When I was a kid, I assumed witching hour means the time when witches left their homes and zoomed about on their broomsticks. The other day I decided to do a little Googling to find out what the term really meant, and it appears I was about half right. Coz witches are not the only ones who come out during that potent time of the night.
Popular belief has it that ghosts, demons, and other strange otherworldly creatures also make their appearance after the clock strikes 12 midnight, which officially signifies the start of witching hour. Many people believe that black magic is at its' most powerful during this time.
If you have watched many spooky movies like me, I'm sure you'll remember that the demons, zombies, and other creatures of the dark usually make their appearance around this hour to plague their victims. So it is kinda generally accepted that bad things usually happen during this time.
In The Exorcism of Emily Rose however, the term witching hour can also mean the time from midnight to 3am. In the movie, 3am is said to be the Devil's hour as opposed to 3pm when Jesus was supposed to have been crucified. Then there are those who say that witching hour is from 3am to 4am.
My View..........
To me witching hour is the time between the end of one day and the start of another. A time with great potency for magical things to happen and magical creatures to appear. Not necessarily bad ones'.
From what I know and have heard from others, people are more likely to see the spirits of their departed relatives during this time, experience ghostly disturbances, or see some very, very, strange things...........
My mum used to work in this multinational company in Pasir Gudang, Johor. Once one of the driver's there told her that while he was driving on the Pasir Gudang highway at about 4am, on his way to pick up a boss who had to be sent to the airport, he saw a white tiger cross the road and make its way up a hill. There's a small temple dedicated to Goddess Shakti atop that hill.
For those of you non-Hindus, the tiger and sometimes a lion is depicted as the vehicle of the Goddess in popular iconography. I doubt the white tiger intended to show itself to the driver, I just think that sometimes during witching hour, we glimpse things, things that are not visible under the harsh light of day...................
Have any of you had strange experiences during witching hour? Or perhaps you've heard a creepy tale or two from friends. If you do, please share them with me!! I love ghost stories, and there's nothing like a spine tingling or goose-bump inducing story to brighten up this coming Halloween!
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