TURKISH SUPERSTITION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5058, 9 June 1877, Page 3

TURKISH SUPERSTITION.

A lady writing in the “ Cornhill Magazine ” on “Turkish Ways aud Turkish Women,” says The Crescent is not a chance representation or symbol of the Mahometan faith ; the new moon is inseparably connected in the Mussulman mind with special acts of devotion; its appearance is watched with eager expectancy, and the moment the eye lights on the slight thread of silver in tlie western twilight, it remains fixed there whilst prayers of thanksgiving and praise are offered, the hands being held up by the face, the palms upwards aud open, and afterwards passed three times over the visage, the gaze still remaining immovable. The eyes are snatched off, if possible to he turned straight on some “lucky” face’or precious object. A fond mother wijl send for her child to bo near at hand before she takes her first look at the new moon, and as she concludes her prayer she will look into its eyes aud kiss it ; but not its eye-lids ; that would he a sure sign that the two would shortly be parted. Favorite slaves cover their face- till they could find the young and beautiful princess, and then, as they looked into her eye;-, would make their apology, which was sure to be accepted, I was in request for tbe same purpose, ami one room I inhabited in the heart of Stamboul, was besieged at the new moon by those who hold the superstition that it was unlucky to see it through the glass, and who flocked to my three windows because they had no kaffes, and could be thrown up (for they loolced into a narrower court, aud could not be seen from the street). I could not find it in my heart to rebuff these poor girls, while I smiled at their superstitious observances ; and gave permission to relay after relay of those who asked leave to station themselves at my windows aud look straight from the moon into my face. Who can bring us better luck than you ? they would say ; “ you wish good to every one, and you are not a sheve,” Mussulmans have a very special reverence for the rainbow as an actual renewal, when ever it appears, of the promise of God not again to destroy the earth at any time. Their faitii in it as a distinct sign to them is all the more vivid from their being in most cases quite ignorant of the natural causes which produce the rainbow ; in such things they are, for the most part, like simple, untaught children, not looking for the physical causes of the phenomena of nature, but attributing the latter to some unseen power in the region of the supernatural. The popular belief among the ignorant classes iu Turkey respecting the cause of an eclipse is an instance of this. To the ordinary Turkish mind the darkened luminary is being attacked by some evil spirit clambering over it, endeavoring to quench its brightness, and threatening its very existence. Never shall I forget my extreme astonishment, one still winter evening, to hear a sudden firing of guns and a running backwards aud forwards iu the streets, with shouting and noise, and to discover that all this excitement was occasioned by the

people having perceived that the moon was vetting darkened. The monster was at its fell work once more, aud must be frightened off 1 So those who had them brought guns, and discharged volleys of shot in the direction of the helpless victim, and to make the defence more effective the Imams discharged their firearms, with the same aim, from the balconies of the minarets. The struggle was watched with intense interest by men and boys and poor women crowding below, aud by ladies and slaves who witnessed these proceedings from the harem windows, and the triumph and relief were great when the pious invectives and righteous missiles of the Imams were found to have so far wrought terror in the vampire that it began slowly to relax its hold on its prey, and the moon gradually regained its effulgence. Complacent ejaculations of victory followed exclamations of dismay, and prayers of thanksgiving went forth from many hearts that had been beating with terror.