Halloween Black Cats

Image: Tippity Witchet's Halloween

I have talked about my cat, Hope, before in class. But, I never explained what happened when I got her. It was two years ago, around the end of October. My mom and I wanted to get another cat, so when we saw our local animal shelter had six black kittens, we immediately went to see them. All of them were fully black except for a little female "tuxedo" kitten, who was definitely the one we wanted.

I remember seeing a sign on the door that all the black cats, including the kittens, would not be available for adoption until after October 31st. My mom and I thought this was weird. It was only a week before Halloween, but we wanted our kitten as soon as possible. Out of curiosity, we asked why the black cats were not available for adoption until the 31st. One of the workers said to us, "People will adopt them and sacrifice them because of Halloween."

What? Are you serious? I was absolutely in shock that people would do such a thing. Luckily, the kitten we wanted was considered black and white. So we were able to adopt her earlier.

Why are black cats considered to be bad luck, though? Why are they associated with Halloween? 

I decided to look up the origin of black cats, Halloween, and bad luck. In Western history, black cats have become a symbol of an evil omen. Years ago, after the Pilgrims had arrived to this country, black cats were considered to be companions to witches and other evil spirits. Anyone who was caught with a black cat feared facing execution. Yikes! Who knew black cats were considered to be so bad. Yet, is this the same everywhere else? Or is this something that was brought with European beliefs and religion?

Image: Tippity Witchet's Halloween

In Japan, black cats are considered good luck. Scottish folklore believes that a black cat's arrival to a home is a sign of prosperity. Fishermen would prefer to have a black cat on their boat because of the belief that their supernatural powers would help them get home safe and sound. It's obvious that black cats are not all that bad. So when a black cat crosses you path, don't fret. Who knows, you might be brought good luck! Or maybe the cat is just walking by and nothing will happen.

What do you think?

Information from: Black cat- Wikipedia

Five Things To Do: For Halloween

Boo!

Don't worry, that picture isn't of a real ghost! This is one of my Halloween decorations in my room. They're pretty cute I must admit.

Anyway, Halloween is less than two weeks away! That means it's time to get your "spook" on and prepare for the most frightful night of the year. What can you do in order to have a fun and boo-tiful time?

1.) Watch Halloween Movies

There's nothing better than watching a movie that's made for Halloween. It can be scary, silly, or even a fun T.V. special like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Personally, I'm not a scary movie person, so I choose movies like Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Paranorman as some of my go to scary movies. Plus, even the television channels are getting into the spirit of Halloween. AMC has their Fear Fest, ABC Family just began their 13 Nights of Halloween, and I'm sure other channels are playing movies that relate to the time of year, as well. 

2.) No Tricks, Just Treats
When you were younger, you most likely went trick-or-treating. Sadly, when you reach the age limit you no longer can go out and get a bunch of candy. But, what's stopping you from having Halloween treats? Go ahead and buy yourself a bag of your favorite candy to munch on. Better yet, show your creative side by making your own treats like caramel apples, spooky cupcakes, or popcorn balls.

3.) Carve a Pumpkin

No matter how old I am, every year I want to carve a pumpkin. There's just something fun about picking out the perfect pumpkin, scooping out the seeds, then letting your imagination take over as you carve an image into it. Once it's finished, the feeling that you get when you light the candle inside is priceless. Want to change it up? Find a book of pumpkin carving patterns or find some online. You'll see that there are plenty of patterns to choose from when you look around!

4.) Tell Scary Stories

Halloween and scary stories go hand-in-hand. If you're with a group of friends around Halloween, have a scary story night. The level of scariness is up to you and your group of friends. The genre of scary can be classical Edgar Allen Poe or an urban legend like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Looking for something more modern day? Creepypasta has some of the scariest stories around. You can find something that will make your skin crawl for sure. But don't get too spooked!

*There is an age requirement of 18 years of age to have access to Creepypasta. There's a reason that it's like that. So make sure your audience is mature.*

5.) Celebrate! 
Halloween is on a Friday this year, so celebrating it your own way is your choice! You could have a party, dress in costume, or sit all night on the couch watching Night of the Living Dead with a big bowl of popcorn. Unless if you have work, you can recover from partying too hard or staying up too late on Saturday. If for some reason you can't celebrate on actual Halloween night, there's no problem celebrating Halloween early or late!

What are you going to do for this year's Halloween?