Bring it home in November. You can’t deny yourself happiness

Plants have been and still are an integral part of numerous rituals that have survived to this day. The Slavs eagerly used them during important holidays and events. Many of these types of superstitions were supposed to guarantee happiness and protection, one of them was the need to use juniper.

Juniper belongs to the coniferous plant family. It is a common garden decoration. The coneberries that grow on it are a spice eagerly used in numerous dishes, and they are harvested in late autumn and winter. In folk culture juniper was credited with having a protective effect — it was supposed to drive away evil spirits and ensure the family’s prosperity and health.

In addition, this plant was also used in folk medicine, often (but not in every region) it was entangled in wedding wreaths, which were supposed to guarantee the young couple health and prosperity on their new path in life. In some cultures it was also a symbol of eternal life. Of course, coneberries were eagerly used in cooking centuries ago. One of the rituals intended to ensure the family’s well-being had to be performed when ripe fruit appeared on the juniper tree, i.e. around November.

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Apart from the above-mentioned weaving twigs into wreaths, there are several other interesting superstitions associated with junipers – of course, they should be treated with a pinch of salt, but if you have this plant in your garden, you can carry out such a small ritual, because who knows whether it will work. For starters first of all we need a twig – it doesn’t have to be large, but it should be easy to hold in your hand or tie with a ribbon. Two rituals can be performed with juniper.

One of the most popular superstitions is fumigating the house with juniper — it was supposed to provide protection against evil. Another, much more frequently used ritual is zhanging a juniper tree near the entrance door (preferably inside the house, but if we don’t have space, it can also be outside). Thanks to this, bad luck was to be warded off and good luck would be encouraged to settle permanently within the walls of the house.