This document discusses several superstitions and traditions from different cultures and time periods. It describes the Celtic origins of Halloween traditions like wearing costumes and carving jack-o-lanterns. It also discusses the ancient Egyptian reverence for cats and how Christians later portrayed black cats as evil. The document outlines how the Knights Templar were arrested and tortured on accusations of heresy in 1307. Finally, it traces the traditions of "knock on wood" and "touch wood" to ancient pagan beliefs about spirits residing in trees and seeking their protection.

1. I
Superstition is an irrational belief in the existence of unseen
forces which most frequently are considered as evil spirits
controlling people's fates or the turnout of events. Many people
still hold on to many of these beliefs and in certain cases passed
down like a tradition from generation to generation.
II
Every year on the 31st of October one witnesses a scene of children
and even adults dressed up in costumes, children running
excitedly from house to house, streets sounding with the echoes
of “trick or treat”, carved, lit-up jack-o-lanterns as well as
religious observances. This day is known as Halloween.

2. This tradition can be traced back 2000 years to the Celtic belief
that the spirits of the dead still remain in our plane of
existence and required food and drink to be placated. Failing
this and one was sure to be visited by one of these
disgruntled spirits in retaliation. For some the observance of
Halloween combines pre-Christian and Christian traditions. It is
considered to be the eve of All Saints’ Day.
The Celtic festival o f ‘Sambaing’ meaning “summer end” was
a time for storing up stocks and preparing for the soon to
come cold winter months. It was also the time of the year
when both the physical and supernatural worlds were closest
and strange, unexplainable and magical events could occur.
To ward off these spirits, huge bonfires were built. People also
invoked the help of Gods through animal and human
sacrifices even.
All Saints’ Day also known as ‘All Hallows’ and ‘All Souls Day’
was a time for honoring the saints and praying for the
deceased who had yet to reach heaven. It is believed that on
this day souls wander the earth and is given a chance to
take vengeance before moving on to their next life. Christians
would hide themselves in costumes to avoid being recognized
by a soul.

3. III
Among the ancient Egyptians cats, including black ones , were
held in high esteem. They were protected from injury and death
by law. Their belief was so strong that a cat’s death was
mourned by the entire family. Their bodies were embalmed in
an elaborate fashion, wrapped up in fine linen and placed in
mummy cases made of bronze and even wood, Egypt being a
place with scarce timber resources. Entire cat cemeteries have
been unearthed by archaeologists.
Also in Egypt Goddess Bast was a black, female cat. Christians
wished to eradicate all other forms of religion and worship in
the society. Thus they spread word among the ignorant that

4. black cats were demons in disguise and must be destroyed.
Being demons, if a black cat crossed our path it would create a
cursed barrier that cuts one off from God and prevents an
afterlife in heaven.
Alley cats were often fed by the poor and lonely women. So when
witch hysteria struck Europe, these innocent, helpless women
were accused of practicing black magic and black cats were
their companions.
Many societies in the late Middle Ages attempted to drive
cats into extinction. Soon the existence of witches reached a
level of paranoia at which time such women and their pets
were mercilessly burned at the stake. It reached an extreme
extent when even a baby born with eyes too bright and a
personality too precocious was sacrificial under the belief that
it was a host to a spirit that would in time turn into a witch.
This had the unintended consequence of an increasing rat
population that in turn led to the spread of Bubonic plague
[Black Death] and other diseases with rodent carriers.

5. In France, thousands of cats were burned monthly, until the
rule of King Louis XIII, in the 1630s, who brought an end
to this preposterous practice.
IV

6. The Knight Templars were among the most famous in the
western Christian military orders. It lasted for nearly two
centuries in the middle ages. They were the poor-fellow
soldiers of Christ and among the most skilled at the time of
the crusades. Their existence was closely tied up with the
crusades.
In 1305, Pope Clement V wrote to the Templar Grand Master
Jacques De Molay and the Hospitaller Grand Master Fulk De
Villaret to discuss the possibility of merging the two Orders.

7. His persistence led him to invite them a second time in 1306
to discuss the issue. Jaques De Molay was the first to arrive
in 1307 but De Villaret was held back for a long time.
During this interval the Pope and De Molay spoke of the
false charges made by an ousted templar. To gain more
insight into the incident, Pope Clement sent a written request
to Philip IV of France to invesgitate into the matter.
King Philip was under a huge debt to the Templars, who had
played the role of bankers for about two hundred years. He
took direct advantage of the situation and turned the
rumours against the order to free himself from the piled up
debts.
On Friday October 13th, 1307, Philip sent an order for the
arrest of De Molay and a number of Templars. They were
charged with a number of disgraceful offences which included
apostasy, idolatory, obscene rituals, heresy, secrecy, financial
corruption and fraud. Under intense physical and mental
torture many confessed to these charges. Even though the
confessions were drawn out under duress, it succeeded in
creating a scandal. They were forced to confess that they
spat on the cross. All their assets too were seized. More than
a hundred died under excruciating torture or were executed
by burning at the stake.
Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the official term for the fear of
Friday the Thirteenth. Jesus was said to have
been crucified on Friday and the number of guests at the Last
Supper was 13, with the 13th guest being Judas, the traitor.
All these lead to Friday the 13th being recognized as a cursed
and misfortunate day.
V

8. The American version is "knock on wood", while the British
version is merely "touch wood". The tradition traces back to an
ancient pagan belief that spirits resided in trees, particularly
Oaks, and that by knocking on or touching the wood,
you were paying a small tribute to them by remembering or
acknowledging them, and could call on them for protection
against ill-fortune. Also, you were thanking them for their
continued blessings and good luck.

9. It may be traced back even further to an ancient Greek
belief, according to Sauren Dessai that if they touched an Oak
tree, they communicate with Zeus, who would protect them
from misfortune.