Volksglaube#

Popular Beliefs, formerly called superstitions, term used to describe a basic body of knowledge of and belief in preternatural or supernatural phenomena that the majority of a given population has, or had, access to. It is expressed in the belief in taboos and in the effectiveness of curses, blessings and oracles, in various forms of popular acts of piety and in the widest sense also in Folk Medicine. Manifestations of popular beliefs were Votive Gifts, necklaces against spasms in infants, certain pieces of jewellery, amulets, religious and other symbols on houses and in rooms, and, in modern days, the placing of a St. Christopher plaque or a baby shoe in cars.

Literature#