If you’ve ever been to Brazil, it’s likely you’ve seen or bought a fita do Bomfim, or a Bomfim ribbon. They’re also sometimes called fitinhas do Bomfim (little Bomfim ribbons). But do you really know where they come from?

The fita do Bomfim comes from the Senhor do Bomfim Church in Salvador, Bahia. These ribbons originated in Portugal and were made with silk with the name of the saint embroidered on them. It was worn around the neck and hung with medals. The first fitas in Bahia date back to the early 1800s and were known as medidas, since each one was 47 centimeters long–the same length as the arm of statue of Jesus at the church.

These ribbons are symbolic of the mixture between African beliefs and Catholicism. Fitas do Bomfim come in different colors, and each one represents an orixá, or a god from the syncretic Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé. Dark green is for Oxossi, bright blue for Iemanjá, and yellow for Oxum.

When you get a fita, you tie three knots to fasten it to your wrist, and make a wish for each knot. You are supposed to keep a secret about your three wishes, and the wishes are supposed to come true once the fita falls off on its own. You’re not supposed to cut it or tear it off, or you’ll have bad luck.

Learn more about the fitas in this video: