Halloween Superstitions

A superstition is a belief that is inconsistent with the known laws of science or with what is considered true and rational; esp., such a belief in omens, the supernatural, etc. Halloween is traditionally the time when common superstitions, folklore, myths and omens carry more weight to those who believe. Superstition origins go back thousands of years ago to the Druids and Celts. Beliefs include good luck charms, amulets, bad luck, fortunes, cures, omens and predictions, fortunes and spells. Bad fallacies far outweigh the good, especially around Halloween when myths run rampant. When it comes right down to it, many people still believe that omens can predict our destiny and misfortune.

Here are some superstitions:

Halloween Superstitions
General Superstitions
Animal Superstitions

Halloween Superstitions

• If you ring a bell on Halloween, it will scare evil spirits away.
• When bobbing for apples, it is believed that the first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry.
• If a bat flies around a house 3 times, it is a death omen.
• If bats come out early and fly around playfully, then it is a sign of good weather to come.
• In North America, it is bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In Britain and Ireland, it's exactly the opposite!
• If a candle flame suddenly turns blue, there's a ghost nearby.
• Halloween derives its name from the fact that in the Christian calendar it occurs the day before 'All Saints' or All Hallows' Day. It was the last night of the old year according to the ancient calendar of the Celts. On that night it was said that the witches, hobgoblins, warlocks, and other evil spirits walked abroad and devoted themselves to wicked revels. But the good fairies, too, according to some folklore, made their appearance at this time, but only from the hour of dusk until midnight.
• If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.
• You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits.
• Put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night to meet a witch
• Some believe if you catch a snail on Halloween night and lock it into a flat dish, in the morning you will see the first letter of your sweetheart written in the snail's slime.
• Many people used to believe that owls swooped down to eat the souls of the dying. If they heard an owl hooting, they would become frightened. A common remedy was thought to be turning your pockets inside out and you would be safe.
• In Britain, people believed that the Devil was a nut-gatherer. At Halloween, nuts were used as magic charms.
• If a girl puts a sprig of rosemary herb and a silver sixpence under her pillow on Halloween night, she will see her future husband in a dream.
• To prevent ghosts coming into the house at Halloween, bury animal bones or a picture of an animal near the doorway.
• A person born on Halloween will have the gift of communicating with the dead (can see and talk to spirits).
• If you go to a crossroads at Halloween and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months.
• Peel an apple from top to bottom. The person with the longest unbroken peel would be assured the longest life. If you threw the apple peel over your shoulder, the initial it forms upon landing is the initial of your future mate.
• If a bat flies into a house it is a sign that ghosts are about and maybe the ghost let the bat in!
• 'The Dumb Supper' was brought to America by the Africans. This is an eerie Hallowmas meal - where nobody is allowed to speak, not even whisper. It encourages spirits to come to the table.
• If you hear foot steps behind you on this night, don't look back. It may be the dead following you. Turning back could mean that you will very soon join the dead behind you.
• Girls who carry a lamp to a spring of water on this night can see their future husband in the reflection.
• The old Celtic custom was to light great bonfires on Halloween, and after these had burned out to make a circle of the ashes of each fire. Within this circle, and near the circumference, each member of the various families that had helped to make a fire would place a pebble. If, on the next day, any stone was out of its place, or had been damaged, it was held to be an indication that the one to whom the stone belonged would die within twelve months.

General Superstitions

• Knocking on wood keeps bad luck away.
• The fear of the number 13 is still common today, and avoided in many different ways. Some buildings still do not have an official 13th floor and many people avoid driving or going anywhere on Friday the 13th.
• In the days before the gallows, criminals were hung from the top rung of a ladder and their spirits were believed to linger underneath. Common folklore has it to be bad luck to walk beneath an open ladder and pass through the triangle of evil ghosts and spirits.
• An ancient myth our ancestors believed was that the image in a mirror is our actual soul. A broken mirror represented the soul being astray from your body. To break the spell of misfortune, you must wait seven hours (one for each year of bad luck) before picking up the broken pieces, and bury them outside in the moonlight.
• Mashed potatoes offer a method of divining who will be the first to wed. Into the heap of mashed potatoes a ring, a three penny-bit, a button, a heart-shaped charm, a shell and a key are inserted. Then all the lights in the room are turned out, and each guest, armed with a spoon or fork, endeavors to find the hidden charms. The one who finds the ring win marry first; the three penny-bit signifies wealth; the button, bachelorhood or spinsterhood; the heart, passionate love; the shell, long journeys; the key, great success and power.

Animal Superstitions

• Meeting sheep or goats denotes prosperity in your affairs.
• Meeting a hare or mule is an ill omen.
• Meeting an ass (donkey) means expect trouble.
• Cocks greeting you or crowding around your home means you will soon encounter visitors and success in your journey and business.

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