The meeting and parting of ways are widely associated with magic, the appearances and activities of demons, the devil, witches, fairies, ghosts and spirits, and various sinister supernational supernatural phenomena. Crossroads superstitions prevail throughout many of the continents.
Crossroads are said to be haunted by various entities who delight in leading confused travelers astray.
Spirits of the Dead appear at crossroads in especially at Halloween. The time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. Some cultures believe that every crossroads is populated by spirits of the dead in at night. At other times, the dead can be conjured to appear at crossroads. One may divine who is going to die before performing rituals at Crossroads, especially at certain times of the year. Crossroads also play roles in funerals and burial rites. Some customs ask for a corpse to be laid down at every crossroad and prayed over as they are carried from the church or house to the graveyard. The cross shape of Crossroads is in some lure, a protection against the very spirits alleged to haunt the places.
Historically, many European cultures buried suicides, criminals, and outcasts at crossroads rather than in holy churchyards. People believed the cross shape of the intersection confused wandering ghosts and stopped them from haunting their families, or used the spot for gallows to keep executed souls from returning
In Ireland traditionally the crossroads was looked upon as a no-man’s land belonging to no one. A place that was thought of as being neither here nor there, a place beyond the real world where normal rules did not apply. It was here that people could make contact with the spirit world and shrines, crosses and standing stones are a common feature of crossroads throughout Europe.
Join Us on our Annual Trip to Ireland for Halloween!
