To quote the wonderful Tim Curry as The Grand Wizard, “anything can happen on Halloween”.
It’s a time synonymous with fortunetelling, magic, death and renewal, and as such, is filled with all manner of superstitions and rituals.
Let’s discuss some of the most well known Halloween superstitions and rituals to honour the most magical time of the year.
Bobbing For Apples
Apples are a particularly magical fruit, that make an appearance in folklore world wide. In Christian traditions, an apple most often represents the forbidden fruit on the tree of knowledge, but they appear in magical tales from Norse to Greek to Celtic mythology.
It’s perhaps the Celtic traditions that ties the humble apple into the magic of Halloween, and this lives on through the custom of apple bobbing. Thought to date back to the Roman invasion of Britain, unmarried people would bite into a floating apple – or sometimes, an apple hanging on a string. The first to win would be the first to marry.
It’s also said that if a woman places the retrieved apple under her pillow, she may dream of her future husband, although it doesn’t sound very comfortable.
Another apple related tradition says that if a woman is to peel an apple in a continuous ribbon, then throw it over her shoulder, it will fall in the shape of their future husband’s initials. This, like apple bobbing, is best carried out on Halloween.
Hosting a Dumb Supper
Halloween and Samhain is believed to be the time when the veil between our world and the world of the dead is at its thinnest, so what better time to host a family meal?
The concept of the “Dumb Supper” or “feast of the dead” is seen across worldwide cultures and is a particularly solemn and sacred feast meant for honouring your ancestors and guiding spirits.
There’s a few steps necessary to perform a Dumb Supper – including ritual opening and closing – and this article by Tea & Rosemary gives an in-depth look at them, if it’s something you wish to perform, but to summarise, it is essentially a meal shared in silence.
Preparations for the meal includes a place setting that is kept vacant. This represents the collective ancestors seat at the table. Alternatively, if you wish to honour certain people who have passed on, a specific space may be set for each of them.
Family recipes, traditional or seasonal food is best served and this is eaten in silence. Once the meal is finished, the (living) participants may be invited to share stories or memories of the deceased to further honour their presence.
Wearing Costumes
We covered this in depth in our Halloween: Origins and Folklore article, but it would be criminal not to address this Halloween staple.
Traditionally, Halloween costumes were worn to disguise oneself from evil spirits. It’s thought those who walked the streets dressed as frightening monsters or ghosts would be left alone by the nefarious creatures that roamed the night, as they’d believe you were one of them.
These costumes were also worn to fool neighbours when out “mumming” or”souling” – the forerunner of modern trick-or-treating, where you’d sing, pray or initiate a rap battle in exchange for fruit, cakes or money.
Carving Jack o’ Lanterns
We discussed these before, but carving root vegetables is a must for every Halloween-er. Jack o’ Lanterns are carved to ward off evil spirits in much the same way as frightening costumes were. Putting a Jack o’ Lantern in your window was a sure way to let evil spirits know the home was already occupied by the scary face that was carved into it.
Another tale tells of ol’ Stingy Jack, who had so many run-ins with the Devil that when he died, he wasn’t allowed into Hell and was far too bad to enter Heaven, so was forced to wander the earth for eternity. The Devil, being a rather kind fellow, gave Jack a lump of burning coal to light his way. Jack carved a lantern out of a turnip and went on his way.
The Best Halloween Superstitions
Let’s get into the spooky spirit and finish off with a list some weird and wonderful Halloween superstitions:
- If a bat comes flying into your house, it means your house is haunted. The ghost let them in!
- If a black cat crosses your path on Halloween, a ghost is nearby. Although lots of people see black cats as bad luck, they’re actually a sign of good luck in some cultures, including Britain, Japan and some sailing communities.
- Crossroads are often accosted with Witchcraft and the Devil, but here in Wales, ghosts hang them on Halloween.
- Children born on Halloween are natural spirit mediums.
- If you see a ghost, walk around it nine times and it will disappear. If nothing else, it might confuse them enough to leave you alone.
- To meet a witch on Halloween, wear your clothes inside out and walk backwards. We’ll all come out and laugh at you.
- Similarly, walking backwards (and anti-clockwise) around your house three times on Halloween will keep away evil spirits. They’ll be too busy laughing at you, too.
- Ringing a bell on Halloween will ward off evil spirits.
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