Maria Pozharova, incantations, signs and prohibitions

Maria says that every whirlwind has a shulm (evil spirit) sitting in the middle and spinning the wind around. When a whirlwind passes near you, throw a knife and sprinkle water into it, while saying the following incantation: ‘Shulm, shulm where are you going to? Don’t come to us!’ Hair that falls during combing should be destroyed in a fire. Otherwise, ‘dogam’ spirits may use the lost hair to influence the person to whom the hair locks belonged. Old clothes should be also disposed of by burning.Sponsored by Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin