14 Spooky Halloween Superstitions and How They Came to Haunt Us
Ever wonder why we fear black cats or carve faces into pumpkins? The stories behind these Halloween traditions are actually centuries old.
Owls
Why are these fluffy, inquisitive birds associated with Halloween? The feathers on their heads make them look like little horned devils. One Greek and Roman superstition claims that witches could turn into owls and then suck blood of babies. Others said that owls were messengers for sorcerers, and if you hear an owl hoot, a witch is coming. Dress up as one of these fully birds, ore one of these family Halloween costumes that are truly a hoot.
Spiders
Because of their ability to spin webs, folklore often depicts spiders as storytellers and fortunetellers. When talk of witches began to rise, these stories grew entangled with witchcraft. Spiders supposedly assisted witches in casting spells, and eating a black spider between two slices of buttered bread gave a witch great power. However, medieval superstitions say that if you see a spider on Halloween, it’s actually the spirit of a dead loved one watching you.
Jack-O’-Lanterns
The origin of these special pumpkins begins with a Celtic tale about a drunk farmer named Jack, who tricked the devil and, as a result, couldn’t enter heaven or hell after he died. He was forced to wander purgatory with nothing but a turnip, which he made into a lantern using a burning lump of coal the devil gave him from hell. To this day, Jack uses the lantern to guide lost souls, and so he’s called “Jack of the Lantern” or “Jack O’Lantern.” The Irish began a tradition of turning hollow turnips into lights to guide good spirits home, but drew scary faces on them to keep bad spirits away. When Irish immigrants came to America, turnips were hard to come by, so they used pumpkins instead—probably for the best.
Orange and black as official Halloween colors
This spooky color combo dates back to pagan harvest celebrations. Orange symbolizes color of crops and changing leaves. Black is supposed to signify the “death” of summer and the changing seasons. These superstitions aren’t the only surprising things you never knew about the history of Halloween.