HALLOWEEN BLOG

[GEMINIGUY]

The United States is so fucked up right now, it’s almost like it was built on top of 1,000’s of Native American burial grounds... oh wait...

Oh, wait indeed. Jules spelled my name wrong. 

[_priapism]

The United States is so fucked up right now, it’s almost like it was built on top of 1,000’s of Native American burial grounds... oh wait...

Oh, wait indeed. Jules spelled my name wrong. 

If you knew how much effort went into that, you’d frame it.  And not say anything.

[GEMINIGUY]

The United States is so fucked up right now, it’s almost like it was built on top of 1,000’s of Native American burial grounds... oh wait...

Oh, wait indeed. Jules spelled my name wrong.  

If you knew how much effort went into that, you’d frame it.  And not say anything.

Agreed. I totally understand putting in a great deal of effort. And you were here when I joined so I know you know how much effort I've had to put into anything on KB, especially to post one of my stories. They take a lot of time an effort, especially when I've posted off-KB links since I never could "cut and paste" what ever that means. And with my previous phones, even at times this one, I've "lost" posts of a story and had to rewrite them, often not fully remembering what I'd written the first time [though it can be mixed blessing at times].

[GEMINIGUY]

                              *****October 2nd*****
                                         Pointing

"Most people are familiar with the notion that pointing is rude, but some claim that is actually dangerous, an idea which is probably the origin of the modern social taboo. Pointing at someone or something is supposed to be concentrated bad luck in that direction by drawing the attention of the evil spirits.
It is therefore particularly unlucky to point at other people, ships or anything else that may be considered prone to sudden and complete catastrophe. In some fishing communities, for instance, pointing us absolutely forbidden unless done with the whole hand rather than a single finger. Pointing at the sky, the moon, a rainbow or any other 'heavenly' phenomenon is similarly frowned upon as it risks incurring the wrath of the gods."

[MintJulie]

Hey, I actually knew this one.

If you ever go to Disney world, notice the workers will point with two fingers.

[GEMINIGUY]

                            *****October 3rd*****
                                 Yellowhammer

"Yellow-feathered bunting, which has a reputation as a relatively unlucky bird.
The fact that its eggs bear serpent-like wavy markings means that it has long been associated with the Devil and the bird has suffered accordingly over the centuries from those seeking to destroy its nest, thinking it was hatching snakes (it is also said that the yellowhammer warns snakes of the approach of their enemies).
According to Welsh folklore the bird feeds on the blood of vampires, while others claim that its irregular flight is the result of drinking the Devil's blood every Mayday morning."

[GEMINIGUY]

                                *****October 4th*****
                                              Banns

"The reading of a couple's banns in church prior to their Wedding is s formal tradition that has inevitably acquired its own mythology.
According to widely held superstition it is very unlucky for a couple to hear their own banns being read and any children they later have are bound to suffer as a result - probably by being born deaf and dumb. It is also unlucky if there is a break in the sequence of the three readings of the banns, which should be heard on three Sundays in succession.
Further bad luck is risked if the Wedding is called off after the final reading of the banns, an act that was once considered an insult to the Church and could be punished by a fine.
In Scotland, coupled were formerly advised against having their banns read at the end of a quarter and arranging the Wedding for the start of the following quarter as this was considered unpropitious for the future. After the third reading of the banns the bells in Scottish churches would sometimes be rung to bestow a further blessing on the couple and to drive away evil spirits."

[GEMINIGUY]

                               *****October 5th*****
                                        Measuring

"The simple, the deeply symbolic, act of measuring something or someone is not without its significance to the superstitious.
Just as it is unlucky to weigh babies, which is deemed to be questioning God's bounty, so it is unwise to measure a child for clothing before it has reached the age of six, as this runs the risk of it being fated to be in want of clothing throughout life.
A tradition from the North of England, meanwhile, advises against using the same piece of string to.measure two people's arms, as this also risks bad luck.
On a more optimistic note, measuring the head with a,length of red wool was once considered an effective cure for headaches and rheumatism, a procedure known in Wales as 'measuring the yarn'."

BACK ON THE 10TH

[msslave]

[GEMINIGUY]

Don't rush it. Thirty-one days in Halloween Month is hardly enough for me as it is.

[Jed_]

[GEMINIGUY]

                               *****October 10th*****
                                            Aircraft

"The crews and passengers of the world's airlines observe innumerable personal superstitions, carrying lucky amulets, ritually following the same routine before each flight and so forth.
Plane crashes are said to.occur in groups of three, though crews are unlikely to comment on this prior to take-off as it is considered unlucky to talk of crashes at this time. Crews also have, as in the theater, a prejudice against real flowers being allowed on their aircraft and sometimes ensure that the seatbelts of vacant seats are neatly crossed so.as not to provoke invisible evil spirits.
Touching the wood of a living tree is generally recognised as a good defence against misfortune in the air, and extra protection will be afforded to a crew member who empties his pockets on to the ground as a sacrificial offering after making a safe landing."

BACK ON THE 15TH

[GEMINIGUY]

                                *****October 15th*****
                                     Gabriel's Hounds

"Spectral pack of dogs that haunt the skies of Northern Europe in company with the Wild Hunt. Anyone hearing or string the hounds, who are particularly associated with stormy weather, is doomed to die in the near future."

                                            Wild Hunt

"Spectral hunt, complete with Hellish black hounds and demonic huntsmen, that is said to haunt the skies over Northern Europe.
Stories about this Satanic hunt date back as far as pagan rimes and alleged sightings of it roaring across stormy Winter skies have always inspired dread.
According to legend, witnesses of the Wild Hunt risk being snatched away and carried off to some infernal region."

BACK ON THE 20TH

[GEMINIGUY]

                                 *****October 20th*****
                                            Need-Fire

"The sacred fire around which many of the traditions associated with the ancient ceremonies of Midsummer's Eve and other festivals revolved.
The need-fire was usually ignited by friction and then carried into the neighbouring homes to rekindle the fire in the domestic heart, which would then be kept continually alight until the time of the next festival.
It was important that the man who ignited the fire was innocent of any crime, and he was prohibited from carrying anything made of metal on him when going about this sacred duty.
Symbolising renewal and the never-ending cycle of seasons, the need-fire was revered in many ancient European cultures and various rituals surrounded its honouring on auspicious dates in the pre-Christian calendar. Worshippers jumped around the flames in order to get the full benefit of their purifying properties, and livestock was driven through the still-warm embers for similar reasons.
Such fires would also be lit at other times of the year when livestock were afflicted by disease or the locality was troubled by plague or some other calamity. Though forbidden by the Church back in the eighth century, the practice is still occassionally reported in the twentieth."

BACK ON THE 25TH

[GEMINIGUY]

                                   *****October 25th****
                                                    Red

"As the colour of blood, and therefore of passion and vitality, red is reputed to have strong supernatural properties and is particularly valued as a defence against witchcraft and evil spirits.
Because of this, red is sometimes selected as a propitious colour to wear at important ceremonies and religious rituals around the world. Lengths of red thread feature in a variety of spells, being tied around limbs affected by rheumatism, around the neck to staunch nosebleeds and to cure whooping cough, and otherwise employed to treat a range of ailments.
Tying a loop of red thread around an animals horn or tail will protect it from witches and from the threat of the Evil Eye, and pre-pubescent girls may be given red ribbons to wear in their hair as a firm of protection against misfortune.by the same token, red ribbons are sometimes tied to the prams or to the interior of new cars.
Red is an unlucky color to use when writing a love letter, and ted flowers such as roses and poppies may also be considered harbringers of ill fortune, especially if they shex their petals on the ground like blood. There is also a long-standing prejudice against giving bunched of red and white flowers to hospital patients as these represent death.
Many people consider meeting a red-headed man or woman unlucky, especially at New Year, presumably on the grounds that such individuals are widely thought to be hot-tempered or untrustworthy. Red-haired children, meanwhile, ate reputedly born to unfaithful mothers."

[GEMINIGUY]

                                 *****October 26th*****
                                               Doctor

"Though modern medical practitioners may strive to distance themselves from superstitious practices, they themselves remain the object of superstitious speculation.
Among the traditions that survive onto modern times are thenitiins that consulting a doctor on a Friday is ill-adviced and may lead to the patient's death; being the first patient in a new clinic or even the first in the morning is a guarantee of a cure! And that a doctor's bull should never be paid in full for fear of tempting fate.
The best doctors of all ate those who are the seventh child of a seventh child and so have special healing powers."

[GEMINIGUY]

                                 *****October 27th*****
                                               Table

"Various superstitions should be observed by diners as they sit at the table for a meal.
To avoid the risk of bad luck no one should move from the seat allocated to them and care should be taken not to kick over one's chair when getting up, which indicates that one has been telling lies.
Children, meanwhile, should be discouraged from going under the table as this threatens their imminent demise; if they do crawl under the table they should be sent back the same way in order to escape harm.
Single girls in particular should not sit at the corner of a table, which means they will never be married, and girls engaged to be married should never talk to their partners while siitinv on a table because this risks the engagement being called off. Should two people sit on a table together, meanwhile, there is sure to be a quarrel.
Other taboo activities at the table include singing, lying down on it (said to be an omen of death) and placing one's shoes or a pair of bellows on top of it. British superstition warns that should a coffin shape be found at the centre of a tablecloth when it is unfolded this is a portent of death in the family."

[GEMINIGUY]

                                  *****October 28th*****
                                              Lapwing

"The eerie, high-pitched cry of the lapwing or peewit has inspired various superstitions in the regions where they are commonly seen, and they are generally considered an unlucky bird.
The Welsh and Scots claim that their call consisted if the words 'Bewitched! Bewitched!'; when the Scottish Covenanters were in hiding from English soldiers, lapwings are said to have betrayed their hiding-places to their pursuers.
The Irish curse the bird for leaving them only its droppings while the Scottish get all the eggs, and the English nervously speculate that the birds are the incarnations of restless spirits.
The mere sight of the bird is regretted by many people and in some areas it is thought extremely reckless to handle the dead body of a lapwing."

[GEMINIGUY]

                                 *****October 29th*****
                                          Exhumation

"Perhaps not surprisingly it is widely held tone unlucky to dig up a body that has been interred. Punishment for so rash an act may extend to the death of one of the surviving members of the deceased's family."
 
                                             Eyebrow

"Superstition claims that the shape of a persons eyebrows is determined by their character.
Everyone knows that a person whose eyebrows join is not to be trusted, though alternative interpretations suggest that this is a sign of good luck and a woman whose eyebrows join is fated to a happy marriage. In times past eyebrows that join were thought to bd evidence that the person concerned was a werewolf of a witch."

[GEMINIGUY]

                                 *****October 30th*****
                                               Images

"The use of images of living people in witchcraft is an ancient tradition, allowing the sorcerer's magic to be directed - for good or ill - at any person or his or her choosing.
Superstition dictates that such an imagd , usually made of clay or wax, does not have to be a particularly good likeness so long as it is finished off with something that has been in close contact with the victim or patient. This may be anything from a strand of hair or fingernail clippings to a handkerchief or a shred of clothing. The underlying idea is that the image and the real person are mystically linked, and anything done to the image will be duplicated in the living person."