Figa is a amulet in the form of a small closed hand, with the thumb tucked between the index and middle finger. The fig is used superstitiously as a sign of protection against ill omens, dangers, bad luck and malevolent forces.
Figa can also be a hand gesture where the middle finger and index finger cross. This type of fig is also used, in most western countries, as a sign of protection against disease and bad things in general.
The figa symbology appeared in Italy, under the name of "manofic" (Bro = hand and I am = fig), with the fig representing the female sexual organ and the thumb alluding to the male sexual organ. This symbol was widely used by the Etruscans as a sign of fertility and eroticism.
On the other hand, the fingers crossed with the middle and index fingers appeared during the persecutions that Christians suffered in early Christianity, between the 1st and 4th centuries. The gesture subtly symbolized a sign of the cross, but it did not attract much attention so that they would not be attacked.
The figa arrived in Brazil through European colonization, and it was not long before it was incorporated into Afro-Brazilian religions as a symbol of protection against negative spirits and energies. According to believers of these religions, the figa is an amulet that helps to "close the body" of the person against the forces of evil, ensuring protection to its bearers.
However, it is not everywhere that the fig is seen as a symbol of protection. In Turkey the figa is interpreted as an obscene gesture and offensive, because it represents the sexual act in a vulgar and banal way.
Jet Fig
Jet figa is so known because of its material: jet - a kind of fossilized wood, with the appearance of charcoal, that is, black in color.
According to superstition, jet has the property of absorbing negative energies, evil and any kind of fear. Jet is also known as the "Stone of Exorcism" or the "Stone of Mourning".
guinea fig
The guinea figa is considered one of the most traditional, as it is made with the wood that bears the name of the amulet: guinea. Some sources mention that the guinea fig is so known because it was brought to Brazil by African peoples living in Guinea Bissau.
"Figa de Guiné" is also a hugely successful song by Brazilian singer and samba dancer Alcione, written by Reginaldo Bessa and Nei Lopes.