Black Cats
Most people know of the superstition of a "black cat crossing your path". Most Americans think of this as bad luck. But why? Well, it dates back to the Middle Ages. The highly religious and superstitious people at the time thought two things about the cats: 1. black cats were pets of witches, therefore they were evil, and 2. Satan and/or demons could transform themselves into a black cat to converse with witches. This superstition continued into America in places like Salem, Massachusetts (most known for the witch trials).
Today, in places like Japan, Ireland, and Great Britain it is actually good luck to have a black cat cross your path. It is supposed to lead to either wealth or (in Japan) a number of suitors.
Bats
Those mammals of the air have scared many people for countless generations. There is an old wives tale that says bats will get tangled in your hair, but the truth to that is most likely the bats were after insects that are attracted to humans, and the bats became accidentally caught in the hair. But bats themselves have been associated with witchcraft in parts of Europe and America for a long time. The vampire legends say that the bat is one of the forms they could turn into. Even the witches in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' use bats in their brew. But are these the only feelings toward bats?
Several old cultures thought of bats are gods or being on the level of gods. Parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East think of bats as good luck. In China, bats are a sign of longevity and happiness. Some Native Americans (specifically the Creek, Cherokee, and Apache) look at the bat as a trickster spirit as opposed to anything evil.
"Halloween" Movie without Michael Myers?
It's true! Most people forget that there was a movie of the Halloween franchise that didn't feature the signature slasher most known for this series of movies. "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" was (basically) a story about a mad scientist type who creates masks that are supposed to explode on Halloween, and a couple investigate and try to stop him. Why was he missing? Simple: the original concept for the Halloween franchise was to use a different scary storyline/premise for each one. Halloween II was just a continuation of the first one (thought of like a miniseries of sorts). Halloween 4 was supposed to be a completely different story also, but apparently the fans didn't get the memo. They were so outraged that Halloween 4 was labeled "the return of Michael Myers", leaving the 3rd movie the only one without Michael Myers as the villain. (However, if you look in one scene, a TV shows a trailer for the first Halloween movie with Michael Myers shown.)
Mischief Night
Did you know there was such a thing as Mischief Night? It refers to the night around Halloween when usually teens play pranks and practical jokes on people. Typically it takes place in the US, England, Ireland, and Canada. Usually, it is the day before Halloween, but the traditional British Mischief Night is November 4, the night before Bonfire Night, which is in memory of the night in 1605 when Guy Fawkes tried to set the House of Lords on fire. Unfortunately, as the years went on, the night itself has turned into more vandalism than simple pranks. There are a number of other names for the day, not all of which are that pleasant. The first instance of a Mischief Night is in 1790, but it was celebrated around the May Day celebrations. It was soon moved to November 4. In Germany, a form is celebrated in May still.
Orange and Black
There isn't a definite answer as to where the orange and black came from for Halloween. However, most agree that the origin must be with the Celtics of the modern day island of Britain. A likely theory on orange is that it was a symbol of the changes toward autumn: leaves changing to orange, and pumpkins and other festive vegetables being orange. Another theory for orange is that it was a symbol of strength, and the Celtics did fight against the Romans a long time ago. The black isn't so easy to come to a consensus. Everything from a symbol of death or spirits sometimes comes up. Another theory is just that there is less and less light the farther in the year, so it could just represent darkness. Either way, they do work together!
Happy Halloween!
No comments:
Post a Comment