Halloween is the time of year when, between the scary movie marathons, the haunted houses and the ghost stories, many people find themselves a bit more afraid of the dark than usual. Of course there are also the common superstitions that scare people every day of the year: black cats, walking under ladders or stepping on cracks. Whether or not you buy into all of the Halloween hype or are the superstitious type, some superstitions come from beliefs or traditions that are hundreds of years old.
Here are a few Halloween superstitions from the History Channel that you may not have heard of:
If no one talks during dinner, it is believed you are inviting spirits to the table.
It is said that you should not turn around after hearing footsteps behind you on Halloween because it could be the dead following you.
The belief that black cats are bad luck comes from the idea that black cats were the devil, or at the very least, were consumed by evil spirits.
People used to believe that if you walked around your house three times backwards before sunset on Halloween, your house would be safe from all evil.
If a bat flies into your house on Halloween, it may be a signal that dead or evil spirits are nearby.
Scared yet? Neither science nor logic may be able to explain these ghost stories, all of which are nearby, according to theshadowlands.net.
(Fairfield, Conn.) Here on campus, both the PepsiCo Theater and Dolan Hall are said to be haunted. The theater may be haunted by an old costume designer, Minerva Farrell. Dolan room 231 is said to be haunted by a nun who killed herself in the room.
(Munroe, Conn.) A woman known as the “white lady” is seen standing in the road and is often hit by cars. Oddly enough, the cars are never damaged.
(New Haven, Conn.) At Lighthouse Park, witnesses have reported hearing the carousel running and children laughing around midnight.
(Westport, Conn.) It is said that after sunset, a lady dressed in black floats back and forth across the auditorium stage at the Long Lots Elementary School.
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