The peacock’s extravagant tail feathers are among the most beautiful and ornate in the bird world. For centuries, their iridescent blue and green plumage has inspired art, design, and fashion across cultures worldwide.
However, not everyone views these feathers so favourably. Some believe they bring bad luck and go so far as to avoid having peacock feathers or even their representations in their homes.
This superstition is supposedly rooted in folklore, cultural traditions, and symbolism, but the reality may not be so clear-cut.
The evil eye is a supernatural belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glare, usually driven by envy. This ancient and widespread superstition is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia and is now found in cultures across the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, parts of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Amulets, often shaped like eyes, have been used for protection against the evil eye for at least 5,000 years.
Because the circular patterns on a peacock’s tail feathers resemble an eye, some people assume that certain cultures associate peacocks with the evil eye and misfortune. However, there is little evidence to support this belief.
For example, in the Mediterranean, the feathers’ eye-like markings are said to represent the gaze of the she-devil Lilith, who is blamed for the mysterious deaths of children. Keeping peacock feathers in the house is thought to invite her presence, allowing her to watch over the household.
However, in Turkey, where glass eye-shaped beads are widely used as protection against the evil eye, these beads are often incorporated into peacock-themed jewellery, charms, and ornaments, suggesting a more positive connection.
In the Caribbean, where the evil eye is known as maljo, many rituals to ward it off are influenced by Hindu traditions. One of the most common remedies is a ritual called jharay, in which a peacock feather or a cocoyea broom (made from coconut palm leaves) is used to brush the affected person from head to toe, removing maljo.
While the evil eye remains a powerful superstition in many cultures, peacocks in those same cultures are more often viewed as symbols of protection and good luck or not associated with misfortune at all.
The idea that peacock feathers in the house are unlucky seems to be a very Western superstition. In China, peacock feathers have been used in feng shui for centuries. Feng shui is the practice of arranging pieces in a living or workspace to create balance with the natural world to harness energy forces and establish harmony in the space. The vibrant colours in the peacock’s tail feathers are said to represent all five elements of feng shui, wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, making it an important symbol to incorporate into home décor and design.
They are particularly used to attract good fortune, wealth, and prosperity as well as energy in love and marriage. Feng shui says that couples can benefit from peacock imagery in their bedroom to bring harmony and happiness to their relationship.
Despite its distance from the peacock’s indigenous habitat, Japan too has had a long relationship with the peacock. In Buddhism, they are considered to represent purity and protection from disaster and hardship because they can safely consume poisonous plants, snakes, and insects that would harm humans.
Peacock feathers have been a popular motif in traditional Japanese arts and crafts to adorn clothing, accessories, and decorative items. One of the most common uses for peacock feathers found in Japanese prints and illustrated books was their use as an ornament, stuck into a vase. They were frequently placed by writing desks, a practice evolving from a combination of the beauty and costly exoticism of the plumes, the protective powers they symbolised, and the fact that the character for the verb to learn (narau 習う) includes the character for feather (羽).
