The Heroes of Halloween!

It's Halloween time! Which means lots of talk of witches, ghosts, werewolves, zombies, bats, rats and black cats ... spoooooky!

But rather than fearing the animals traditionally associated with Halloween, I want us all to remember how awesome these creepy creatures really are and why we should love 'em! (Let's face it, this ain't gonna be a tough task!)

While in the US, black cats have the lowest adoption rates from shelters than any other colour, in Scotland it's believed owners of black cats will have lots of good luck and, shall we say, suitors. So single Scottish gals are reaping the benefits of having black moggies around the house!

Far from being scary symbols of vampires, bats are considered good luck in Poland and in China they are signs of happiness and prosperity. And let's not forget what would have become of Gotham City without Batman around to save the day!

Here in the Western world there's tales of werewolves coming out when the moon appears (and the Twilight stories aren't helping dispel this myth!), in Japan, wolves are considered to be Gods, where grain farmers even pray to wolves at shrines, asking them to protect their crops.

In China, the rat is the first sign of the zodiac, and if you're born under this sign you are said to be intelligent, creative, generous and honest. Funny then, that in Western cultures, dishonest people are called 'dirty rats'! In India, it's considered a blessing to eat food that has been touched by rats ... now I love all animals, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna take a long time for that idea to catch on here, if ever!

Thankfully owls have managed to overcome their reputation of being 'bringers in death' as they're known in Africa. Today owls are symbols of wisdom. And of course, Harry Potter's beautiful Hedwig has shown us they're pretty good at delivering messages too!

All this talk of superstitions and cultural beliefs has got me feeling all inspired. When the kids come trick or treating at my door tonight, I'm gonna be all ready with my cruelty free white chocolate bites and witches' fingers (no, even witches don't get harmed in the making of these!).

That is as soon as I adopt a black cat to keep me company and attract lots of ... um ... protectors to my house for Halloween! ;)

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