Who doesn’t love black cats around Halloween? They’re cute, they’re cuddly, and they’re also a witch’s best friend! 🙂 So, why are these creatures considered bad luck?
Dating back as far as 3000 BC, all cats were held at a high esteem. However, in Europe during the Middle Ages is when their reputation began to fall. After the witch hysteria broke out, people began to notice how poor, lonely old ladies would tend to the alley cats. Some of these women who owned cats were accused of witchcraft.
Then, according to folklore, a father and son in Lincolnshire in the 1560’s were said to have been traveling one moonless night. A black cat crossed their path, and they threw rocks at it. The cat ran into an old woman’s house, who was accused of being a witch. The next day the father and son ran into the woman, who was limping. They automatically assumed that this woman was THE black cat that they were throwing stones at the night before, thus assuming all witches turn into black cats.
During the Salem witch trails, people still strongly believed that “witches” could turn into black cats. Today, we still associate black cats with Halloween.
Source: todayifoundout.com
{ 0 comments… add one now }