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The painted blue porch ceiling started in the American South around 200 years ago. In order to repel evil spirits from plantations, porch ceilings were painted a soft blue. The color was meant to mimic water in an effort to keep any haints or spirits at bay.
Why are doors painted blue in the South?
The folklore piece refers to the concept of “haint,” a Southern variation on the word “haunt” that refers to a ghost or spirit. “Blue represented water, and apparently spirits can’t traverse water,” said O’Neill. “People would paint the ceilings, the window trim and sometimes the doors (to keep spirits away).”Aug 28, 2017.
Does sky blue paint keep bugs away?
Lore claims the insects and birds see the blue as the sky and don’t come beneath it. According to a history of blue paint on Sherwin-Williams.com, today’s blue paint is probably not a true deterrent for insects and birds but it once was – back when blue paint was made with lye.
Why are porches and shutters painted blue in the South?
Purpose. Originally, haint blue was thought by the Gullah to ward haints, or ghosts, away from the home. The Gullah would paint not only the porch, but also doors, window frames, and shutters. Blue glass bottles were also hung in trees to trap haints and Boo Hags.
Does painting porch ceiling blue keep birds away?
Summer days seem to last longer when afternoons are spent on the porch, and a pale blue ceiling overhead helps extend the daylight into dusk. Blue ceilings are also said to deter birds from nesting there and insects from buzzing around.
Why do Southern homes have blue porch ceilings?
The painted blue porch ceiling started in the American South around 200 years ago. In order to repel evil spirits from plantations, porch ceilings were painted a soft blue. The color was meant to mimic water in an effort to keep any haints or spirits at bay.
Why are porch ceilings painted blue in Key West?
Blue painted porch ceilings are a common and aesthetically beautiful site to see in Key West. The idea was (and for some still is) that blue porch ceilings act as a natural bug repellent because the porch looks like the sky and fools the bugs who obviously won’t build their nests in the sky.
Does sky blue paint deter wasps?
Well, it’s called “haint blue” and may repel more than just insects, thus the name. The South Carolina Low Country, blue paint has been used on porch ceilings ands ome say this color blue extends daylight at dusk and helps keep bees, wasps and other insects away.
Do spiders avoid sky blue?
The color that spiders tend to hate is light blue. People don’t just paint their porches light blue for the aesthetic. Painting your porch ceiling in this shade is a pretty effective way of keeping spiders away. The color is also known to repel wasps.
What colors keep wasps away?
Bees and wasps instinctively perceive dark colors as a threat. Wear white, tan, cream, or gray clothing as much as possible and avoid black, brown, or red clothes. Bees and wasps see the color red as black, so they perceive it as a threat.
Why do they paint porch ceilings blue in Savannah?
This light blue-green color is especially popular in southern coastal cities like Charleston, SC or Savannah, GA because of the historically haunted nature of these cities. The blue color was meant to ward off “haints” or evil spirits who might want to harm the house or the family inside.
What is the definition of a haint?
DEFINITIONS1. 1. a type of ghost or evil spirit from the Carolina coast. According to Appalachian historian Dave Tabler, the word haint can refer to an angry dead spirit, but also to “an undefinable something that scares the bejeevers out of you.”Apr 5, 2019.
What is a haint ghost?
So what is a “haint?” It’s just another word for a ghost or spirit, a derivative of “haunt.” For centuries, Southerners have passed down ways to keep spirits from haunting your home.
Does a blue porch ceiling keep wasps away?
It was used as an insect repellent. There was a more down-to-earth rationale for blue porch ceilings, too—the notion that it could keep wasps and other pests from building nests there. The blue paint actually did thwart insects, but not by outsmarting them.
What color deters bugs?
Bugs are naturally attracted to bright colors like white, yellow or orange. Colors like green and blue won’t register as vividly when seen in the UV spectrum, deterring bugs away from these colored objects.
What color paint keeps bugs away?
Best Exterior Paint Colors That Repel Bugs & birds: Colors such as yellow and white will do a much better job of deterring mosquitoes from your property.
What does a blue porch light mean 2020?
Many parents will also put blue lights on their porches to show support for those who struggle with autism Spectrum Disorder. The color blue was chosen for this awareness month because of the connection between autism and the sky.
What is the meaning of haint blue paint?
The shade and the term “haint blue” have become mythic and ubiquitous. The Gullah Geechee legend says that evil spirits do not like water and painting spaces to look like water will keep them away. The color is said to have been originally based on the indigo grown in the region in the eighteenth century.
Why is haint blue?
Haint blue was supposed to protect people from bad spirits. The Gullah people (also known as the Geechee or Gullah Geechee) in Georgia, a subsection of enslaved people who lived on island and costal plantations, were the first to use this color blue as a protection against evil spirits, calling it “haint blue”.
