Symbols of Halloweenpage 1 / 2
- Symbols of death include graveyards, ghosts, skeletons, haunted houses.
- Symbols of evil and misfortune are witches, goblins, black cats.
- Symbols of harvest are pumpkins, scarecrows, corn shocks and candy corn.
Ghosts and Skeletons : ghosts are universal symbols for the departed. Skeletons and bones are symbols of death. Samhain is the festival of the dead, so it seems fitting that ghosts and skeletons would be used. It was thought that on this night of the year, the dead roamed the earth freely in their passage to the hereafter.
Spiders and Webs : spider and web represent dark, spooky places and haunted houses long forgotten.
Bats : because they fly only at night and live in tombs and abandoned churches, bats are believed to be an omen of evil. They are commonly associated with witches and vampires. It is superstition that witches and vamps can take the form of a bat. The vampire bat is the only mammal that feeds on blood so it is no wonder they are linked to death and occult rituals.
Witches : witches are thought to be tellers of fortune and to cast spells, both good and bad. This frightened many because it was believed that supernatural powers were strongest on Halloween night. The implication of being a witch has greatly changed throughout the centuries.
Broomsticks : witches and broomsticks go hand in hand. Often witches are depicted riding them across the night sky with a black cat on the end.
Owls : large Halloween bonfires would encourage a large amount of mosquitoes to gather, causing owls and bats to come out. Superstitions suggest that owls ate the souls of the dying by swooping to earth. Owl screeches and their glassy stare are an omen of death and disaster.
Black Cats : cats have been considered by many to be spiritual animals. Western superstitions would have us believed that black cats have special powers, that they can represent spirits or even incarnated humans.