For this stroll you'll need a pointy hat and a broom, black cat optional!
Halloween Witches
Witches have had a long history with Halloween. Legends tell of witches gathering twice a year when the seasons changed, on April 30 - the eve of May Day and the other was on the eve of
October 31 - All Hallow's Eve.
The witches would gather on these nights, arriving on broomsticks, to celebrate a party hosted by the devil. Superstitions told of witches casting spells on unsuspecting people, transform themselves into different forms and causing other magical mischief.
It was said that to meet a witch you had to put your clothes on wrong side out and you had to walk backwards on Halloween night. Then at midnight you would see a witch.
When the early settlers came to America, they brought along their belief in witches. In American the legends of witches spread and mixed with the beliefs of others, the Native Americans - who also believed in witches, and then later with the black magic beliefs of the African slaves.
Thousands of years ago, people were forced to live much more primitive lives than we currently know today. Without the luxury of modern medicine and treatments, when a person was sick, ill or in pain there was little that could be done about it. Becoming ill was much more dangerous in those ancient days, and the ramifications of any sickness were frequently much more serious. During those early days, there were some sage women that learned the value of healing herbs, and other types of homeopathic treatments. These women were actually very wise when it came to their knowledge of herbal remedies. Many people received aid and were helped by the homemade remedies made by these wise women. These astute women, skilled in the art of natural medicine, also sometimes functioned as midwives and assisted in the delivery of babies, using various plant-based medicines to ease the pain and suffering experienced during childbirth.
Little was understood about healing and medicine in those ancient days, and as Christianity spread across Europe, many clergy from the church felt very upset by the existence of learned women who were healing others with medicine and other remedies. As far as the church was concerned, all healing should be done strictly through men in the church. There were many others who felt that if a person was sick or ill that it was God’s punishment for some sin committed and the suffering that came from it was just something that must be dealt with by the afflicted person. Over time, the healers began to be associated and accused of various things including heresy, being anti-Christian and eventually many were accused of devil worship.
The word Witch actually is derived from the word “Wicca” meaning “Wise One.” Certainly once considered wise and a knowledgeable resource during trying times, witches were now considered to be something to be absolutely feared and avoided. The church viewed healing, once helpful to many, now as evil sorcery, pagan worship as well as something akin to black magic. These supposed witches were accused of very bad things, most specifically that of doing the devil’s evil bidding and being in cahoots with him in some orchestrated plan to destroy mankind.
Witches and the practice of witchcraft continued to be feared and the legends and myths surrounding them continued to evolve quite a bit over time. Because of the ancient festival of Samhain, (a celebration at end the harvest season) there is as great deal of folklore regarding witches that has come down through the ages. During Samhain, witches were thought to anoint themselves with a balm that made their face very shiny and light. Perhaps this ointment gave their skin an ethereal appearance, leading to rumors of flying.
Early witches did carry brooms, not for flying of course, but these brooms were used to cleanse an area or room before a healing ritual could be performed in it. This practice, along with the fact that perhaps a witch was seen out on All Hallows Eve using a broom to aid in hopping a creek or riverbed, could have led to the notion that witches could fly and did so with the aid of a broomstick. Let’s face it, it didn’t take much in those days to start a vicious rumor nor did it necessarily need to have much truth in it. Back in those days, it was also widely believed that on Halloween night, spirits of the dead could roam the earth freely, so perhaps it is not such a stretch to think that these same people may have believed that Witches were out flying around in the midnight sky.
There are many superstitions and myths regarding the black cats that are often associated with witches as well. Many legends told that black cats were spirits of witches recreated in animal form. Other stories professed that black cats were just helpers of witches and assisted them in carrying out their black magic and were considered their supernatural counterparts. Of course most of these stories have little truth to them, and mostly consist of mythological legends that have been told and retold by very superstitious people who then passed them on for generations.
The black cat has long been associated with witches. Many superstitions have evolved about cats. It was believed that witches could change into cats. Some people also believed that cats were the spirits of the dead.
One of the best known superstitions is that of the black cat. If a black cat was to cross your path you would have to turn around and go back because many people believe if you continued bad luck would strike you.
Well any cat crossing my path would not be a good thing..witch or no witch!
See you next time I go flying by!
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