatory term for a woman who practices exoterism and dressed as said above.
In the area of Naples there was a strong influence from ancient Jewish colonies who also brought their share of magick. Some say that around 1/4 of people from Naples have Jewish ancestory. In that area the word "ebreo" at some point became sort of insult.
I know, it is not nice, but things got better in time 😉
just a little note more: stregoneria is pronounced with the main accent on the "i" not on the second "e"🙂
@@13.tsuki_ alla fine mi ero sbagliata io, la stregheria è una pratica italo-americana, invece la stregoneria è una pratica italiana e i folklori sono diversi da regione a regione
I'm not an Italian folk witch but I love learning from other folks!
Same! I think it is super important to know a bit of everyone, esp the place where you live, the people in your lineage, & the people you are around
So ppl who live in North America should learn abt (not necessarily practice) native practices, ppl with Slavic heritage should learn about Slavic practices, ppl who are surrounded by hellenists should learn about Hellenism. I am not a hellenist but I feel the need to learn a basic understanding because of the witch community & my best friend is a hellenist. I am a Metis folk Catholic but since I live on native land & Metis came from native/cree I am learning about native/cree practices. Same way I believe all Christians should learn about modern Judaism but mostly Judaism before Jesus.
Sorry idk why I'm writing such a long, tangentially related comment lol
I'm Italian and have always been interested in Italian folk magic, even though I still have to start reasearching and learning😅 this video is very useful to get started
Frankie, Dr. Angela Pucca ("Angela's Symposium" on TH-cam) has a doctoral thesis on contemporary practice on Italy, and is a valuable academic to look to for Italian magic- AND the academic study of magic in general. I think you'll really enjoy her work!
I live in southern Brazil and although my ancestry is mostly Spanish, indigenous and Portuguese, here we have lots of Italian, German and European (in general) colonies. This makes Brazilian folk magick a lot like a "fruit salad" (as we say here), so when you grow in a little town in my state, you will probably learn lots of Italian, german, spanish, portuguese, indigenous and more folk magick, all mixed up. We don't really separate practice from where they came, because all in all everything is magick and people help each other for such a long time, there are some practices we don't even know de origins anymore 🤷🏻♀️
I'm from Paraguay, and is the same for me! It is a big fruit salad! lol
This is such a valid point. Sometimes I think it can be too easy to say a particular cultural folk practice is closed off to others from outside. But this doesn’t take into account cultures like yours - where they have such a rich history of cultures blending, that it’s almost impossible to exclude them from
practicing certain folk magic.
I hope that makes sense, I’m
not always great at translating thoughts into actual words.
yes!! and the huge influence of african practices too (especially seen when wearing all white in the new years and jumping 7 waves, things like that). if you try to research figas, an italian protectice amulet, youre going to find a candomble website explaining how they use it in their tradition. i do feel like in the end brazilian folk magic is its own thing!
I'm not Italian but love the connection between Italian Catholism and folk magic. Amazing video. Thank you Frankie for helping learn about the Italian culture. I'm learning a lot about Irish and Scottish folk magic too. ❤
As a fellow Italian American trying to reconnect my ancestral traditions as well, I loved this video. Grimassi was the first resource that came up for me and I remember reading Italian Witchcraft and thinking it was interesting, but it wasn't adding up with the little I already knew about Italian folk magic from my grandparents and other relatives. And his works are so different from the other resources I've found since reading his, but this video certainly fills in some of the blanks I still had regarding all that, so I appreciated that. Italian Folk Magic by Mary-Grace Fahrun has been the resource that's resonated the most with me thus far, but I definitely still have a lot left to learn.
I finally listened to Grimassi's Italian Witchcraft on Audible and thought it seemed off too. I'm going to tr ake another look at some of his sources instead.
Southern Italian here - She said everything 100% correct and factual ❤
I'm half Italian but am estranged from my Italian relatives and my father was brought up in Australia, where his parents tried to anglicise him to fit in here. Virtually nothing has been passed down. Thank you so much for this! It's so helpful with connecting to my herritage.
Thank you for making this video! As an older practitioner, I think the younger "Strega's" will enjoy it ❤ 💫
My Italian family heritage traces back to Reggio Di Calabria, very far back, furthest back I could date was 16th century. Dukes and Duchesse’s, that seem to have worked close with King Ferdinand II, though there were a few queens. Thanks for posting this! I’m an anthropologist myself, so I find this fascinating.
I am not apart of the Italian culture or practice but here to show love and support🥰 so glad you can help others learn the path of their ancestors 🖤
I hate this gatekeeping attitude. Saying people should just stick to their ancestral magical traditions is incredibly narrow minded, especially considering how much overlap and influence there was in European magic over the centuries. The roma and their magical traditions alone swept across Europe and got adopted by the locals everywhere. Does this mean nobody can do tarot readings but people from romani descent?
Not everyone has the privilege to know what their magical tradition is, especially because in most families witchcraft was demonised.
I'm lucky enough that the women in my family (we're from the west of Ireland) use prayers, saints and amulets to do what js essentially magic (although they'd be mortified if they heard you calling it that) and those traditions have been passed down, but I know how lucky I am and that most other people don't have that ancestral connection.
I would happily share my family traditions with anyone, no matter where their ancestors are from.
I will admit that some workings are connected to the land on which it is practiced, but that means I would not dream of practicing them anywhere but I Ireland. And this means that, even if you are irish, it would be silly to do such a working anywhere else in the world.
Don't mix up geographical location and ancestral line with magical tradition.
i would love to know more about your family's traditions
@@popito8366 my family are Irish catholics from a remote community in the west of Ireland. There is a lot of praying to saints and various rituals for various ailments. There are prayers that are passed down to the matriarch of the family once the previous one dies.
I love learning about other cultures like this. While I have no known Italian ancestors, I find different folk magics interesting just to see the variations. There are 2 different heritages I’m certain of for me: Hungarian and indigenous Canadian. I don’t know what tribe my great grandmother was from as she’s half, but she unfortunately passed a few years ago
This was fantastic, thank you! I’m researching deeper into my Italian ancestry and have a deep desire to connect and discover what life was like in the area where some of my family is from.
You didn't go into the fact that Grimassi is himself an initiate in a family tradition of Italian Witchcraft. He never denies combining what he learned from his family with the modern Wicca he learned in the 60s/70s in California. I am an initiate into a tradition with Aradian roots as well. It was common with the emergence of Wicca in the 60s and 70s for family hereditary traditions to look at the practices of Wicca and see the resemblance and also very common for those family traditions to then incorporate some wiccan practices. It was also pretty common in order to keep the hereditary family traditions alive and going to initiate non family members eventually and incorporate non traditional materials. Many Wiccans flocked to this experience because Wicca resembled these family traditions except they had legitimate claims to antiquity and passed down power and knowledge. Hence the influx of not only Wiccan practices into traditional Italian Witchcraft but also members of Wicca being initiated into fam trads. It's all about similarity and preservation. Noticeably different from Wicca is the Italian Witchcraft belief that you can add to the traditional practices given to you but you may never fully get rid of the initial foundation practices. The family traditions were preserved and over time wiccan and other pagan and magical influences started to be incorporated into the traditional teachings especially when the transition began initiating non family members into fam trades in order to preserve the tradition. I can tell you the material I was taught by my tradition when I started studying it nearly 30years ago has been greatly added to and is not the same material I learned. But in no way does Grimassi by adding Wiccan elements negate the validity of his knowledge and initiation in Italian Witchcraft. It proves his love for it and want to preserve it for future generations. The entire reason most mainstream religions are failing and dwindling in membership is because they refuse to change with the times and offer practitioners something valid for the time in which they live. Witchcraft thankfully survives through growth and adaptation.
I love the thorough breakdown and all the sources. This was an amazing help to sorting through all the different branxhes of italian (or italian-inspired) folk magic.
I've only recently started looking into this. As my mum side is from Italy and my dad English (live in UK). But only really knew my Italian family. My grandma and sister always did tarot cards and there whole family is 15 mins away from lake Nemi, where I visit my family there since I was born . Only finding out that Diana was massively worshipped there in the past. Over the last 6 months I've been feeling a massive pull to Diana but keep coming back to her for years now.
I’m not an Italian folk witch or even Italian, nor do I plan to read more deeply into it; however, this video was immensely educational and I loved it so much!
THANK YOU for this video. It’s so challenging to find information that isn’t fictional history. I have no way to contact my family in Italy now that my dad and grandparents are gone. I had pretty much given up. Now I suddenly have a paper and a new book to find! This is amazing
Wow thank you for putting so much effort and attention to detail into this video. I appreciate you!!!
THANK YOU for saying Appalachia correct! lol so many people say it incorrectly and it makes me cringe. I feel like a lot of folk practitioners write us Appalachian folk practitioners off because they view us as “hillbillies” so they don’t care to learn about us or even how to say it correctly. your mention of us was so brief but it still made me happy ❤
I'm not Italian but I am Catholic, so this info def helps me figure out sources to look up in order to better incorporate witchcraft into my Catholicism. Thank you so much!
thank you for this! this is super interesting!! i also want to thank you for indirectly helping me on my own folk magic journey!!!!
Just the brain food I needed today. Been looking at my German and Slavic/Baltic ancestry practices.
Hey! I'm German as well, are there any books/sources you've found useful for studying german ancestral practices and/or folk magic?
Here to learn as much as possible about all practices, religion, beliefs, and traditional crafts. Simply because I'm seeking my true path. I've been practicing some, but I seem to still be missing a lot. So if you see me like a bunch of videos, just learning. I finally came out to my friends and family as both pagan and a witch. So now I'm stepping into my journey openly ,with both feet, barefooted. I appreciate your content and am grateful I can witness the information. Thank you for that.
I remember my grandmother used to do this thing on me whenever I was sick. She would put a bowl Of water on my head. She would light a cotton ball.Throw it in the Is bowl of water And quickly place a glass over it... She used to do a lot Of stuff like this , but unfortunately she is no longer around for me to ask. I still have no idea what all that was for. We were born in Siracusa sicily
This is a brilliant and intelligent video thank you! I'm just starting to connect with my ancestor's practices starting with my Danish heritage. Happy learning everyone ✨
Very excited to grill my nonna and nonno tomorrow about any practices that show any connections to italian folk magic. Both being from Abruzzo it was so promising to find the cover photo of the book you showed in the video (the things we do) from Abruzzo and realising that I can reconnect to my catholicism in a way that makes sense ancestrally
I'm an Italian/Sicilian (Family from both) and I had no idea this existed until recently. There were a lot of weird little things my family would do growing up that I really thought were common place for Italian families but it turns out they're based off of folk magic. I'm super interested in learning more!
This is really interesting to learn about. I've been learning Braucherei, as much as I can anyways, which is Pa Dutch folk magic/ritual traditions.
In it, you see a distinction between Braucherei and Hexerei get drawn up, where Braucherei (also Brauche) is opposed to Hexerei, which is specifically harmful malicious magic sometimes thought to be done for profit. (it's highly frowned upon to charge money for doing Braucherei)
They're not separate traditions or anything, it's less a practical distinction and more a social one. Hexerei is whatever a Hex is suspected of doing, and a Hex was usually just some person that was blamed for bad things happening, or a more general boogyman type thing in which case one could replace witch with demon and the meaning is more or less the same (and Hexe were often thought to do their work specifically through demons, so the categories can overlap significantly)
Generally major economic woes or health issues (especially ones that doctors at the time weren't terribly good at helping with) were or could be blamed on Hexe (the plural of Hex), which in a traditionally rural agrarian setting was often stuff like the horse not eating, the cow not giving milk properly, or what's called Rotlaafe.
Rotlaafe, literally something like the Running Red, is a spreading skin infection that inflames the skin, reddening it, and, back before antibiotics, killed a lot of people, especially children. Also ergot poisoning
Braucherei is the more general term, which is carried out by its etymology. Related to "brauche" and "Gebrauch" (to need, from earlier meaning of to use, and custom, as in a custom), it literally just means something like "the (ritual) traditions of the Pa Dutch"
If I could draw a diagram it'd be a large circle labeled Braucherei with a smaller dotted circle or otherwise marked as nebulous inside it labeled Hexerei.
[small note] I wrote up a huge comment for the sake of being thorough, which might potentially be A Bit Much (tm), if so I'm sorry. I'm going to post it in chunks attached to this one
Like you said in the video where you mention that knowledge of folk magic is widespread and diffused throughout the rural populous, it is/was very similar among the Pennsylvania Dutch, to this day many people have stories of wart cures that their grandparents did. Wart cures in particular have stuck around the longest for many families.
Braucherei wasn't something that was marked by specialists doing it, but by just everyday people. This is part of why Brauche is more than just healing rituals, there's a lot of other stuff like using fasnacht grease to bless tools to use in the fields for good yields and to keep pests down or sticking good friday eggs in the attic to protect the house from lightning or fires that goes beyond healing that everyday people did and continue to do to this day that can be thought of as Braucherei.
That being said, there were specialists that were called Braucher or Braucheren (feminine suffix). There's often this idea that some people are just better at different things, so if one person is really good at healing they might have people come to them specifically, when people bring gifts like money or food these people can become more or less fulltime specialists.
Receiving payment for Brauche is highly frowned upon, as that was associated with Hexerei, something to be avoided, and there's often this idea that doing Braucherei is essentially God's work and that it's God doing the healing not the Braucher who is only serving as their hands, where taking payment for it is essentially taking credit where undue.
Braucherei is very, v e r y, Christian and though the Pa Dutch are mainly protestant there's an interesting survival of folk catholic elements in Braucherei, and in fact many materials published during colonial times for Catholics in German speaking Europe crossed the pond to be printed in Pennsylvania for the Pa Dutch, things like books of saints, marian stuff, etc. (Mary pops up so much, and while I can't find it now, I did once find a 19th century newspaper joke of a Pa Dutch man taunting a Lutheran pastor for not knowing who Mary was, which was amusing)
Though it's often changed by the Protestant Reformation, one interesting thing is less relying on a priest to bless water and more on special holy days where the rain and dew would be made holy by the nature of the day.
#2
Braucherei was often passed down through family lines, but also through teachers and apprentices. Usually the teacher had to specifically be the opposite gender of the student, so a woman would teach a man, a man would teach a woman (practitioners in modern witchy spaces are unlikely to have been traditionally taught, like me for example, but one modernisation of this that I've seen is that the teacher just has to have a different gender identity than the student rather than being exclusively binary)
When passed down through family lines, it was often a grandparent who taught, so a grandmother might teach a grandson, a grandfather might a granddaughter.
A lot of the familiar titles you used in the video when talking about passing folk magic down through family lines were specifically female, like mother and grandmother, so I guess that's a thing in Italian folk magic, but it really isn't in Braucherei at all. The only main exceptions really is that sometimes a father would pass Braucherei directly to his son, often a firstborn, or when the correct genders just weren't applicable, where the Braucherei might be 'taught' to a doll or chair with the door ajar where the child could overhear.
#3
Stregheria reminds me a bit of Urglaawe, which essentially is a kind of Heathenry that takes inspiration from Pa Dutch culture and Braucherei.
Personally, it's not my thing. It's continental heathenry in a kinda skin deep way, misses out on a lot of goddesses which I find disappointing, and you can really tell that its creator, Robert Schreiwer likely started in Norse heathenry before sorta kinda moving to continental. Which while valid, isn't as rigorous as I'd like.
The main thing is that the take Urglaawe has on Pa Dutch culture and Braucherei is very very similar to how you described the basic MO of Stregheria, although instead of framing it as being an unbroken tradition of authentic paganism/witchcraft it's framed as though there were actual traditional practitioners who syncretised pagan elements, often significantly downplaying the christian nature of Braucherei and overinflating any supposed pagan remnants.
If there were practitioners who did so they'd be doing it from the perspective of modern neopaganism likely from the 60's~70's onward, which while valid enough isn't historical and is disingenuous to portray it as such, which is part of why I dislike it.
It's fine and valid to be Urglaawer if it works for somebody, but the general framing you see in it isn't to my tastes, besides the fact that it's inherently related to the Troth, whom I dislike.
Both in the past and in the modern day, opinions vary about whether or not one needs to be Christian to do Brauche or have Brauche done to you, but regardless the Christian nature of Braucherei is just fundamental in a way that is impossible to remove. Sure there could be some elements that potentially stem from earlier forms of paganism, but I think this is hugely overblown and most of what we see in Brauche is just what has naturally grown over time, which happened to be in a Christian setting. This is part of why I go with being Christeopagan myself.
#4
For whether or not Braucherei is closed, I personally say fuck no.
Many people have used Braucherei, not just the Pa Dutch. Yes it comes from the Pa Dutch, but groups of people aren't set in stone and the boundaries blur and shift, and there's plenty of mixing back and forth where stuff is shared. A lot of stuff that comes from the pa Dutch would go on later to influence other forms of American folk magic, like the Long Lost Friend, while things like witch bottles might have come from Appalachian folk magic or are cognate practices.
I don't think anybody needs any particular reason or tie-in to learn Braucherei. Being interested enough in it to learn is interest enough in my book, nothing else is much my concern. The idea of anything like this being closed I honestly just find distasteful.
That being said, just because something is open doesn't mean people shouldn't still be respectful. You can learn about and of something while still being respectful in much the way that you can have that familial tie-in and still be disrespectful to the tradition.
For example there's a bit of a taboo against writing down what you've learnt from your teacher. So if you find a teacher, and don't have their explicit permission, you shouldn't write anything down in such a way that it might become publicly available (whether or not you can take notes to aid memory depends on the teacher).
#5
Before this gets too longer (I know the length is already rather extreme, I'm sorry in advance, I wanted to be thorough), some notes on language and a book recommendation.
The Pa Dutch are split into two main groups, the sectarians or plain folk (anabaptists like the Amish or Mennonites) and the non-sectarians or church folk (also called the Fancy Dutch or Gay Dutch, the last of which I adore) who are the Lutherans and Reformed of the pa Dutch, once the large majority (early days of the pa Dutch were about 94 percent Lutheran/reformed, 5 percent anabaptist, and 1 percent practicing Catholic. Nowadays over half of the Pa Dutch are anabaptists, as their numbers have rapidly increased over the last century.
The Pa Dutch began to face increasing amounts of anti-German sentiment and pressure to assimilate culturally and linguistically from about the Civil War onwards, ramping up to extremes during the World Wars. Obviously not nearly as much as Japanese Americans during that time, who were targeted much much more heavily and also faced the compounding problem of racism.
That pressure has done a world of hurt to the state of the language, which is currently dying out among the Fancy Dutch. The Fancy Dutch are the ones who traditionally practiced Braucherei; though it's not a 100 percent thing, the Amish and Mennonites generally had overall negative views on Braucherei and didn't practice it.
#6
You mentioned Portugal! I'm a first generation Portuguese (Azorean) American, who was raised in the folk traditions of São Jorge/ Açores. Just happy to have the Old Country mentioned in a folk magic video.
You always have the very best earrings, I’m amazed
Thanks for going over this in such detail, I really appreciate the information. as someone who’s always known more about my Italian heritage but never incorporated it into my practice before it was a very good resource to start
I’m not Italian but I’m a Catholic Witch so I love see how it’s bonded together!
yesss Italian folk magic 🪄
Honestly folk magic is just super interesting- regardless of where it’s from - and I really like researching it. But in saying that, I stick to British folk magic for my own practice cause that’s where the ancestors are from
This was a really fun video to watch! I enjoyed the more academic tone of the video. I'm not personally involved in any Italian practices, but I love hearing about other practices and history.
SPOT ON!! As a 3rd generation Hoodoo Practitionier I give the same response....Technically Hoodoo is open BUT it's power is passd Ancestrally -through the descendants of slaves! If a person is NOT from that cultural background it seems very strange to me that they would try to practice something that they are just not a true "conduit" for. Does that mean a person cannot utilize some of the aspects of Hoodoo like dressing a candle or using graveyard dirt -no! But to call oneself a "Rootworker" when this person has NO blood or culture connection to the people is like...you get the side eye. Every culture has FOLK MAGIC and people can surely appreciate others cultures "magic" but I think they should first desire their OWN. BTW I LUV ITALIAN FOLK MAGIC! But as a African Amerian I would Neva think I could practicie it having no connection to the wonderful Italian people. Blessings!
That was so well explained, she should have just said that, straight to the point. I’m Sicilian 100% but am fascinated with creoles and “root work” however staying in my lane 😊
Fantastic video! My mom is from Spain, but my dad is 1/2 Italian. My Nona was 100% 1st generation Italian. I haven't been able to find anything on Spanish folk magic/practices as the catholic church destroyed it all or killed the folks who practiced. So have been thinking about looking into Italian practices, although I don't know my much about my family there or even the culture, except for the giant family gatherings and meals for special occasions and holidays. 😊
love you frankie!!!!
Me four!!!
I'm italian American but my family lived in yugoslavia for the past few generations. But my cousins are friuan and I grew up going to our pignarûl each year
This is so interesting! Maybe you could collaborate with some Slavic practitioner and make it a series? I'd love to watch that
That would be great. I wonder how many similarities they themselves would connect. :)
I know this is sort of random, but in the beginning I heard you talking about mentors. I was wondering if you could expand on the topic. Also I know this wasn't your usually video format, but I really enjoyed watching this type of video as well and wouldn't mind see these types of videos as well. Have a great day Frankie!
So. I've been finally tied to read through Italian Witchcraft by Grimassi today and decided it isn't for me. I listened to it on audible because it is free with my subscription level. I noted some sources to go take a look at myself from the bibliography, but gave up on the book halfway through. Im looking at it as a lesson that you can still find helpful things, even when deciding a book isn't for me.
Im first generation Sicilian American and I dont agree with the comment "just because you are not from Italy you can't practice and achieve good results from Sicilian or Italian folk magic. Why? Well because for one I am a middle aged practitioner of magic and I have utilized ritual and spell craft from many different countries and I take what works and cast aside what doesn't. The folk magic of Sicilians for example call on the petitioning of saints within the region, we use herbs, oil and prayer to cure sickness and bless babies and crops. My aunts live on the east coast of the US and they still petition the same saints from Sicily where they were born and they add new ones that suit their need. There is no reason that a Sicilian Folk Practice won't work for you if your faith and intention are very present. Maybe in the last life, you were Sicilian or Italian and you have a calling to practice this type of tradition. Maybe you find Sicilian or Italian folk magic perfect for what you are needing in a specific time of your life and the practice truly resonates. I have even utilized standard celtic practices and they are wonderful and suit my needs especially during holidays like Samhain because in Italy we dont have this holiday we have Carnivale. So dont pigeon hold yourselves, practice, practice, practice! Blessed be. :) Lovely video and very thought provoking. This young lady is quite researched and I do enjoy her videos.
what I find very astounding about itlay, and especially south italy and Sicily, in the middle ages there was almost no witch hunt in italy. there are a few documented cases in northern italy, but the more south you go, the less hunt was there. Althoug Sicily was, and still is, full of Streghe. Italian people didnt fear Streghe
Unfortunately I really missed out in my Italian family. My mom's Nonna died when I was really little and she was kinda the last in our family originally from Palermo. I don't think they practiced but I wish I'd had the chance to talk to her. My Nonno talks a little about living through the "hippie years" as he calls it but he doesn't talk much about beliefs or practices.
I am not an italian, but for some reason, lots of italian concerts are central in my life, currently.
I am an opera singer, I venerate and work alot with the goddess, Diana and her related spirits; like Lucifer, Aradia and the forest nymphes
For me it's hard because I'm a mutt. I have Italian but a bit on both sides. My great grandma who I was raised around was of Italian ancestry but born in Dominican republic so she was raised Spanish and very religious. But my dads technically Dominican and Spaniard. My mom is Honduran but she said her grandfather on both sides were Italian and Spaniard. Her grandma who was married to an Italian was said to be a Catholic witch. On my dad side his father was known for being a not so good person, who practiced Santeria. I did a DNA test on 23&me and it found I have Greek in me too, which makes sense because of the history between Italy and greece. I do have Spaniard on both sides, I also have a pinch of indigenous on my mom's Honduran side and African on my dad's Dominican side. I've always felt like I don't really fit in anywhere really due to being a mutt lol. So it's like I'd like to practice folk magic of some sort, but I can't really fit in anywhere. I am a Hellenic polytheist witch and I've always been drawn to witchcraft since I was a child.
I can not tell you how happy I am that I stumbled across your channel! I am Sicilian & Mexican and I very much am on a journey to connect with the folk magic of my ancestors. I do not have any contact with my Sicilian family (my father cut us off when I was young because he is very very stubborn) and I was raised on "Default Mode" and so very seperated from my heritage save for some Mexican traditions. Your academic approach is exactly my approach to this and omg Gramassi's book was my first attempt to learn and I am so very glad to hear the truth of it!! Thank you for your channel!! Thank you for the work you do from one chaotic Auntie to another!
Have no Italian ancestry but enjoy learning about other traditions.
I love the fact that you can separate being catholic while still finding the craft within the lines that are so blurred for us Italians. I too, am on a journey to do just that. With that said do you then follow both Stregoneria and Benedicaria and just leave out the catholic practices that can be intertwined with Benedicaria? I rather enjoy watching your channel and learning what I can from your videos. Thanks for taking the time to share with us all the things you find. Can you do a video on what saints are considered old pagan gods to our Italian ancestors? I am just starting to learn about Gods/Goddess Deity's..
Hi…Can you please suggest some good Italian books which includes spells,rituals,incantations in Italian.
Do you know where to find a copy of "The Things We Do" by Agostino Taumaturgo? I can't seem to find it anywhere
Are you full blood Italian or your ancestors? if you dont mind ofc!! Thinking of taking a test to find my roots.
I’ve wondered the same thing!
I recently found out that I have Italian ancestry but it’s from northern Italy…do you have any books or websites you would recommend for that area?? Around Milan?
Hi Frankie by any chance could you do a video on Sicilian beliefs/folkmagic?
Lol I didnt know taumaturgo was dumping on grimassi in his book 😂 thanks for the rant, I was looking forward to it.
Personally when I started researching and I could only find grimassi I was very annoyed because that whole thing with diana and the devil(basically) having a dougther sounded a lot like christian fanfiction, like it felt too much “christian lense” to be an actual not only pre christian but pre roman ethruscan thing even! So yeah I never read it because that made me a bit uncomfortable so I had no idea what else he was saying 😬 but maybe all the enphasis on how genuine the practice was could have been a push from the publishers or something… idk but it does not matter I’m so glad you are spreading the word that it’s just not the same and people who did not know can now decide with knowledge
If my dads Italian can I still do it? My moms native and my dads Italian. I grew up around his side of the family. My nonno and Nonna lived next door my whole childhood. I miss them both so much.
Both parents are from Italy ,,one from sicily the other from Arellano (near Naples)! My grandmother used to talk about fairies,,,but my father forbid my gran other talking about such things,,,,, ! Because,,,,,we’re Americans now ! Ive been a witch for over 25 years but don’t know that much about Italian witchcraft,,from what I do know,,,it doesn’t seem that much different from what I’ve been doing !
ALSO,,,,can you show how you tie your scarf and where to get them ! Thx
Hi Frankie! I am an Italian male witch but I’ve never ever practised or studied Italian Folk magic. I’ve been practise witchcraft for over a year now and looking at different paths like Wicca but nothing resonates with me… I’ve brought a book that talks about the rituals done in the Italian countryside and I fell in love with it so I am 90% positive that I would love to study it properly HOWEVER I do not want to get involved with Christianity as I grew up in that community and it does not resonate with me AT ALL… what would you suggest?
Fellow Italian practitioner here! I grew up in southern Italy, near Napoli in a very Christian environment that didn't feel good. So I focused on traditional Italian herbal practice, connected to the plants available in the area and to the folklore. Is it possible to practice folk magic not connected to Christianity, also because in Italy we had various influences and pagan religion before Christianity was "created"
I find it.odd how.everyone still doubts Grimassis genuiness even.after Sabine Maggliochi interviewed him and his mother and confirmed they practiced a hereditary form of Italian.folk magic-learn to think for yourself people!
Personally from someone that has a lot of European ancestry Italian Folk Magic calls out to me personally (I am Italian with Basilicata roots) but I wouldn’t shy away from Celtic or German. Personally everywhere folk magic exist if someone isn’t Italian they can look at their own heritage and ancestry but if they like maybe learn about Italian folk magic and have some knowledge of different kinds of folk magic and traditions. I don’t mind that personally but to me is it a closed practice yes and no.
hey Frankie! wondering if you have any sources/information you could point me to regarding folk practices in Spain? been having a hard time with my search in that area. thank you for your videos and all you share with us here ♡
Same here. Seems all the information was destroyed by the catholic church. Best I could find is there is Celtic influence (Celtiberian), and the Basque region still has practices that were not lost. My family is from Andalusia area and I haven't been able to find anything about it.
You should look into the work of Jose Leitao. He's more Iberian peninsula and Portugal but there is some crossover. Look at the catalogue of Hadean Press and Scarlet Imprint as well.
@@haruki456Thank you so much!!
does anyone have any information on German folk magic? I wanna learn more about my ancestors
Which one is from southern italy?
Hey, I just got an Amazon alert -- Ronald Hutton dropped a new book today! About Goddess survivals in Europe. Check it out. I've already ordered it.
That sounds like an amazing topic for a book, thanks for the heads up
There's an African version of Streghoria called Santeria.
The crossroads thing is Itallian in origin? What are some Italian and Itallian Ameican influences on African American folk magic? What are some influences on Itallian American folk magic from African American folk magic?
The crossroads thing is probably not of Italian origin, but there are similar references to Faust, coming from Germani/French cultures. Chances are high that she is Italian-American, which means she is American, meaning expressions like "crossroads" are just part of her vernacular, not anything particularly literal. For instance, many Americans use the expression "man" when talking to someone casually. This derives from African American English; African American men were so often referred to as "boy" that they started using the expression "man" toward one another. This permeated throughout American culture.
@@gabrielryan6078 thank you for this explanation. This is interesting information
For anyone interested there are actually a lot of sources on these topics that explain things without even a HINT of racism (OR ethnic/nationalism, though this creator is clearly American)... Even open minded priests who are actually formerly educated. You do NOT have to "think" about why you're not sticking to your own kind.
MORE TIME ON THE SUBJECT, LESS TIME LISTING SOURCES...
What percentage of Italian heritage do I need to practice this? My DNA has 10% southern Italy.
I would say that yes Christians weren't constantly persecuted, it happened in fits and bouts, but that's like saying well we didn't kill your community EVERY DAY so give us that credit. The Roman imperial cult was in power and persecuted Christians, on specific deity holidays, in pretty awful ways. Sorry to burst your bubble.
YES I was trying to find a comment about this but no one seemed to notice or know about this! The amount of saints who are martyrs is astonishing, anyone with just a little bit of research into catholicism would notice. I'm not talking about some random martyr with dubious historical references two thousand years ago. Yes, catholics have and had huge powers that have destroyed many lives in a couple thousand years but that doesn't erase the amount of catholic martyrs?? I'm honestly quite disappointed.
@@moonn97 Right there with you. Don't have to be ahistorical to be critical of the Catholic church.
@@moonn97which catholic martyrs?
Can we talk about how Frankie appropriates from other cultures but then goes on a 5-minute long rant about how if you are not Italian-American you shouldn't do this magic?
There's also sooo much racism in some parts of Benedicaria. The open antisemitism is almost as bad if not worse than it is with racist Norse Pagans. Vito, who influenced the dude who's book they're citing here, is SUPER racist. Like swastika racist. I used to practice explicitly non-racist Benedicaria as a Catholic but I've gone Norse Pagan since. While I'm part Italian, it shouldn't matter any more than my ancestry does for Norse Paganism as long as one is actually respectful. Maybe someone non-Italian wants to learn because they're Catholic and don't want to appropriate from other Catholic cultures that would be more racist for them to do so? I suppose there's also the Irish but as someone who is also part Irish I don't see the difference. Italy and Rome are the home of the Catholic Church, so it makes sense that that's where people's minds would go. Edit: TH-cam kept eating my comments when I tried to post receipts, but SicilianCunningCraft on tumblr has the ones for Vito on his Benedicaria tag, and Jason Spadafore, who wrote The Things We Do under a pen name, is a friend of Vito's, as you'll find out if you google the two names together - it'll take you right to them openly admitting it and to sending book drafts to each other on Facebook. (Also apologies that this and another reply had incorrect pronouns at first. >.< )
Yep. She is just another twenty something hipster posing as someone wise beyond her years. She herself is not authentic but presents herself as an authority. Since it’s something not widely known about she can insert herself and put her own spin on other peoples very real spiritual practices. Big Dunning Kruger + a dash of narcissism = most of witchtok.
@@Hillcountry_CatholicIt is possible to be critical of someone without misgendering them or calling everyone you don't like a narcissist.
@@doran-of-the-north5435 wow. You have zero clue what you’re talking about regarding Benedicaria, Vito or anyone else. Do you even realize how you sound, just making a claim someone is “like swastika racist” while providing zero proof? I know personally you can not provide such proof because your claim is false. But I guess you just go ahead and keep shit talking the elders who paved the way and shared their culture, something you can’t even understand.
@@haruki456 I wouldn’t pretend to know what gender she claims to be. That’s not what I’m talking about here and I’m not going to be reprimanded for not knowing something by a stranger. Furthermore, your comment just illustrates the narcissistic tendencies are real here. Good luck to you with all that.
Benedicaria has nothing to do with hexing people; of course you can twist it but it’s got no ill intentions at all. It’s all about healing, protection and love.
Usually love your videos... But the part about christians being persecuted is very painful to watch and hear. Just look into a *few* catholic saints who've been martyrs in the last, idk, five centuries (you don't even have to go way back to ancient Rome to find them, and some of them even have photos because they were pretty recent). Just because the Catholic Church has been a horror to human history and has utterly destroyed life on Earth in many ways, doesn't erase the amount of catholic folk who were murdered for their faith. Sorry to burst your bubble.
What if the Deities and tales call to you and you see their reflections all around?? I've seen what looked like genetic evidence of a significant population tie between Gaels and a region in Italy or nearby in the Mediterranean, but it seems it was disappeared off the internet. .
I have a percebtage of italian in me. Will italian witchcraft work for me its nkt a high percentage but i do have some italian blood in me. The reason i want tovprqctice is because i feeling a drawing power to it. My goal is to learn this craft and to pass it down ro my son or daughter.
I probably shouldn't have bought all those books by Leland and Grimassi 🤦♀️ anyone have any good book recommendations for on Italian folk magick? Lol
If you speak Italian: Le Magie Antiche by Antonio Fernando Bonelli
@@fredfine thank you
A lot of Italian witches know the history of the Pict people bringing their culture over and incorporating it into practice, have you done research on this? Here is a great video of some explaining, th-cam.com/video/pwedRgSecRw/w-d-xo.html
How do you say "What is the f**ing difference?" in Italian? 😀
I’m like 2% Italian. Doubt that counts. Lol
In Italia we've only got stregoneria, maybe some traditions, the rest are american! 😅
Stregheria is most definitely American/Italian American - I don’t actually identify as someone in stregheria & I don’t know many Italian-Americans who practice folk magic who do!!! I think the Catholic elements of the folk magic found often in Benedicaria have been Americanized, but my understanding is that it stems from the older roots of Italian folk magic heavily syncretized with Catholicism
@@ChaoticWitchAunt and that's 100% fair! I just see too many americans with italian descendants saying us what we are. If you don't we appreciate absolutely the mix between the two cultures! The limit is simple: you are american and I'm european. If you respect this you are welcome.
Really sounds obvious... on Reddit an italo american blocked me because I told him he is american and not italian and to stop to teach italian grammar bad. If stregheria would be a simple mix it is 100% accepted and also we absolutely help you to improve your practice... with this limit of not labeling you italian, who is based on basic respect.
But descendants are something you can absolutely use and you can absolutely talk about your grandma. Just learn Italia had change a lot.
That's why we all italians are tell you "thanks" sounds obvious? Isn't! I don't understand why some italo americans should pretend to be italian (would be like we pretend to be italian😐) but you aren't so is 100%!
@@ChaoticWitchAunt now I take stregheria but happens even with traditional recipes or grammar... in general there's a difference and that's ok.
Day 3 of asking for a spell walk through on uncrossing/road opener
Jesus loves you so much Frankie. Only He can give you true peace and salvation. Not Diana, or Hades, or familiar spirits or plants. Jesus is the Only Way, the Truth and the Life, dear sister. And He loves you unconditionally.
I have to say I'm not interested in this practice, I just enjoy having your videos playing because they are incredibly comforting.