Halloween soon will be upon us. Time for kids in spooky costumes to ring our doorbells, and scream “trick or treat”. There are certain symbols that go with Halloween, such as ghosts, witches, and black cats. In order to see the reason black cats are connected with this holiday, we need to go back in time.
In Greek mythology, Hecate, who was the goddess of magic, sorcery, the moon and witchcraft, had a cat as a familiar. In Egyptian mythology, Bastet assumed the image of a cat or as having a feline head. At times, she portrayed violent qualities, while others she displayed nurturing.
2500 years ago, the pagan religion of witchcraft or Wicca came about. November 1st marked the Wiccan New Year, when the Celts celebrated the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. This festival was called Samhain. It was believed that on the night of October 31st, the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds was lifted. Witchcraft abounded, and some witches chose black cats for familiars, as Hecate did.
In 1233, Pope Gregory IX proclaimed that since black cats were associated with witchcraft, they were also affiliated with the devil. Both witches and black cats were threats. Since witches weren’t worshipping the Catholic religion, they were prosecuted. Believing that black cats were connected to Satan, they did away with so many of them, they almost became extinct.
Halloween is connected to the Wiccan Samhain festival as it is the beginning of winter. Halloween is sometimes referred to as All Saint’s Eve, and is the night before Christian All Saints’ Day in which we celebrate all saints, known or unknown.
Black cats played a significant part in mythology and Wiccan history and. For that reason, when you see a child in a witch’s costume on Halloween, there is sure to be a black cat following.
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