Oct. 23, 2009 Sharon Falsetto The witch is a symbol of Halloween , yet many people do not know the legends and folklore associated with broomsticks and why witches are green. Just as the pumpkin and haunted hotels are synonymous with Halloween, so is the witch. There are many myths, legends and folklore associated with the popular Halloween witch and it is difficult to determine exactly how the common Halloween image of the witch evolved. However, many legends surrounding witches appear to date back to Medieval times. Witches were persecuted for several centuries before a series of Witchcraft Acts (1541-1735) of Medieval Europe spurred an even greater fear of witches. Fact or fiction, many tales abound concerning the images and practices of Medieval witches. Today, the Halloween witch is depicted as a green, ugly, old lady who owns a black cat and rides a broomstick. Witches are famously depicted as green; the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 movie The Wiza
FOLKLORE, FACTS AND FEATURES ABOUT HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD