Traditional bosnian medicine Raif Esmerovi
YILDIZ
8/20/2010
Lead's melting has been a very much spread spread practice of treating treating fear and other negative negative impact; in the past of BIH. The original method was brought by Turkish people who brought it over, amongst am ongst other magic beliefs, after they conquered Balkan countries. That ritual can be performed by man or woman, but women perform it more often, as they used to, tradition traditionally, ally, care about their family's health. Women who does that ritual in Bosnia is called stravarka (in turkish turkish ocakli kadin), and she is usually older older lady who has been passed through menopause. menopause. Stravarka, in the process, uses a few props; metal spoon, bowl for water, 3 or 4 pieces of lead and red towel or scarf. Ritual follows the strict religious pattern pattern and therefore Stravarka, Stravarka, before before she starts perfo rms abdest (muslim religious washing). Stravarka, over the lead and bowl filled with water, pronounces some individual individual Quranic prayers, prayers, with El -Fatiha first Quranic chapter chapter and El ihlas 111 chapter dominating. When treating a frightened frightened child, Stravarka fi rst put little pieces of led through the the gun barrel and then puts them in a spoon and melt in the fire. However, when treating her adult patients she holds a larger or several small pieces of lead in her hand and rotates them 3 times clockwise round around the patients head saying: Euzubilahir Euzubilahir rahmanir rahim. While the lead is melting in fire, Stravarka, over the bowl with water, quietly speaks prayers and basmas magic words that seek the salvation of God and the health for a patient. Between the prayers she repeats the the following words:"Dear Hazart Fatima, my dear mother tell your father Mohammed that the patient needs help day and night. When she pronounces all the words and prayers due to which she normally experiences some harmless sensations like uncontrolled uncontr olled yawning or tearing eyes stravarka covers patients head with a cloth or red scarf (patient sits on a chair). Then, while holding the bowl of water in her left hand over the patients head she takes a right handed spoon with melted lead and quickly quickly po urs it into the water. On this occasion stravarka says; says; lead to break and all evil to bounce from (name of patient). When pronouncing pronouncing the magic words she looks out into a high mountain intending, in such a way, to positively affect the recovery of a patient. Namely, in BIH high landscapes landscapes such as mountains, are considers as symbols of happiness and good good health; this is originating originating from the old Bosnian Sun -worshiping Cult. Cult. We, during this ritual, several times encounter the segments of those beliefs when stravarka 3 times moves in clockwise direction; following the path of the sun, when circling lead around the patients head or during her prayers chanting over the bowl of water that she, after every prayer, prayer, rotates in clockwise circle. After she throws dis solved lead in cold water, on which occasion leads form various shapes, Stravarka Stravarka commences analyses of the obtained shapes what leads her to the cause of problem/disorder. If lead forms in a shape of a needle or number of them Stravarka is convinced that the patient was a victim of an enormous shock of fright. Lead formed in a circle is a sign of a direct patients contact with the spiritual world of Jinns, on which occasion spirits harmed the patient. After Stravarka Stravarka performed the analyses analyses of the obtained forms of lead, she collects all the lead lead by the spoon and and brings it back to fire in order order to re -melt it. Then, Then, she repeats the same ritual that has already been described above, with a difference in lead being melted in water this time over the patients stomach not head. When stage two is completed the last time Stravarka melts lead over the patients feet, feet, what is the final/ending stage of the ritual.
The sign of successful treatment treatment is sought in the lead itself. Namely, so -called heart appears in the ve ry lead (shape of tear), what is a sign of all the evil being neutralized in the patient. The patient washes his face 3 times with the water lead was melted in 3 times, drinks a bit of it too, washes his/her hands up to his/her elbows and washes his/her legs up to his/her knees. The rest of the water is spilled under bush of rose. Heart or tears of lead is kept for a month time under the patients pillow and then thrown down the river stream.
