taxes on 'witches' and fortune tellers in Romania

[ewancummins]

No, I'm not making this up:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_ ... witchcraft

Interesting. And before anyone thinks I'm crapping on Romanians- we have tubs of people in my country who swear by this sort of thing. I'm not passing judgment on another culture.

I wonder about how a 'magic tax' might work in parts of Ravenloft.

[alhoon]

Let's keep in mind the "no politics" rule of the forum.

Magic tax on Gypsies in Barovia: "You spy for me and I let you do your thing".
Magic tax on Gypsies in Darkon: "Do your thing, and I'll occasionaly steal the soul of a couple of you to fuel a device or trap the guy that said Ravenloft would be disolved in order to speed up the process"
Magic tax on Gypsies in Invidia: "You don't get to do your thing and we exterminate you regardless"
Magic tax on Gypsies in Richemulot: "You tell me about my enemies. Then I kill you to protect the secret"

[Joël of the FoS]

Yes, I saw this strange news and was a bit surprised of the attention it got in Romania, and how the cursed one seems to care about it.

"President Traian Basescu and his aides have been known to wear purple on certain days, supposedly to ward off evil"

Very interesting!

Joël

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Eh, you can bet that palm readers and phone psychics aren't exempt from income tax in most countries. It's not necessarily saying that the Rumanian government believes in literal magic, only that it believes people who get paid to do this stuff ought to cough up.

Presumably, if a country in Ravenloft has an income tax, then spellcasters-for-hire would have to pay it. Likewise, if there's a sales tax, then buying potions and so on will incur the same. Additional fees, such as a tax on magic item ownership or spellbook licenses, would vary between domains, depending on how tolerant a given region's authority-figures are of the profession.

[alhoon]

Presumably, if a country in Ravenloft has an income tax, then spellcasters-for-hire would have to pay it. Likewise, if there's a sales tax, then buying potions and so on will incur the same. Additional fees, such as a tax on magic item ownership or spellbook licenses, would vary between domains, depending on how tolerant a given region's authority-figures are of the profession.

Potions and scrolls in market and actually having a tax in Ravenloft sounds... off.
I'm more for the crooks etc paying taxes for their "services" than actual spellcasters setting up shop like
"High wizard Bazadam's potions!"
"Now with recipies from distant Sri Raji!"

[Ronia Sun]

I lived for a year and a half in Romania, and I'm still fluent in the language, so this article caught my eye. If they're taxing income from a profession? Totally cool. If they're singling out and taxing just one religion? Not so much. 'Course, if they tax *all* the various religions, then I suppose it's all right.

However, when I did live in Romania, it was a serious stigma for someone to either belong to another religion than Romanian Orthodox or to become a 'pocait', or someone who converts to another religion. I was there as a missionary for my church, and people had very genuine and valid concerns over the very real likelihood that, if they changed their religion, they could lose their job/housing/etc. I don't know how much has changed in the eight years since I was there, but one of the choking points being discussed when I *was* there and Romania was trying to join the EU was the fact that the country would have to declare religious freedom. Some of the PTBs didn't like that idea so much...

But superstition? Totally a big thing. Just ask any Romanian about 'curent' (drafts) being deadly. Or drinking ice water. Or the benefits of mamaliga (polenta). Never heard the one about purple warding off evil, though, that's kinda interesting.

[alhoon]

I don't know any of these things you mentioned. Can you explain those beliefs? What does drinking ice water do etc. They could be useful.

I think we had a thread once in the general board about supersticions, and they went to a QtR IIRC.


PS. Without wanting to break the custom of not speaking religion/politics in here, I would say that I think they taxed fortune tellers for their services, not witches for being witches. Since most fortune tellers are witches, they felt threatened.

[HuManBing]

Do the rules forbid religious or political discussion?

I know on some message boards they've had problems keeping it civil, so they outright ban discussion of religion, politics, and sex.

But I just checked the "Read these rules" thread in the site forum, and it doesn't say they're outright banned here.

My guess is that the Fraternity of Shadows mods recognize that Ravenloft fans will usually be more sophisticated than usual forumgoers, and they let us discuss these issues as long as we keep it civil.



And now for a very short story involving sex, religion, politics, drugs, and death. In that order.

VIEW CONTENT:

Her: "My God, your Majesty, that felt fantastic!" *lights up cigarette*
King: "You know, smoking will kill you."

* ~ FIN ~ *

[Ronia Sun]

The general belief regarding drinking ice water is that it will make you sick. They're not very big on refrigerated drinks period, and ice in drinks in particular. They're not entirely wrong, either, or so I've heard. There are some (not many, I grant you, but I did talk to a few) who view mamaliga as something of a cure-all (kind of like Americans view orange juice, really ) and drafts are just Bad for your health, period, and may even kill you. It was interesting, since as an American I come from a very different superstitious background. I like my windows open more or less year round, and I like my water very cold indeed, but even I knock on wood from time to time to ward off bad luck.

I'm not even sure if there *is* such a thing as a superstition unique to solely one country, though. I'm trying to think of uniquely American ones, and coming up blank. I think most of the ones I'm familiar with have European origins. (EX: putting a cord under the bed of a woman in childbirth and driving an axe into the floor to cut the pain. Old Appalachian custom, but I strongly suspect it came from overseas originally.) I read a book a few years ago that was an alphabetical list of various superstitions. It was fascinating...but alas, I don't remember most of them beyond what I thought at the time: "Wow, that's interesting!"

[alhoon]

Do the rules forbid religious or political discussion?
I know on some message boards they've had problems keeping it civil, so they outright ban discussion of religion, politics, and sex.

That was the rule here when the site started. So many years ago, moderators would go out of their way to warn us here to not discuss religion in particular. Not that they stopped all discussions. The rule was: "Religion in a movie like the exorcist is an important theme, so it can be discussed in the context of the movie." I'll check again.

Truth be told, we're not a large forum so if things start to get out of hand, the Fraternity can crack out the disturbance fast.

Keep in mind though, that this board is about horror in general, not everything that comes in mind.
As such, supersticions are OK.

speaking of supersticions:
In Greece we consider that blue eyes ward off evil eye, so people that have brown eyes may wear a blue bead on their clothing to ward off evil eye, imitating blue eyes. It's so prevalent still that babies usually get one as part of a custom. Also many of the ceremonial candles we use in eastern have these blue bead.
I haven't heard of this before but I wonder if any demented supersticious Greek ever considered using real eyes instead of beads.

As for country supersticions:
USA is too large. Each state propably has different supersticions. Can anyone name some say "Western Supersticions" that are different/unhead off in the South for example?

[Ronia Sun]

Hmm. That's cool about the blue bead. I do recall reading that the reason blue has been the traditional color for boys since the Middle Ages is 'cause it supposedly warded off demons. (Betcha they got it from the Greeks, originally )

Of course, they chose pink for girls....because it was complimentary to blue. >.<

Interesting thought on the regional superstitions. I'm actually from Wyoming (not native, but my parents are), which is the Western US.

Thank heavens for Google. My memory is like a sieve today. Here's a few American superstitions, general and regional, for your entertainment: (most of them, seems like, are to do with crops. Well, I suppose we are/were an agrarian society by and large)

Plant flowers in the increase of the moon. -- Pensylvania

If cut when it is waxing, the hay weighs and spends well. -- New England

(I actually recall hearing a variation on this here in cattle and hay country in Wyoming. Some old cowboys who hang out where I work were discussing the best time to plant and cut hay, and though I can't remember exactly what was said, it was something to do with local bugs. Not helpful, I know, but I wrote it down somewhere so I wouldn't *have* to remember it )

If a farmer lays a rail fence by the light of the moon, it will be
stronger and last longer than if it was laid in the daytime. -- Western New York and parts of Massachusetts.

You must never kill cattle or pigs, or even wild game, by the dark
of the moon; it is most unlucky, and the meat will come to no good. --Clover Bend, Arkansas

First a daughter, then a son, The world is well begun. First a son, then a daughter, Trouble follows after. -- Maine and Massachusetts.

If two persons, while walking, divide so as to pass an obstruction one on one side and one on the other, they will quarrel. To avert this, the pair must say "Bread and Butter." -- General United States (I've actually seen my parents do this, now that I think about it.)

Stepping on a crack is unlucky. Childhood rhyme: "Step on a crack, break your mother's back." -- General United States

An old New Hampshire superstition is that if you rock a cradle when it is empty, you will have many children, but if you rock an empty rocking chair, then you invite sickness. In New York and Ohio, however, rocking an empty cradle will, apparently, give your baby colic.

One article of an unborn infant's wardrobe must be left unmade or
unbought or the child is liable not to live. -- Salem, Massachussetts

Swallow a chicken's heart whole, and the first man you kiss
afterwards will be your future husband. -- Maine (Yeah, 'cause any man who would kiss you after you swallowed a freakin' chicken heart definitely loves you.)

To raise an umbrella in a house is a sign of an approaching death. --Pennsylvania; somewhat general in the United States. (ie, it's considered unlucky to open an umbrella indoors. Possibly because doing so will cause you to break something your mother is very fond of, and she will subsequently murder you.)

Cracks on the top of a loaf of bread indicate the death of a friend. --General United States

Interestingly, I haven't found much specific to the western United States. I think this may be due to the fact that this part of the States was, relatively speaking, settled much later than New England, the Appalaichans, and the South, and so superstitions were brought out West with the folks who settled here.

However, ask anyone in the general Western U.S. if they've ever heard of the Flying Dutchman mine, and I doubt you'll find many who say they haven't. And the mine is supposedly in the Superstition Mountains, so there you are.

[Manofevil]

I though that was the LUCKY dutchman mine.

[Ronia Sun]

Heh, we're both wrong.

It's the Lost Dutchman Mine. My bad. Flying Dutchman = Davy Jones' ship

[alhoon]

Ok that deserves a seperate thread.

[BedrockBrendan]

I am from Lynn, which is next to Salem Mass (a place that has become a mecca for the new age movement), and I believe fortune tellers have to belong to some kind of union there in order to practice.