TikToker Finds Leaves Hanging From Someone's Front Door: 'Never Have Seen That Before'

This short TikTok video recently stirred up some curiosity online by showing a small line of leaves tied above someone's front door. It's such a minimal gesture, but one that's definitely intentional, which was enough to make people, including the original poster, wonder what it might mean. And from the video, the leaves appear to be bay leaves, a common kitchen pantry ingredient for cooking (bay leaves are even sometimes used to keep pests out of pantries). Spotting them hanging over an entryway may seem random at first glance. However, these little dried leaves actually belong in the category of pantry staples that have symbolic uses, much like how cinnamon is often used in homes to manifest abundance.

Once you understand this context, then the clip becomes less of a mystery; bay leaves are said to symbolize clarity, good fortune, or a fresh start, which is what makes a doorway a very fitting place to hang them. It's a tiny choice made by one homeowner, a homeowner we can't get clarification from ourselves, but the whole ritual invites a bigger conversation about how these ancient and spiritual practices do have still have a place in modern life.

Bay leaves have been used in these types of rituals since ancient Greece and Rome ,where they often were often used in temples to symbolize protection and clarity, and similarly in Feng Shui, they are thought to protect against negative energy. In addition to hanging them in doorways, some people place them beneath their pillows and bed as they sleep or burn them by simply lighting one end of a leaf and letting it smolder (a bit like the practice of burning incense), and it's simple enough for anyone curious to try.

Seen through this lens, the doorway display that was spotted in the TikTok video fits neatly into these ancient traditions. The final visual is not the same as a hanging plant alternative to doors — it is not a lavish display of foliage. All it takes are just a few bay leaves hanging above the entryway to participate in this tiny and meaningful ritual meant to shift the energy of the space inside (that is, if you believe in that kind of thing). Because whether burned, tucked into corners, or hung above a threshold for the world to see, the idea is the same: a small, uncomplicated rite of protection that continues to find its place in the modern homes of those who are open to it.