Persian Superstitions: 20 Iranian Beliefs and the Phrases That Go With Them

The best-known Persian superstition is چشم‌زخم (cheshm-zakhm), the evil eye: the belief that envy or even admiring praise can bring harm. Iranians answer it with words like ماشاءالله (mâshâllâ) and بزنم به تخته (bezanam be takhte, “knock on wood”) and burn wild rue seeds called اسپند (espand). Two other common ones: pausing after a sneeze, and spending the 13th day of the new year outdoors.

Below you will find the most common Iranian superstitions (in Persian, خرافات, khorâfât) Listen grouped by topic, with the exact phrases people say, their pronunciation, and notes on how seriously people take them today. Many of these phrases are simply part of everyday speech, used out of habit or with a smile, so they are worth learning even if you believe none of it.

Persian superstitions at a glance

Words for luck, omens and superstition

Before the beliefs themselves, here are the words Iranians use to talk about them. You will hear خرافاتی (khorâfâti, “superstitious”) a lot, often as a gentle tease: مامانم خیلی خرافاتیه (mâmânam kheyli khorâfâtie, “my mom is very superstitious,” spoken).

If you want more ways to wish someone well, see our guide to saying good luck in Persian.

The evil eye: cheshm-zakhm

The evil eye is the belief that a look full of envy, or simply too much admiration, can hurt a person, a child, a new car or a business. It is very old in Iranian culture and still the most widespread belief of all. The general term is چشم‌زخم (cheshm-zakhm, literally “eye wound”) Listen, and the verb is چشم زدن (cheshm zadan, “to give the evil eye”).

Someone thought to have a harmful gaze has a “salty eye”: چشمش شوره (cheshmesh shure, spoken; written چشمش شور است). A person like that is شورچشم (shurcheshm). When things go wrong right after a compliment, you may hear چشمش زدن (cheshmesh zadan, spoken, “they gave him the evil eye”) or چشم خورد (cheshm khord, “it got the eye”).

What to say after a compliment

Because praise itself can “attract” the eye, Iranians soften it with a protective word. This is the part of the superstition you will meet most often, even among people who believe nothing else on this page.

Listen: ماشاءالله Listen چشم بد دور Listen بزنم به تخته Listen

A typical sentence: ماشاءالله، چقدر بزرگ شده (mâshâllâ, cheghadr bozorg shode, “mâshâllâ, how big he’s gotten”). Note that ماشاءالله is a religious expression from Arabic, used by Muslims and also by many non-religious Iranians as a polite reflex. It is not a superstition in itself; it just does the job of protecting a compliment. If you praise an Iranian friend’s baby and add mâshâllâ, you will sound thoughtful, not strange. For more on everyday religious phrases, see inshallah in Persian, and for how to give praise in the first place, our list of Persian compliments.

Burning espand (wild rue)

The classic remedy for the evil eye is اسپند (espand, also written اسفند, esfand) Listen, the small seeds of wild rue. A handful is dropped onto a hot coal or a small heated pan, the seeds pop and smoke, and someone circles the smoke around the head of the person being protected. The verb is اسپند دود کردن (espand dud kardan, “to burn espand”).

You will smell espand in Iranian homes after a child’s exam success, at weddings and birthdays, when someone moves into a new home, and on Nowruz. Some sellers in markets also burn it to protect their shop. Many people enjoy the smell and the ritual itself, whether or not they believe in the eye. The person waving the smoke often says بترکه چشم حسود (betereke cheshm-e hasud) Listen, or a short prayer.

Amulets and other remedies

• Blue beads. A blue glass bead with an eye on it, sometimes called چشم‌نظر (cheshm-nazar), hangs in cars, on baby clothes and over doorways. The same idea is found in Turkey and Greece.
• Vanyakâd. A plaque or pendant with the Quranic verse that begins “va in yakâd” (68:51), known in Persian as وان‌یکاد (vanyakâd), is a very common gift for a new home, a new car or a newborn.
• Breaking an egg. In some families, when they think someone has been hit by the evil eye, they hold an egg and say the names of people who might have caused it, pressing until the egg cracks. The name said at that moment is “the one.” This is a folk ritual you might see in comedies or at a grandmother’s house, not something most people do.
• Charity. Giving to the poor, صدقه (sadaghe), is believed to keep misfortune away. The saying is صدقه رد بلاست (sadaghe radd-e balâst, “charity turns misfortune away”).

Phrases that “protect” good and bad news

Many Iranian superstitions live in short phrases rather than rituals. They follow a simple logic: don’t boast about good things, and don’t say bad things aloud without a shield. Most speakers use them out of habit, the way English speakers say “knock on wood” or “God forbid.”

Listen: گوش شیطون کر Listen زبونم لال Listen دور از جون Listen خدا نکنه Listen

A tip on دور از جون: it is also used in comparisons, when you mention something unflattering near a person. If you say “my neighbor’s dog, dur az jun, has the same haircut as you,” you are joking but staying polite. This kind of verbal care is closely related to taarof, Persian politeness.

Sneezing: sabr âmad

If someone sneezes just as you are about to do something, such as leave the house, start a trip or sign a contract, many Iranians will tell you to wait. The phrase is صبر آمد (sabr âmad), spoken صبر اومد (sabr umad) Listen, “patience has come.” The sneeze, called عطسه (‘atse), is taken as a sign to pause. People usually sit down for a moment or wait a minute, then go. In many families a second sneeze is said to cancel the first, so you can go right away.

This is one of the most common beliefs in Iran. In a survey study of residents of Isfahan province, the sneezing pause was the belief people mentioned most often about themselves. It is also easy to follow: waiting thirty seconds costs nothing, so even skeptics often play along.

What you say to the person who sneezed is different. That is عافیت باشه (âfiyat bâshe, “may it be health”) Listen, and the polite reply is سلامت باشی (salâmat bâshi, “may you be healthy”).

The number 13 and Sizdah Bedar

Thirteen, سیزده (sizdah), is the classic unlucky number in Iran, just as in much of the West. Some people avoid the number in addresses or seat numbers, and you will hear it called نحس (nahs, unlucky). Its most famous form is a holiday, not a fear.

The thirteenth day of the Persian new year, 13 Farvardin (April 1 or 2), is سیزده‌به‌در (sizdah be dar) Listen, roughly “thirteen out of doors.” Families leave the house and spend the day in parks and the countryside, with picnics, music and games. The traditional idea is to send the bad luck of the thirteenth, نحسی سیزده (nahsi-ye sizdah), out of the home and out of the new year. Today most people simply see it as a joyful nature day that closes the Nowruz holidays.

Three customs on this day are tied to luck:

• Throwing away the sabze. The sprouted wheat or lentils from the Nowruz table, the سبزه (sabze), is thrown into running water, carrying away illness and bad luck from the year.
• Tying grass. Young single people, especially women, tie a knot in blades of grass, سبزه گره زدن (sabze gereh zadan), and make a wish, traditionally for marriage. A playful rhyme often goes with it: سال دیگه، خونه‌ی شوهر، بچه به بغل (sâl-e dige, khune-ye showhar, bachche be baghal, “next year, in my husband’s house, with a baby in my arms”).
• The lie of the thirteenth. Pranks and harmless lies, called دروغ سیزده (dorugh-e sizdah), are part of the day, a little like April Fools’ Day, which falls at about the same time.

Read more in our posts on Sizdah Bedar and Nowruz, the Persian New Year, or practice with the intermediate reading Sizdah Bedar, Nature Day.

Chaharshanbe Suri: fire, spoons and eavesdropping

On the evening before the last Wednesday of the Persian year, Iranians celebrate چهارشنبه‌سوری (chahârshanbe suri). People light small bonfires and jump over them, saying:

زردی من از تو، سرخی تو از من Listen
zardi-ye man az to, sorkhi-ye to az man
“My yellowness to you, your redness to me.”

Yellow stands for paleness and illness, red for warmth and health: you give the fire your weakness and take its strength into the new year. Several old customs of the same night are about luck and the future:

• قاشق‌زنی (ghâshogh-zani), “spoon banging”: people cover their faces, go door to door and bang a spoon on a bowl until neighbors give them treats, a custom often compared to Halloween.
• فال‌گوش (fâl-gush), “omen listening”: someone makes a wish, stands in a lane or behind a door, and treats the first words they overhear from passersby as the answer.
• کوزه شکستن (kuze shekastan), “breaking a jug”: an old clay jug is thrown from a rooftop so the year’s misfortune breaks with it.

Our post on the festival of fire, Chaharshanbe Suri, covers the whole night.

Travel: water, the Quran and charity

Seeing someone off on a trip comes with a small ritual in many Iranian families, especially before long journeys, military service or a move abroad:

• The traveler walks under a Quran held up by a family member, از زیر قرآن رد شدن (az zir-e Ghorân rad shodan), and often kisses it on the way out. A mirror and a bowl of water may be held on the same tray.
• After the traveler leaves, someone pours water on the ground behind them: پشت سر مسافر آب ریختن (posht-e sar-e mosâfer âb rikhtan). Water stands for light, purity and smoothness, so the trip should go as smoothly as water flows and the traveler should return safely.
• Some families set aside money as صدقه (sadaghe), charity, for a safe trip.

The words that go with all this are به امان خدا (be amân-e khodâ, “in God’s protection”) Listen and سفر بخیر (safar bekheyr, “have a good trip”).

Everyday household superstitions

Spilled water is light

If you knock over a glass of water at an Iranian table, nobody will be annoyed. Someone will say آب روشنایی است (âb roshanâyi ast), spoken آب روشناییه (âb roshanâyie) Listen: “water is light,” a good sign. It is half belief and half kindness, a way to put a clumsy guest at ease.

Scissors start quarrels

Opening and closing empty scissors, قیچی (gheychi), is said to cause a fight in the house. Parents tell children: قیچی رو باز و بسته نکن، دعوا می‌شه (gheychi ro bâz-o baste nakon, da’vâ mishe, “don’t open and close the scissors, there’ll be a fight,” spoken).

No nail cutting or sweeping at night

Two night-time rules are still common, especially among older people: don’t cut your nails at night, شب ناخن نگیر (shab nâkhon nagir), and don’t sweep the house at night, شب جارو نکن (shab jâru nakon). Both are called بدشگون (bad-shogun), bad luck. The practical roots are easy to imagine: cutting nails or sweeping in dim light before electricity was not a great idea.

An itchy palm means money

If your palm itches, money is on its way: کف دستم می‌خاره (kaf-e dastam mikhâre, “my palm is itching,” spoken) Listen. People say it jokingly, the same way English speakers do.

Tea leaves and guests

Some families say that when a bit of tea stalk floats upright in your glass, a guest is on the way. It is a cozy, harmless belief that fits a culture where unexpected visitors are common.

Respect for bread

Many Iranians will not step on bread or throw it in the trash; a piece found on the ground is picked up and set aside where no one will step on it. This is more a matter of respect than of luck: bread is seen as a blessing, برکت (barakat), and wasting it is felt to be wrong.

Animals and omens

In English the owl stands for wisdom. In Iranian folk belief, the owl, جغد (joghd), is a bird of bad news, and an owl hooting near a house was traditionally taken as a sign of death or misfortune. In Persian poetry the owl is also the bird of ruins, the one that lives where life has gone. The adjective for this kind of omen is شوم (shum), “ominous.” Learn the names of other animals in our list of animals in Persian.

Bad timing and things that come in threes

When everything seems to go wrong at once, Iranians say things are قمر در عقرب (ghamar dar aghrab, “the moon in Scorpio”) Listen. In traditional astrology this is a period when you should not start important things, such as a wedding, a trip or a business deal, and some printed Persian calendars still mark it. In everyday speech it has become an idiom: امروز همه چی قمر در عقربه (emruz hame chi ghamar dar aghrabe, “everything is going wrong today,” spoken).

Another common saying is تا سه نشه، بازی نشه (tâ se nashe, bâzi nashe, “until it’s three, it’s not a game”) Listen. It is said when something happens twice, to suggest a third time is coming, good or bad. You might hear it when someone drops something for the second time, or when a team scores its second goal.

The idea of a lucky or unlucky arrival also matters. A guest, a new bride or a baby whose arrival is followed by good things is called خوش‌قدم (khosh-ghadam, “good-footed”), and people may joke that a new colleague is خوش‌قدم if business improves after they join.

Fortune telling: fâl

Reading the future, فال گرفتن (fâl gereftan), is part of Iranian social life, though most people treat it as entertainment. The best known kind is فال حافظ (fâl-e Hâfez): you make a wish, open the poems of Hafez at random, and read the poem as the answer. It is especially popular on Yalda night and Nowruz. Our step-by-step guide to Fal-e Hafez shows how it is done. Other kinds include coffee cup reading, فال قهوه (fâl-e ghahve), and dream interpretation, تعبیر خواب (ta’bir-e khâb).

How seriously do Iranians take these beliefs?

It varies a great deal by family, generation, region and religious outlook. Many educated urban Iranians would call most of this خرافات and still say بزنم به تخته after good news, wait a moment after a sneeze, or burn espand at a wedding because it feels festive and connects them to their grandparents. Religious scholars, for their part, often criticize superstition, and the word خرافات itself carries a critical tone.

Researchers have noticed the same thing: in a survey of residents of Isfahan province, people reported much more superstition in their parents and in their neighbors than in themselves, and higher education was the strongest factor linked to weaker belief. In other words, almost everyone knows these customs, but few people would say they truly depend on them.

For a learner, two things matter. First, the phrases are real everyday language, so learn to recognize and use them. Second, if your Iranian host burns espand around you or pours water behind your car, the kind response is to smile and say مرسی (mersi). It is a gesture of care. You can explore more customs in the cultural nuances of speaking Persian, and if you enjoy expressions like these, the book 300 Farsi Idioms with Their English Equivalents collects many more.

Common questions

Are Iranians superstitious?

Some are, many are not, and almost everyone knows the customs. Phrases like بزنم به تخته (knock on wood) and ماشاءالله are used by nearly everyone out of habit. Beliefs about the evil eye and sneezing are the most widespread; rituals like breaking an egg are mostly found among older or more traditional families.

What is the evil eye called in Persian?

It is چشم‌زخم (cheshm-zakhm), “eye wound,” also چشم بد (cheshm-e bad, “bad eye”) or چشم شور (cheshm-e shur, “salty eye”). To give someone the evil eye is چشم زدن (cheshm zadan). The usual protection is saying ماشاءالله or چشم بد دور and burning espand.

How do you say “knock on wood” in Persian?

Say بزنم به تخته (bezanam be takhte), “let me knock on wood.” It is used exactly like the English phrase, after mentioning something good you don’t want to lose, and people often really knock on a table. A similar phrase is گوش شیطون کر (gush-e sheytun kar), “may the devil’s ear be deaf.”

What does “sabr amad” mean when someone sneezes?

صبر آمد (sabr âmad, spoken sabr umad) means “patience has come.” If someone sneezes just as you are about to leave or start something, many Iranians pause for a moment before going on. To wish the sneezer well, say عافیت باشه (âfiyat bâshe).

Why do Iranians burn espand?

Burning اسپند (wild rue seeds) is the traditional way to drive off the evil eye. It is done at weddings, after good news, when moving into a new home and at Nowruz, and many families do it as much for the familiar smell and the festive feeling as for protection.

Is 13 an unlucky number in Iran?

Traditionally, yes. Thirteen, سیزده, is considered نحس (unlucky), and the 13th day of the new year, سیزده‌به‌در, is spent outdoors to send its bad luck away. Today Sizdah Bedar is mostly a happy picnic day that ends the Nowruz holidays.

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