Shopping for Spells: Exploring Four of the World’s Indigenous Folk Markets
Some practicing witches purport to be able to cure and transform people, or create favorable, or unfavorable, conditions. And these witches require supplies for their conjuring, and for this there are witchcraft markets. However, it’s not just people who claim a connection to witchcraft who have a need for candles, incense, herbs, oils, soaps, potions, and supplies for assisting the balance of a situation. Tourists, curiosity seekers, and the desperate also seek out these spiritual supply supercenters.
**In response to some dialogue generated by the original post:
No judgement was intended when originally calling these “witchcraft markets.” It should be noted that in some of these markets, the locals refer to themselves as a direct translation of the word ‘witches’ or a similar linguistic equivalent (see: our first market featured, Bolivia’s Mercado de Brujas, whose name directly translates to Witch Market); but not at all of them, and, of course, “witchcraft” is a loaded word. ”Folk medicine and religious iconography markets” is a more accurate description, and describes plenty of Christian, Buddhist and Hindu religious markets as well, which Atlas Obscura frequently details with an equal sense of wonder and appreciation as is applied to those markets above.
Ha Ha! Fuque One Direction
fearsome beauties of sailors’ minds,
ready to capture,
their most unsuspecting prey.