And now for a Halloween themed post.
HALLOWEEN/END-OF-OCTOBER CELEBRATIONS
Also known as Samhein, Sauin, La Samhna, Samhuiin, Oiche Shamhna, Samain, Hallowmas, Shadowfest, All Hallow’s Eve, Samhuinn, Samhain, Witch’s New Year, Summer’s End, the Third Harvest, Samana, Vigil of Saman, and others.
The name “Samhain”, and its other spellings and similar names, comes from the Old Irish “sam” for summer and “fuin” for end, thus making this holiday the mark of the end of summer, though there is some debate on that etymology and the word “Samhain” is more often used for November 1st or just November in its modern use (except within neo-pagan groups).
Halloween is a modern tradition, but celebrations involving spirits and the dead goes back many thousand years and has many variants.
This day was used to honor the dead and those who had passed away that year, as it is often said the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest at this time of year. This time of year is a celebration for the death of all things old and the beginning of all things new.
SUPERSTITIONS
Bird Superstitions:
An owl that circles a house three times is said to be a sign that someone within the house will die soon.
It is said robins gained their red feathers because they attempted to remove the thorn crown from Jesus’s head, but his blood fell on the bird instead.
It is unlucky to kill a robin.
The eye on a peacock feather is said to be the “evil eye” and therefore bad luck to bring inside a home.
There are countless superstitions about birds near homes and windows that signify oncoming death.
Tip your hat at a magpie to avoid back luck.
It’s unlucky to kill sparrows because they carry the souls of the dead.
A crow at the window represents the soul of a dead person.
A nearby robin carries the soul of a deceased family member.
If a bird call comes from the north, misfortune will follow.
If a bird call comes from the west, good luck will follow.
If a bird call comes from the south, a good harvest will follow.
If a bird call comes from the east, love will follow.
Unbaptized children become birds until they are accepted into Heaven.
Pet birds must be informed of important family events or they will die.
It is unlucky to find a dead bird outside the home.
A raven near a sick person means death is coming.
In Wales, a blind person can regain sight by showing kindness to a raven.
Cardinal Superstitions
Bird Folklore
Crow Folklore
Death Superstitions
Victorian Funeral Customs and Superstitions
Superstitions on Death
Superstitions of Death
13 Superstitions About Death and Dying
Superstitions About Death
Death Superstitions
Superstitions Surrounding Death
General Superstitions:
Put almonds in your pocket when you need to find something.
Scatter chili peppers around your house to break a curse.
Never blow out the first candle you lit before you blow out the others or bad luck will follow.
Throw rice in the air to make it rain.
Ask an orange a yes or no question and count the seeds. An even number of seeds means no and an odd number means yes.
In a photograph of three, the person in the middle will die first.
Walk through the branches of a maple tree to have a long life.
Carry peach wood to have a long life.
Eat a peach to assist in making a tough decision
Mix salt and pepper together and scatter it around your house to repel evil.
Do not whistle at night.
Eat mustard seed to ensure fertility.
Place chips of cedar wood in a box with some coins to draw money to you.
If you bite your tongue, someone is talking about you or thinking of you.
Hanging up a new calendar before the year is over will bring bad luck
Animal Superstitions
Irish Superstitions and Folklore
Superstitions
Superstitions From Europe
Superstitions in Shakespeare’s Time
Folklore of Puerto Rico
Old Irish Superstitions
Halloween Superstitions:
Put out all fires in the home the night before Halloween to cleanse negative spirits. Reignite them from a common source on Halloween.
Burying apples along the path is said to serve as food for souls as they pass through our world.
The veil between the living and the dead is said to be thinnest on Halloween.
13 Halloween Superstitions
Halloween Superstitions
Halloween Superstitions and Folklore
Home & Hearth Superstitions:
Hanging a pair of scissors over the front door will cut off negativity
Hanging a cluster of acorns on the front door will protect those who live there
Put thorny branches on your doorstep to keep evil away
Smell dill to get rid of hiccups
Place cotton on an aching tooth to relieve pain
Place a sliced onion in the room of an ill person to draw out the sickness
Hang a pea pod with nine peas above your door to draw your future lover
Place a pine branch above your bed to keep illness away
Love Superstitions:
Cut an apple in half and give one half to your love for a long relationship.
Put pepper inside a piece of cotton and sew it shut to bring back a lost love
It is bad luck for siblings to marry within the same year
If you see a robin on Valentine’s Day, you will marry a crime fighter
Eight Love Superstitions and Their Origins
Superstitions About Love and Marriage
Love Superstitions
Wedding Superstitions
Love Superstitions (highlight to read text)
Sleep Superstitions:
Smell peppermint to help you sleep
Eat a bit of thyme before bed for sweet dreams
Putting garlic under the bed will prevent nightmares
Rub a lettuce leaf on your forehead to help you sleep
Placing a full glass of water by your bed every night will collect any negativity in the room, but don’t drink it
Putting a broom on the bed brings bad luck
If you leave laundry hanging outside during the night, a spirit will attach itself to it and possess the wearer
Never put a hat on the bed
Place morning glory seeds under your bed to cure nightmares
Place an onion underneath your pillow to have prophetic dreams
Never sleep with your head pointing east
Never sleep with your head pointing west
If you go to bed backwards, you will have good dreams
Sea Superstitions:
Superstitions and the Sea
13 Sailor Superstitions
Maritime Superstitions
Seafaring Superstitions
Sailors’ Superstitions
Superstition Bash: Sailors
BOOKS
Best Books to Read for Halloween
Best Halloween Books
Best Halloween Picture Books
Great Reads for Halloween
Halloween Reads
Reading for October Evenings
Spooky Kids Books to Read at Halloween
October Reading List
Witchy Picture Books
Halloween 2012 Must Reads
Killer Ghost Stories
Creepy Halloween Reads
Haunted Reads 2013
All Hallows Reads
Amazing Paranormal Books
Forests in Myth, Folklore, and Fairy Tales
Fantasy Novels Based in Native American Myth
Ghost Story Collections
Asian Folktale Picture Books
Mythology/Folklore
