Halloween is creeping around the corner just in time for your creepy feelings and superstitions. With the possibility of crossing a black cat, having a bat fly by while you’re out gallivanting on the streets on the “scariest night of the year” or worrying about whether or not the evil spirits are fought off by your jack-o-lantern that’s sitting on your front porch. But, are any of these superstitions worth worrying about when going out on Halloween night?
Black Cats: Black cats became associated with witchcraft in the 17th century because of the belief that witches could shapeshift into cats to escape persecution. The belief still stands for some but now it’s a more generalized modern superstition. If you do come across a black cat the key is to reverse the effects by drawing an “X” in the air to cancel out the bad luck or else the kitty will take its pick of the litter.
Bats: Many see bats as a bad omen. Believing that bats bring death, poverty and bad luck is still prevalent. It is said that bats when seen during the day mean someone nearby is going to die and when they are seen at night, someone will die within the week. However, bats are not considered bad everywhere. IIn China and Malaysia, where bats are thought to bring prosper. Oftentimes here in America, they are thought of as bringing hardships, which would be unfortunate to have an impending death coming your way just because you saw a bat while out walking in the night.
Jack-O-Lanterns: When we think of Halloween, we think of carving pumpkins. There’s nothing more traditional than carving pumpkins. The idea of carving pumpkins, or creating “jack-o-lanterns,” originated in Ireland. Stemming from a folktale about a man named Jack scaring away the Devil by climbing an apple tree to keep the Devil from claiming his soul. This led to the Irish carving faces into turnips and potatoes to ward off the evil spirits. Now, we carve faces into pumpkins and don’t worry about the spirits anymore.
All in all, superstitions can have both good and bad meanings. Halloween is right around the corner and superstitions are creeping slowly into the minds of those who spend their Halloween out and about. Stay safe and remember what to do when you are overcome with bad luck.