Cornuto (horns): This gesture is all about direction.
Pointing downwards it is a superstitious protective gesture to ward off a curse or the evil eye as though to ban the evil into the earth. A bit like "touching wood" or in Italy "touching iron."
However, pointing upwards it signifies that the male recipient, if married, is a Cornuto - his wife is having an affair. In some small villages in Italy once a year they celebrate the Cornuto Party where horns are placed on random objects and statues around the piazza and the men of the village attend a dinner all wearing horns. As a general rule actual Cornutos, those whose wives have cheated on them, don't attend.
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