Halloween Superstitions

As All Hallows Eve casts it’s shadow, black cats and ghost stories strike fear in the eyes of children and adults alike. Visions of haunted houses and horror films collide with memories of caramel apples and crunchy leaves. Carving pumpkins becomes an ideal activity for Sunday afternoon amusement and the faint scent of a bonfire hangs in the crisp fall air. That’s right ghosts and ghouls, let the harvest begin!

For those of you that shriek in the presence of a tiny spider (after all, that eight-legged little bug COULD be a loved one checking up on you this Halloween night) or avoid ladders at all costs, you have been warned. Here you will discover the traditional and the not-so-traditional superstitions that have kept the words, “fright” and “fun” synonymous with our most favorite holiday of all: Halloween.

• All journeys by foot, horse, or vehicle must be ended before darkness falls on All Hallows Eve, or the traveler will not reach his destination. If this is not possible then the traveler should carry a piece of bread sprinkled with salt in his pocket. The salt will keep the witches away.
• If the flame of a candle flickers and then turns blue, there's a spirit in the room.
• Throughout Germany it is said that anyone who lies in a coffin, even for fun, is inviting death, and that no item of clothing belonging to a living person should ever be placed on a corpse when it is placed in a coffin, for as it rots in the grave so will the rightful owner decline towards death.
• If you feel a chill up your spine, someone is walking on your future grave.
• It's dangerous to sleep when thirsty, for the soul will leave the body in search of water. If the body is wakened too quickly, the soul may not have time to get back and the body will die.
• 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.
• 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 have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck. Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.

Only 12 days left until Halloween! Happy Hauntings!

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