Ghost Banishing Haint Blue
If you want to trick ghosts, have you ever thought about some home renovation? There is a folklore prevalent that there is a special color of blue that is able to trick spirits from bothering your home. What color is it? Haint Blue.
This blue can be seen on shutters, porches, ceilings, and even whole houses! Why? Well, not only is Haint Blue an aesthetically pleasing and airy color, it’s also said to be a safeguard against pesky ghosts. A ‘Haint’ is a different way of saying ‘Haunt’ so, this blue is kind of called ‘Haunt Blue.’ The folklore behind this color comes from the Gullah Geechee people, in Georgia.
The Gullah Geechee were enslaved on coastal and island plantations, and often used this specific color to ward off ‘haunts’, aka ‘haints.’ It is generally painted on ceilings. Why? Well, the spirits would think that the door is part of the sky, that the porch is surrounded by water. This would confuse the spirit and they would be unable to access the home.
Others believe that truly evil beings cannot easily cross water, so the thought of having blue shutters (or a shade of blue that could easily confuse spirits) would protect the entrances of their home and shield them from a haunting.
Some also claim that the color wards off wasps, and that is why it has grown so popular. However, multiple studies have confirmed that this specific color of blue is no better at warding off wasps than any other blue. So, it seems...perhaps people were just looking for something more earthbound to explain away their superstitions (or, maybe they just liked the color).
You can see uses of this color in the south and particularly in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Thank you for your blogtonishing suggestion, Kathleen OB!
The blog image is from Lake Lou and is licensed under Creative Commons 2.0.
