Has something got you down? Experiencing a lot of bad luck? According to Italian superstitions, it may be as a result of the ‘evil eye’ or Malocchio.
The malocchio (mal = bad, occhio = eye) is a long-standing tradition in Italy. Basically, it’s believed to be caused by the bad thoughts of other people – especially envy.
One way to remove the malocchio is to wave a bowl of oil around the head of the person who is believed to be suffering from the evil eye, while reading the above script, then use a finger to let a drop of oil fall into the bowl. After adding the drops of olive oil the bowl, do the sign of the cross across the bowl three times. If the dots stay intact, you are cured, if they disappear into the bowl, you still have the ‘evil eye’ and the process is repeated.
Note: This must only be done by someone who has been trained to do so.
Cocilovo & Battaglia 