8 Spooky Old Wives' Tales About Babies Born On Halloween

Perhaps the most commonly known Halloween birthday-related old wives' tale is that those born on Halloween will have second sight, as noted by an essay on The Hairpin. The author learned this from her grandfather, the Warlock, another Halloween baby, who once predicted to her that a woman several cars ahead of them would turn left at the next intersection. He was right.

The idea behind babies born on Halloween being immune to evil spirits is that Halloween is when the "line" between the living world and deathly world is the thinnest, meaning that those born on that day likely have some sort of special association or connection with spirits. An article on MSN Lifestyle reported that this immunity to evil spirits lasts the entirety of a Halloween baby's life.

As it turns out, whether you've spent a lot of time thinking about it before or not, a lot of women appear to believe that giving birth on Halloween is bad luck. According to the New Scientist, researchers at Yale University's School of Public Health found that birth rates tend to drop off on October 31 and not as many women give birth because they subconsciously believe it to be an unlucky day. How cool is that?

According to a posting on a Yahoo message board, some people have heard the old wives' tale that babies born on Halloween have the ability to read dreams. The ability to read and decipher dreams might not be one that you wish to have on a regular basis, but if you've ever woken up wondering, "what in the world was that about?" you probably recognize how it could occasionally come in handy.

Apparently, according to The Guardian, some women believe that if they give birth on Halloween, they will curse their baby. This could also be another reason why some women subconsciously avoid giving birth on Halloween. The symbolism of skeletons, death, evil spirits, and the like — along with the old wives' tale that babies born on Halloween are somehow cursed — might affect hormone levels and such, preventing a woman who adamantly opposes giving birth on Halloween (even if she doesn't know it) from doing so.

Not only will a baby born on Halloween be immune from any harm caused by evil spirits for their entire life, but, according to a post on the aforementioned Yahoo message boards, some people also have heard the old wives' tale that a baby born on Halloween will be able to more easily communicate with spirits. It doesn't specify if those spirits are good or evil, but either way, that could be a useful talent to have.

(I know. And now for something completely different.) In pagan customs, Samhain (original, pagan Halloween) was not only a day of good luck, it was actually the day to celebrate births and weddings and the like. Even if your baby wasn’t born on the holiday, you would celebrate their birth that day if it fell in the vicinity. Plus, you know, big parties are already being had. Why not throw an exhausted mother and newborn into the mix.

In a class I took in undergrad on the history of paganism and the encroachment of Christianity (because I’m a millennial who was obsessed with The Craft), I learned that babies born on Samhain were thought to be the next kings and knights because, patriarchy, but also because they would be strong enough to survive the divide between the mortal and immortal realms. (And also being a newborn in first century England during the winter months probably makes a hardy kid.)