Why do Southerners paint porch ceilings blue?

According to the Gullah/Geechee, a blue porch ceiling brought good luck to the home and helped to ward away evil spirits as these lost souls are unable to cross water. A haint blue porch ceiling resembles water and prevents haints from harming the people in the house.

Why are ceilings blue in the South?

The practice traces back to the Gullah Geechee, enslaved people living in the low country of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Gullah folklore explains that ghosts, also referred to as “haints,” were not able to cross water. In order to repel evil spirits from plantations, porch ceilings were painted a soft blue.

Does painting porch ceiling blue keep bugs away?

Because porch ceilings used to be painted with milk paint containing lye, a substance known for deterring bugs, the hue mistakenly gained its reputation as a pest-repeller. While there's no guarantee that a blue porch will keep bugs and ghosts at bay, you can be sure it will attract attention.

What color do Southerners paint their porch ceilings?

Across the South, the tradition of painting ceilings blue is passed down from generation to generation. There are many stories and legends as to why, and it's not just about keeping bugs at bay. In the Deep South, a darker blue sometimes called “haint blue” is believed by some to keep away evil spirits.

Does painting porch ceiling blue keep spiders away?

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.

The Story of Haint Blue | What About This?

Does haint blue actually work?

Does it work, and why? 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.

What paint company makes the color haint blue?

There are so many options for Benjamin Moore haint blue colors but this one is a personal favorite if you like a brighter blue sunny day look.

What color are Charleston porch ceilings?

Have you ever noticed that porches in Charleston usually have a light blue paint upon their ceilings? The Gullah Geechee descendants of the enslaved African planters thought that soft, blue-green paint would keep the “haints,” or evil spirits, away.

What is the tradition of haint blue?

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)."

What does a light blue porch ceiling mean?

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 shade of blue is haint blue?

Haint blue is a cultural iconic hue that falls in the light blue to blue-green range rather than a specific color.

What color paint keeps wasps away?

The other step I highly recommend is to paint eaves and porch and patio ceilings with the color called haint blue. It is a robin's-egg blue that, according to Southern tradition, discourages wasps from building nests on its surface. Every paint manufacturer sells a version of this color.

What is the best color to paint a porch ceiling?

Historically, light blue is the go-to porch ceiling color—and for good reason. It mimics the natural sky and makes a covered porch feel open and inviting.

What does a blue porch light mean 2022?

The most common association of the color blue with porch lights is to support law enforcement.

Why do Southern homes have high ceilings?

According to New Orleans Architecture Tours, ceilings averaged a height of 10 to 16 feet. Classy, right? Looks aside, building homes with these high, vaulted ceilings helped move hot air upward, keeping rooms and gathering areas cooler and less stuffy.

What color is original haint blue?

The color is said to have been originally based on the indigo grown in the region in the eighteenth century. Today, it is so popular that Sherwin Williams offers a pale blue paint called haint blue that adorns porch ceilings throughout the LowCountry.

What is a boo hag or haint?

Boo hags, haints and other spirits are found throughout Lowcountry Gullah folklore. A boo hag is said to use witchcraft to steal energy from the living while they sleep. They steal a living person's skin and wear it to move among the world of the living without suspicion.

How do you ward off a haint?

There is folklore surrounding various ways to prevent, distract, or trap haints, including the use of a unique color of house paint called haint blue on doors, windows, shutters, and porches. The blue color tricks haints into thinking they are approaching water, over which they cannot cross.

What color are porch ceilings in New Orleans?

A blue porch ceiling mimics the sky and evokes the feeling of an extended day, while some people believe painting window and door frames blue can trick evil spirits into believing it's water, which they cannot traverse.

What color is haint?

Haint blue is a collection of pale shades of blue-green that are traditionally used to paint porch ceilings in the southern United States.

What does blue ceiling mean?

The tradition is rooted in Gullah culture.

Gullah folklore held that ghosts—known as “haints” (and pronounced “haunts”) in the Creole dialect—could not cross water, and because blue resembles water, ceilings were painted this color to repel evil spirits.

What is Sherwin-Williams version of haint blue?

Sherwin-Williams Waterscape (SW 6470) is a dynamic, perfectly soft-but-bright blue infused with hints of green. Haint blue in general can be tricky because it will depend on several factors, like the natural light on your porch, the other colors present, and the amount of greenery surrounding your house.

What Kind of blue does Bob Ross use?

Darker than Phthalo Blue, Prussian Blue is often found in the skies of Bob's winter scenes. Prussian Blue is also used to darken the corners of an otherwise Phthalo Blue sky. Do you accept the terms and conditions?

Does Behr have a haint blue?

Porch with haint blue celing - Colorfully BEHR.

Does the color blue keep mosquitoes away?

They found that mosquitos were drawn most to red, orange, black, and cyan. They also found that mosquitos ignored green, purple, blue and white.