Halloween Superstition: Why Black Cats Are Considered Bad Luck

Looking all the way back to 3,000 BC, cats were actually worshiped by the Egyptians. It was actually a capital crime to kill a cat during this era. Fast forward to the middle ages and black cats started to become associated with witches. In Europe, black magic and black cats were considered to be peas in a pod. If you saw one then you would likely see the other. Right or wrong, cats were associated with evil deeds. This was partly because the women that often gave special attention to cats were seen as witches. Even today some people consider old ladies with lots of cats a bit spooky.

BLACK CATS AND WITCHES

Cats are extremely active at night and this was a bit alarming to those living in the middle ages. This meant that cats were possibly out and about doing the supernatural work of the witches. Some people believed that the cats were actually witches taking on the form of a cat to avoid detection. While most people today see black cats as just that, there are still groups of people who see them as evil. There have even been times where people chose to sacrifice black cats in an attempt to strengthen their own perceived black magic.

DID A BLACK CAT JUST PASS IN FRONT OF YOU?

This is a common superstition that says black cats are bad luck. If a black cat walks in your pathway, you will have any number of bad things happen to you. There is debate about how long this bad luck will last. Some believe that this simply keeps you out of heaven. Some believe if you get a cat to cross again in the opposite direction you can reverse the curse. Otherwise you will have a year of bad luck at a minimum. It really depends on where you are as to what might “happen” to you. This superstition appears to have originated in India and places like Romania in Eastern Europe.

OTHER BLACK CAT SUPERSTITIONS

There are a few other superstitions associated with black cats. If any of the following things occur, it is said that you will have a period of bad luck afterward. These include:

● Coming across a black cat during the early hours of the morning

● Chasing away a black cat.

● A black cat turning around and facing its back toward you

● Following a black cat under a ladder

Each of these things are said to bring horrible events upon the person and can even cause them to suffer for a lifetime. Given that I and many others have a black cat, I certainly hope not. Then again, maybe that is why my car keeps breaking down…