Mwisho kivipi mkuu tafadhali sana nifafanulie!
Historically, the
divination ritual encouraged young women to walk up a flight of stairs backward holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face.
[1] There was, however, a chance that they would see a
skull (or the face of the
Grim Reaper) instead, indicating that they were going to die before they would have the chance to marry.
[1][2]
In the
ritual of today, Bloody Mary allegedly appears to individuals or groups who ritualistically invoke her name in an act of
catoptromancy. This is done by repeatedly chanting her name into a mirror placed in a dimly-lit or candle-lit room. The name must be uttered thirteen times (or some other specified number of times).
[3] The Bloody Mary apparition allegedly appears as a corpse, witch, or ghost that can be friendly or evil, and is sometimes seen covered in blood (hence the name). The lore surrounding the ritual states that participants may endure the apparition screaming at them, cursing them, strangling them, stealing their soul, drinking their blood,
[4] or scratching their eyes out.
[5] Some variations of the ritual call Bloody Mary by a different name—"Hell Mary" and "Mary Worth" are popular examples.
[3] The
modern legend of
Hanako-san in Japan strongly parallels the Bloody Mary mythology.
[6]