Do they have witches in Germany? asked Pushpa S., a 26- year-old Nepalese woman from Dharan at a Nepalese get-together in the Wasserracker Strasse 1 in Freiburg, a university-town in south-west Germany.
It was an interesting question. I thought about the symbolic burning of witches during the fasting period of Fasnet in the Allemanie areas, and also about the recent exorcist trials, and said: "Yes, there are witches in Germany."
"Ever since I've come to Germany I've been bitten by a boksi (witch). And I also have nightmares when a boksi bites me." The Nepalese word for it is "aithan-paryo." When you're asleep and you have a heavy feeling on your chest and this heaviness increases, as though someone is placing weights on your rib-cage. Your breathing becomes heavy and difficult, you sweat and gasp and suddenly wake up, and find yourself drenched in prespiration. What you've had is an attack of "aithan." And very often a black cat darts from your bedroom.
Pushpa said, "When I've had an attack by a witch I have red patches where the witch bit me. And after some hours it becomes blue."