Halloween Superstitions By Allison Bowser

Halloween is the spookiest time of year, so naturally there are superstitions surrounding it. From black cats to blood-sucking bats, there are many ideas some people swear by.  

Bats:  

These little guys are known to be creepy for many reasons, though today many people understand their importance to the ecosystem. Bats help keep insect levels low, similarly to spiders, and some species can help with pollination. However, in the past, bats weren’t always seen for their positive qualities. Bats, similarly, to crows, ravens, and vultures, are known as symbols of death. In the Middle Ages, they were often blamed for spreading diseases (due to their similarities to rats). With that misconception, it seems inevitable that these creatures would be associated with witches and the devil. Medieval folklore described bats as witches’ familiars (a familiar is often described as a type of spirt guide that would assist in magical practices), and people thought that if a bat got into your house on Halloween night, that your house was haunted (as ghosts let the bat in). Another myth is that if a bat circled your house three times; it meant that someone in your home would die soon. 

Black cats: 

While some people adore these furballs now, in the past they were associated with bad luck and witchcraft. It’s hard to believe that these creatures were genuinely seen as evil in the 13th century, as other than the occasional temperamental kitty, most cats tend to stick to themselves. The question now is why were these kitties seen as evil? The answer: early Christianity. In the Middle Ages, there was a fear and paranoia about witches. Cats, being independent and nocturnal quickly became the target of being “familiars” to witches. Black cats then became the main target of this paranoia as their black coats may have been associated with evil, alongside the Devil. As for a black cat crossing your path being bad luck, that is because it was believed that it was a sign that a witch had sent her familiar to do you harm. 

Bobbing for apples:  

A popular party game mostly seen on TV, bobbing for apples typically includes trying to fish an apple from a bucket full of water without using your hands. However, this Halloween game used to have a more significant meaning. The game used to be one of fortune-telling, with apples being seen as a sacred fruit which could predict the future. In tradition, if the person bobbing for apples, was able to pull an apple out in just one go then they and whomever was represented by that apple were destined to be together. If it took two tries, that meant that the relationship wouldn’t last long. If it took three or more tires to get the apple, that meant that the relationship wasn’t meant to be. In another version of the game, people believed that the first person to bite into an apple would be the first to marry. 

Carving jack-o’-lanterns: 

A classic staple of the Halloween season, many people carve pumpkins as tradition. Although people now carve cute, silly, scary, and everything in between into pumpkins, in their origins it was exclusively scary faces carved into, believe it or not, turnips. Carving jack-o’-lanterns has ties to an Irish myth about Stringy Jack. In this myth, Jack tries to tick the devil due to his greed. Because of this, when he died, he wasn’t allowed into Heaven or Hell, dooming Jack to forever wander Earth. The Irish originally carved scary faces into turnips to ward Jack away. A tradition the people of Ireland brought over to the states through immigration. As people know, the tradition changed from carving turnips to carving pumpkins, giving us the jack-o’-lanterns most know of today. 

Halloween Costumes: 

Just like jack-o’-lanterns, not many people can imagine Halloween without costumes. People, both young and old, dress up for the holiday, but how many wonder why? Speculated to be the oldest Halloween tradition, dressing up didn’t always involve trick-or-treating like others imagined it. The tradition of wearing costumes originates from the ancient Celts and the festival of Samhain. The festival of Samhain is believed to be a Celtic New Year’s Eve party held on October 31st. It was believed that on one night a year (New Year’s Eve), the spirits of the dead could roam the earth again. However, the costumes weren’t just for fun. Instead, it was to trick and ward off evil spirits. 

Curious about other’s experience, the team took to interviewing students about their Halloween superstitions. It was soon learned that from those interviewed, not many believe in Halloween superstitions (at least the traditional ones), or, surprisingly, didn’t know what one is. Two students, Nevaeh Zak and Jen Van Tongeren, both said that they don’t know what a Halloween superstition is. Toby Lorigan, though, had a very unique superstition on mind. When asked about his superstition, Toby said, “Don’t knock on doors without any porch lights on…” Originally, he said that if you do it, you’ll just be yelled at, but he then quickly got into the Halloween spirit and invented higher stakes. “If you knock in a door where people are obviously trying to hide from other people, then your cursed.”