When the summer heat cools, the days shorten, and the trees turn majestic shades of auburn and gold, a new season is on the way. As autumn approaches, there’s a chill in the air that’s not just from the brisk winds of October and November. Between full harvest moons and the “caw” of hovering crows, fall has always felt a little eerie.
Both ancient and modern civilizations have searched for ways to detect good luck, bad luck, and ominous (or lucky) omens in the changing seasons. Find out how these autumn superstitions and folk legends surrounding the autumn season have developed in our cultural understanding, and which ones still exist today.
Table of Contents
1. Black cats bring bad luck
With their glowing yellow eyes and ink-colored fur, black cats often find themselves at the center of Halloween decorations and common autumn superstitions. But they didn’t always give people the creeps when they crossed paths! In ancient Greece and Egypt, all cats were considered divine symbols, and in places like Wales, black cats are even considered lucky.
However, these cultures with pagan roots ultimately led to black cat superstitions alongside fears of witchcraft in medieval Europe. In 13th century Italy, Pope Gregory IX linked black cats to witchcraft, a belief that continued into Puritan New England where it influenced the Salem witch trials decades later.
2. Thick onion skin means a cold winter
For generations, farmers and villagers have tried to predict how harsh the upcoming weather would be. These predictions have led to many autumn superstitions about cold winter signs, including a thick onion skin indicating a cold winter ahead. (Thin onion skins meant the winter would be mild.)
But onion skin isn’t the only superstition in fall. Agricultural civilizations also examine the thickness of apples and corn husks, the wooliness of caterpillars, the height of squirrel nests, and the timing of autumn leaves falling from their trees. While these autumn superstitions may be based on hunches rather than science, they have helped people prepare for a colder winter to come.
3. Crows can bring good luck (or bad luck)
Crows are a fixture of the fall season. But depending on where you are (and how many crows you see), seeing crows can be a terrible or wonderful autumn superstition. In Wales, for example, it’s bad luck to have one crow cross your path, but good luck if two crows pass by. In New England, two crows flying from the left is bad luck, and in France, crows are the reincarnation of bad priests.
However, feeding crows in Hindu cultures is a way to both balance karma and honor your ancestors. It also pays respect to Lord Shani, a Hindu deity depicted with a crow, and ensures that the coming season will be smoother than the last.
4. Autumn apple blossoms predict death
During the autumn season, apple trees are bursting with red and green fruit ready to pick off the branches. That’s why seeing apple blossoms on a tree in autumn isn’t a good sign, as blossoming apple trees are meant for springtime. Many autumn superstitions indicate that seeing an apple blossom on a tree was a sign of impending death.
The wrong-season superstitions don’t end there. Seeing blossoms on any other type of tree, including cherry trees, was also a supposed omen of death. And if there was still fruit on the tree come the next spring, that was a sign that someone in the household would die.
5. A full moon gives newborn babies strength
The moon is a powerful symbol of pagan worship, especially during fall harvest season. Some weird superstitions about a full moon include exposing newborns to a full moon to make newborns strong, waiting to move to a new house until the new moon, and holding a moonstone in your mouth at the full moon to reveal the future.
However, many cultures believe that behaving improperly around a full moon, especially the harvest moon during the autumn equinox, can lead to bad fortune. Being born in the moonlight isn’t a good sign, no matter how full it is. Neither is pointing at the new moon, or having a full moon on a Sunday. These legends track all the way back to the Latin word luna (moon), which is also the root word of lunacy, a condition believed to be caused by the moon cycle.
6. Improper handling of bread can bring bad luck
With autumn comes harvest, and with the harvest comes freshly baked bread! But be careful about the way you cut, serve, and plate your bread, as there are many autumn superstitions that describe pitfalls of improper bread use during Thanksgiving or any other celebration.
In France, serving upside-down bread means bad luck. It was a custom for medieval bakers to save one loaf of bread for the executioner. They stored it upside down so customers wouldn’t buy it. In Ukraine, you should never throw bread crumbs in the trash, as it heralds hunger to come. And not eating the last piece of bread in Macedonia is also unlucky. Contrarily, in Romania, if you eat the last corners of the bread, you and your mother-in-law will have a good relationship!
7. Killing a spider is a bad omen
Autumn is mating season for spiders, making them more visible when you step outdoors. They also tend to migrate inside to escape sinking fall temperatures and moisture. Though people who fear spiders may be tempted to kill them on sight, it’s bad luck to do so in many European cultures.
In fact, spiders themselves are good omens. Some spider superstitions suggest that spiders are indicative of money, and saving a spider’s life ensures wealth will come your way. Stepping on a spider supposedly brings rain and poor weather, and seeing one cross your path means good luck is to come. And if a spider weaves its web across your doorway, expect company soon!
8. Indoor-opened umbrellas mean financial problems
With autumn weather comes autumn rain, and with rain comes umbrellas. But be careful where you open yours! Opening an umbrella indoors is considered unlucky in both ancient and modern cultures and can even portend financial problems to come.
During the Victorian era in England, opening an umbrella was a clumsy experience, making it potentially unsafe (which is bad luck in itself!). And in Italy, the superstition around opening umbrellas indoors goes back to ancient Rome, where the practice could upset the sun god and bring one to poverty. (So can spilling salt, but that’s another story.)
9. Carved pumpkins ward off evil spirits
Today we decorate our houses with carved pumpkins, known as jack-o’-lanterns, for that true autumn feel. But in Ireland, a popular autumn superstition involved carving turnips to keep Stingy Jack (a mythical character known for outsmarting the devil) and other evil spirits away.
Irish immigrants brought the tradition to the United States, where pumpkins were more bountiful (and easier to carve), and the rest is Halloween history!
10. Monarch butterflies carry souls of the departed
The Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) infuses indigenous Aztec customs with European religious traditions from Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day). A November celebration to honor the dearly departed, this autumn occasion includes symbols of candles, cempasuchil (marigolds), calaveras (skulls), and mariposas (butterflies).
In particular, monarch butterflies are believed to carry the souls of ancestors and those who have passed away. As monarch butterfly migrations usually occur in November and coincide with Día de los Muertos, the sight of these butterflies brings comfort and happiness to Latin American cultures who believe that death is merely a continuation of life.
11. Burning rue seeds casts evil away
When you attend a Mehregan festival in Iran, also known as the Persian Festival of Autumn, you may smell the smoke of Esfand seeds burning. Burning these rue weed seeds makes a popping sound and a distinctive smoke, both of which drive away evil spirits in this fall superstition.
Specifically, burning Esfand seeds protect against the evil eye. In many Middle Eastern cultures, being seen by the evil eye (or cheshm-ve bad in Farsi) means you’re the victim of a curse, which is why evil eye amulets hung in homes reflect this curse and protect the household from bad luck.
12. Red at night, sailor’s delight
You may notice more spectacular sunsets in the autumn thanks to high-pressure systems leaving moisture in the air. This moisture can turn a sunset red, which sailors often take as a prediction of good weather ahead in the saying “Red at night, sailor’s delight!”
However, a red sunrise could indicate that good weather has already passed, and a storm is incoming (“Red in morning, sailor’s warning”). While sailors may pay more attention to these skies, some land-based observers believe that a red sunrise indicates bad luck for the day, while a red sunset is a sign of good fortune.
13. Blackberry bushes keep vampires away
If you spend the summer picking blackberries, consider finishing picking by the end of September—if you’re superstitious. According to many superstitions surrounding blackberries, a blackberry bush was the landing place for Lucifer when he fell from heaven, causing its fruit to be cursed after Michaelmas (the Feast of St. Michael, who is credited with defeating Lucifer in the Christian Bible). This autumn superstition has some basis in fact, as wild blackberries generally aren’t edible long after summer, anyway.
But blackberries aren’t all bad in the fall season. Due to their blood-red juice and dark appearance, vampires in folklore love blackberries. If you plant a bush outside your home, vampires will become so obsessed with the berries that they’ll avoid the people in your house completely!
14. Catching falling leaves brings good health
The fall season gets its name from the “falling” leaves from transitioning deciduous trees. If you catch a falling leaf and keep it safe throughout the winter, you can stay healthy in the autumn season. Catch twelve leaves for a full year of good fortune!
While many autumn superstitions rely on folklore and myths, this one may help you out in your daily life. Many find catching falling leaves to be a popular mindfulness exercise, which can reduce stress in a season full of plans and changes. Keeping a caught leaf can bring a sense of tranquility to your day, letting you bask in the moment rather than moving on to the next task.
15. Seeing a hedgehog is a bad sign
Prickly, shy, and shaped like rodents, adorable hedgehogs have carried a bad reputation for centuries. During the Middle Ages, seeing a wild hedgehog in the fall was a bad omen because they were probably disguised witches up to no good.
Since hedgehogs are more active and visible in the fall as they prepare for winter hibernation, it seemed a plausible myth to tell children that they were busy witches in disguise. Sadly, this superstition and a general distrust of an animal native to Europe has led to a steady decline in the hedgehog population, leaving this cute spiny mammal vulnerable to extinction.
Integrate cultural history into your language study
Whether it’s autumn superstitions or regional traditions, understanding cultures and what they believe is instrumental in the language learning journey. No matter what language you’d like to learn, using learning styles like the Dynamic Immersion method can give you important cultural context and guidance with every new phrase you learn, no matter the time of year.
0 Commentaires