I just started watching this Netflix series Bitter Daisies about 15 minutes ago. Murder mystery (I think) set in Galicia. It’s in Spanish with subtitles*. Anyone (Nava?) know what the thing is hanging from the rearview mirror of this car? It looks like herbs or sand in a plastic bag. Here is a link to the trailer. The thing appears around 0:12. I’m not far enough into the story to know who the woman is that’s driving the car.
Aside: when you’re watching a foreign-language film/show with subtitles on, do you ever find yourself turning the volume up to facilitate hearing, even though you don’t understand the language?
It looks to me like it could be a sachet of herbs, to act as an air freshener, but it’s hard to see if the bag is a fine mesh or translucent fabric, or if it’s a solid plastic bag (if it’s the latter, it’s probably not a sachet).
FWIW, I don’t think it’s hanging from the mirror. Looks to me like its hanging from a red suction cup stuck on the inside of the windshield … if that’s of any importance. Could it be a religious decoration of some kind?
It’s just an air freshener in what’s probably an organza bag. A lot of times they’re handmade, filled with little wax scent beads. You can pick them up all over the world, the last one I had was made by a girl in rural Florida. They tend to last a REALLY long time, if the scent starts to fade, just give it a squeeze to refresh it.
Mystery solved. I had never heard of these or seen them, but apparently, you can get them from amazon. Thank you.
Don’t think I can get through this series, however. It’s a total cliche-fest… from unsmiling female cop with bad hair and bad clothes conducting investigation on a male cop’s ground. Moderately hostile professional setting where she is The Outsider interloper. Mopey, lying, eye-rolling teens abound.
Heh. I was going to guess that it is a mojo bag. A bit of graveyard soil, some John the Conqueror root, maybe some pieces of a black cat’s bone, and you’ll have some powerful hoodoo.
I’m a Spaniard (although not from Galicia) and I have to agree with Kenobi 65 and Time like Tears… if there’s no explanation for it in the series, it’s just some artisanal air freshener. As far as I know there’s no tradition or superstition for hanging sackets filled with something.
OK Spaniards, you didn’t answer the question upthread and now I’m curious: do you or do you not have little cardboard air fresheners shaped like trees? Like this?
Sure. Well, to be frank I don’t think I’ve seen one of those since, like, the mid 00’s. Most of the ones I see nowadays are the ones you stick in the AC. My sister, however, favors some sort of can filled with lemon-scented rocks you can place in the cup holder.
But pine-shaped air fresheners? Sure, I’ve seen’em.
Another vote for air freshener, of the style that tries to look and may even be homemade.
And yes, we have the little pines. And the little wooden things with a bit of essential oil. And the stuff you attach to the grilles. And I hate them all and I’ve got an excuse! (Asthma).
To be fair, every region is considered a bit odd by the rest, just in different ways
