If you’ve ever wondered why people believe in the midnight hour, it’s because there are a lot of superstitions surrounding this time.
For example, some believe that the veil between this world and the other world at midnight becomes thin, allowing ghosts and spirits to cross over into our realm.
Others say that if you make a wish at midnight, it will come true in a year.
During the Middle Ages (or even earlier), it was believed that a person’s death could be predicted by how restless they were during the witching hour of midnight.
In this article, we are going to explore some of the fun and even dark superstitions surrounding the midnight hour.
1. Two Kernels of Corn for a Husband
In Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World (Cora Linn Daniels), we find the following curious charm to see the face of one’s future spouse:
“Throw two kernels of corn at midnight into a well and repeat:
Spirit of this living well,
Pray assist me in my spell.
And as I look upon thy face,
Let my husband’s form there trace.
“Then hold a mirror face downwards over the center of the well, and your future husband will appear in the glass.”
2. The Devil Walks at Midnight
This superstition is based on the belief that the devil, a supernatural entity, can enter your home and harm you if he comes into contact with you during this time.
According to legend, if you hear footsteps outside your home or start to have a lingering feeling of dread, there may be an evil presence nearby.
3. Backwards Down the Cellar Stairs
There are numerous variations of this particular husband seeking charm. This is from Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World (Cora Linn Daniels):
“If a girl wishes to know how her husband will look, let her take a glass of cider in her right hand, and go down the cellar stairs backwards at midnight, and at the bottom of the stairs turn around three times, and then look in the glass, and she will see his face.”
4. Best Time for Conception – China
In The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Chevalier, Gheerbrant) we read:
“…in China, the most favorable time for conception is at midnight at the Winter solstice…”
5. Grass from a Bachelor’s Grave
Grass from a bachelor’s grave, the Bible, and dreams – sounds like a recipe for a Christian charm:
“Picking the grass from a bachelor’s grave alone at midnight, and placing it between the leaves of the Bible, on a chair beside the bed; the dreams that follow will tell you the occupation of your mysterious ‘future husband.'” (Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels.)
6. Midnight is the Witching Hour
The time between 12:00 and 3:00 AM is when people are most likely to be asleep – and yet, it’s also the moment when your mind starts wandering.
You may think about things that make you feel vulnerable or alone.
Long ago, the common working classes believed this was when witches began their nightly spells or met up with the devil and his helpers.
Witches were said to leave their homes and meet in the woods or other hidden places. They might practice the arts of divination.
More likely, however, they would socialize with those who shared their ancient Pagan beliefs.
In Archaic England (Bayley), we read:
“It was popularly supposed that all the witches of West Cornwall used to meet at midnight on Midsummer Eve at Trewa (pronounced Troway) in the parish of Zennor, and around the dying fires renewed their vows to the Devil, their master. In this wild Zennor (supposedly holy land) district is a witch’s rock which if touched nine times at midnight reputedly brought good luck.”
7. Future Name
The following superstition is supposed to help a maiden find the name of her future husband:
“According to French superstition, if a maiden while on her way home from midnight mass on Christmas Eve, will give alms to a beggar and ask him his name, and he tells her, it is a sign that her future husband will have the same name.” (Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels.)
8. Good and Evil Things Can Happen at Midnight
Some people believe that good things happen at midnight, while others think evil can befall your home.
If you’re superstitious and like to keep an eye out for the hour of twelve, here are a few tips on spotting signs that something magical is about to occur.
One of the most common superstitions involves seeing omens in your dreams or visions.
Suppose you’re experiencing a vivid dream about something happening at midnight (like seeing yourself crossing a bridge). In that case, chances are you’ll see it in real life when it does happen.
You might even wake up feeling anxious or confused about what just happened because our brains are still processing all those extra neurons firing off during REM sleep (the deepest stage).
9. Best Time for Visions of True Love
In Curiosities of Superstition (W.H. Davenport Adams), we find the following charm for seeing a future lover:
“A shirt-sleeve may be wetted, and hung before the fire to dry: then if he or she lie in bed and watch it until midnight, he or she will behold his or her future partner’s phantasm come in and turn it!”
10. Midnight Birthday Vision
The midnight hour of one’s birthday is also a magical time, according to folklore.
“If the unmarried person will arise at midnight of their birthday and look into the mirror, they will see the image of their future husband or wife looking over their shoulder.” (Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels.)
11. Some Places Become Haunted after Midnight
Some places appear to have more paranormal activity during the midnight hour.
- Ghost: The dead body of a person who has died a violent death is said to appear as a ghost in some places. For example, if the victim was killed by being hit on the head with an axe, you will see their ghost wandering around at night near where they lived before dying.
- Spirit: Spirits can be seen and heard but cannot be touched or spoken to unless they want it that way. Many people believe spirits are friendly towards us humans but may not always act like we expect them to. For example, suppose someone had passed away from illness or old age. In that case, their spirit may still live among us because their soul hasn’t left.
12. Midnight Lover’s Curse
Here is a curse to break an enemy’s heart:
“Light a candle at midnight, prick it three times with a needle and say:
Thrice the candle broken by me,
Thrice thy heart shall broken be.
“Your enemy will love three times in vain, and your lover, if he then does not keep true to you, will have his heart broken three times by others.” (Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels.)
13. Revenge on a False Lover
Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World (Cora Linn Daniels) has yet another midnight curse, although this one is rather gruesome:
“If a person desires to be revenged on a false lover, take a bird’s heart and at midnight stick it full of pins. A likeness of the false lover will appear in great agony.”
14. Fairies at Noon and Midnight
In fairy lore, we find that the wee folk were most influential on Fridays at noon and midnight:
“It is not easy to reconcile the conflicting details of the disposition, manners, habits, and influence of these liliputian[Pg 324] spirits which we meet with in the early writers. But on a general survey it appears that they were very diminutive; in their intercourse with mortals sometimes good-tempered, sometimes malignant; that they loved and married, and had offspring; that they were very merry, and loved to dance upon the green, and fill the air with choral music; that they possessed stores of gold and silver, which they distributed freely; that they were invisible, but could at will present themselves to mortals; that they were very timid, and would inflict a summary punishment upon intruders. Their influence was at its highest on Friday, at noon, and at midnight.” (Curiosities of Superstition, by W. H. Davenport Adams.)
15. Blood of a Crowing Hen
Another rather gruesome superstition found in the Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World (Cora Linn Daniels), tells us:
“At about midnight give a child a drink mixed with the blood of a crowing hen, and he will be safe from fairy, demon, or witchcraft.”
16. To See the Elven Dance
In The Fairy Mythology (Thomas Keightley) we find this bit of midnight folklore when it comes to elves dancing:
“The Elves are extremely fond of dancing in the meadows, where they form those circles of a livelier green which from them are called Elf-dance (Elfdans). When the country people see in the morning stripes along the dewy grass in the woods and meadows, they say the Elves have been dancing there. If any one should at midnight get within their circle, they become visible to him, and they may then allude him. It is not every one that can see the Elves; and one person may see them dancing while another perceives nothing. Sunday children, as they are called, i. e. those born on Sunday, are remarkable for possessing this property of seeing Elves and similar beings. The Elves, however, have the power to bestow this gift on whomsoever they please. People also used to speak of Elf-books which they gave to those whom they loved, and which enabled them to foretell future events.”
17. Saint John’s Eve
Numerous folk charms and spells were cast on St. John’s Eve. This particular one, culminating in a midnight return to a church, was used to find out if a maiden was to be married.
“A maiden who places a flower on the church porch on St. John’s eve, and returned for it at midnight, will then see, if she is to marry, a bridal procession; but if she is not to marry, she will see a funeral.” (Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels.)
18. Wish Making
According to folklore, it will come true in a year if you make a wish at midnight.
An example of a midnight wish might be:
- Making a wish while staring into your eyes in a mirror
- Saying “I wish” three times while looking up at the new or full moon
19. Prevent Lover From Forgetting You
To prevent a lover from forgetting you, do the following at midnight:
“If your lover is in danger of forgetting you, get up at midnight, wave your hands around your head and say, ‘You love me, you must love me, you shall love me!’ DO this three nights in succession and you need fear no more. He will be compelled to love you.” (Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World by Cora Linn Daniels.)
