Superstitions

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, superstition is a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation. Many of these superstitions came about long ago, most likely as a way to explain a world that was unknown. Some are obscure and may be new to you, while others continue to persist today. But who are we to say they don't work! Go ahead and test them for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

1. If you are born on Halloween you are bestowed with supernatural powers—you can see and talk to spirits. The Halloween baby also receives immunity from the bad associated with the day itself whereas they are protected from evil spirits.




2. It is thought that Halloween, being the night before All Saints Day in the Christian traditions, is a time when evil spirits return and roam around causing mischief. There are several superstitions to ward off these bad beings on Halloween. If you've got a bell, ring it. Bell ringing on Halloween is said to scare away the evil spirits. If you are coordinated you can walk around your house backwards and counterclockwise three times to ward off spirits. Just make sure to do it before sunset on Halloween. Or if you have some chicken bones from the night before or a picture of Fluffy the cat, you can use those to keep the ghosts from entering your house. Just bury animal bones or a picture of an animal by your door to keep those nasty spirits out.




3. If you found walking backwards around your house three times to be fun, why not try it all night long? If you are interested in meeting a witch or seeing one in the sky on Halloween night, put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards.




4. Along with warding off evil spirits many Halloween superstitions have to do with death. Look out for bats! If one flies around your house three times it is said to be a death omen! If a bat flies in to your house there may be ghosts present. You'll know this because how else would the bat get in? The ghost let it in, of course. And owls are no better. Their blood curdling screeches and eerie eyes are thought to be an omen of death. Some believe owls swoop down to eat the souls of the dying on Halloween. But if the sound of an owl in the trees above scares you, just turn your pockets inside out and you'll be safe from the hooting soul snatchers.




5. Another Halloween superstition about death, although not involving animals, is equally creepy. Watch where you're looking when you're out trick-or-treating and don't turn around if you hear footsteps behind you. The steps you hear might not be your neighbor; instead it might be the dead following you! It is said that if you turn around to see you'll be joining them soon (the dead that is).




6. Another way to tell if a ghost is near, stare at a candle. If the flame turns blue suddenly you can infer there's a ghost in the vicinity.




7. And if you've ever wondered if your deceased loved ones return with the rest of the spirits on Halloween to check out what you're up to, look for spiders. The spiders you see on Halloween could be those loved ones watching you!




8. Jack-o-lanterns are dual purpose. When placed on your porch or window on Halloween they work to scare away unwanted, evil spirits, but welcome deceased loved ones back to your home. And you though they were just to impress the neighbors!




9. Other superstitions have to do with luck. Most people know about knocking on wood. It's supposed to keep bad luck away. And if a black cat crosses your path it's bad luck, a white one, good luck. But if you are in Britain or Ireland you might find the folks running from the white cats and trying to attract the black. They believe the opposite, that the white cat crossing your path is bad luck and the black cat good.




10. Some Halloween superstitions have to do with love but are a little on the bizarre side, as if walking around your house backwards wasn't odd enough. If you're looking for a new love, try searching for a snail on Halloween. Then lock your snail in a container with a flat bottom. In the morning you'll find the first letter in the name of your would be suitor written in snail slime. Romantic, isn't it? But if you are a woman who can't find a snail or doesn't want to wait all night, you can carry a lantern to a spring of water and there you should see the reflection of your future husband. Then you just have to find him...




11. It's always nice to be polite, even to ghosts and fairies. If you toss water out of anything, the polite thing to do is to shout "Seachain", which means beware and warns fairies and ghosts to move out of the way so they don't get soaked.

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