Last year, Slovakian photographer Lucija Sekerkova traveled to Romania to meet Maria Campina, the self-proclaimed queen of fortune tellers known locally as "witches."

These women (usually Romanian gypsies) supposedly can see the future and read it from the palm of their hand, from grains of wheat or from the stars. Lucia met Maria and spent some time with her, photographing witches, their homes, everyday life and craft, passed down from generation to generation since time immemorial.

“When I found these women, they didn’t really want me to photograph them. Some asked for money for this. Prices ranged from 20 to 50 euros per photo session. I told them that I was photographing them for a Slovak newspaper.”

Pictured: Gold is an integral part of Romanian culture, especially for the witch queen Maria Campina.

“After days of searching and bidding, I finally met Maria Campina - the self-proclaimed queen of the witches - and made a deal with her. To be able to photograph her and her friends, I had to promise that the newspaper I worked for would publish full story about her and will also give her the front page. Maria’s photo eventually appeared on the cover of the weekly Slovak newspaper SME.”

In the photo: Maria Campina on her luxurious gold sofa.

“I tested their abilities. All the predictions were different - some were positive, some were negative. They were all short and too general. I was predicted that I would get married and have the first of three children within a year, but this did not happen. Fortunately, the prediction that someone close to me would soon die did not come true either.”

In the photo: these white and gold chairs belong to a witch named Sultana.

“In this community, it’s usually the men who support the families. Whether they earn an honest living or not is another question. Fortune telling and fortune telling is an ancient craft and the only one that women are allowed to practice here. It is also the only way for women here to achieve respect and success. Girls go to school until they are 18, but their mothers, aunts and grandmothers teach them witchcraft. Each girl decides for herself whether this is the right activity or not, because often they have to deceive clients.”

In the photo: they try to furnish the houses here as luxuriously as possible, decorating the interiors with golden chairs or huge TVs. This is the home of a witch named Amalia, who at the time of the photo shoot was teaching her niece witchcraft.

“I photographed some of the richest and most respected witches. These women achieved the incredible: they created a modern business using ancient rituals rooted in their ethnic past. Their customs are the same as a century ago. Only the perception of their profession by others has changed.”

In the photo: Selena is in the process of learning magic, she is preparing to become a witch. Now she is in high school, and her Aunt Amalia teaches her magic.”

This furniture belongs to the witch Maria Campina, who claims to be able to speak with the dead.

Witches sometimes light candles to "open their inner eye" before casting a spell or looking into the future.

Lowenta told the photographer that she could see the grief behind her smile. She also predicted that this grief would become even greater after someone close to her died.

Atena realized that the photographer did not believe in her strength and in God. She said that Lucia would not be happy until she believed in the Lord.

This staircase is in the home of a witch named Athena, who believes that dreams of her late grandmother guide her through life.

Sunita told the photographer that an important moment was coming in her life and that she should take care of her health.

Potions - the most important part witch culture.

The witch Ivana Sidonia told Lucia that her ex wants her back and that someone close to her will die soon.

Crystal balls are an invariable attribute for predicting the future.

Slovakian photographer Lucija Sekerkova traveled to Romania to meet Maria Campina, the self-proclaimed queen of fortune tellers known locally as "witches." These women (usually Romanian gypsies) supposedly can see the future and read it from the palm of their hand, from grains of wheat or from the stars. Lucia met Maria and spent some time with her, photographing witches, their homes, everyday life and craft, passed down from generation to generation since time immemorial.

“When I found these women, they didn’t really want me to photograph them. Some asked for money for this. Prices ranged from 20 to 50 euros per photo session. I told them that I was photographing them for a Slovak newspaper.” Pictured: Gold is an integral part of Romanian culture, especially for the witch queen Maria Campina.

“After days of searching and bidding, I finally met Maria Campina - the self-proclaimed queen of the witches - and made a deal with her. In order to be able to photograph her and her acquaintances, I had to promise that the newspaper I worked for would publish the full story about her and also give her the front page. Maria’s photo eventually appeared on the cover of the weekly Slovak newspaper SME.” In the photo: Maria Campina on her luxurious gold sofa.

“I tested their abilities. All the predictions were different - some were positive, some were negative. They were all short and too general. I was predicted that I would get married and have the first of three children within a year, but this did not happen. Fortunately, the prediction that someone close to me would soon die did not come true either.” In the photo: these white and gold chairs belong to a witch named Sultana.

“In this community, it’s usually the men who support the families. Whether they earn an honest living or not is another question. Fortune telling and fortune telling is an ancient craft and the only one that women are allowed to practice here. It is also the only way for women here to achieve respect and success. Girls go to school until they are 18, but their mothers, aunts and grandmothers teach them witchcraft. Each girl decides for herself whether this is the right activity or not, because often they have to deceive clients.” In the photo: they try to furnish the houses here as luxuriously as possible, decorating the interiors with golden chairs or huge TVs. This is the home of a witch named Amalia, who at the time of the photo shoot was teaching her niece witchcraft.

“I photographed some of the richest and most respected witches. These women achieved the incredible: they created a modern business using ancient rituals rooted in their ethnic past. Their customs are the same as a century ago. Only the perception of their profession by others has changed.” In the photo: Selena is in the process of learning magic, she is preparing to become a witch. Now she is in high school, and her Aunt Amalia teaches her magic.”

Witches sometimes light candles to "open their inner eye" before casting a spell or looking into the future.

Lowenta told the photographer that she could see the grief behind her smile. She also predicted that this grief would become even greater after someone close to her died.

Atena realized that the photographer did not believe in her strength and in God. She said that Lucia would not be happy until she believed in the Lord.

This staircase is in the home of a witch named Athena, who believes that dreams of her late grandmother guide her through life.

Witchcraft has long been considered in most countries to be an old wives' tale and a relic of the past. But in some parts of the world, witches and sorceresses still inspire respect and fear among others. Romania is one of these countries. How does the life of modern Romanian witches work?

Going to a witch is not considered a sign of backwardness and superstition in Romania. On the contrary, the majority of residents of the country prefer to turn to a witch in the case when a resident Western Europe go to a doctor or lawyer. According to statistics, every tenth resident of Romania regularly turns to the services of witches.

Those who are well acquainted with fairy tales about witches and sorceresses are unlikely to be surprised by anything during a visit to a Romanian witch. Local witches act exactly like the heroines of fairy tales: they surround themselves with mysterious and ominous artifacts, love animals like black cats and owls, mutter spells, brew potions, dry mysterious herbs... And they even usually look like

Slovak photographer Lucia Sekerkova, who was making a photo report about Romanian witches, once decided to test their ability to predict the future, and invited several witches to tell her what awaited her, Lucia, in the future. As a result, the girl was, to put it mildly, disappointed. According to her, most witches were very vague in their predictions, and those who decided to be specific did not even come close to the truth. “One of them told me that in less than a year I would get married,” says Lucia. “The other said that soon one of the people close to me would die. A lot of time has passed, but none of the predictions have come true.”

Not all witches deny the church and Christian religion. Witches who call themselves white make it their mission to fight black witchcraft, use the Orthodox cross in their rituals, and sincerely consider themselves believers. One of the most famous witches Romania, Rodica, daughter of Mother Caterpillar, personal fortuneteller of former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, calls herself a white witch and a Christian, and does not start work without a cross. “The cross is a symbol of our faith in God,” says Rodica. “Everything I do, I do with faith in God.”

Romanian witches are clearly divided into white and black. Black witches do evil - they send damage, they spell death. White witches fight evil - heal diseases, remove spells. Their rituals are also different. White witches work during the day, using honey, flowers, herbs and other symbols of life. Black witches get to work at night, using symbols of death, dead animals, blood. Black witches, however, have one advantage - only they are able to speak with the dead.

Almost all Romanian witches are gypsies. In the gypsy community, witchcraft and fortune telling are the only jobs allowed to a woman and can bring her honor and fearful respect in society. Therefore, almost all girls in Roma families, without exception, go to school only until they are 13-15 years old, after which they devote themselves entirely to studying witchcraft rituals and fortune telling under the guidance of mothers and aunts. In this photo - young 15-year-old witches studying the first rituals in their lives.

Witchcraft has existed in Romania since ancient times. However, only in 2011, many years after the advent of capitalism, they decided to tax the services of witches and sorcerers. They say that before this, government officials were afraid to impose a tax burden on witches, fearing their curses. Indeed, after the introduction of the tax, the Romanian witch community collectively cast a curse on all politicians indiscriminately. The witches even arranged something between magical ritual and a demonstration, gathering to protest against the Ngalogs and pouring a poisonous potion into the Danube. However, except for a couple of fish, no one was harmed by the curse.

Romanian witches keep up with the times and have been providing their ancient services over the Internet for ten years now. One of the first to launch her own website with an order form for online services white witch Rodika. “I cast traditional spells and brew potions according to ancient recipes,” she writes on her page. “But the blog helps me be closer to potential clients and prove to skeptics that witchcraft is a reality.”

Witches Melissa (left) and Vanessa (right) were accused of blackmail and extortion in 2011. Promising the rich and famous citizens of Romania assistance in business and love, they took more and more from clients more money, threatening them with damnation if they stop paying for their support. One of the victims, the famous TV presenter Oana Zavoranu, took several hundred thousand euros to the blackmailers. She asked for help in her relationship with her mother-in-law, but Melissa and Vanessa were never able to smooth out the conflict in the host’s family. But they managed to intimidate the client so much that she continued to bring them money just to avoid the gypsy curse.

After 2011, when witches began paying taxes, the public increasingly began to perceive them as ordinary representatives of the service industry and even tried to sue them for poor quality work - that is, as a rule, for incorrect predictions of the future. But doing this, as it turned out, is not so easy. The witches accuse the clients themselves of incorrectly reporting information about themselves, misrepresenting the date, place and exact time of birth. Since few people remember the moment of their own birth down to the minute or its place down to hundredths of a degree, it turns out to be difficult to prove the crafty witch wrong.

As already mentioned, almost all gypsy girls from a young age learn fortune telling by palm, on cards, with the help of crystal ball, as well as other witchcraft tricks. Having received basic knowledge from their mothers, grandmothers and aunts, girls must decide for themselves whether they will become witches or prefer the fate of a housewife. At the same time, as stated, the teachers of witchcraft themselves point out to the ward that, when making a decision, she must remember about some of the moral ambiguity of this profession: after all, one way or another, she will have to exploit the naivety of clients. However, for some young witches this is an extra plus in the profession.

In Romania there is a place where any spell or curse comes true, even if cast by the most inexperienced witch. This is the so-called Witch's Bath, half an hour's drive from Bucharest. This pond is truly mysterious: animals do not drink from it, and although its measured depth does not exceed a couple of meters, anything can drown in it without a trace. According to rumors, in folk holidays Witches gather here to perform witchcraft rituals, since the spells cast here always come true without fail. But ordinary people try not to go near the Witch’s Bath.

You will need: 1 white candle, 1 blue and 1 yellow. Place them in front of the mirror and say:

"Mai usoara, mai subtire, asa cum spun: Fa-mi marimea potrivita chiar in aceasta zi!"

(make it lighter, make it thinner, according to my word: give me the right to choose my size on this day!)

After reading the spell, the candles should go out on their own, then melt what’s left of them into a new candle. Next time, repeat the spell on her, do this every day until there is nothing left of her.

2. The power of fire for protection.

Draw a circle and place a white candle in front of you. Sit in a circle, as comfortable as you like, look into the fire, imagine that you are in it, but it does not burn you, but protects you from everything and chant, entering a trance, repeating as much as necessary to realize the power:
" Aruncavrajainfoc. Arunc-o bine. Tese-o sus, tese-o acum.

Din flacara sclipitoare nimeni nu va veni sa faca rau sau sa mutileze.

Nimeni nu va trece de acest zid de foc. Nimeni nu va trece.

Nu, absolutenimeni!"
(I throw words into the fire. I am creating, I am creating now. Through the fire of the brilliant flame, harm and injury will not reach me. No one will pass through the wall of fire. No one will pass. Absolutely no one will pass.)

3. Attract goodwill from people.

In the spring, on Friday, or on the day of the winter solstice, sew a bag of green silk. Take 4 feathers and 7 cat hairs, mix with a handful of soil and put it in a bag. Sew the bag into your clothes, which you constantly wear in the heart area.

4.Mirror for the night.

Take a mirror, clean it in salt water, then you will need a red apple and the image of your loved one (catch the reflection of a living person or from a photograph without being noticed). In the mirror, you first need to catch the reflection of the apple, then it, then put it under the pillow and do whatever you want with it in your sleep.

5. Bring back love.

Get 3 roses on Midsummer's Eve. In the morning, bury one under the Yew tree, in the afternoon, the 2nd in the cemetery, put the 3rd under your pillow. Think about him with a rose under your pillow for 3 days and then burn it. Your image will haunt your departed lover until he returns to you.

6. Seeing the deceased in a dream

Draw a pentagram, place a photograph of the deceased, light a white candle, concentrate on the flame, then turn your gaze to the deceased and say:

"Ai plecat pentru totdeauna, dar prin aceasta vraja, tu vei veni in visele mele!"

(“You are gone forever, but with the help of this spell, you will come into my dreams.”) Place the photo under the pillow, when the candle remains, put it under the pillow as well. Without getting them out of there, on the 3rd night. You will see the deceased in a dream.

7.From enemies

To neutralize those who intend to harm you, destroy your reputation, or harm you in any way. Mix 4 teaspoons sea salt, 4 tablespoons frankincense and myrrh, 4 tablespoons orris root (or oakmoss) and 4 teaspoons iron filings. Take the parchment and write in black ink:

"Neutralizez puterea lui....(numele adversarului) de a-mi face rau.
Cer ca acest lucru sa fie correct si pentru binele tuturor. Asa sa fie!"

(Destroy his power (name of the enemy), who wishes me harm. In the name of justice, for the good of all. So be it!)

Roll up the parchment and tie it with black thread. Take the bottle, push the scroll and the mixture into it. Light a white candle, walk around the bottle counterclockwise and seal the neck with wax. Then bury the bottle where no one goes.

8 .Love spell for sweets:
Tu, sare mare, eu, miere mare, Eu te incinz, eu aprinz,
Tu sa te incinzi, sa te aprinzi, Cum te incinzi, cum te aprinzi,
Asa sa se-ncinga, asa sa se-aprinda N. de chipul meu, de trupul meu.
Sa nu-i dai stare a sta, Sa-l incinzi, sa-l aprinzi,

Cum se incinge vatra de foc,
Focul de vatra, asa sa se-ncinga Inima-n N.
De chipul meu, de trupul meu,
Cum plesneste sarea, cum se-ncinge mierea,
Asa sa se-ncinga, asa sa se aprinza
Asa sa plesneasca, sa nu se staveasca Inima-n N.
De chipul meu, de trupul meu,
Nici in lung, nici in lat, nici la noi in sat, sa nu-i stare a sta,
Nici mancare a manca, nici hodin-a hodini, nici somn a durmi,
Pana la mine a veni.

Witchcraft signs

1. Vindecare- Healing.

This sign is drawn in blue ink on prescriptions, tablets, etc., and appears on all medicinal products. Can be made as a talisman to be worn on the chest.

2. Ordine- Stability.

To maintain orderliness in life and order in thoughts. Can be used for inspiration.

3. Protectie- Protection.

This sign can be applied to a house, car or any other valuables. Embroidered on a dress or robe, as it also provides personal protection. It can be made as an amulet and passed on from generation to generation.

4. Bogatie- Wealth.

The sign is depicted in a bag, wallet or pocket.

5. Iubire- Love.

It is drawn green for friendship and pink for love to meditate on this. To maintain love, such signs are made on baked goods.

Oh wickedness

This problem has been around since ancient times - witches stick to children and take their lives. Associated with this are the legends about Strigas drinking the blood of children and Moroiuls - children who died from this and became dishonorable.

For example, a mother is walking in the city with her child, and a woman pesters:" O, ce dragut e! E pur si simplu adorabil!"(“so sweet, charming!”)

It is believed that if the mother does not immediately begin to spit on the child, denying to God that he is attractive, and that woman touches him, the damage will begin to take effect. When the mother and child return home, the child begins to scream and quickly becomes ill, becoming dehydrated and even dying.

Therefore, Romanians are wary of those who praise children, blue-eyed women, childless women, cripples and any envious people, and take a bunch of measures against them:
-They don’t allow children to be praised, even to the point of fighting.

They spit on children.

They stain them with earth so that they do not appear beautiful.
-Put on them is still popular egyptian amulet Wadjet (eye of Horus) and the “drop of Isis” - Tet.

Amulet made of stone " cat eye"or pendants in the shape of a crescent.

Children are tied with bracelets made of blue beads.

Mirrors are hemmed into clothes with the reverse side.

They tie a red braid or cord on the children's hand.

Spells used:

1. Deochi-Fromevil eye

Vine ciuta de la munte lingandu-si puii pe frunte.

Îi linge pe pistricei si pe cei frumusei.
Si eu pe N. il ling - de deochi, dintre ochi.
Cat o sta vantu-n gard atat sa stea deochiu-n cap,
Si sa fuga prin sat ca un cane turbat
Cu coada indoita,

2. DESTRIGOI- From Strig

Strigoi mort- have a wide range of possibilities. You could say it's the ghost of a dead witch turned vampire.

Luatu-s-au strigele si scorpiile, sambata dimineata,

Iniutate si-nfocate, cu cutite Ascutite,
Sa ia de la vaci hrana si mana.
Nime-n lume nu le vede, nime-n lume nu le-aude,
Numai Maica Domnului ce sta-n turnul cerului,
Numai ea ca le-a vazut, numai ea le-a auzit.
Cerga alba a intins, calea lor ca le-a aprins,
Si din gura ca le-a zis: Unde mergeti, si-ncotro va duceti?

Voi strigelor, voi scorpiilor, iniutate
Si-nfocate, cu cutite ascutite?
- Noi mergem sa luam,
De-a vaci hrana si mana,
Si sa le lasam numai zerul sa nu le piara vitelul.

- Voi strigelor si scorpiilor, Înapoi va intoarceti
Si-n mare sa va duceti. Duceti-va voi in mare
C-acolo-i un peste mare, de acela sa va apucati
Si aceluia sa-i luati hrana si mana.
Sambata des dimineata, s-au luat vacile,
Pe carare rourata, pe carare necalcata,
Suparate si scarbite c-au fost de strigi pangarite.

Nime-n lume nu le vede, nime-n lume nu le aude,
Numai Maica Domnului sade-n turnul cerului,
Si ea cum mi le-a vazut, din gura ca le-a vorbit:
- Unde mergeti vacilor, suparate si scarbite?
- Mergem dupa hrana si dupa mana, ca strigile si scorpiile
Ne-au luat hrana si mana cea-ndulcita si zaharita,
Ce ne-a fost de la Dumnezeu daruita,
Si ne-au lasat numai zerul, sa nu ne piara vitelul.

Eu din toate partile voi lua, si voua voi da, si voi pune-o-n coarne,
Din coarne-n piele, din piele-n vine, din vine-n tate
Si din tate-n donita.

Samca- evil spirit, subspecies striga - a naked woman, with very long, flowing hair, saggy breasts that touch the ground, small eyes, a sharp snake tongue, long nails, sharp as sickles. Appears on a full moon and scares children under 4 years of age and pregnant women into miscarriage.

She can take the form of a very large pig, a dog, a cat with big eyes, a raven, or a large black spider.

Other names common in the Balkans: Navadaria, Valnomiya, Sina, Nikozda, Avezukha, Skorkoila, Tiha, Slalo, Nekausa, Hatavu, Huva, Giana, Gluviana.

2.De MOROI - from the undead.

Moroiul in Romanian mythology, ghost, evil spirit, demon strangler, often a dead child, even more often an unbaptized one. Also considered a type of vampire, it used to be common for them to sacrifice livestock or pour blood into a feeding trough.

Tu moroiule, tu strigoiule, tu sa-ti mananci inima ta,
Matele tale, ficatii tai, carnea ta, oasele tale,
Pielea ta, ca cu cutitul te-oi taia, cu vin te-oi uda,
Cu busuioc te-oi afuma, cu tamaie te-oi tamaia,
Ca inima ti-oi lua, si cu cutitul oi taia-o,
Si-oi face-o noua bucatele,
Si-oi arunca-o peste noua valcele,
La noua catele.

Besides them, there are also forest demons:

MumaPadurii- Mother of the forest, she scares people who are lost in the forest. Like our Baba Yaga, only scarier.

Paduroiul- Muma's husband, a dangerous guardian of the Balkan forests.

FataPadurii(forest maiden) - Muma's daughter, lures young people into the forest and kills them. When the lure appears as a beauty with big black eyes and long black hair, when a guy falls for her, she turns into a monster and eats his heart. She took spells from her mother toappear beautiful, and her father has a magical Ivy in which she catches her victims. But, she appears only at night and never leaves the forest.

Zburatorul(flyer) - also a forest demon, but male, luring women. He is less aggressive.

Therefore, you cannot sing or whistle in the forest at night, or light fires.

Conspiracy from them:

U, MumaPadurii, u, TatalPadurii,
Cearta- ticaniitai, cateleletale,
Caiitai, telegariitai,
Armasariitai, Zmeiitai, Zmeoaiceletai,
SanuvielaN.
Sa- lzdrobeasca, sa- lzdruncineasca,
Dinsomnsami- ldestepteze,
Caeucufocuste- oiarde,
Cumaturate- oi

Attractiondarkness:

S-o pornit omu negru la padurea neagra,
Sa taie padurea neagra, cu toporu negru,
S-o care la casa neagra, cu boii negri,
Cu caruta neagra. Si-o luat plugu negru
Si boii negri, si grau negru, sa samene grau negru,
Sa-l care la casa neagra, cu boii negri,
Cu caruta neagra si sa harmaneasca cu boii negri,
Sa puna-n saci negri, sa duca la moara neagra,
Sa-l faca faina neagra, sa-l duca la casa neagra,
Sa-l faca malaie negre, sa faca braha neagra,
Sa cheme toate bobnelele, sa cheme toate sgancunelele,
Da" pe-a mea a uitat-o, n-a chemat-o.
Da" ea s-o-nfocat, s-o-mbujorat si radacina i-o secat.

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