Date: Fri 27-Oct-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

Halloween-superstitions

Full Text:

with cut: Halloween: A Time Of Myths, Omens, and Supersitions

At a time when white moths wreaked havoc with the living (they signified death

if they entered a home), and bodysnatchers and graverobbers worked over the

dead, evil omens seemed to abound at every turn. But early Americans simply

carried on a tradition of fear that may have originated more than 2,000 years

ago.

According to Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts by Edna Barth, the Celtic

people dreaded the evening of October 31. Evil spirits were everywhere because

it was the eve of their festival of the Lord of the Dead, Samhain. On this

night, spells, charms, and predictions were thought to have the most power.

"If due honor was paid them, the spirits might help with the magic. If

ignored, they might hinder or punish the person performing it," writes Ms

Barth.

The myths surrounding Halloween persisted. The Festival of the Lord of the

Dead eventually became All Saints' Day in honor of early Christian martyrs.

Those in Scotland, Ireland, and England believed October 31 was the time when

the disembodied souls of the dead returned to their former homes for "warmth

and cheer."

It is surprising that settlers in the New World lived long enough to encounter

a bad omen. Their cure for diphtheria was to gargle with fluid from the stool

of a cow; for fever, to swallow a spider with syrup.

But the list of warnings of imminent death was long. In her book Death In

Early America , Margaret Coffin, offers a sample which includes:

If a dog howls at night when there is illness in the house, it is a bad omen.

To counteract its ill effects, reach under the bed and turn over a shoe.

Never carry a shovel through the house. If yo must take a shovel indoors, take

it back out through the door by which you entered.

A white dove circling the house three times before lighting means death, but

the victim will go to heaven.

To hear a hen crow means death, unless you kill the hen.

If the coffee grounds in the bottom of a cup form a long, straight line,

anticipate a funeral.

A diamond-shaped fold in clean linen portends death.

Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in that

house.

But once the grim reaper had claimed his victim, he could be lingering at the

funeral to choose another - so certain customs needed to be followed,

according to Ms Coffin.

Never arrange a Friday funeral. This is apt to mean another death in the

family during the year.

Do not wear anything new to a funeral, especially shoes.

A corpse must be taken from the house feet first. If his head faces backward,

he may beckon another member of the family to follow him.

Cover mirrors in a house where there is a corpse. Ther person who sees himself

may be Death's next victim.

Pull the shades at a funeral. If the sun shines on the face of a mourner, he

will be the next to die.

If a dead person's eyes are left open, he will find a companion to take with

him.

If several deaths occur in the same family, tie a black ribbon to everything

left alive that enters the house, even dogs and chickens. This will protect

against the further spread of death.