Excerpt
Pay Down the Devil
Romanian Gypsies have a tradition of paying off the devil at a wedding, so that he will not put the evil eve on the marriage. This is accomplished by the bride placing a silver coin under her left arm and holding it there, with her arm tight against her body, for the duration of the ceremony. Then, as she and her new husband leave the wedding site, she will allow the coin to fall inconspicuously to the ground. Anyone who later finds the coin will enjoy seven years of good fortune, they say.