Does Halloween Hold Superstitions For You?
Besides being a night when family members from many
countries felt close to dead loved ones, Halloween has always been steeped in
magic and mystery – and many superstitions. For friendly spirits, families
would leave out table settings or place treats and candles on their own doorsteps
or pathways to guide spirits.
Today's Halloween ghosts are considerably scarier and
superstitions have evolved. Some avoid crossing the path of a black cat, for
example, which stems from beliefs in the Middle Ages that witches avoided
detection by turning themselves into cats, as well as from references in the
Dark Ages when witchcraft was common and cats were seen as demonic pets gifted
by the devil or, in some cases, the devil himself in disguise.
But many Halloween rituals have largely been forgotten,
particularly traditions that focused on the future rather than death and
morbidity. In contrast, many of these obsolete rituals focused on love; it was
believed that on Halloween young women could divine the name or face of their
future husband and, with luck, be married before the next Halloween.
!) An 18th-century
Irish cook might have buried a ring in her mashed potatoes to catch an
unsuspecting diner.
2) Scottish women were told to write men's names on
hazlenuts and toss them in the fire to see which name burned to ashes rather
than popping.
3) Women from Europe ate a sugary mix of walnuts, hazelnuts
and nutmeg before bed on Halloween so they could dream their future husband's
face
4) Women from many countries used to toss apple-peels over
their shoulders to see if they fell in the shape of a future husband's initial.
And..we're celebrating the release of my new book COMES A SPECTER, Book 2, Ghostland Series This book is very appropriate for Halloween because like many of my books, it features a ghost!
About Comes A Specter
Six
months ago, Anya Fleming's ten- year-old son, Willie-boy, found his father hanging in the barn. Traumatized over his father's suicide, the boy hasn't spoken a word since. Now, Willie-boy has come down with a grave, unknown illness and there's only one man who can save him, Sutter Sky, a learned Blackfoot shaman known as Yellow Smoke—a shaman who was once deeply in love with Anya.
But
Fate had other plans for Anya and Sutter—she was forced to marry Lewis Fleming, a cruel man who berated her night and day, and brokenhearted Sutter immersed
himself in the mystical customs and beliefs of his People and became a shaman
.
As
if Anya didn't have enough to deal with after her husband's death and son's illness, an evil, sinister ghost is terrorizing their ranch. Anya is convinced
the spirit is Lewis, who apparently isn't done making her life miserable.
When she turns to Yellow Smoke for help, will he put side his bitterness and save Willie-boy? And can the renowned shaman dispel the powerful ghost from their lives and send him back to Hades?
(Don't forget to check out Comes An Outlaw, Book1, Ghostland Series when you're on AMAZON
Also features a ghost!)
Sign up for my NEWSLETTER HERE and leave your email address below to enter the contest! Or you can enter the contest and leave a comment on my AUTHOR WEB SITE KETA DIABLO and enter again to win 1 of ten prizes!
You can also enter at any of these blogs (mark your calendar for future dates of the blog tour) for even more chances to win!
You can also enter at any of these blogs (mark your calendar for future dates of the blog tour) for even more chances to win!
Author Beverly Bateman – October 13
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