Superstitions surrounding owls have a long and ancient history. These nocturnal creatures often appear in horror mystery films, have been associated with dark, haunting night themes, and grace our Halloween décor each fall. Their wide staring eyes give them a wise appearance, while the ability to turn their head around makes them fascinating and mysterious creatures. Tuffs of feathers on the top of an owl’s head gives them the appearance of horned devils and their piercing cries add to the spook effect found in the ancient folklore of many countries.

In many cultures owls were symbols of magic. In England, it was believed that if you cooked an owl’s eggs until they were ash, it could be used as a potion to improve eyesight. In India, if you ate an owl’s eyes you would get the same result.

Witches were often linked to owls. One Greek & Roman superstition believed that witches could turn themselves into an owl and then they would swoop down and suck the blood of babies. Other superstitions related to witches and owls were: that the owls were messengers for sorcerer’s and witches, that they danced together on the graves of the dead and that if you hear the hoot of an owl, then a witch approaches.

In today’s world, we have learned that most of these owl superstitions are just stories, born in a time when people were fearful and trying to find answers to their lives and environment. However, many of these legends survived over time. Here are some other interesting and somewhat strange superstitions that are linked to owls.

* An owl hooting or screeching at night could result in the death of a newborn baby, will cause the child to have an unhappy life, or possibly that the baby would become a witch. If the owl was heard screeching during cold weather it signaled that a storm was coming.

* Owls apparently are the only creatures that can live with ghosts, so if an owl is found nesting in an abandoned house, the place must be haunted.

* Death is often associated with owls such as if: an owl perches on the roof of your house or hearing an owl hooting constantly nearby.

* If a traveler dreamed of an owl, then that meant he would be robbed or possibly shipwrecked.

* A silly owl superstitions is that if you see an owl perched in a tree and you walk around and around that tree, the owl will follow you with it’s eyes, turning his head around until he wrings his own neck. (The reality is that an owl cannot turn his head completely around).

* Not all superstitions were bad. Owls were also believed to bring good fortune in some cultures. An Afghanistan legend states that it was the owl that presented humans with flint and iron so they could make fire. In exchange, man gave owls their feathers.

* The Aborigines of Australia believe that owls are the spirits of women and are therefore sacred, while in Brittany is was a good sign to see an owl on the way to the harvest as it meant that it would be a good yield that year.

* The owl is a symbol of guidance and help by the Inuit’s of Greenland, while the people of Indonesia saw them as wise beings using the owl’s different calls to determine whether to travel or not.

There are many, many more legends concerning the owl. The reality is that owls are very helpful to us as they are excellent at pest control, especially Barred Owls. They control the population of mice, voles, moles, rats, skunks, snakes, insects and slugs to name a few. So this Halloween, put together an owl superstition trivia sheet for the guests at your Halloween party and add a friendly wise old owl to your décor. It’s the perfect “night watchman”.

Author Resource Information:

© 2005. Rose Smith is the owner of Halloween Howl, a website filled with Halloween party ideas, costumes, decorations, games, graphics, crafts and more. It’s Halloween fun for all ages! Come visit us at: http://www.halloweenhowl.com

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Many people associate Halloween with pagan rituals. But the truth is that it’s not pagan. Some historians from the West would say this is true, and that Halloween came from All Hallow Even, the day before All Saint’s Day. All Saint’s Day usually happens on the first day of November.

What’s Halloween For You?

For many people around the world, Halloween is a time of remembering the souls in Purgatory. These souls are those caught between Heaven and Hell, and undergo rigorous cleansing before being granted entry to Heaven.

According to Dante Alighieri, souls found in Purgatory are trapped between Paradise and Inferno. In modern times, this passage deals with the day after All Hallowed Even, which is All Soul’s Day (November 2).

Samhain Origins

Experts say that Halloween started as a Roman celebration in Pomona, associated with the Roman goddess of harvest. Another version of this is a Roman celebration called Parentilia, which might explain how Halloween is celebrated. Basically, this event is a celebration for the dead.

As for the Celtic origin of Halloween, researchers point to Samhain or Samuin (sow-an), which is carried out when the summer days finally end. The celebration of Samhain is often paired with another celebration known as the feast of Beltane. The feast of Beltane is a celebration of the powers of life.

It can be clearly seen that even Celtic tradition is founded on binaries, much like Indian Ayurvedic tradition and Chinese medicine. There exists a balance between life and death that needs to be maintained. Life exists when everything is in balance, while imbalance breeds famine and disease.

More about the Samhain

Why did Celts celebrate Samhain? During the summer months, people were able to harvest ample amounts of food. But on winter months, food becomes very limited and Nature becomes more prominent. During this time of the year, humans are at the mercy of the forces of wind, ice and bitter cold.

Negative reaction to Halloween

For the past several years, many people have perceived Halloween negatively. Owing to the fact that this celebration is not completely Christian, many parents and school officials believe that this kind of celebration should not be allowed on school grounds.

Although the ancient Celts did not likely worship the Christian Lucifer, a fallen angel, Samhain traditions are largely not acceptable in modern times.

Strange Depictions Of Halloween

In movies like those that feature the character Michael Myers (the Halloween series of movies), the Samhain was used as a central category that encompassed how a person can sacrifice to oppose the forces of life and death. The ritualistic ceremonies that the main character espoused built an image of the Samhain that stank of ‘evil’ in the most modern (yet ironically, comic) sense.

More ironically, there are very few extant records of how the Druids really carried about their ritualistic festivities. Only a known personage, Pliny the Elder was able to provide a hint. However, there were no humans being sacrificed on a pointed stick. Rather, two white bulls were used, in a ceremony that appeared to be a run-the-mill offering for better fertility.

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The “Jack O’ Lantern” is without a shadow of a doubt as symbolic of Halloween as a tree is of Christmas or as an egg is of Easter for what would be Halloween without that decoration which is so unique for that day but what is a “Jack O’ Lantern” and were from did this expression come?
A “Jack O’ Lantern” is a pumpkin that has had its insides taken out while a pair of eyes, a nose and a mouth have been cut out on its side so light from a candle which has been placed inside might be seen by all in the dark. This is what a “Jack O’ Lantern” is but where does this beautifully frightful object get its name from? This is what the following story is about.
Once upon a time there was a man whose name was Jack his last name being O’ Lantern as he was Irish. Jack like many a man in Ireland enjoyed a shot of whisky from time to time among many other drinks which might have included a pint of Guinness now and then. Jack was also rumored to have been a man who despised working and everything that took away his freedom to loaf about doing what he enjoyed the most which was nothing that did not including going to the pub for a drink.
Jack lived a gay life as he would stay up to the early hours of the morning drinking in merry company only to sleep through the rest of the day so that he might wake up late in the afternoon with intensions of repeating the same cycle. Such was the life of this man who in truth never did harm to no man but then again never did good to no man either.
Good deeds however were not the only thing this man never performed for it can not be said in truth that this man never performed what could be labeled as an honest days work as his life was one of laziness.
Jack had a grand life or so he thought till one day while at his favorite bar the devil came upon him to inform him that his time on earth was up meaning he would have to accompany the devil on a road that would lead to where people like him belonged. Jack however remained defiant in the face of the prince of darkness and challenged him to attest who he was by saying in a cheeky manner “If you are so powerful as you claim to be then prove it! Change yourself in to a coin and you will have left no doubt over whom you say you are”.
The devil incensed by this defiance turned himself in to a coin which Jack suddenly grabbed tightly in his hand on which he had had a cross carved on. It was in doing this that he trapped the devil who offered Jack what ever he wanted if he were to let him go. Jack once having trapped the devil and knowing he had him at his mercy negotiated that should the devil not bother him for one more year he would let him go. The devil not having much in the way of options agreed and did not disturb Jack for another year.
A year however passed from that day on which Jack O’ Lantern encountered the devil for the first time and therefore the devil came back with vengeance to claim Jack but Jack would not have it fore he tricked the devil again. This time Jack was outside and instead of goading him in to turning himself in to a coin he deceived him in to claiming up a tree where he trapped him by carving out a cross on it. Naturally with the cross between himself and the ground the devil was trapped on this tree and therefore unable to get down. Jack at that moment seeing the opportunity struck another deal with the devil telling him that in return for his help in getting down the tree the devil should grant him more time on earth which the devil did.
Naturally like all good things that must come to an end eventually so did Jack’s life however when he died he had a problem and that being that when he got to heaven God did not want him there because after all he had never done any acts of kindness for anyone.
Jack then after having been refused entrance by the all mighty knew not were to turn to so he tried to see if he could enter hell but it was once again that he was denied access this time by the same devil whom he had tricked.
Oh, poor Jack had no where to go as he was unwelcome where ever he went! It was a sad case even for the devil who in a show of pity gave him a pumpkin (ok, it was really a turnip) with a red hot amber inside telling him that it would serve to light his way while he walked the earth for the rest of eternity as such was his fate.
And that as they say is the tale of “Jack O’ Lantern” the man who unwillingly gave his name to the item that no proper Halloween can ever go with out or who shall know fore it maybe that what we are seeing is the spirit of Jack O’ Lantern walking the earth.

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What does Halloween represent? better known as the eve of All Saints’ Day. Halloween in Western countries is about ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and the supernatural.

In Britain, Halloween is associated with children playing ‘Trick or Treat’ a game where children dress up and visit neighbours’ houses threatening to play practical jokes on the inhabitants if not rewarded with sweets or money. All harmless fun of course.

In recent years, the number of local events organised to “celebrate” Halloween has shot up. Also, merchandise is readily available and many families decorate their homes as they do at Christmas.

Where did this phenomenon come from anyway, the United States? We spoke to Kit Bennett from American website Amazing Moms who pleads guilty on all counts.

Kit says, “It’s huge, I would say it’s right up there with Christmas for kids. We as always have gone over the top,” she said. However, Kit, herself a Grandmother and teacher said she has noticed a change in the United States and people have become more safety conscious.

“How we deal with it has changed. It’s actually getting a little lower key. The kids love to dress up and have the candy but we don’t trick or teat so much now. Our children go to shopping plazas now and go store to store to get candy. Many schools are no longer able to celebrate Halloween but they’ll call it a Harvest Party.”

Kit also told us that some children are banned from attending Halloween events and have accused other children of worshipping evil. Oh dear, this sounds like this yearly activity of fun is all becoming a bit too serious. She also went on to say that the event is becoming a big religious activity in the United States with some people not celebrating it for that reason alone.

However, she did want to point out that she and her family do spend time together on October 31st carving pumpkins and enjoying the whole social occasion.

The most popular Halloween costumes in the United States are a Princess costume for the girls and a Superhero for the boys – again different from the UK where it’s a Witch or Dracula.

In the traditional sense Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31st. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting “haunted houses”, carving Jack-o’-lanterns, reading scary stories and watching horror movies. It’s also believed that Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is celebrated in several countries of the Western world, most commonly in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Japan, New Zealand, and occasionally in parts of Australia. Plus, in Sweden the All Saints’ official holiday takes place on the first Saturday of November.

The most recognisable symbol is the carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, this is one of Halloween’s most prominent symbols in America, and is commonly called a jack-o-lantern. Originating in Europe, these lanterns were first carved from a turnip or rutabaga. Believing that the head was the most powerful part of the body containing the spirit and the knowledge, the Celts used the “head” of the vegetable to frighten off any superstitions. The name jack-o’-lantern can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard-drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to forever wander the earth at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip.

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