Adopted Greek
I became an adopted Greek when I married my wonderful, Greek husband in 2001. His family welcomed me and I began to learn their culture and traditions.
When were blessed two beautiful girls, my mother-in-law gifted them little evil eye charms, called "mati," as babies. She explained that the charms would protect them from the "evil eye curse," brought on by a malevolent glare. The curse can cause sickness and bad luck to those it falls on.
Now, at first, I thought this was a little weird. But in 2022 our family took a three week trip to beautiful Greece. We were able to travel the country and see stunning sights and meet relatives, and as we did, I noticed mati everywhere. I was fully explained the concept by a little old shop owner with a heavy Greek accent. He was so passionate about it, I did my own research and found that the concept of the evil eye has symbolism in almost every country in the world and in every religion, including Judaism, Hindu, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.
I have always had a strong crafting desire, and even have another Etsy shop. I wanted to begin making mati and offering them to others to allow them to learn and protect their family members. I can't wait to expand my shop with other handmade items for you to love.
Aimee