Chickens—In some parts of Britain, WITCHES were supposedly unable to go near black chicken feathers, so on Halloween it was customary to kill a black chicken and hang it on the door to the chicken house; likewise, its feathers might be tied elsewhere (for example, to a dog’s collar) for protection. One MARTINMAS custom sounds suspiciously like a SAMHAIN or All Hallows Eve practice: Cockerel’s blood was sprinkled on the interior and exterior corners of houses as protection against supernatural forces.
SOURCE:
The Halloween Encyclopedia Second Edition written by Lisa Morton © 2011 Lisa Morton. All rights reserved
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