knows that if a black cat crosses your path it’s considered bad luck and witches are said to hide themselves in the form of a cat but there are myths regarding spiders and bats as well. If a bat flies around youryour home three times it means someone in the house will fall ill. If the bat enters your house it means it’s haunted. Spiders are said to tell you when a witch is around if they fall into a flame lit lamp and are consumed by the flames.
Witches: The idea of an elderly woman with stringy hair may come from the Pagan Goddess known as “The Crone” She is not to be feared though. She is instead said to be wise and has experienced love, sorrow, hope and fear and is there for guidance. She is a sort of gate keeper between life and death. The cauldron you often see with witches is part of this as well. People were said to have gone into “The Crones” cauldron to wait in a purgatory like state before being reincarnated.
Costumes, Masks, and Trick or Treating: This is another area where there are a few reasons costumes may have become part of our modern day Halloween celebration. In Druid ceremonies participants would often wear the head of the animal they were seeking to get strength from. It’s widely more believed that Celtic people would often dress as ghoulish
creatures in order to trick the mischievous spirits into thinking they were one of them. Offerings were put to please them as well, like a bribe, so that the mischievous spirits would leave them alone. This is where trick-or-treating came from. And on a side note Candy Corn wasn’t invented until the 1880’s and became mass produced in the early 1900’s.
Bobbing for Apples & Candy Apples: Samhain falls around the same time as the Roman festival honoring Pamona (Goddess of Fruit Trees) who is often symbolized by an apple. Bobbing for Apples is actually linked to fortune telling as apples were believed to be a very sacred fruit. It’s said if a woman gets an apple the first try she will find true love but if it takes several tries she will have a hard time finding love. Another belief is that if the young girl puts the apple under her pillow on Halloween night she will dream of her future husband.
So this Halloween we hope you all have found someone special to curl up to as the cool wind blows chills down your spine as the horror movies roll on and if not we hope you get that apple on the first try. May families and children stay safe from the mischievous as they trick-or-treat for candies with pumpkins lighting the way. In closing Paranormal Life Magazine would just like to wish everyone a safe and
Blessed Samhain.