Candle superstitions for Samhain are varied and plenty so I thought it would be fun to take a look at all the different superstitions there are for Samhain. A burning a candle inside a jack-o-lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits and demons at bay. Always burn new candles on Samhain to ensure the best of luck. It is not a good idea to burn Halloween candles at any other time of the year. It may bring bad luck or strange things will happen to you, over which you will have no control. A person born on Samhain can both see and talk to spirits. You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Samhain to ward off evil spirits. It is believed that if a person lights a new orange colored candle at midnight on Samhain and allows it to burn until sunrise, you will be the recipient of good luck. When you ring a bell on Samhain, all the scary, evil spirits will fly away. This is an interesting one when you think about all the doorbells that are rung on Samhain night with all the local children trick or treating I wonder if this does include doorbells. On Samhain night, if you see a bat flying around early in the evening, then you'll have good weather the next day. In North America, its bad luck if a black cat crosses your path and good luck if a white cat crosses your path. In Britain, Ireland, and Japan it's the opposite. If you go to a crossroads at Samhain and listen to the wind, you will learn all the most important things that will befall you during the next twelve months. If a bat flies into a house it is a sign that ghosts are about and maybe the ghost let the bat in! If you put your clothes on inside out as well as outside walk backwards on Samhain night. At midnight you will see a witch in the sky. Never cross a threshold when trick-or-treating, or you will carry away the evil spirits of the home which you have visited. For good luck, burn black or orange candles on Halloween. Black and orange are traditional Colour’s of Halloween, and their magickal vibrations are at their peak Practitioners of the black arts believe that the act of inscribing an enemy’s name on a skull-shaped candle and burning it at the witching hour on Samhain will bring harm or death to that foe. If a candle should suddenly go out by itself on Samhain, it is said to be a sign that a ghost has come to call. If this occurs during a séance held on Halloween night, it may be a sign that the spirits are angry or restless. Halloween was known as “Lating night” in England in the community of East Anglia. This term believed to derive from “latent,” meaning that which is hidden or concealed. On Lating Night it was customary for white candles to be lit just prior to the midnight hour, and then carried throughout the fields and woodlands by the brave villagers who were convinced that at the devil and his legions of demons freely roamed the land on this night of the year. The cloaked presence of evil was believed to be indicated by the flames of the candles sputtering, sparkling, or dying out. However if the flames of the candles burned in a matter that was steady and true, this meant that nothing wicked was afoot in that particular region. Always burn new candles on Samhain to ensure the best of luck. Likewise it is not a good idea to burn Samhain candles at any other time of the year. To do so may cause you to experience bad luck and/or strange happenings over which you will have no control. It is said to be an omen of bad luck for a person to accidentally spill candle wax, or burn themselves by the wax or flame on Samhain. To avert the misfortune, extinguish the candle flame and relight the candle’s flame nine consecutive times, each time repeating the following spoken charm: ABRACADABRA ABRACADAB ABRACAD ABRA AB Omens can be read on Samhain by pouring the melted wax from white candle into a cauldron filled with cold water and then interpreting the patterns formed by the wax as it cools. Gazing into a flame of a candle on Samhain night will enable you to peer into the future. Many witches traditionally scry candle flames on Samhain to receive clairvoyant vibrations. If a candle flame emits a spark, good news is coming from the direction of which the sparks flew. To determine the sender, look at the wax drippings. If the wax forms on the right side of the candle, the sender is male. If wax forms on the left, the sender is female. His or her initials may also be found in the pools of wax. A candle that burns with a blue flame, indicates that there is a spirit in the room. Lighting a candle from the fire is a sure way to prevent ever becoming wealthy. Lighting more than two candles with a taper is bad luck. Trouble lighting a candle means a storm is coming. A tall, straight flame means a stranger should be expected. A sputtering flame means disappointment, sadness, or those things coming soon. If you kill a moth that is hovering over your candle it is a good omen or good luck as well. Light a brown candle in each room of your house on Candlemas Eve to attract good luck and keep away bad spirits Light a new white candle in a new house to bring good luck and happiness to the home. A bayberry candle burned all the way down will bring good luck to the home and gold to the pocket. Churches only used beeswax candles because it was believed that bees came from paradise. To dream of a candle in a holder is an omen of happy and prosperous future. Never singe the base of a candle to make it fit firmly. This brings misfortune. so, for ritual and spell craft it might be a better idea to melt wax into the container and then place the candle within so it's secure. [o/a unknown]