ahein075
- Oct 19, 2021
- 11 min read

Are you superstitious?

What Is a Superstition?

Superstition \sü-pər-ˈsti-shən\ (noun): a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck; a belief that certain events or things will bring good or bad luck (Merriam-Webster)

Halloween is right around the corner...which means black cats and bats, ghosts and goblins, candy and candles, and, of course, a witch or two. Do you have any Halloween superstitions, customs, or traditions? I set up my front yard with fun inflatables yet a spooky graveyard (weather permitting) and dress up to hand out the candy. I like to sit outside (again, weather permitting) and watch the kids/families come to the front yard. I enjoy the kids excitement when they see an adult dressed up and having fun with Halloween as well. I guess you could say that's my tradition. I don't know that I really have any superstitions...except I will not walk under a ladder or open an umbrella inside...which has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween and I probably just wasted 30 seconds of your life. My apologies.

Moving on....below is a list of many Halloween superstitions, customs, and traditions found amongst holidappy.com and livescience.com. See what you may agree with or perhaps learn about a superstition you didn't even really know you had.

Bats

Bats are one of the most iconic symbols of Halloween. One superstition states that if you see a bat flying around you or your home on Halloween, there may be a ghost or spirit nearby. However, a bat circling your home three times is said to be an omen that someone close to you will die soon.

According to another legend, if a bat flies into you, good luck is on the way, but if you see one during the day, ill fortune may befall you. Superstition also dictates that you should never kill a bat, as this is thought to shorten your lifespan.

Black Cats

Black cats often get a bad rap on Halloween. After all, it is believed by some that if a black cat meows close to your door or window, a death in the family will soon occur.

A very well-known superstition states that if you hurt a cat, whether accidentally or intentionally, seven years of bad luck will follow. This is thought to have something to do with the belief that if you see a black cat on Halloween, a witch is nearby.

Bonfires

Lighting a large bonfire on Samhain or All Hallow's Eve (older versions of Halloween) is an old Celtic custom. After the bonfire has died down and burned out completely, some people make a circle with the ashes. Upon the ashes, they place a pebble. The following day, if the pebble is moved or damaged, it is considered a sign that ill fortune or death will befall the person it represents within 12 months.

Being Born on Halloween

It is considered a blessing to be born on Halloween. People who have Halloween birthdays are thought to have good luck follow them throughout their lives. It is also believed that those born on Halloween are likely to have the gift of second sight (or ESP). Although this can present in many ways, Halloween-born individuals are believed to possess a heightened intuitive nature and have the ability to perceive unseen spirits in some way or another.

Bobbing for Apples

In ancient times, the apple was viewed as a sacred fruit that could be used to predict the future. Bobbing for apples is one of the traditional games used for fortune-telling on Halloween night. It was believed that the first person to pluck an apple from the water-filled bucket without using their hands would be the first to marry.

If the bobber lucked out and caught an apple on the first try, it meant that they would experience true love, while those who got an apple after many tries would be fickle in their romantic endeavors. Another myth was that if a girl put her bobbed apple under her pillow on Halloween night, she would dream about her future husband.

Candles

One superstition states that if a lit candle goes out suddenly on Halloween, an evil spirit is lurking close by. However, if the flame of the candle turns blue, a good spirit is close and may be watching over you. If the flame of a candle suddenly burns tall, you will soon be visited by a mysterious stranger.

Lighting Candles on Halloween

An old Samhain tradition involves lighting white candles throughout your home so that good luck and fortune follow you all year round. A variation of this belief states that if you light an orange candle at midnight and let it burn until dawn, you will have good fortune from that day forward.

Some people believe that if you stare into the flame of a candle long enough between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am on Halloween night, you will catch a glimpse of what lies ahead in your future. It is also believed that any candle you burn on Halloween should not be burned on any other day of the year, as doing so may bring bad luck to you and your household.

Note: Another superstition warns that mirrors and candles do not mix on Halloween (see section on mirrors below).

Candy Apples

Candy apples are popular Halloween treats, and the sugary fruit on a stick was handed out during the early days of trick-or-treating in North America — before concerns over unwrapped candy became an issue. Today, candy apples can be covered in caramel or chocolate with nuts, as well as in the classic, shiny red syrup.

The fusion of Celtic and Roman traditions is behind Halloween's candy-apple staple. Samhain was around the time of the Roman festival honoring Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees. The goddess is often symbolized by an apple, so the fruit became synonymous with Samhain celebrations of the harvest.

Candy Corn

The candy most synonymous with Halloween, candy corn was invented in the late 1880s and began to be mass-produced in the early 1900s. The original process for making candy corn was cumbersome and time-consuming, as each color of syrup had to be heated up in large vats and carefully poured by hand into specially shaped molds.

But the yellow, orange and white candy — meant to resemble a corn kernel — was a huge hit and remains a popular part of Halloween to this day.

Cauldrons

The pagan Celts believed that after death, all souls went into the crone's cauldron, which symbolized the Earth mother's womb. There, the souls awaited reincarnation, as the goddess' stirring allowed for new souls to enter the cauldron and old souls to be reborn. That image of the cauldron of life has now been replaced by the steaming, bubbling, ominous brew.

Cemeteries

Some folks believe that if you bury animal bones or even a picture of an animal close to your doorway that ghosts and spirits will not be able to enter your home. Another superstition states that if you lay down in a coffin, even it is just for fun, that you are inviting death upon you or someone close to you.

It is thought to be rude to point at a grave on Halloween, and some even believe that doing so will cause your finger to rot off. Few take this concept literally; most interpret it more symbolically to mean that finger-pointing could result in a variety of unsavory outcomes such as arthritis, damaging a digit in an accident, or even being blamed for something you didn't do.

Passing Graveyards

Another common superstition advises holding your breath when passing a cemetery in order to prevent evil spirits from possessing you. A variation states that you should turn your pockets inside out when walking past a graveyard so ghosts do not follow you home.

Crossroads

Crossroads have long been the loci of popular superstitions. One states that if you stand at a crossroads on Halloween and listen carefully, you may hear what will happen to you over the next year.

Of course, in Scotland, it is thought that if you bring a three-legged stool to a crossroads on Halloween, you will be told who among your acquaintances will die during the upcoming year. Granted, you can counter this by retrieving an article of clothing belonging to the person who is supposed to die and throwing it in the air at the crossroads while yelling out their name.

Deals With the Devil

Ghost and evil spirits are also thought to gather around crossroads. Some people go to crossroads on Halloween to make deals with the devil—it is believed that in exchange for your soul, the devil will grant you any one wish.

Ghosts and Spirits

It is widely believed that the veil that separates our world from the world of the dead is thin or practically non-existent on Halloween night. Another similar belief states that all souls who are sentenced to purgatory will get to roam the earth for two days starting on Halloween. In fact, in England, some people do not go hunting on Halloween for fear that they will wound a ghost or spirit.

Keep in mind that if you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween or the day after, you should not turn around to look. If you do, you may soon meet your demise and find yourself walking among the ghosts next Halloween. The most common superstition when it comes to ghosts is that if you see one on Halloween, you should walk around it nine times to banish it and make it leave you alone.

Halloween Colors

The traditional Halloween colors of orange and black actually stem from the pagan celebration of autumn and the harvest, with orange symbolizing the colors of the crops and turning leaves, while black marks the "death" of summer and the changing season. Over time, green, purple and yellow have also been introduced into the color scheme of Halloween decorations.

Jack o' Lanterns

Pumpkin Jack o' lanterns are a fairly new tradition that originates in the United States. Originally, carved pumpkins were used to frighten people in their homes by raising them as if they were peering in windows. The actual concept of the jack o' lantern was inspired by the Irish, who carved designs and sometimes faces into gourds and placed candles inside to light their homes at night.

There are several superstitions when it comes to placing a lit candle inside a jack o' lantern on your porch or by your front door. Some believe that doing so honors your ancestors and lights their way home. Others believe that it will ward off mischievous and evil spirits, including vampires. Another superstition states that carved pumpkins can trap the devil and prevent him from entering your home.

Mirrors

Some say that you can see a deceased loved one by looking into a mirror by candlelight, but a popular superstition warns that you should never stare into a mirror by candlelight alone on Halloween, as you never know what you might see or unleash.

Covering Mirrors

In fact, many people cover up all of their mirrors on Halloween. There are two thoughts behind this tradition. One is that mirrors act as portals to the unknown, and covering them prevents evil spirits from entering the home. The other is that ghosts and spirits can be trapped in mirrors, so if a loved one who has died comes for a visit on Halloween, covering your mirrors will prevent them from becoming trapped and doomed to spend an eternity in the mirror.

Mischief Night

From some — namely troublesome teenagers — Halloween is also a time for neighborhood pranks. From egging and toilet-papering houses to smashing jack-o'-lanterns, "devil's night" can be full of mischief and menace.

The ancient Celts celebrated Samhain with bonfires, games and comical pranks. By the 1920s and 30s, however, the celebrations became more rowdy, with rising acts of vandalism, possibly due to the tension caused by the Great Depression, according to Jack Santino's "Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life" (Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1994). To curb the vandalism, adults began to hand out candy, reigniting the forgotten tradition of trick-or-treating in costume in exchange for sweets. This successfully replaced most of the mischief elements from Oct. 31 celebrations, so the troublemakers instead adopted Oct. 30 as their official night to pull pranks and wreak havoc.

On All Hallow's Eve…

Halloween may seem like it's all about costumes and candy, but the holiday — which is relatively new to America, having only become popular in the early 1900s — has its roots in pagan beliefs. Dating back about 2,000 years, Halloween marked the Celtic New Year and was originally called Samhain, which translates to "summer's end" in Gaelic.

Some Halloween traditions, such as carving Jack-o'-lanterns, are based on Irish folklore and have been carried on throughout the centuries, while others, such as candy corn, are more modern Halloween additions.

Owls

It is a common belief that owls are one of the few creatures that can live in the same location as ghosts. It is thought that if you see an owl nest near a house or other structure, the location is haunted with roaming ghosts and spirits.

Some people grew up with the belief that when a person is dying or has just died, owls may swoop down over the body to eat the soul of the person. They are also said to predict doom or death. It is thought that if you hear an owl, you should turn your pockets inside out, much like you would when passing a cemetery to avoid taking ghosts home with you.

Superstition also states that if an owl hangs around your house or you hear one hoot, it may be delivering a message that something bad is about to happen. If the owl makes eye contact with you, either you or someone you know will die soon.

Spiders

Spiders give most people the creeps at any time of the year, but on Halloween, they are said to represent dead loved ones. It is thought that if a spider comes into your home on Halloween, you should not kill it because it could be one of your dead ancestors.

Trick-or-Treating

Although the modern practice of trick-or-treating is of American origin, it may have evolved from older traditions in Europe. Ancient Celts believed that by dressing up in ghoulish costumes on Samhain, they could ward off demons and evil spirits or blend in among them unnoticed.

Baked treats called soul cakes were often left out as offerings for any spirits and ghosts that stopped by on Samhain. Some wanted their ancestors to visit, while others just wanted to appease spirits and be left alone.

Trick-Or-Treating in Costumes

In olden times, it was believed that during Samhain, the veil between our world and the spirit world was thinnest, and that the ghosts of the deceased could mingle with the living. The superstition was that the visiting ghosts could disguise themselves in human form, such as a beggar, and knock on your door during Samhain asking for money or food. If you turned them away empty-handed, you risked receiving the wrath of the spirit and being cursed or haunted.

Another Celtic myth was that dressing up as a ghoul would fool the evil spirits into thinking that you were one of them so that they would not try to take your soul. In the U.S., trick-or-treating became a customary Halloween tradition around the late 1950s, after it was brought over by Irish immigrants in the early 1900s.

Witches

The stereotypical image of the haggard witch with a pointy black hat and warty nose stirring a magical potion in her cauldron actually stems from a pagan goddess known as "the crone," who was honored during Samhain. The crone was also known as "the old one" and the "Earth mother," who symbolized wisdom, change, and the turning of the seasons. Today, the kind, all-knowing old crone has morphed into the menacing, cackling witch.

Witch's Broomstick

The witch's broomstick is another superstition that has its roots in medieval myths. The elderly, introverted women that were accused of witchcraft were often poor and could not afford horses, so they navigated through the woods on foot with the help of walking sticks, which were sometimes substituted by brooms.

English folklore tells that during night-time ceremonies, witches rubbed a "flying" potion on their bodies, closed their eyes and felt as though they were flying. The hallucinogenic ointment, which caused numbness, rapid heartbeat and confusion, gave them the illusion that they were soaring through the sky.

Other Halloween Superstitions

If you trap a snail on a flat dish on Halloween, you will see the first letter of the name of the person you will marry on the dish (in snail slime) the next morning.
Ringing a bell on Halloween can help keep evil spirits away.
If you cast a shadow with no head or cast no shadow at all, you will die within the year.
Traveling out of town on Halloween is bad luck.
On Halloween night, if you sleep with an apple under your pillow, you will dream of your future spouse.
If you make a list of things you wish to accomplish or want in the next 12 months; fold the list 3, 6, or 9 times; and burn it with a candle's flame; your wishes will come true by next Halloween.
On Halloween, right before the sun sets, it is thought that if you walk backward around your house counterclockwise three times, you will ward off any evil spirits that might try to enter your home.
If you want to find and meet a witch on Halloween, you should walk backward while wearing your clothes inside out.