Broom Charm

Few things represent the intimacy of a home more than its broom. It is not without reason that this object has inspired so many beliefs and superstitions among the people. One of the most notorious, for sure, is the charm to drive away visitors.

When someone stays a long time in your home, a well-known strategy is to place the broom behind the door to ensure that the visitor is swept out. But a detail: with the handle down and the bristles up. Otherwise, it won't work.

The protection of the house

However, the opposite is also true. In "Superstition in Brazil," Luís da Câmara Cascudo recovers narratives from Ancient Rome, in which, to keep fauns away from the house, people lit the lights and left a broom propped up right behind the front door. Just be careful with the position: broom lying down, misfortune is called.

They say you shouldn't lend a used broom, as it would take the house's luck with it. When moving house, Cascudo (2015) records two practices. One recommends doing the first sweeping with the old broom, to preserve the previous balance. The other prefers a new broom, marking the beginning of another life.

The care continued when the broom was already worn out. According to the author, there was a custom of tearing it up and burning it, avoiding throwing it in the trash. It was believed that it could take away the happiness of the house and that its remains, in the hands of another person, would serve to cast spells against the family.

Sweep, gather and fly

There is much talk about the superstitions linked to the act of sweeping. One does not sweep a person's feet, as this will ensure that they never get married. It was also customary not to sweep the house at night, so as not to disturb the souls. Whoever swept the house at night did so with the help of the Devil. Sweeping ritually, however, is a way of expelling evil spirits and cleansing the house of their influences.

The broom is also linked to the act of gathering. We see this especially among German immigrants in Brazil, who maintain the culture of "breaking dishes." In this ritual, dishes are broken noisily to scare away poltergeist spirits. In the prayer of breaking dishes, it is said: "Just as this dish is broken, and you try to put the pieces together, so you will gather money in your property." It is with the broom that the shards are gathered that will represent the effort of family unity.

The broom is also the object that pop culture has made notorious as a means of transport used by witches to fly through the night. The basis of this image is folklore. Famous witches, such as Befana, from the Italians, use the object to fly and distribute gifts to good children and coal to bad ones.