Halloween Superstitions

Here are some superstitions I've gathered over time. If you're looking for a party activity, why not make up a trivia quiz using superstitions? Very fun to see who knows what. Enjoy!

• If a candle flame suddenly turns blue, there's a ghost nearby.
  
  
• In North America, it's bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In Britain and Ireland, it's exactly the opposite!
  
  
• If you ring a bell on Halloween, it will scare evil spirits away.
  
  
• If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.
  
  
• Knocking on wood keeps bad luck away.
  
  
• You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits.
  
  
• Some believe if you catch a snail on Halloween night and lock it into a flat dish, in the morning you will see the first letter of your sweetheart written in the snail's slime.
  
  
• Many people used to believe that owls swooped down to to eat the souls of the dying. If they heard an owl hooting, they would become frightened. A common remedy was thought to be turning your pockets inside out and you would be safe.
  
  
• In Britain, people believed that the Devil was a nut-gatherer. At Halloween, nuts were used as magic charms.
  
  
• If a girl puts a sprig of rosemary herb and a silver sixpence under her pillow on Halloween night, she will see her future husband in a dream.
  
  
• To prevent ghosts coming into the house at Halloween, bury animal bones or a picture of an animal near the doorway.
  
  
• A person born on Halloween can see and talk to spirits.
  
  
• If you go to a crossroads at Halloween and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months.
  
  
• When bobbing for apples, it is believed that the first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry.
  
  
• Peel an apple from top to bottom. The person with the longest unbroken peel would be assured the longest life. If you threw the apple peel over your shoulder, the initial it forms upon landing is the initial of your future mate.
  
  
• If a bat flies around a house 3 times, it is a death omen.
  
  
• If bats come out early and fly around playfully, then it is a sign of good weather to come.
  
  
• If a bat flies into a house it is a sign that ghosts are about and maybe the ghost let the bat in!
  
  

Where To Find More Information on Superstitions