Halloween originated as a pagan festival, and dates back thousands of years. It has been celebrated in various forms ever since, and as such, has collected many associated superstitions that date back to olden times.
Some of these superstitions have carried over to present times, and even though people these days are generally more enlightened and less prone to believing in such myths, there are still a few who believe in them. Although there are many more Halloween superstitions than those discussed in this article, these three are interesting since they all concern animals.
Halloween Superstition #1: “Cats are evil”
The association of black cats with witchcraft dates back to times when witches were believed to have ‘familiars’, or demon assistants in animal form, and black cats were a common example of animals that were thought to fill this role. Thanks to Halloween’s general association with all things supernatural, including witchcraft, black cats have become a common Halloween symbol.
Even today, there are some ignorant people who believe that black cats bring bad luck, although they are also popular as pets. In some countries, black cats are linked with good luck, which just goes to show how people like to project their own fantasies onto animals.
Black cats aren’t the only cats linked with such superstitious beliefs. In the UK, white cats were previously thought to bring bad luck too, despite the associations of purity with the color white.
Halloween Superstition # 2: “Beware of hooting owls”
Of all birds, owls have very often been a target of superstitious minds, and one such belief has it that you must be extra careful on Halloween night, or those evil owls will swoop down to consume the souls of unprotected people. Those wishing to protect themselves can do so by pulling up their shirts to cover their heads, to hide it from the owl, thus avoiding a premature death! Hopefully nobody these days is silly enough to believe this kind of thing!
Halloween Superstition #3: “Bats bring bad luck”
Bats are strongly associated with Halloween in popular culture, thanks to their somewhat scary appearance and the existence of the blood-drinking vampire bat, although in actuality the vast majority of bat species consume not blood, but fruits or insects.
Still facts have never got in the way of a good superstitious belief, and one such is that a bat flying into the house on Halloween night may really be an evil spirit in disguise, on a mission to cause harm to your family. Further trouble can be predicted when the bat flies around the house three times, in which case you’re about to die!
Bats don’t have it all bad however; it’s also believed that a bat flying quickly around the house foretells good weather the next day!
Such superstitions seem daft or amusing to most of us now, but are also a reminder of how genuinely scary Halloween could be to those living earlier centuries.
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