Halloween Symbols and the Meanings Behind Them

Witches

Witches were feared and it was believed that their “powers” were at their greatest on the night of Halloween.  It was thought that witches were in league with the devil and that meant burnings at the stake / dunkings and much worse for women – some of whom had never so much as touched a cauldron or a broomstick.  The image of a witch riding her broomstick across a full moon is one of the most traditional Halloween symbols or images today.

Jack O’Lanterns

Originally Jack O’Lanterns were hollowed-out turnips with candles inside them which would light the way for “guisers” to go from house to house to beg and pray.  Eventually the tradition changed to carving pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns as we know them today were born. One legend about the Jack-o-lantern tradition is as follows: An Irishman named “Stingy Jack” was a known drunk and prankster and he managed to make both God and the Devil angry.  He died and neither heaven nor hell wanted him so he was stuck wandering around on earth.  He carried a turnip, hollowed out with a candle inside – this was to light his way. To keep “Stingy Jack” from knocking on their door the Irish carved scary Jack-o-lanterns to put around their homes to keep him away.  Or so they believed and so a tradition (and legend) was born.

Masks and Costumes

Back in Celtic times celebrators of Samhain would wear costumes in order to treat the roaming spirits of the dead.  It was thought that if you could trick the spirit - the spirit would then refrain from bothering you about things such as: tributes and respect.  On a night when the “veil” between the spirit world and the natural world was so thin it was best to pretend to be someone else.  In the early 20th century Americans started wearing costumes for Halloween which was celebrated but not with the Celtic beliefs in mind (at least, not for everybody).  In the 1950′s trick-or treating became very popular in the United States but it actually started out in Great Britain and Ireland as something called “Souling,” Souling was a visiting custom carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries mainly by children but was previously done by adults. As far back as the Middle Ages poor adults or children would go door to door collecting handouts in return for their prayers for the dead. 

Ghosts

Since Samhain not only celebrated the end of harvest but also those who had passed into the next “realm” it was called by some a “festival of the dead.”  The idea of ghosts plays into this and it is said that Halloween night is the one night of the year that the spirits of our ancestors are able to walk among the living. 

Skeletons

As Halloween is seen as the “night where the line is blurred between the living and the dead thing” skeletons are a symbol of Halloween for that reason.  The skull in particular is a symbol used by many different cultures to represent either the brevity of human mortality / the fear of death or danger that can result in death.  If you think about the Jolly Roger symbol on pirate ships (skull and crossbones) – it was there to threaten other ships into surrendering without a fight.  In other religions skulls feature on the necklace of the Hindu goddess Kali / over the head of Yama – the Buddhist Lord of Death and the list goes on.  The Druids and Celts believed that the skull was the “psychic seat” of the human soul. Skulls and skeletons are associated with Halloween because they represent the end of the physical part of life / they are something that is connected to Halloween both because of the death of the “light” seasons and also because of the perceived connection to the spirit realm.

Black Cats

There are some ancient cultures who believed that on Halloween night the veil between the living world and the spirit world was - if not lifted entirely - at least a little thinner.  Ancient Celtic religions taught that cats were reincarnated souls of humans and that they were able to see the future. It was thought that witches could turn into cats.  Even those who thought that was farfetched believed cats to be the “familiar” of witches.  Truth be told many single ladies were thought to be witches and just like today - many of the single ladies had cats.  Therefore if you were the “local cat lady” in the 1600′s you would most probably have been tried for witchcraft.

In the 1600′s and 1700′s several different cultures would hold a bonfire in June on St. John’s Eve and they’d throw cats into said bonfire.  King Louis XIV of France forbade this practice but French villages kept doing it for more than a hundred years after the practice was abolished.  Thus is the superstitious power of the cat.

Bats

Bats are nocturnal creatures so it’s natural that a celebration about the end of the light seasons and the beginning of the dark ones would incorporate them.  Additionally in the old days big bonfires were lit at Halloween which would draw mosquitoes and moths to them which in turn would draw bats therefore bats were common sight during the early Samhain festivals and later Halloween celebrations.  Certain groups thought that bats were able to communicate with the dead however this was never proved as the bats can’t communicate with the said groups.  Also once vampire legends found their way into Halloween folklore the position of the bat was guaranteed as it was thought that vampires could transform into bats. 

Spiders

The spider’s spinning of its web is a great natural representation of the cycle of life – a spider spins its web / bugs fly into the web / nourish the spider / etc. 

The Colours Orange and Black

The colours - orange and black are representations of the time of year rather than any Halloween lore or mythology.  The colour orange represents Autumn when the leaves change from green and orange pumpkins are ripe for picking.  The Celtic festival of Samhain marked the transition between “light” days and “dark” days – so the black likely represents those dark days of Winter when there are fewer daylight hours to attend to the fields and crops

Corn Husks and Stalks of Wheat

The significance of corn husks and stalks of wheat is pretty straightforward.  Halloween comes in the Autumn - the traditional festival of Samhain celebrates the end of summer and the end of the harvest so these images are meant to represent the end of harvest and the beginning of winter.  Corn and wheat are symbols of agricultural change and the change of the seasons. 

Written by: Andria Owen