Browse:Name Backwards (Volume 1, entries 2818)
Name Backwards
Volume 1, entries 2818. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → SHRINES: ALTARS - CANDLES - SAINTS; NEW ORLEANS AREA → (2) CANDLES. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2818
Yo' use the black candle. Dey says yo' git a lemon an' yo' use cai- yanne peppah, yo' use black peppah, an' de name wrote backwards. Lak mah name is Viola, see - Dorsey, dat's mah name. All right. Well, yo write Dorsey Viola. Each form dey cross it. De name's back- wards, yo' see, an' yo' put de cai-yanne peppah an' all kinds of peppah an' cut that lemon an' put that down in there, yo' see. An' put it upside down, an' yo' put dat black candle on dere. Dat kin be used fo' breakin' up men an' wimmin - yo see, lak a man is with anothah woman. Mah husban' would be wit anothah woman an' he wus tryin' tuh fo'saken me an' ah'd break dem up. Well, yo' kin use a black candle an' [or] yo' kin use a green candle - dat's fo' sweetenin', yo' see. An yo' use dat upside down - stead of usin' de stem [wick] yo' use it upside down an' light dat candle into a tin cup, yo' see, but down in dat lemon - an' de name down in de lemon. (Whose name would you write? Your husband's name in there and this woman's name? Both?) Yes, but write 'em backwards an' crossways. See, heah ah come [demonstrates]. Lak it's me, yo' see, ah come straight. Heah de husban' right cross dere, but it all must be backwards. Let de las' name be de first, an' de first name be las'.
(How long do you burn that candle on there?)
Well, you burn that candle. Dey supposed tuh burn it nine days - nine days dat's tuh break 'em up.
(Do you light it any particular time? Put it out any particular time?)
Well, no, she goes out herself. Now, yo' see yo' light that light at six a'clock. She supposed tuh burn from six tuh six, yo' see, if it's not too warm, or not too much air dat would git to it. See, burn it from six tuh six an' if yo' wanted to, jes' keep it on till it burn, until it six in de night. She burn it from six dat mawnin' till dat night. She put it agin at six in de evenin' an' keep a'goin' till dose nine days is up.
(You say that you would use a green candle if you wanted to break them up?)
That's fo'saken 'em.
(And you use a black candle if you want to do what?)
Tuh break 'em up, too. Dat's breakin' up, too; green an' black. Dat's right.