Let me introduce to you: The Mano Figa! It is the gesture of the thumb protruded between the pointer finger and middle finger.

You may not believe it, but the mano (= Hand) figa (= Fig), the so called „fig hand“, is a very old symbol. Much older than most of the inventions we have today! It´s roots go as far back as Ancient Rome, where figs (lat. Ficus) were dedicated to a pretty cool guy called Bacchus. Never heard of him before? Well, he´s better known as the god of wine, fertility & ecstasy. Some say, the god with probably some of the nicest features. Therefore it was a common symbol of luck and fertility but it was also used as a talisman to protect the carrier from magic spells, ward off bad luck and any kind of sh*t you don´t ever want to happen.

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But be aware: this symbol is known in many different cultures, so there are as many ways to interpret it. In Italy for example, the word „figa/fica“ is also used for the female vulva and is considered a vulgar word. In some cultures, such as the Chinese, the gesture symbolizes the sexual act - in case you don´t want to be said to be a bumbling idiot with rude behavior, you’d better not use it there!

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Oh, but in case you like it rude, here is a little something for you: your little talisman has also the meaning of a vulgar „No“ in the figurative sense, which is equivalent to a „go fu*k yourself“ or to give somebody a one finger salute. Keep that in mind on those notorious „Everyone and the whole wide world seems to be wrong“ – days and you´ll have a good one.