FIGA

The gesture of making the figa (closed fist with the thumb between the index and middle fingers) is considered apotropaic (a favorable object or gesture that wards off evil) since at least Roman times, as it was used
in a ceremony by the head of the family at midnight in each house to ward off lemures, dangerous spirits of the dead. This protective function of the figa gesture is also interpreted favorably in present-day Galicia,
throughout the Iberian Peninsula, in Italy, and other places. In contrast, in countries like Greece and Turkey, as well as in almost all of Central and South America, it is considered an insult and has sexual connotations.
In Galicia, figas crafted with acibeche, often associated with pilgrimages to Compostela, are highly esteemed. Many of them are valuable jewelry pieces with gold or silver settings, and many people wear them as amulets against evil
around their necks or other parts of the body. In ancient Rome, both amulets and gestures mimicking the phallus were widely used. When the gesture, involving raising the thumb while keeping the other fingers closed against the palm,
was made, it was considered an obscene gesture intended to offend.

CURANDEIRAS

The healers, also known by various names such as menciñeiras, compoñedoras, sabias, are women whose knowledge is inherited from tradition, and they apply remedies using herbs, potions, prayers, incantations,
or the laying on of objects or hands to cure ailments. Sometimes, they are called witches, sorceresses, or enchantresses because they are believed to use dark arts to cause harm or even death. There is also a third category
that includes fortune-tellers, card readers, seers, and visionaries who can "see" the situation of distant people, as well as the past and the future through various means.
Filomena Arias Armesto, the Wise Woman of Torbeo, was born in the municipality of Ribas de Sil in 1865 or 1866 and died in 1938. Her power reportedly came suddenly when she drank water from the Cross fountain, as five demons
supposedly entered her body. The parish priest exorcised her but could only remove two demons. She became a renowned healer, gaining fame in both Spain and Portugal. She was a seer and relied on a medium she called "La niña".
She barked like dogs, and when in a trance, she spoke in Spanish.
Isolina Camiña, the Gheiteira, was born in Cerdedo in 1909 and died in Pontevedra in 1996. She possessed a wooden trough that she used to exorcise the hiccups, a golden star ring, and the St. Andrew's cross. She was a specialist
in cutting the air of the deceased. She would place the ring on the patient's finger, put them in the trough, give them a scrub, and recite the ritual words three times.The patient would relax until falling asleep inside the trough,
and upon waking up, they would be cured. Her great-nephew, Carlos Solla, inherited these tools and is particularly proud of the so-called St. Andrew's cross, a gray stone naturally marked with a white cross. Those who have this stone
on their chest at the moment of death, even if they did not pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Teixido during their lifetime, are considered exempt from doing so after death—a universal safe-conduct.
Sabina Ramos Mosquera, the Cartonera of Vilaxoane in Foz, was also a seer and attended to various consultations related to infidelity, love affairs, and intimate matters. According to Xoán Ramón Fernández Pacios,
she was arrested by the Civil Guard, accused of violating Article 606 of the Penal Code in force in 1917: "Those who, for interest or profit, interpret dreams, make predictions or divinations, or abuse public credulity in a similar manner."

HERBA PELIQUEIRA

Essential herb to know where treasures are. It is found in the deepest caves or in deep holes that never freeze or reach the rays of the sun, as it would lose its properties. Once collected, it must be boiled in water from seven sources
and taken for twelve consecutive days. The next night, in a dream, the person who took the potion will be revealed the exact location of the treasure, the depth, and even the shape of the container that holds it

MALVA - MALLOW

The mallow flower follows the direction of the sun throughout the day. The leaves, when infused, are recommended for those prone to getting scared. According to Pliny, the mallow seed has aphrodisiac powers,
a claim attributed to Xenocrates. In the Libellus De Secretis Mulierum (a treatise mistakenly attributed to Albertus Magnus and written in Latin between the 13th and 14th centuries), mallow is recommended
as a reliable means to determine if a young woman is a virgin or not. The expression 'pushing up mallow' is sometimes used in some places in Galicia to refer to someone who has died, alluding to the abundance of these plants
in ancient cemeteries. In some areas of Galicia during the Christmas Eve dinner, mallow flowers picked in the early morning of Saint John's Day were placed in water; therefore, the flowers were already wilted and damaged.
However, they say that the next morning, on the 25th, they appeared smooth, fresh, and fragrant as if they had just been cut.